1999 Jaguar XK8

AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE, IT BEGAN TO MAKE NOISE AND HAD A ROUGH IDLE. THE RESTRICTED PERFORMANCE MESSAGE FLASHED AND THEN THE ENGINE DIED. THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER FAILED AND JUMPED MECHANICAL TIMING, WHICH SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE ALL POWER STEERING AND BRAKES WERE LOST WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THROUGH A BUSY INTERSECTION. IF YOU READ ON ANY JAGUAR FORUM, THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT IS COMMON WITH THE JAGUAR 4.0 V8 FROM 1998 THROUGH 2000.

I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE AND BECAUSE I HEARD A NOISE LIKE SOMETHING WAS LOOSE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT. THE DEALER REPORTED THAT A LARGE BOLT THAT CONNECTS THE CROSSBEAM AND UPPER CONTROL ARM CAUSED WEAR ON THESE PARTS AND THAT THESE AS WELL AS BEAM MOUNTING BRACKES AND VARIOUS BOLT ALL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THEY SAID IT WAS GOOD THAT I BROUGHT IT IN WHEN I DID BECAUSE THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL COULD COME OFF AT ANY TIME. THEY ALSO SAID THAT JAGUAR WOULD NOT COVER THIS REPAIR UNDER THEIR SELECT EDITION WARRANTY. ESTIMATED COST OF REPAIR IS OVER $4000.00

SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. THIS IS DUE TO THE STABLIITY CONTROL CHIP LOCATED IN THE THROTTLE BODY GOING BAD. WHEN THE WHEELS BREAK LOOSE, A SENSOR SENDS A SIGNAL TO THE CHIP IN THE THROTTLE BODY TO SLOW THE ENGINE SO IT DOES NOT OVER-REV. THIS CHIP ACCORDING TO THE DEALER IS MALFUNCTIONING AND 'FIRING' ON ITS OWN RESULTING IN A SUDDEN LOSS OF SPEED. THIS FIRST OCCURRED 18 MONTHS AGO AND I HAD TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY ($1800). IT JUST STARTED TO HAPPEN AGAIN AND THE NEW THROTTLE BODY ONLY HAD 13K MILES ON IT. I JUST HAD TO REPLACE AGAIN AND THEY ONLY CHARGED ME ANOTHER $730. MY WIFE DRIVES THIS CAR AND THIS IS DANGEROUS AS SOMEONE ALMOST REAR ENDED HER. I KNOW THAT THERE IS A DEALER ADVISORY REGARDING A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH ANOTHER JAGUAR MODEL. I SAVED BOTH THROTTLE BODIES SO YOU MAY BORROW THEM IF YOU WOULD LIKE. OTHERWISE THEY WILL BE SOME EXPENSIVE BOOK ENDS. WE WILL NOT OWN ANOTHER JAGUAR DUE TO THIS RECURRING PROBLEM BUT I HOPE SOMEONE DOES NOT HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THEY START TREATING THEIR CUSTOMERS RIGHT ARD CORRECT THIS ISSUE.

DT: CONSUMER STATES: BROUGHT IN VEHICLE DUE TO DEFECTIVE CONVERTIBLE TOP. FOUND OUT THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS BRACKETS THAT ARE CONNECTED TO THE FRAME WERE BREAKING. THEY WERE ATTACHED TO THE FRAME AND WERE COMING LOOSE. MECHANIC TOLD CONSUMER TO STOP DRIVING VEHICLE RIGHT AWAY. THE FRONT TWO TIRES TREAD WAS WORN. THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAD 18,000 MILES. *AK

1999 XK8 CONVERTIBLE WITH @37000 MILES. I LEASE THIS VEHICLE AND KEEP IT IMPECCABLY MAINTAINED AT THE JAGUAR SERVICE DEPT. IN THE PAST YEAR ONCE WHILE ON THE FREEWAY THE ENGINE STOPPED/STALLED AT HIGH SPEED AND ENGINE LIGHTS WENT ON. THIS OCCURRED ABOUT 3 TIMES. I NOTIFIED OUR JAGUAR SERVICE PERSON WHO CHECKED OUT THE CAR AT NEXT SERVICE AND DID NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. TWO WEEKS AGO, THE ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON BECAUSE IT LOOKED LIKE THE CAR WAS OVERHEATING: FAN AND THERMOSTAT WERE REPLACED. ON SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2004 AFTER DRIVING 7 MILES TO UNIVERSAL STUDIOS ETC. CAME HOME AND AN HOUR LATER ATTEMPTED TO START THE CAR AND IT SOUNDED AT FIRST LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO TURN OVER AND SIMPLY MADE LOUD ALMOST FLOODING TYPE SOUND AND DIED. I HAVE NOW LEARNED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN WITHIN THE ENGINE COMPLETELY SNAPPED AND WILL NEED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. SINCE THE MILEAGE IS SO LOW AND OUTSIDE INITIAL WARRANTY WE HAVE DISCUSSED THE NATURE OF THE PRODUCT DEFECT WITH JAGUAR AND HAVE NOW LEARNED ON LINE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE PRIOR COMPLAINTS AND NEED FOR COMPLETE ENGINE REPLACEMENTS. FURTHER, DESPITE DIRECTIVES ETC IT APPEARS JAGUAR IS NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THIS PROBLEM AS A PRODUCT DEFECT ETC. OUR CAR IS AT THE HORNBURG JAGUAR DEALER AND WE ARE WAITING FOR JAGUAR TO RESPOND TO OUR REQUEST THAT THEY PAY TO REPAIR AND OR REPLACE THE ENGINE. WE ARE DEEPLY CONCERNED THAT THIS TYPE OF SUDDEN TIMING CHAIN RUPTURE COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY AND OR DEATH IF CAR OWNERS AND OR LESSEES ARE NOT TOLD TO HAVE THEIR CARS CHECKED AND OR RECALLED. PLEASE ASSIST US IF POSSIBLE.*AK

MY LOW (20,000) MILEAGE BUT OUT-OF-WARRANTY CAR UNEXPECTEDLY (NO WARNING WHAT SO EVER) THREW ITS TIMING CHAIN, RESULTING IN DAMAGE TO THE CHAIN AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, TO THE ENGINE. A DAMAGED ENGINE WILL COST MORE THAN $10,000 TO REPLACE. BASED ON WEB RESEARCH, ITS A NOT-UNCOMMON PROBLEM (WITH THE TIMING CHAIN) THAT OTHER OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE HAVE SUFFERED, REGARDLESS OF SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE, WHICH THE COMPANY REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND ADDRESS. THE MANUFACTURER HAS SERVICE ADVISES THAT RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM BUT STILL THEY REFUSE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY BEYOND STANDARD WARRANTY. *JB