1998 JAGUAR XJ8L — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

ABOUT 2-3 TIMES A MONTH, WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY (AND ONLY ON FREEWAYS, NEVER HAS THIS HAPPENED ON CITY STREETS), ALWAYS ABOUT 10 MINUTES ON THE ROAD FROM A COLD START, MY ACCELERATOR WILL SUDDENLY FAIL TO RESPOND WHILE I'VE HAD MY FOOT ON THE GAS DURING STEADY DRIVING OF 55-75 MPH. NO INDICATOR COMES ON AT THE TIME. I'M FORCED TO MERGE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ON THE MOMENTUM PROVIDED BY THE CAR AS I AM UNABLE TO GET ACCELERATION FROM THE PEDDLE. ONCE I BRAKE TO A STOP & PUT THE CAR IN PARK I GET AN "ENGINE FAILED" INDICATOR AND THE RED ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. SO FAR, WHEN I'VE TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTED IT, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO START THE ENGINE AGAIN WITHOUT PROBLEM AND CONTINUE ON MY WAY. HOWEVER, THESE INCIDENTS ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS GIVEN THAT OUR FREEWAYS OFTEN HAVE NO EMERGENCY LANE TO PULL OFF TO WHEN THEY ARE UNDER REPAIR. THERE ARE VARIOUS PLACES ON OUR FREEWAYS WHERE I WOULD HAVE TO STOP IN A MOVING LANE BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO GO AGAIN. I PURCHASED THE CAR USED FROM A DEALER IN 2001. IT WAS OFF A 3-YR LEASE BY ANOTHER OWNER. I HAD THIS PROBLEM IN THE EARLY YEARS OF OWNERSHIP (AROUND 2002 @ 65,000) UNDER A 6 YEAR WARRANTY AND THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY REBUILT AND THEN ULTIMATELY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION AT THAT TIME TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I DIDN'T HAVE THE PROBLEM AGAIN UNTIL 2012 BUT HAVE SINCE EXPERIENCED IT ABOUT 6 TIMES OVER THE LAST YEAR (AT 160,000). I CALLED A LOCAL DEALER TO CHECK ON RECALL INFO AND WAS TOLD THERE'S NOTHING CURRENTLY, BUT THAT IN 1999 MY CAR HAD HAD A THROTTLE CABLE ADJUSTER MODIFICATION UNDER WARRANTY. MY RESEARCH ON THIS SITE TELLS ME THAT THE PROBLEM IS THE THROTTLE BODY BEING DIRTY BUT THAT THE ONLY GOOD SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE IT. THE DEALER IS FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM BUT CAN'T TELL ME HOW LONG A REPLACEMENT WILL LAST ME. *TR

ABOUT 2-3 TIMES A MONTH, WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY (AND ONLY ON FREEWAYS, NEVER HAS THIS HAPPENED ON CITY STREETS), ALWAYS ABOUT 10 MINUTES ON THE ROAD FROM A COLD START, MY ACCELERATOR WILL SUDDENLY FAIL TO RESPOND WHILE I'VE HAD MY FOOT ON THE GAS DURING STEADY DRIVING OF 55-75 MPH. NO INDICATOR COMES ON AT THE TIME. I'M FORCED TO MERGE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ON THE MOMENTUM PROVIDED BY THE CAR AS I AM UNABLE TO GET ACCELERATION FROM THE PEDDLE. ONCE I BRAKE TO A STOP & PUT THE CAR IN PARK I GET AN "ENGINE FAILED" INDICATOR AND THE RED ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. SO FAR, WHEN I'VE TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTED IT, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO START THE ENGINE AGAIN WITHOUT PROBLEM AND CONTINUE ON MY WAY. HOWEVER, THESE INCIDENTS ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS GIVEN THAT OUR FREEWAYS OFTEN HAVE NO EMERGENCY LANE TO PULL OFF TO WHEN THEY ARE UNDER REPAIR. THERE ARE VARIOUS PLACES ON OUR FREEWAYS WHERE I WOULD HAVE TO STOP IN A MOVING LANE BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO GO AGAIN. I PURCHASED THE CAR USED FROM A DEALER IN 2001. IT WAS OFF A 3-YR LEASE BY ANOTHER OWNER. I HAD THIS PROBLEM IN THE EARLY YEARS OF OWNERSHIP (AROUND 2002 @ 65,000) UNDER A 6 YEAR WARRANTY AND THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY REBUILT AND THEN ULTIMATELY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION AT THAT TIME TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I DIDN'T HAVE THE PROBLEM AGAIN UNTIL 2012 BUT HAVE SINCE EXPERIENCED IT ABOUT 6 TIMES OVER THE LAST YEAR (AT 160,000). I CALLED A LOCAL DEALER TO CHECK ON RECALL INFO AND WAS TOLD THERE'S NOTHING CURRENTLY, BUT THAT IN 1999 MY CAR HAD HAD A THROTTLE CABLE ADJUSTER MODIFICATION UNDER WARRANTY. MY RESEARCH ON THIS SITE TELLS ME THAT THE PROBLEM IS THE THROTTLE BODY BEING DIRTY BUT THAT THE ONLY GOOD SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE IT. THE DEALER IS FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM BUT CAN'T TELL ME HOW LONG A REPLACEMENT WILL LAST ME. *TR

RELATED TO JAGUAR SERVICE ACTION PUBLICATION NUMBER 303-S514, "THROTTLE CLOSED POSITION OPERATION" THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT FOR JAGUAR. IN THE JAGUAR SERVICE BULLETIN, JAGUAR STATES "UNDER EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES THIS CONCERN COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO CUT OUT... THE ENGINE SHOULD RESTART WITHOUT DIFFICULTY ONCE THE VEHICLE HAS COME TO A COMPLETE STANDSTILL." THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS REPORTED AS A RESULT OF THIS "COMPLETE STANDSTILL" HAPPENING ON MAJOR MOTORWAYS WHERE THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC IS IN EXCESS OF 60MPH. MY 1998 JAGUAR XJ8L HAS HAD THE SERVICE ACTION PERFORMED, WHICH REPLACED THE ORIGINAL THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY WITH THE EXACT SAME THROTTLEBODY FROM THE SAME VENDOR. THE NEW PARTS USED FOR THE REPLACEMENT IS THE SAME ONE THAT FAILS, IT IS DEFECTIVE AND ONLY COMES WITH A ONE YEAR WARRANTY. THE CAR IS STALLING AGAIN, AND JAGUAR REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. ON MONDAY MORNING, MARCH 17, 2008 WHILE DRIVING TO WORK, MY CAR RECENTLY STALLED WHILE HEADING ON I-35N THROUGH AUSTIN TEXAS, AT WHICH TIME THE TRAFFIC VOLUME WAS HEAVY AND THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC WAS NEAR 70 MPH, AND I WAS FORCED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY EXIT FOR A CONSTRUCTION BARRICADE. IN DOING THIS, ANOTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING BEHIND ME HAD TO VEER OUT OF THE WAY TO AVOID A REAR-END COLLISION, AND PUMMELED THROUGH THE ORANGE CONSTRUCTION BARRELS. I HAD TO ALSO PULL HARD INTO THE CONSTRUCTION BARRELS TO AVOID THE COLLISION, AND MY VEHICLE SUFFERED FRONT PANEL DAMAGE. BOTH OF OUR VEHICLES SUFFERED DAMAGES AS A RESULT, AND BOTH MYSELF, AND THE OTHER VEHICLES DRIVER SUFFERED WHIP LASH INJURIES. I AM CURRENTLY UNDER THE CARE OF DR VIET TRAN, FOR A TORE DISC VERTEBRAE CAUSED BY WHIPLASH, AND WILL BE MAKING REGULAR VISITS TO A PHYSICAL THERAPIST. *TR

MY 1998 JAGUAR XJ8L KEEPS STALLING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, VERY VERY DANGEROUS. I AM ALMOST IN AN ACCIDENT ON 95 EVERYTIME THIS HAPPENS. THE DEALER HAS SAID IT IS A DIRTY THROTTLE THAT MAY BE CAUSING THIS, BUT EVEN AFTER SERVICING IT JUST STARTS UP AGAIN...AFTER INVESTIGATING HERE ON THE WEB I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. I BELIEVE THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME BACK ON SEPTEMBER 2004, WHEN MY ENGINE JUST COMPLETELY FROZE UP ON 95 AND HAD TO REPLACE IT AT A COST OF $15,874.00. THIS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AND A RECALL SHOULD BE POSTED FOR THESE VEHICLES BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. I HAVE A SNEAKY FEELING THAT THIS IS STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN WITH THE ENGINE STALLING AND NOW I ONLY HAVE 13,000 MILES ON MY NEW ENGINE. PLEASE HELP! *TR

1998 JAGUAR XJ8L CAR WOULD STALL WHILE DRIVING, WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD STOP AND START,HEAD LIGHTS WOULD GO OFF,INTERMITTENTLY. THIS MADE THE CAR UNSAFE TOP DRIVE. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED AND I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM. WHEN THE PROBLEM STARTED I THOUGHT IT WAS A COMPUTER BOOT PROBLEM SO I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THE PROBLEMS SEEMED TO DISAPPEAR. I FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD COME AND GO AND WAS SO INTERMITTENT IT COULD NOT BE PICKED UP WHILE AT THE CAR SHOP, DOWNTOWN JAGUAR IN MINNEAPOLIS, MN. I AM A CONTROLS ENGINEER AND THOUGHT THAT I WOULD TROUBLE SHOOT THE PROBLEM. I PURCHASED FROM THE INTERNET THE ELECTRICAL SCHEMATICS FOR THIS CAR. I FOUND THAT ALL OF THE SYSTEMS HAD A COMMON SOURCE. THIS SOURCE WAS A COMPUTER LOCATED UNDER THE DASH BEHIND THE GLOVE COMPARTMENTED WAS CALLED BODY PROCESSOR MODULE OR BPM. IT WAS SEALED AND KNOT OPENED. IT WAS MANUFACTURED IN SOUTH AMERICA BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY. I FOUND ON THE UNDER SIDE OF THE CIRCUIT BOARD, SOLDER FLASHING WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE BLOWN OFF AT THE END OF ITS SOLDER BATH. THIS BOARD SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLEANED AS WELL BUT IT STILL HAD LARGE AMOUNTS OF SOLDER FLUX WHICH ACTED LIKE GLUE AND KEPT THE SOLDER BALLS IN A SEMI STABLE CONDITION. I CLEANED THE CIRCUIT BOARD WITH A APPROVED CIRCUIT BOARD CLEANER, THEN USED A SOFT BRUSH TO REMOVE ANY ADDITIONAL SOLDER BALLS. I HAD FOUND AN ESTIMATED FIVE HUNDRED TO A THOUSAND SMALL SOLDER BALLS SOME SO SMALL THAT THEY WERE .005 INCHES IN SIZE TO .125 INCHES. WHEN I REMOVED THESE SOLDER BALLS I HAD KNOW FURTHER OCCURRENCES OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS. I REPORTED THIS TO JAGUAR OVER THE INTERNET AND THEY REPLIED WITH AN ANSWER THAT IT WAS KNOT THEIR PROBLEM DO TO THE FACT THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. I FOUND THAT OTHER PEOPLE WERE EXPERIENCING THIS SAME PROBLEM WHEN I DID A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET. I THINK THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND IT IS A MANUFACTURE??S DEFECT. IF YOU FIND THIS TO BE THE CASE FOR OTHER JAGUARS. PLEASE LET EVERYONE KNOW SO THEY DON'T HAVE A DANGEROUS ACCIDENT.*JB