NHTSA Complaint #10306626 — 2004 JAGUAR XJ8

ON 01/04/10, CAR SHOWED "VEHICLE TOO LOW" WARNING. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD TO LET THE CAR WARM UP WHICH I DID AND WARNING DISAPPEARED. WARNING APPEARED EACH DAY & I LET CAR WARM UP EACH DAY TO CORRECT. ON 01/08/10, ADDITIONAL WARNING "AIR SUSPENSION FAULTY" APPEARED AND VEHICLE'S FRONT END WAS VERY LOW TOO THE GROUND. I CALLED DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD TO IMMEDIATELY STOP DRIVING AND HAVE CAR TOWED IN B/C THE STRUTS HAD FAILED AND COULD CAUSE THE TIRES TO BLOW. HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE EXTREMES IN TEMP IN ATLANTA HAD RESULTED IN A NUMBER OF CARS BEING BROUGHT IN FOR SAME PROBLEM -- AIR BAG COMPRESSORS COLLAPSED B/C OF CAR SITTING OUTSIDE DURING THE DAY. WHEN I ASKED IF THIS WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT (SINCE NUMEROUS 04 JAG XJ8S), I WAS TOLD "DON'T KNOW". WHEN I TRIED TO GET ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SUCH AS TEMPERATURE SPEC RATINGS FOR THE STRUTS, THE DEALERSHIP CLAMMED UP. WHEN I PICKED THE CAR UP, I COMMENTED ON THE 14 CARS IN THE PICK UP AREA WHICH WAS UNUSUAL, I WAS TOLD THE DAMAGE TO ALL THE CARS STRUTS WAS "NORMAL WEAR & TEAR". NO ONE WOULD EVEN ENTERTAIN MY QUESTIONS RE: A MANUFACTURING DEFECT OR THE MANUFACTURER BILSTEIN. HAD THE COLLAPSE HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING ON I-285, IT COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED TO PREVENT FUTURE COLLAPSES OF STRUTS BY REPLACING THOSE STRUTS WHICH DO NOT SATISFY TEMPERATURE SPEC RATINGS. *TR