2004 Jaguar XJ8

ENTERING PARKING GARAGE, WARNING LIGHT APPEARS "VEHICLE TOO LOW" VEHICLE UNDERBODY SCRAPES ON GARAGE ENTRANCE. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO MY INDEPENDENT JAGUAR DEALER. HE SAID LEFT FRONT STRUT WAS LEAKING AIR CAUSING THE ENTIRE SUSPENSION SYSTEM TO MALFUNCTION. HE ALSO INFORMED ME THIS NORMAL AND IF I REPLACE THE ONE THE OTHER STRUTS WILL DO THE SAME THING JUST A MATTER OF TIME. RECOMMENDED A KIT THAT WOULD ELIMINATE THE AIR STRUTS COMPLETELY. I AM FORCED TO REMOVE THE AIR STRUTS (AT A COST OF $3500.00) AS THERE IS NO WARNING WHEN THIS MAY HAPPEN AGAIN. I LOOKED FOR A RECALL NOTICE BUT FOUND NONE. DID FIND ALOT OF COMPLAINTS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS WOULD NOT BE A RECALL ITEM. THIS SEEMS TO BE A REAL SAFETY ISSUE IF THIS CONDITION WOULD HAPPEN AT A HIGH SPEED. WHEN A COMPANY GOES TO THE TROUBLE TO MAKE A KIT TO ELIMINATE THIS SO CALL "JAGUAR AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM" . JAGUAR SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED. *TR

AIR SUSPENSION FAULT- DURING EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES..(32 DEGREES F OR BELOW). THE CAR WILL LEAK AIR FROM THE SUSPENSION AND CAN'T BE DRIVEN. FAULT MESSAGES APPEAR. DURING THE COLD PERIOD THIS YEAR,HUNDREDS OF JAGUARS HAD THE SAME ISSUE. ATLANTA HAD 18 RECORDED SUSPENSION ISSUE AT ONE DEALER..BUT THEY CLAIMED THEY WERE ALL FOR DIFFERENT THINGS. MATHENY JAGUAR IN JACKSONVILLE SAID THEY ALSO RECEIVED SEVERAL COMPLAINTS BUT DIDN'T WISH TO COMMENT FURTHER. THERE IS A PART THAT MAY BE CONTRACTING DURING EXTREME COLD CAUSING THE AIR TO LEAK FROM THE SUSPENSION. NEVER HAPPENS DURING NORMAL TEMPS. CAR ALSO LOWERED DURING OPERATION AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 JAGUAR XJ8. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 15 MPH WHEN THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE STRUT FRACTURED CAUSING THE SUSPENSION TO COLLAPSE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE STRUT, DAMPER SPRING AND AIR SUSPENSION SPRING COMPRESSOR REPLACED. WITHIN FIVE WEEKS, THE ENTIRE SUSPENSION FAILED, CAUSING ALL FOUR SHOCKS AND STRUTS TO MALFUNCTION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TOO LOW TO THE GROUND TO DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,200.

ON 01/04/10, CAR SHOWED "VEHICLE TOO LOW" WARNING. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD TO LET THE CAR WARM UP WHICH I DID AND WARNING DISAPPEARED. WARNING APPEARED EACH DAY & I LET CAR WARM UP EACH DAY TO CORRECT. ON 01/08/10, ADDITIONAL WARNING "AIR SUSPENSION FAULTY" APPEARED AND VEHICLE'S FRONT END WAS VERY LOW TOO THE GROUND. I CALLED DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD TO IMMEDIATELY STOP DRIVING AND HAVE CAR TOWED IN B/C THE STRUTS HAD FAILED AND COULD CAUSE THE TIRES TO BLOW. HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE EXTREMES IN TEMP IN ATLANTA HAD RESULTED IN A NUMBER OF CARS BEING BROUGHT IN FOR SAME PROBLEM -- AIR BAG COMPRESSORS COLLAPSED B/C OF CAR SITTING OUTSIDE DURING THE DAY. WHEN I ASKED IF THIS WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT (SINCE NUMEROUS 04 JAG XJ8S), I WAS TOLD "DON'T KNOW". WHEN I TRIED TO GET ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SUCH AS TEMPERATURE SPEC RATINGS FOR THE STRUTS, THE DEALERSHIP CLAMMED UP. WHEN I PICKED THE CAR UP, I COMMENTED ON THE 14 CARS IN THE PICK UP AREA WHICH WAS UNUSUAL, I WAS TOLD THE DAMAGE TO ALL THE CARS STRUTS WAS "NORMAL WEAR & TEAR". NO ONE WOULD EVEN ENTERTAIN MY QUESTIONS RE: A MANUFACTURING DEFECT OR THE MANUFACTURER BILSTEIN. HAD THE COLLAPSE HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING ON I-285, IT COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED TO PREVENT FUTURE COLLAPSES OF STRUTS BY REPLACING THOSE STRUTS WHICH DO NOT SATISFY TEMPERATURE SPEC RATINGS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 JAGUAR XJ8. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE LOWERED AND BEGAN BOUNCING UP AND DOWN. THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF SUSPENSION, WHICH CAUSED THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. A FEW WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, TWO OF WHICH STATED "VEHICLE TOO LOW" AND "ERROR SUSPENSION FAULT". THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A JAGUAR DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO THE SUSPENSION RELAY. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND DROVE NORMALLY FOR APPROXIMATELY 500 MILES. THE FAILURE RECURRED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER. THEY REPLACED THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE STRUT, WHICH WAS LEAKING AIR. THIS IS WHAT CAUSED THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE TO DROP DOWN. THERE HAD BEEN NO FURTHER OCCURRENCES; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT IS CONCERNED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE WILL EXPERIENCE THE SAME SUSPENSION FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 52,000. UPDATED 10-29-08 *BF THE AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM LEAKED AIR AND THE CAUSSED THE ENTIRE FRONT END TO RUST. THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE STEERED AS THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE FELL DOWN. UPDATED 10/30/08. *JB