NHTSA Complaint #10229949 — 2002 JAGUAR XKR

SOME THING SHOULD BE DONE WHILE DRIVING MY 2003 JAGUAR XKR CONVERTIBLE ONE NIGHT AT HIGHWAY SPEED WITH THE TOP DOWN, THE HYDRAULIC FLUID FROM THE CONVERTIBLE TOP STARTED LEAKING FROM THE CENTER LOCK DOWN MECHANISM ON THE WINDSHIELD FRAME. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING FROM THE OUTSIDE. SO I WIPED MY FACE WITH MY HAND AND HEN FELT AN OILY SUBSTANCE ALL OVER. I STARTED TO PAID CLOSER ATTENTION TO THE WINDSHIELD AND DID NOT SEE ANYTHING ON THE GLASS. I SLOWED THE CAR IN AN ATTEMPT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING. SINCE IT WAS AT NIGHT, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO ASCERTAIN WHERE THE OILY SUBSTANCE WAS COMING FROM. I PLANNED ON GETTING OFF AT THE NEXT EXIT. BUT BEFORE I COULD REACH THE NEXT EXIT MY EYES STARTED BURNING BECAUSE OF THE OVERSPRAY OF THE OILY SUBSTANCE. I QUICKLY PULLED ONTO THE SHOULDER WITH MY EYES STINGING AND BARELY OPEN. AS I SHIFTED THE CAR INTO PARK I FELT A DROP HIT THE BACK OF MY HAND THAT IS WHEN I NOTICED THE HYDRAULIC FLUID LEAKING FROM THE WINDSHIELD FRAME. THE COVER FOR THE LOCK MECHANISM/ LIGHT ASSEMBLY, AS WE WERE DRIVING AT SPEED THE OIL TURNED INTO A FINE MIST AND WAS SPRAYING ALL OVER ME AND ALL OVER THE CAR .ONCE THE CAR WAS STOPPED IT POOLED ON THE COVER UNTIL IT DRIPPED ONTO THE CENTER CONSOLE. NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A SEVERE PROBLEM AS IT IS A FLAMMABLE AND TOXIC LIQUID THAT I WAS COVERED IN; VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A JAGUAR DEALERSHIP IN TIMONIUM MD. WHERE THEY DISCOVERED THE PLASTIC HYDRAULIC LINE HAD RUPTURED, I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER. AND AFTER MONTH THEY DIDN'T FEEL THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND I SHOULD PAID THE $1,500.00 FOR IT REPAIR AND THAT WASN'T ANY REPAIR TO INTERIOR THAT I STILL NEED TO HAVE TAKEN CARE OF . I CANT IMAGE WHY THEY WOULD USE PLASTIC HYDRAULIC(A FLAMMABLE LIQUID ' THANK GOD I DON'T SMOKE ) LINES INSIDE THE CAR , BUT METAL HYDRAULIC LINES UNDER THE HOOD ??? *TR