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Jaguar XJ-Series: Sudden Acceleration
redrockbunny
Member Posts: 18
in Jaguar
Help a Lemon Jaguar!!!!!!!!
A friend of mine has a new 2004 Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas. The car was delivered to him brand new and is leased. He has had the car for about 4 months. He is about 70. He asked me to post this, as he doesn't have the time or know-how to get on this board.
The car is loaded, even has the navigation system. But it appears to be somewhat of a lemon. He has had to take it back to the dealer several times already. One problem the dealer admitted they could not fix is a shimmey-shake in the steering when you are backing and turning sharply. The dealer said it is a design flaw in the new 2004 Jaguars and can't be fixed. This was his first disappointment with the 75 thousand dollar car.
The next problem started occuring a couple months ago. It would happen several times. One time on the way from Sedona to Flagstaff the car started shaking like a wheel was loose. He would stop and check it out and never found a problem. The car shook for 60 miles. Then the next day, it was smooth as silk again, like nothing had happened. He had clients with him, and was totally embarrassed. This situation reocurred several times. The dealer was unable to find a cause. I thought maybe it was a bad servo in the air ride control unit???
Now an even more interesting problem, this one deadly. The car seems to have a sudden acceleration problem. At first when it happened in La Jolla, CA he thought he had inadvertently put his foot on the accelerator instead of the brake pedal. He had started the car and was moving it slowly to a new spot a car-length away. The car rammed a Mercedes at full force. These new Jags are a potent force, with their big engines. It smashed the hood of the Mercedes, damage to the Jag was limited. The airbags never went off. His insurance payed off on the damage, thinking it was an unfortunate accident. He was upset about the incident, but never suspected the car.
At this time the car has done the same thing two more times. Once while stopped in traffic it suddenly surged ahead and he barely got it stopped before it rammed another car. At this point he started to get a little suspicious, but again he assumed that perhaps he had done something wrong, but what?
The next time he was on a hill in a residential neighborhood. He had just put the car into drive and it suddenly took off like a bat out of hell. He held on for dear life as it raced down the hill toward the bottom around a long curve. He was unable to halt the speeding car. He said he hoped no one was in the road below. He put all his strength onto the brake pedal and it wouldn't respond. At the bottom of the hill he finally got the car stopped by turning off the ignition, and ramming it into park. The car jerked back and forth many times violently and finally died. At this point he was scared to death to drive it anymore. He realized that it was the car, not him that was creating this dangerous problem. He said the brakes even failed to work! I told him that the brakes may have been trying to work, but they couldn't stop a car like that on a hill under full acceleration with that enormous engine. He felt so unsafe with the car that he called his attorney. The attorney proceeded to advise him to call the dealer and tell them to come and pick up the car, immediately! He also told my friend, "to tell the dealer to bring you another vehicle to Sedona." "Also, demand that they go over the car thoroughly and find the problem. Don't drive the car again." My friend did this.
The dealer came up to Sedona, AZ and towed the car to Scottsdale, AZ. The dealer had the car for three weeks. Finally they called my friend yesterday and said there is nothing wrong with the car. They said, "you must have hit the accelerator." They also said, "the "black box" has recorded no abnormality." Also he was told they would not give him another different Jaguar in exchange.
Has anyone experienced any weird flukes like this with their new Jaguars????? Has anyone heard of a sudden acceleration problem? How about the other problems, shaking and steering problems? I have heard of this situation (sudden acceleration) in another new car several years ago, but can't remember what it was. So I know it CAN happen.
Please post your comments. We are desperate to track down this problem as the dealer insists he take this dangerous car back and won't let him out of the lease unless he pays off 75 thousand dollars first! Keep in mind that he recently traded in another Jag for this new one. His last one was a (2002 I think) Vanden Plas. It was one of those stretch models, he did not have similar problems with it. But did have other problems like wind noise in the back side windows.
On top of all this, the dealer is sending him the bill for the tow to Scottsdale, and the three weeks of providing my friend with a Cadillac rental. They said they can't charge Jag for the costs because they couldn't find anything wrong with the car. Jaguar has a lot to learn about customer service. Something I have been involved with my entire career. Usually they give him a Taurus when his car is being repaired. Unacceptable! This time he insisted on a "comparable" rental. I would suggest Jaguar learn a little about stellar customer service from Cadillac! I wonder if Jag would treat a customer the same way if he had purchased the car outright, instead of paying an outrageous lease amount. By the way, the Cadillac was towed back to Flagstaff today for a dead battery, the parking lights would stay on much of the time, and couldn't be shut off. The car was brand new with 3000 miles on it. They now have given him a Camry!
Thankfully my friend is thinking about leasing a Cadillac or Lexus at this point. And never touching another Ford.......oops, I mean Jaguar again!
A friend of mine has a new 2004 Jaguar XJ Vanden Plas. The car was delivered to him brand new and is leased. He has had the car for about 4 months. He is about 70. He asked me to post this, as he doesn't have the time or know-how to get on this board.
The car is loaded, even has the navigation system. But it appears to be somewhat of a lemon. He has had to take it back to the dealer several times already. One problem the dealer admitted they could not fix is a shimmey-shake in the steering when you are backing and turning sharply. The dealer said it is a design flaw in the new 2004 Jaguars and can't be fixed. This was his first disappointment with the 75 thousand dollar car.
The next problem started occuring a couple months ago. It would happen several times. One time on the way from Sedona to Flagstaff the car started shaking like a wheel was loose. He would stop and check it out and never found a problem. The car shook for 60 miles. Then the next day, it was smooth as silk again, like nothing had happened. He had clients with him, and was totally embarrassed. This situation reocurred several times. The dealer was unable to find a cause. I thought maybe it was a bad servo in the air ride control unit???
Now an even more interesting problem, this one deadly. The car seems to have a sudden acceleration problem. At first when it happened in La Jolla, CA he thought he had inadvertently put his foot on the accelerator instead of the brake pedal. He had started the car and was moving it slowly to a new spot a car-length away. The car rammed a Mercedes at full force. These new Jags are a potent force, with their big engines. It smashed the hood of the Mercedes, damage to the Jag was limited. The airbags never went off. His insurance payed off on the damage, thinking it was an unfortunate accident. He was upset about the incident, but never suspected the car.
At this time the car has done the same thing two more times. Once while stopped in traffic it suddenly surged ahead and he barely got it stopped before it rammed another car. At this point he started to get a little suspicious, but again he assumed that perhaps he had done something wrong, but what?
The next time he was on a hill in a residential neighborhood. He had just put the car into drive and it suddenly took off like a bat out of hell. He held on for dear life as it raced down the hill toward the bottom around a long curve. He was unable to halt the speeding car. He said he hoped no one was in the road below. He put all his strength onto the brake pedal and it wouldn't respond. At the bottom of the hill he finally got the car stopped by turning off the ignition, and ramming it into park. The car jerked back and forth many times violently and finally died. At this point he was scared to death to drive it anymore. He realized that it was the car, not him that was creating this dangerous problem. He said the brakes even failed to work! I told him that the brakes may have been trying to work, but they couldn't stop a car like that on a hill under full acceleration with that enormous engine. He felt so unsafe with the car that he called his attorney. The attorney proceeded to advise him to call the dealer and tell them to come and pick up the car, immediately! He also told my friend, "to tell the dealer to bring you another vehicle to Sedona." "Also, demand that they go over the car thoroughly and find the problem. Don't drive the car again." My friend did this.
The dealer came up to Sedona, AZ and towed the car to Scottsdale, AZ. The dealer had the car for three weeks. Finally they called my friend yesterday and said there is nothing wrong with the car. They said, "you must have hit the accelerator." They also said, "the "black box" has recorded no abnormality." Also he was told they would not give him another different Jaguar in exchange.
Has anyone experienced any weird flukes like this with their new Jaguars????? Has anyone heard of a sudden acceleration problem? How about the other problems, shaking and steering problems? I have heard of this situation (sudden acceleration) in another new car several years ago, but can't remember what it was. So I know it CAN happen.
Please post your comments. We are desperate to track down this problem as the dealer insists he take this dangerous car back and won't let him out of the lease unless he pays off 75 thousand dollars first! Keep in mind that he recently traded in another Jag for this new one. His last one was a (2002 I think) Vanden Plas. It was one of those stretch models, he did not have similar problems with it. But did have other problems like wind noise in the back side windows.
On top of all this, the dealer is sending him the bill for the tow to Scottsdale, and the three weeks of providing my friend with a Cadillac rental. They said they can't charge Jag for the costs because they couldn't find anything wrong with the car. Jaguar has a lot to learn about customer service. Something I have been involved with my entire career. Usually they give him a Taurus when his car is being repaired. Unacceptable! This time he insisted on a "comparable" rental. I would suggest Jaguar learn a little about stellar customer service from Cadillac! I wonder if Jag would treat a customer the same way if he had purchased the car outright, instead of paying an outrageous lease amount. By the way, the Cadillac was towed back to Flagstaff today for a dead battery, the parking lights would stay on much of the time, and couldn't be shut off. The car was brand new with 3000 miles on it. They now have given him a Camry!
Thankfully my friend is thinking about leasing a Cadillac or Lexus at this point. And never touching another Ford.......oops, I mean Jaguar again!
0
Comments
In 1989 Ford bought Jaguar in a bidding contest with GM for $2.6 billion. Ford then proceeded to loose another $2+ billion on Jaguar's operations. Ford's Chairman Peterson was fired as a result. Most people concede that 15 years later Jaguar still hasn't turned the corner. Is there any doubt that Ford is continuing to take shortcuts in quality with a brand like Jag that looses billions of dollars. Thus, you see transmissions failing, cracks and rattles, and an ongoing series of problems. Ford is fighting to survive. If in the process it produces a part that fails a few years off (and likely out of warranty) and in the process Ford saves $3, that's a good deal.
Jags are nice to look at, but have always been aggrevating to own. With Ford broke, and Jaguar sales poor for the last ten years, and Jags move down market a failure, expect continued compromises on quality. If you want quality and dependability, buy a Lexus.
Scottdale dealership is claiming the exact same thing also.
Steve
My dealer performed diagognostic tests which they sent to Jaguar Cars engineers to analyze. Jag Cars called me to say that they found NOTHING wrong with my car! Regarding the extra 340 miles that I did NOT put on my car, they just dismissed it, saying they had no proof that I did not drive it -or that someone else did not drive it. NOT TRUE!! I did NOT drive 440 miles, and neither did anyone else!! I asked them for a copy of their tests so I could see what they tested. They said it's "proprietary" and no one, not even the dealer or my insurance co. gets to see them!
I will never drive this car again, so I had it towed back to my dealer and I sent a certified letter to Jag Cars & Jag Credit that I want my lease immediately terminated, and my payment applied to a new Jaguar with a new lease.
They VEHEMENTLY REFUSE to terminate my lease even though I returned the car to the dealer!!!! Every day I get harassing phone calls from Jaguar Credit telling me I am behind on my lease payment and they will report me to the Credit Bureaus which will affect my credit for the next 7 years!
The Lemon Laws appear only to protect car manufacturers, not the consumer. Your car has to be in for the same repair 3 times before the Lemon Law applies. I didn't kill myself or anyone the first time, under the Lemon Law, I get 2 more tries!
Help! I am so frustrated! I don't know what to do! Maybe we need a Class Action Lawsuit. Please reply soon.
He is 81 and I thought that he hit the accelerator but he says absolutely not. After reading the emails on this site, he definitely had the sudden acceleration problem that you spoke about. He was able to climb over the seat and it is a miracle that he walked away with no injuries.
A month before this horrific accident, he had just paid $5000 to have his gas tank replaced because it was completely rusted. Jaguar is taking no responsibility sudden acceleration problem.
Any suggestions as to how he can pursue a suit against Jaguar or file a complaint with the NHTSA?
He is so upset and lucky to be alive!
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Betsy
Wht happened with your Jag? Did you have sudden acceleration problems as well?
Any additional background would be very helpul.
Best regards,
betsy
Last week my wife's 2004 Jag accelerated as she was parking the car in a mall parking lot. Luckily, she was stopped by a shrub and not a car on either side.
She has the all wheel drive x-type.
No mas, no mas (OK, Roberto Duran). I don't need the hassle/risk. Shades of the Audi's of 25 years ago that suddenly lurched into reverse hitting other cars but worse ... squashing kids
Bart :shades:
People said that they were having sudden acceleration problems and that the brakes wouldn't stop the car.
They did several tests with the gas all the way to the floor, 4wd engaged and the brake pedal fully depressed. They didn't move a bit just sat there nearly blowing the transmission up.
What is "THROTLE BY WIRE" that you put in your message?
Also, Could faulty ABS feed into the computer be our culprit? A defective ABS sensor or defective ABS sensor wire could send panic signals to computer. Just a theory from other peeps experiences. Computer glitches of all kinds related to ABS problems and ABS trouble lights. :lemon:
Never had the problem again. This car has been the best, most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. It is a privilege to own and drive. I have a 100,000 miles on it and have had NO PROBLEM ever with it.
Some cars have rather peculiar shift patterns as they downshift, and this may give the sensation of surging forward.
But if you're at a light with your foot firmly on the brake, no way that car is going anywhere.
I was so thankful I wasn't at a red light and didn't rear-end someone. I could have caused severe whiplash and damage to another person and vehicle!
I did have a warning that this was happening two days prior but at the time thought only "hum, that was weird?" I was pulling out of an shopping plaza into a traffic lane and my wheels "burned rubber"! I was shocked. The car drove normal after it and so I let it go as "weird".
My Jaguar specialist has never heard of these problems and has been working on Jaguars for over 40 years! He said he kept it a few extra days and drove it on errands etc. with no symptoms of my experience.
Please share other exact experiences so we can prevent future injuries and expense!
If so, what gasoline brand would you recommend?
To one of the earlier posters, I find it hard to believe the car is "drive by wire". Although I haven't been under the hood of ours lately, I'm pretty sure that I saw a cable and bellcrank on the throttle body, the last time I looked in that vicinity....
Had the car repaired, they flashed the memory for 135.00 but found no fault. Also said some hoses were loose. I sold it, replaced it with an FX. I will miss the XJ. The bottom line was we could not trust the car again. Hope I do not get a recall on a defect like I did when I sold my firebird.
A question to another people who experience the same case ,this episodes of suddle acceleration occurred more that ones???p lease help me
Take care
Gino
I am angry the car of that the car I’ve dreamt of owning since I was a child is unsafe to drive. I can only be thankful that my second vehicle is a Lexus.
Gino
The line from Jag is so canned it was just the same as I got. Unless we can get a lot of owners behind us I do not know what would be an successful action.
I would like to get service people under oath if in fact Jaguar, under Ford or Tata is coaching their people. A major recall could cripple Jag. The other
part of this is what do we the owners or past owners want as compensation. t
The failure of my car cost me to purchase a replacement at least 3 years ahead of time. I would estimate a cost of 10k per year times 3 years. It works out to be close to the resale value of my car. I really liked my car but there is no money in sentiment.