1998 JAGUAR XJ Complaints

RELATED TO JAGUAR SERVICE ACTION PUBLICATION NUMBER 303-S514, "THROTTLE CLOSED POSITION OPERATION" THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT FOR JAGUAR. IN THE JAGUAR SERVICE BULLETIN, JAGUAR STATES "UNDER EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES THIS CONCERN COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO CUT OUT... THE ENGINE SHOULD RESTART WITHOUT DIFFICULTY ONCE THE VEHICLE HAS COME TO A COMPLETE STANDSTILL." THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS REPORTED AS A RESULT OF THIS "COMPLETE STANDSTILL" HAPPENING ON MAJOR MOTORWAYS WHERE THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC IS IN EXCESS OF 60MPH. MY 1998 JAGUAR XJ8L HAS HAD THE SERVICE ACTION PERFORMED, WHICH REPLACED THE ORIGINAL THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY WITH THE EXACT SAME THROTTLEBODY FROM THE SAME VENDOR. THE NEW PARTS USED FOR THE REPLACEMENT IS THE SAME ONE THAT FAILS, IT IS DEFECTIVE AND ONLY COMES WITH A ONE YEAR WARRANTY. THE CAR IS STALLING AGAIN, AND JAGUAR REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. ON MONDAY MORNING, MARCH 17, 2008 WHILE DRIVING TO WORK, MY CAR RECENTLY STALLED WHILE HEADING ON I-35N THROUGH AUSTIN TEXAS, AT WHICH TIME THE TRAFFIC VOLUME WAS HEAVY AND THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC WAS NEAR 70 MPH, AND I WAS FORCED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY EXIT FOR A CONSTRUCTION BARRICADE. IN DOING THIS, ANOTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING BEHIND ME HAD TO VEER OUT OF THE WAY TO AVOID A REAR-END COLLISION, AND PUMMELED THROUGH THE ORANGE CONSTRUCTION BARRELS. I HAD TO ALSO PULL HARD INTO THE CONSTRUCTION BARRELS TO AVOID THE COLLISION, AND MY VEHICLE SUFFERED FRONT PANEL DAMAGE. BOTH OF OUR VEHICLES SUFFERED DAMAGES AS A RESULT, AND BOTH MYSELF, AND THE OTHER VEHICLES DRIVER SUFFERED WHIP LASH INJURIES. I AM CURRENTLY UNDER THE CARE OF DR VIET TRAN, FOR A TORE DISC VERTEBRAE CAUSED BY WHIPLASH, AND WILL BE MAKING REGULAR VISITS TO A PHYSICAL THERAPIST. *TR

MY 1998 JAGUAR XJ8L KEEPS STALLING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, VERY VERY DANGEROUS. I AM ALMOST IN AN ACCIDENT ON 95 EVERYTIME THIS HAPPENS. THE DEALER HAS SAID IT IS A DIRTY THROTTLE THAT MAY BE CAUSING THIS, BUT EVEN AFTER SERVICING IT JUST STARTS UP AGAIN...AFTER INVESTIGATING HERE ON THE WEB I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. I BELIEVE THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME BACK ON SEPTEMBER 2004, WHEN MY ENGINE JUST COMPLETELY FROZE UP ON 95 AND HAD TO REPLACE IT AT A COST OF $15,874.00. THIS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AND A RECALL SHOULD BE POSTED FOR THESE VEHICLES BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. I HAVE A SNEAKY FEELING THAT THIS IS STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN WITH THE ENGINE STALLING AND NOW I ONLY HAVE 13,000 MILES ON MY NEW ENGINE. PLEASE HELP! *TR

VEHICLE STALLS RANDOMLY BRINGING ABOUT A FAILURE OF ALL SYSTEMS SOMETIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF CROWDED AND FAST FREEWAYS. DOING RESEARCH ON THE PROBLEM IT SEEMS TO BE COMMON FOR THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE AND THERE SEEMS TO BE A SOLUTION WITH THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY DESIGN BUT APARENTLY THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR IT AND MANY PEOPLE GO TO THE DEALERSHIPS SPENDING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIRS THAT DO NOT SOLVE THE ACTUAL PROBLEM. THE FAILURE OCURRS RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JAGUAR XJV8. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND THEN CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE LIMP HOME MODE FEATURE DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE LIMP HOME MODE FEATURE WOULD NOT ALLOW HIM TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE MORE THAN 15 MPH. THE DEALER HAS NOT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING TWO RECALL NOTICES IN MARCH OF 2007: RECALL # 99V138000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) AND RECALL # 98V022000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL). THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE AS PART OF THE RECALLS BECAUSE THE CONTACT WOULD FIRST NEED TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 80,000.

TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JAGUAR XJ8, AND STATED THAT THE TIMING TENSIONER FAILED AND CAUSED THE VALVES TO STAY OPEN ,WHICH IN TURN CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LOSE POWER AT ANY GIVEN TIME. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 66,000.*AK

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JAGUAR XJ8. THE CONTACT DETECTED A LOUD RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILED WHICH CAUSED THE VALES TO BEND. THE PISTONS AND CONNECTING ROD WERE ALSO DAMAGED. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT A NEW ENGINE WOULD BE NEEDED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS UNEXPECTED, AND THE VEHICLE'S ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WAS UP-TO-DATE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 63,000. *AK THE CONSUMER PROVIDED REPAIR INVOICES FOR VEHICLE AND VARIOUS INFORMATION FROM DIFFERENT WEBSITES PERTAINING TO THE SAME DEFECT. UPDATED 06/26/07 *TR

I HAVE A 1998 JAGUAR XJ8. THE VEHICLE STALLS AT HIGH SPEEDS, GENERALLY AFTER I ACCELERATE OVER 50 MPH. THE VEHICLE IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL AND CAN ONLY BE RESTARTED IF YOU BRING IT TO A STOP. I HAD THIS HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING THE CAR IN CA. I WAS ALMOST KILLED WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLED. JAGUAR DEALER, SANTA MONICA,REPAIRED AS CYL BURN OUT. MECHANIC TOLD ME STALLING HAPPENED FREQUENTLY WITH THIS MODEL. A FEW YEARS LATER,SAN ANTONIO TX ON THE 183 HIGHWAY RUSH HOUR. CAR STALLED CAUSING ME TO SWERVE NEXT TO CENTER MEDIAN RIPPING OFF THE ENGINE COVER ON DEBRIS. JAGUAR FIXED THROTTLE BODY NOT ENGINE COVER.SERVICE BULLETIN, DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY. CAR RAN POORLY THEREAFTER. STALLED AGAIN YEAR LATER. DEALER WOULD NOT REPAIR. $3,000 TO FIX.. RECENTLY DISCOVERED CONSUMERS WORLD WIDE HAVE SAME PROBLEM. SERVICE BULLETIN REPAIR ONLY SHORT TERM FIX. JAGUAR BLOG IN THE UK -CONSUMER DISCOVERED FROM A JAGUAR MECHANIC , MOST THROTTLE BODIES NEEDED TO BE CLEANED PERIODICALLY AS THE LINING BAD AND BUILD UP OR DEPOSITS WOULD FORM ON THE WALLS OF THE THROTTLE BODY AND CAUSE IT TO MALFUNCTION. MY MECHANIC HAD HEARD OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS. I CALLED SEVERAL JAGUAR DEALERSHIPS. I WAS TOLD, OFF THE RECORD, THAT I COULD CLEAN THE THROTTLE AND GET BY, BUT CERTAIN CLEANERS WOULD CAUSE THE LINING TO DETERIORATE. I WAS TOLD THE REPLACEMENT WAS A RIP OFF, OFF THE RECORD. USING THE APPROPRIATE CLEANER, THE ASSEMBLY WAS CLEANED WITHOUT REMOVAL. WHEN WE TURNED ON THE VEHICLE SMOKE BILLOWED OUT OF THE EXHAUST FOR SEVERAL MINUTES AND THEN SUBSIDED. THE VEHICLE NOW RUNS PERFECTLY. JAGUAR IS PROFITING FROM REPLACEMENT OF PARTS THAT COULD BE CLEANED AND NEED TOP BE CLEANED REGULARLY. REPLACEMENTS EFFECTIVE SHORT TERM ONLY. YOUR FORM ALLOWS ONLY "S" TYPE EQUIP". THIS IS A XJ8. *JB

TL* - THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH THE ENGINE SHUT OFF ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CONTACT STEERED THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOULDER AND IT CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE INDICATOR WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON BRIEFLY. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE WITHOUT RESISTANCE. *AK UPDATED 03/28/07.

TL* - THE CONTACT'S STATED THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED ON AUGUST 30TH 2006, AND HAD PROBLEMS WITH LOSS OF POWER. THE VEHICLE LOST POWER ABOUT 100 TIMES WHILE DRIVING65 MPH. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL JAGUAR DEALER FOR A CHECK UP. THE DEALER INFORMED HIM THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATES THAT ON NOVEMBER 20, 2006, WHILE EXITING THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH DUE TO LOSS OF VEHICLE POWER AND DIFFICULTY IN STEERING. THE CONTA CT'S VEHICLE STRUCK THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HER. THE INCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO POLICE. AFTER THE CRASH, THE CONTACT STATES TOOK THE VEHICLE TO DEALER AN OIL CHANGE AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A RECALL ON FILE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER ,AND WAS INFORMED THAT IT HAD ALREADY BEEN REPAIRED IN NOVEMBER 2004. ALSO , WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, AND SO THE COSTS OF REPAIRS WOULD NOT BE COVERED. THE MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO COVER THE REPAIRS SINCE THE RECALL PROBLEMS HAD ALREADY BEEN REPAIRED IN 2004. *AK

TL* - THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS 1998 JAGUAR XJ8 HESITATED WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. ONCE THE VEHICLE'S SPEED ROSE TO 20 MPH, THERE WAS A LOUD BANG. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY THE TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED CONSTANTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WERE FINE CRACKS WITHIN THE GEAR TEETH. THE CONTACT FELT THAT VEHICLE SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER NHTSA RECALL ID CAMPAIGN 99V138000 SINCE THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME INCIDENT AS MENTIONED IN THE RECALL.*AK THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS OUT OF RANGE FOR THE RECALL. UPDATED 02/06/07. *JB