NHTSA Complaint #10184257 — 2001 JAGUAR XK8

I WAS RECENTLY MADE AWARE THAT AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CONDITION THAT OCCURRED WITH MY 2001 VEHICLE WAS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED. IT WAS CONSIDERED A RECALL ITEM ON JAGUARS IN MODEL YEARS 1997- 1999 (JAGUAR SERVICE ACTION NUMBER: S514, SUBJECT: THROTTLE CLOSED POSITION OPERATION, REFERENCE: 13/05/04 303-S514V1). I EXPERIENCED THE SAME CONDITIONS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL NOTICE AND COULD HAVE EASILY, WITHOUT EXAGGERATION, BEEN KILLED DUE TO THIS ENGINEERING DEFECT. SPECIFICALLY MY JAGUAR XK8 WOULD DISPLAY WARNING LIGHTS AND MESSAGES WHILE RAPIDLY DROPPING TO A SPEED OF ABOUT 1 MILE AN HOUR AND WOULD GO NO FASTER. THE MESSAGES INDICATED THE FOLLOWING: RESTRICTED PERFORMANCE, FAILSAFE ENGINE MODE, TRAC NOT AVAILABLE, ASC NOT AVAILABLE. AFTER THE ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF THE MESSAGES WOULD CLEAR AND THE VEHICLE WORKED FINE. THIS HAPPENED, LUCKILY FOR ME ONLY WHEN I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT OR TRAVELING VERY SLOWLY (EXAMPLE: LEAVING THE HOUSE). WHILE DRIVING TO THE DEALER FOR THE REPAIR, THIS CONDITION OCCURRED 5 TIMES INCLUDING, FOR THE FIRST TIME, ON THE HIGHWAY AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE THROTTLE BODY WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER AT A COST TO ME OF NEARLY $2,000. I CONTACTED JAGUAR''S CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT LAST WEEK TO EXPRESS MY CONCERNS AND WHAT I THOUGHT SHOULD HAPPEN: 1) THIS CAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED AND REPAIRED; 2) WHEN IT WASN'T AND I EXPLAINED THE SYMPTOMS TO THE DEALER, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TREATED AS A RECALL ITEM THEN AND I SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADVISED TO IMMEDIATELY STOP DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND TO HAVE IT TOWED. I WAS TOLD THAT TODAY, MARCH 5, 2007, THAT NO ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN TO INFORM OTHERS AND THAT NO REFUND WOULD BE FORTHCOMING. I LEARNED ABOUT THIS RECALL INFORMATION FROM ANOTHER SERVICE SHOP WHO STATED THAT I WAS THE THIRD JAGUAR XK8 THAT HE SENT TO DEALER WITH THIS PROBLEM. ROADFLY HAS NOTES FROM SEVERAL PEOPLE TRYING TO SOLVE THIS SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. *JB