NHTSA Complaint #10049632 — 2001 JAGUAR S-TYPE

AFTER DRIVING ON A FREEWAY IN DOWNTOWN LA, ARRIVED IN A PARKING STRUCTURE. SUDDENLY AFTER A BIG BANG, THE FRONT LEFT OF CAR COLLAPSED AND STOPPED. IT SEEMED THAT THE BOLT FOR FRONT AXLE SHEARED OFF, AND THE COMPONENT OF THE AXLE (A-ROD?) PUSHED INTO THE TIRE RIM. TWO MONTHS AGO THE CAR SEEMED UNSTABLE DURING THE DRIVING AT SPEED ABOVE 30 MPH. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP IN NOVEMBER (2000 MILES BEFORE THE INCIDENT). THE DEALER INDICATED THAT A BOLT WAS LOOSE AND THEY TIGHTENED IT UP. HISTORICALLY, THIS CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SHIP AT NUMEROUS OCCASIONS FOR THE REASON OF INSTABILITY DURING THE DRIVING AND EACH TIME WE WERE TOLD THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. THE INCIDENT HAS RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE AND CAUSED A RELEASE OF GASOLINE LEAK. IF THIS INCIDENT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED 10 MINUTES EARLIER, THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN IN A FREEWAY AT A SPEED OF 60 MPH. THE SUDDEN FAILURE WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN FATALITY AND WITH THE GASOLINE LEAK, IT WOULD HAVE CREATED A MAJOR DISTASTOUR. THE CAR HAS 37,000 MILES AND IS JAGUAR S, V8. THE TIRES ARE ONLY TWO MONTHS OLD. THE PROBLEM WAS RECOGNIZED AND THE ACTIONS TAKEN WERE INADEQUATE AND COULD HAVE RESULTED IN DEATH, IF OCCURED 10 MINUTES EARLIER. THE CAR HAS BEEN PURCHASED FROM AND MAINTAINED BY BAUER JAGUAR IN SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA. *AK