NHTSA Complaint #10419393 — 2000 JAGUAR XJ SEDAN

I OWN A 2000 JAGUAR XJR AND HAVE HAD MULTIPLE ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE AND THE DEALER/REPAIR FACILITY NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THEM WHICH IN THE END LEFT ME WITH A SEIZED MOTOR AT ONLY 80K MILES. THE FIRST PROBLEM WAS THE CAR GOING INTO "FAIL SAFE ENGINE MODE" WHICH MEANS THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START WHATSOEVER FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON. TOOK IT TO A REPAIR FACILITY AND SAID IT WAS A LINEAR SWITCH IN THE J GATE SHIFT CONSOLE. $700.00 AND THREE MONTHS LATER THE SAME PROBLEM PERSIST. TOOK IT BACK ONLY TO FIND OUT THEY CANNOT DIAGNOSE WHAT WAS CAUSING THE CAR TO LOCK ITSELF OUT FROM STARTING ITSELF. SECOND I WOULD MERGE ON THE FREEWAY AND OUT OF NOWHERE THE VEHICLE WOULD GO INTO LIMP MODE NEARLY CAUSING A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT. HAD THE REPAIR SHOP DIAGNOSE THAT AND STILL COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. THESE TECHNICAL FAULTS HAVE BEEN OCCURRING ON AND OFF UNTIL THE VEHICLE FINALLY HAD THE CHAIN TENSIONER SNAP CAUSING MY MOTOR TO BASICALLY SEIZE ITSELF. CONTACTED JAGUAR CARS AMERICA AND SAID THE CAR IS TOO OLD AND FAR PAST ITS WARRANTY FOR THEM TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. COMPLETELY UNFAIR CONSIDERING THERE WAS NEVER EVEN A RECALL MADE FOR THE OLD CHAIN TENSIONER. APPARENTLY JAGUAR RE INTRODUCED A NEWER RE MANUFACTURED CHAIN TENSIONER THAT TOOK THE PLACE OF THE OLDER ONES THEY WERE PREVIOUSLY INSTALLING. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE A MANDATORY RECALL FOR ALL JAGUARS V8'S 98-2000. THESE CARS ARE BASICALLY TICKING TIME BOMBS IF THEY HAD NOT ALREADY HAD THE NEWER CHAIN TENSIONERS INSTALLED. I LOVE THE CAR DEARLY BUT JAGUAR CARS NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE THESE FAULTS AND REPAIR THEM ACCORDINGLY. IT IS SIMPLY NOT FAIR FOR ME TO HAVE A VEHICLE I HAVE METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED TAKE A PLUNGE ON ME OUT OF NOWHERE. THE CAR SHOULD NOT REQUIRE A WHOLE NEW MOTOR AT 80K. NOT EVEN IF ITS BEEN NEGLECTED! WHAT KIND OF ENGINEERING IS THIS?! *TR