IllustrationWHILE GOING 70MPH VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN WHILE ACCLERATING. THE MOTOR WAS RUNNING BUT VEHICLE FAIL TO MOVE. CONSUMER WAITED A 1/2 HOUR TO RESTART AND IT REPEATEDLY CUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BUT NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND. NO CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE DEALER. PLEASE ADD MORE INFORMATION.*AK
1997 Jaguar XK8
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all XK8 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 14 of 30 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
30 reportsTHROTTLE POSITION SENSOR CONTACTS FAIL DUE TO DESIGN FLAW CAUSING ECU TO GO INTO LIMP MODE. ECU UNABLE TO DETERMINE PEDAL POSITION, CAUSING INCORRECT FUEL METERING AND INCORRECT SHIFT PATTERN. *AK
THERE ARE STRONG FUMES IN INTERIOR OF VEHICLE.*AK
3 TIMES WHILE TRAVELING 55 TO 60 MPH THE ENGINE STALLED WHILE IN TRAFFIC. EACH TIME I PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL AND UNSUCCESFULLY ATTEMPTED A ROLLING RESTART. UPON GETTING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP AT THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD I PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK AND WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE A SUCCESSFUL RESTART AND RESUME NORMAL DRIVI…
Read full complaint
3 TIMES WHILE TRAVELING 55 TO 60 MPH THE ENGINE STALLED WHILE IN TRAFFIC. EACH TIME I PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL AND UNSUCCESFULLY ATTEMPTED A ROLLING RESTART. UPON GETTING THE VEHICLE TO A STOP AT THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD I PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK AND WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE A SUCCESSFUL RESTART AND RESUME NORMAL DRIVING. THE LOSS OF ACCELERATOR CONTROL AND POWER STEERING WHILE IN TRAFFIC IS A DISCONCERTING EXPERIENCE. I WAS NOT GOING TO REPORT IT, HOWEVER I FOUND MYSELF DOING SOME RESEARCH ON YOUR WEBSITE WHERE I FOUND THAT THIS SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED TO SOMEONE ELSE. UPON FINDING THAT MY EXPERIENCE WAS NOT ISOLATED I FELT THAT IT SHOULD BE REPORTED TO YOU. THIS IS A WELL TAKEN CARE OF AUTOMOBILE DRIVEN ONLY SEVEN MONTHS OF THE YEAR AND STORED FOR 5 MONTHS. EACH TIME THIS OCCURRED THE WEATHER WAS WARM. *AK
VEHICLE HAS STALLED 7 TIMES IN THE LAST 20 MONTHS, DEALER HAS ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT PROBLEM ON FOUR OCCASIONS. *CJ
WHEN STEPPING ON THE BRAKES VEHICLES PULLS REAL HARD TO THE LEFT, WHICH JERKS THE STEERING WHEEL OUT OF DRIVER'S HAND. *AK
TRANSMISSION FAILED. YH
AIR CONDITIONER FAILED. YH
RECALL REPAIRS ON SUSPENSION/DIFFERENTIAL DELAYED BECAUSE DEALER HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF RECALL.
SIZE AND LOCATION OF THE INSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR OBSCURES VIEW WHEN MERGING/CROSSING TRAFFIC IN THE RIGHT FRONT.
Official recalls
197V045000 · Suspension:rear
Mar 20, 1997
THE DIFFERENTIAL OUTPUT SHAFT RETAINING RINGS ON THE REAR SUSPENSION CAN BECOME DISPLACED ALLOWING THE OUTPUT SHAFT TO BECOME DETACHED FROM THE DIFFERENTIAL UNIT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE OUTPUT SHAFT SEPARATES, THE REAR SUSPENSION WOULD COLLAPSE ON THE AFFECTED SIDE RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLE'S DIFFERENTIAL SERIAL NUMBER AND REPAIR OR REPLACE THE NECESSARY PARTS.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.