1999 JAGUAR XJ8L — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

WAS ON US I-280 NORTHBOUND AT ABOUT 8 P.M., GOING PREVAILING SPEED, GOING TO A SOCIAL MEETING, BUT WITH AN ORGANIZATIONAL DIRECTOR. HEARD LOUD POP AND CAR LURCHED FORWARD ABRUPTLY, THEN ENGINE BEGAN TO RATTLE, SMOKE AND BURNT RUBBER/OIL SMELL BEGAN TO INVADE CABIN. HUSBAND TURNED OFF ENGINE AND COASTED TO SIDE OF HIGHWAY AND UP EXIT RAMP SHOULDER. TOOK THE CAR TO DELONG'S AUTO REPAIR, THE ONLY KNOWN AUTHORIZED JAGUAR SERVICE CENTER FOR AT LEAST 50 MILES IN ANY DIRECTION. OWNER, CHIEF MECHANIC, [XXX] SAID WE HAD AN ORIGINAL DEFECTIVE TEMPERATURE GAUGE THAT GIVES FALSE READINGS AND CAR HAD OVERHEATED WITHOUT SHOWING IT ON GAUGE AND THE HEADGASKET BLEW CAUSING CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE--ON THE HIGHWAY. WE WERE TOLD THAT JAGUAR HAS A COOLING PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE AND RATHER THAN FIX IT, THEY PUT IN GAUGES THAT DELIBERATELY DECEIVE THE OWNER INTO BELIEVING HIS/HER VEHICLE IS RUNNING AT A NORMAL TEMPERATURE WHEN IT IS NOT. PREVIOUSLY WE'VE HAD REPEATED INCIDENTS OF "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT GOING ON AND TOOK CAR TO JAGUAR AND OTHERS. NOTHING SEEMED OUT OF PLACE, DAMAGED, ETC.--MECHANICS REPEATEDLY TOLD US THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE IT WAS A MALFUNCTIONING INDICATOR LIGHT. "ENGINE COOLANT" LIGHT DID SAME THING. ENGINE COOLANT WAS NEVER LOW WHEN MANUALLY CHECKED. CURRENT MECHANIC SAYS THIS IS ALL TYPICAL OF THE DECEPTIVE GAUGED, THAT THE CAR WAS PROBABLY NEARING OVERHEATING AND FAULTY INDICATOR WAS NOT TELLING US, EXCEPT THROUGH OTHER INDICATORS THAT DIDN'T MATCH THE MANUAL CHECKS WHEN THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. WE WERE LUCKY TO NOT BE HIT BY OTHER CARS AS THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT NIGHT, WITH FEW STREET-LIGHTS DUE TO RAMPANT COPPER THEFTS IN AREA, AND LOCAL BUDGET PROBLEMS. FILING A COMPLAINT, HERE, BECAUSE WE HAD TO SUE JAGUAR FOR THE LAST DEFECT. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

MY 99 XJ8L JAGUAR WOULDN'T START AND I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC--HE SAID 4 OF MY 8 CYLINDERS STOPPED WORKING AND I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. I DID A VEHICLE SEARCH FOR MY CAR AND FOUND OUT THERE WAS ENGINE PROBLEMS FROM THE MANUFACTURER ITS CALLED THE NIKASIL PROBLEM - DOCUMENT NUMBERS ARE S491V6 OR V5. I NEED TO KNOW IF MY CAR FALL UNDER THIS PROBLEM. I KEPT UP WITH ALL OF THE MAINTENANCE SUGGESTIONS( OIL CHANGE,MILEAGE CHECKUPS)., AND MY ENGINE STILL FAILED AT 87715 MILES. *TR

THE REAR VIEW MIRROR WHICH HAS A DIMMING FEATURE FAILED. BLACK FLUID CAME SPILLING OUT ONTO THE CENTER CONSOLE AND THE RADIO CONTROLS. THE MIRROR BE CAME NON FUNCTIONAL, THERE BY HAVING DIFFICULTY IN VIEWING TO THE REAR OF THE CAR. *TR I MADE CONTACT WITH JAGUAR AND THEY HAVE BEEN NON RESPONSIVE.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS, A NOISE WAS HEARD IN THE TRANSMISSION AND THE GEARS SHIFTED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHO DETERMINED IF A TRANSMISSION CLEANING DOES NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED.

I WAS THE THIRD CAR IN A FIVE-CAR ACCIDENT. I WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP AND ABOUT 0.5 CAR LENGTH FROM THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WHEN CAR NUMBER 2, A 2004 DODGE DAKOTA PICKUP, HIT ME FROM BEHIND. MY CAR, A 1999 XJ8L, SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IN THE REAR, BUT ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE FRONT SECTION, NO DAMAGE TO BODY SHEET METAL; ONLY ONE BUMPER SHOCK NEEDS REPLACED. THE DRIVER?????S AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE DRIVER?????S SEAT COLLAPSE INTO THE REAR BENCH SEAT. THE POSITION OF MY SEAT WHEN I DRIVE IS; THE BACK ADJUSTMENT IS SET AT OR VERY CLOSE TO STRAIGHT UP (90 DEGREES), THE HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT IS SET ALMOST ALL THE WAY UP, AND THE SEAT DISTANCE FROM THE PEDALS IS VERY CLOSE TO ALL THE WAY BACK. AS A RESULT OF BEING HIT FROM BEHIND, MY BODY WAS THROWN FORWARD ABOUT 10 DEGREES AND WAS WHIPPED BACKWARDS TO A FULL-RECLINED POSITION (ABOUT 175DEGREES). THE ACCIDENT CAUSED MY SEAT TO COLLAPSE INTO THE BACK REAR BENCH SEAT AND AS A RESULT, I WAS IN A FULLY RECLINED POSITION AFTER THE ACCIDENT. IS THE JAGUAR'S FRONT DRIVER'S SEAT DESIGNED TO COLLAPSE? I DID HAVE MY SHOULDER HARNESS AND LAP BELT ON AND THERE WERE NO PASSANGERS IN MY CAR. *NM