2000 JAGUAR XJ Complaints

I WAS ON MY WAY TO A GIG/JOB, WHILE I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY, GOING ABOUT 65 MPH,THE CAR STARTS TO JERK AND THE CAR ALL OF A SUDDEN STARTS SHUTTING DOWN ON ME. I ALMOST HAD A CAR ACCIDENT WHEN THE CAR SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. I HAD TO PAY FOR A TOW BACK HOME SINCE THE CAR WON'T EVEN START WITH A JUMPSTART. NOW I CAN'T EVEN TURN THE CAR ON. I PURCHASED THIS CAR ON 07/14/2020. NOW I HAVE TO PAY TO FIND OUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE CAR, PAY FOR THE CAR TO GET REPAIRED, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A LOSS SINCE THE LAST THING I REMEMBER WAS READING 'TRANSMISSION FAULT' ON MY DASHBOARD WHERE THE ODOMETER IS AT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 JAGUAR XJV8. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A DARK, OILY LIQUID SUBSTANCE COMING OUT OF THE REAR VIEW MIRROR, WHICH DAMAGED THE INTERIOR AND PLASTIC OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRO CHROMATIC REARVIEW MIRROR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,244. MA 10/6 *CN

I WAS DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE LANE OF A 5 LANE FREEWAY AT 65MPH WHEN WITHOUT ANY WARNING I LOST ALL POWER AND THE ENGINE BEGAN TO COAST AT 15MPH. WITHOUT POWER STEERING OR BRAKES I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY DEALER WHO TOLD ME THAT BOTH THE ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY HAD FAILED. THEY REVIEWED THE COMPUTER FAULT WARNINGS TO CONFIRM THAT NO WARNING WAS EVER REGISTERED BY THE SYSTEM. A TOTAL BATTERY FAILURE LESS THAN 10 MINUTES AFTER A NORMAL START IS ODD AND NO WARNING IS INEXCUSABLE, AS IS THE TOTAL ALTERNATOR FAILURE WITHOUT SYSTEM NOTIFICATION. *TR

JAGUAR IS A GREAT CAR MANUFACTURE BUT I BELIEVE ALL 98-2000 JAGUAR V8'S SHOULD BE CONSIDERED LEMON'S IF THEY HAVE NOT YET BEEN RETROFITTED WITH THE LATEST TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER DESIGN JAGUAR CURRENTLY USES. THESE CARS ARE TICKING TIME BOMB'S IF THEY HAVE NOT. ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE FORUMS AND VARIOUS JAG ENTHUSIAST WEB SITES JAGUAR NEVER PUT OUT A RECALL ON THIS PARTICULAR MATTER; RUMOR HAS IT THAT THEY DID NOT WANT THE RECALLS JEOPARDIZING JAGUAR'S REPUTATION BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT HAS ALREADY BEEN JEOPARDIZED BY THEM NOT WANTING TO ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL THESE V8'S FAILING DUE TO MALFUNCTIONING TIMING CHAIN TENSIONERS; THE VERY INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED WITH MY 2000 JAGUAR XJR WITH ONLY 80K MILES THIS IS JUST UNHEARD OF. THIS IS JUST A FEW OF THE PROBLEM'S THIS VEHICLE HAS GIVEN ME. SOMETIMES IT GOES INTO "RESTRICTED PERFORMANCE MODE" AT THE MOST UNSAFE TIMES SUCH AS MERGING ON TO A FREEWAY OR MAKING A LANE CHANGE. THE VEHICLE PRETTY MUCH DOES NOT ALLOW ITSELF TO REV PASS A CERTAIN RPM AND IF YOU TRY TO ACCELERATE WILL CUT ALL POWER OUT? I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM DIAGNOSED MULTIPLE TIMES ONLY TO GET NO ANSWERS. LASTLY SOMETIMES THE CAR GOES INTO "FAIL SAFE ENGINE MODE" AND WILL NOT ALLOW ITSELF TO START UNTIL IT BASICALLY FEELS LIKE IT. I KID YOU NOT THIS CAR IS VERY TEMPERAMENTAL AND STARTS WHEN IT WANTS TO. WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A LINEAR SWITCH CAUSING THE MALFUNCTION -$700.00 AND THREE MONTHS LATER THE PROBLEM STILL PERSIST. I CONTACTED JAGUAR IN REGARDS TO ALL THIS AND THEY SIMPLY SAID THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE. THE CAR IS TOO OLD AND FAR PAST ITS WARRANTY. ITS ALMOST AS IF THEY'RE CARS ARE THAT NEW FAMILY PUPPY EVERYONE LOVES AT FIRST AND AS SOON AS THE DOG GETS OLD SO DOES HE. THEY COULD CARELESS ABOUT THE LATER MODEL CARS AND THAT'S A SHAME CONSIDERING THE LATER MODELS ARE STILL RECOGNIZABLE AS A JAGUAR UNLIKE THESE NEWER MODELS THEY HAVE.

I OWN A 2000 JAGUAR XJR AND HAVE HAD MULTIPLE ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE AND THE DEALER/REPAIR FACILITY NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THEM WHICH IN THE END LEFT ME WITH A SEIZED MOTOR AT ONLY 80K MILES. THE FIRST PROBLEM WAS THE CAR GOING INTO "FAIL SAFE ENGINE MODE" WHICH MEANS THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START WHATSOEVER FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON. TOOK IT TO A REPAIR FACILITY AND SAID IT WAS A LINEAR SWITCH IN THE J GATE SHIFT CONSOLE. $700.00 AND THREE MONTHS LATER THE SAME PROBLEM PERSIST. TOOK IT BACK ONLY TO FIND OUT THEY CANNOT DIAGNOSE WHAT WAS CAUSING THE CAR TO LOCK ITSELF OUT FROM STARTING ITSELF. SECOND I WOULD MERGE ON THE FREEWAY AND OUT OF NOWHERE THE VEHICLE WOULD GO INTO LIMP MODE NEARLY CAUSING A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT. HAD THE REPAIR SHOP DIAGNOSE THAT AND STILL COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. THESE TECHNICAL FAULTS HAVE BEEN OCCURRING ON AND OFF UNTIL THE VEHICLE FINALLY HAD THE CHAIN TENSIONER SNAP CAUSING MY MOTOR TO BASICALLY SEIZE ITSELF. CONTACTED JAGUAR CARS AMERICA AND SAID THE CAR IS TOO OLD AND FAR PAST ITS WARRANTY FOR THEM TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. COMPLETELY UNFAIR CONSIDERING THERE WAS NEVER EVEN A RECALL MADE FOR THE OLD CHAIN TENSIONER. APPARENTLY JAGUAR RE INTRODUCED A NEWER RE MANUFACTURED CHAIN TENSIONER THAT TOOK THE PLACE OF THE OLDER ONES THEY WERE PREVIOUSLY INSTALLING. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE A MANDATORY RECALL FOR ALL JAGUARS V8'S 98-2000. THESE CARS ARE BASICALLY TICKING TIME BOMBS IF THEY HAD NOT ALREADY HAD THE NEWER CHAIN TENSIONERS INSTALLED. I LOVE THE CAR DEARLY BUT JAGUAR CARS NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE THESE FAULTS AND REPAIR THEM ACCORDINGLY. IT IS SIMPLY NOT FAIR FOR ME TO HAVE A VEHICLE I HAVE METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED TAKE A PLUNGE ON ME OUT OF NOWHERE. THE CAR SHOULD NOT REQUIRE A WHOLE NEW MOTOR AT 80K. NOT EVEN IF ITS BEEN NEGLECTED! WHAT KIND OF ENGINEERING IS THIS?! *TR

I HAVE FILED THIS COMPLIANT A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, BUT IT DOESN'T APPEAR IN THE SEARCH, SO I'M FILING IT AGAIN. I BELIEVE JAGUAR HAS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY A MANDATORY RECALL. MY 2000 XJ8 HAS BEEN HAVING SURGING PROBLEMS FOR YEARS AND HAS GONE INTO LIMP MODE ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS...USUALLY ON THE INTERSTATE...WHERE I HAVE NARROWLY MISSED CAUSING SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. THE LOCAL JAGUAR DEALER HAD THE CAR TWICE, EACH TIME FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR. EACH TIME THEY SAID IT NEEDED A THROTTLE BODY. AFTER THE THIRD THROTTLE BODY, I CALLED JAGUAR IN NEW JERSEY AND THEY CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND WALKED THEM THROUGH BENCH TESTING THE THROTTLE BODY OFF THE CAR. TURNS OUT THERE WAS NEVER A THROTTLE BODY PROBLEM. SO AFTER THREE THROTTLE BODIES, THE REPLACEMENTS AT $2400 EACH, THE JAGUAR DEALER SAID THEY COULDN'T FIX THE CAR. I THEN SENT IT TO FOUR OTHER MECHANIC SHOPS. MOST HAD IT FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS. EACH ADMITTED THE PROBLEM EXISTED, BUT NONE COULD FIX IT. THE ECM AND TCMS WERE CHANGED, SPARK PLUG WIRES, SPARK PLUGS, AC COMPONENT, ALL GROUNDS CHECKED, HARNESS CHECKED, ETC., ETC., ETC. KEEP IN MIND THE CAR ONLY HAS 37000 MILES. FINALLY, WHILE ANOTHER MECHANIC WAS TRYING TO FIND THE PROBLEM, THE ENGINE LOCKED. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO ANOTHER MECHANIC, WHO OPENED THE ENGINE AND FOUND THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONERS HAD ALLOWED THE CHAIN TO JUMP TWO TEETH. APPARENTLY, THE TENSIONER PROBLEM IS WELL KNOW TO JAGUAR AND ITS DEALERSHIPS. EVEN TECH BULLETINS HAVE BEEN SENT, BUT OWNERS WERE NEVER NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM DIRECTLY. NOW THAT I HAVE SEARCHED THE FORUMS, IT IS APPARENT THE PROBLEM IS PREVALENT. I'M LUCKY I WAS NOT KILLED IN THE CAR. I NOW HAVE TO INSTALL A NEW ENGINE DUE TO THIS KNOWN PROBLEM. MAYBE IF ENOUGH PEOPLE ARE KILLED OR MAIMED, WE WILL FINALLY SEE SOME ACTION TO FORCE JAGUAR TO FIX THEIR OBVIOUS DESIGN PROBLEM RESULTING FROM THEIR EFFORT TO INCREASE THEIR PROFITS. *TR

MY 2000 XJ8 JAGUAR, WITH APPROXIMATELY 36K MILES, BEGAN RUNNING VERY BADLY AND SURGING UNEXPECTEDLY. THE CAR BECAME VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AND I NARROWLY AVOIDED HAVING, WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN SEVERE ACCIDENTS, ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO TWO JAGUAR DEALERS, WHO COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. ONE KEPT SAYING THE CAR NEEDED A NEW THROTTLE BODY. AFTER THE CAR HAD ITS THIRD THROTTLE BODY, AT MY EXPENSE...AND AFTER GETTING THE NEW JERSEY JAGUAR REPRESENTATIVE INVOLVED, THE DEALERSHIP DECIDED THE PROBLEM PROBABLY WAS NOT THE THROTTLE BODY. THE CAR HAS BEEN TO THREE OTHER MECHANICS, ONE OF THOSE HAS HAD IT THREE TIMES. NONE COULD IDENTIFY THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH ALL AGREED THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE DRIVEN SAFELY. THE LAST MECHANIC, WHO HAS HAD THE CAR SINCE NOVEMBER, WAS WORKING ON THE CAR WHEN IT DROPPED A VALVE. TURNS OUT THE TIMING CHAIN HAD APPARENTLY JUMPED TWO TEETH DUE TO WEAR IN THE PLASTIC GUIDES. I HAVE SINCE DISCOVERED THE JAGUAR FORUMS INDICATE THIS IS A PERSISTENT PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND IS WELL KNOW TO JAGUAR. JAGUAR HAS EVEN RECOMMENDED UPGRADING TO THE METAL REPLACEMENT GUIDES, AT THE OWNER'S EXPENSE, HOWEVER, THE OWNER'S WERE NEVER NOTIFIED. I AM FACING A VERY EXPENSE REPAIR FOR A KNOWN DEFICIENCY IN THE DESIGN OF THIS ENGINE. FOR SOME REASON, A RECALL HAS NEVER BEEN ISSUED. I FEEL JAGUAR HAS THE MAJORITY OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS REPAIR. I, AND OTHERS, COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED, DUE TO THIS KNOWN PROBLEM. DUE TO THIS PROBLEM I WAS ONLY ABLE TO DRIVE MY CAR 50 MILES THE PAST FOUR YEARS. IT HAS SPENT THE REMAINDER OF THE TIME AT VARIOUS MECHANICS...INCLUDING JAGUAR DEALERSHIPS. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME COP-ABILITY ON THE PART OF JAGUAR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWN A 2000 JAGUAR XJ. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE THAT WAS PARKED IN HIS GARAGE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SMELLED A SLIGHT BURNING ODOR AFTER TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A PERSONAL MECHANIC ON JANUARY 20, 2010. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN GUIDES/TENSIONERS FAILED. THE MECHANIC TOOK PICTURES OF THE TIMING CHAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS STILL AT THE MECHANIC AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WAS 93,000. UPDATED 4/30/10 *CN THE TIMING CHAIN GUIDES WHICH WAS MADE OF CHEAP PLASTIC CAUSED THE TIMING CHAIN TO BREAK AND JAM INTO THE GEAR AND PISTONS AND THEN DAMAGED THE VALVES. UPDATED 08/18/10

THE CAR IS:JAGUAR YEAR 2000 XJR 4.0L, W/SUPERCHARGER WITH. I WAS DRIVING ON THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE AT THE SPEED LIMIT WHEN SUDDENLY THE ENGINE STARTED RUNNING AT SLOW IDLE SPEED. THE ENGINE SPEED WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE POSITION OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. I WAS TOLD LATER BY PROGRESSIVE AUTO REPAIR IN HAMILTON VA THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR HAD FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS ATTACHED TO THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY AND COULD NOT BE BOUGHT SEPARATELY FROM THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY. I BOUGHT A NEW THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY BUT STILL HAVE THE REPLACED ASSEMBLY INCLUDING THE FAILED ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR. I REMEMBER SEARCHING THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS SENSOR AND AM ALMOST SURE THAT THIS JAG ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR IS MADE BY THE SAME MANUFACTURER THAT MAKES THIS SENSOR FOR TOYOTA. I AM SUBMITTING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE I WONDER IF THE SENSOR COULD FAIL AND CAUSE THE ENGINE TO GO TO MAXIMUM ACCELERATION AND, IF SO, COULD THIS BE THE SOURCE OF THE TOYOTA ACCELERATION PROBLEMS? IF THIS ACCELERATOR POSITION SENSOR IS IN FACT MADE BY THE SAME MANUFACTURER, THEN COULD THIS PROBLEM BE LURKING IN OTHER BRANDS OF CARS SUCH AS JAGUARS? *TR

JAGUAR: XJ8L, 2000: THE TIMING CHAIN GUIDES/TENSIONERS BROKE CAUSING CATASTROPHIC FAILURE TO THE ENGINE. IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED IN TRAFFIC AS IT DID TO A FRIEND WITH A YEAR OLDER. WITH SUCH FAILURE THE ENGINE STOPS ABRUPTLY, NO MATTER WHERE IT IS. THIS RISKS SERIOUS ACCIDENTS WITH INJURY OR DEATH ON HIGHWAYS. THE GUIDES/TENSIONERS FAIL BEFORE 100K MILES ANY TIME BETWEEN ABOUT 60 AND 95K. THEY ARE MADE OF PLASTIC. A NEW KIT IS AVAILABLE WITH METAL PARTS BUT AT $1200 COST FOR THE KIT AND JAGUAR DOES NOT PAY FOR IT, NOR THE LABOR TO INSTALL THE NEW GUIDES, NOR THE OTHER DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE WHEN THE TENSIONERS/GUIDES FAIL. THIS SITUATION IS A MAJOR TOPIC ON EDMUNDS, AND OTHER SITES. THIS WAS A MAJOR DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING FLAW THAT HAS AFFECTED THIS MODEL FOR YEARS. WHY HASN'T THE NHTSA DONE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS MAJOR, HIGH RISK FAILURE? *TR