1997 Jaguar XK8 problems
NHTSA has received 40 complaints about the 1997 Jaguar XK8, and 28% of them involve engine. After that come electrical system (12%) and cruise control (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 40 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 28% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 61,000 miles 19 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 3 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 6 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 3 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 19 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 61,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a fire. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 90% of model years in our database.
It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
While driving the vehicle the drivers seat suddenly began moving forward with the seat back leaning forward as well. This forced me up against the steering wheel almost crushing me. I tried to use the seat controls to stop the movement and return the seat to it's proper position but the switch overheated and caught on fire. Thankfully I was able to stop but had I been driving at highway speeds this could have been a disaster.
When stepping on the brakes vehicles pulls real hard to the left, which jerks the steering wheel out of driver's hand.
3 times while traveling 55 to 60 MPH the engine stalled while in traffic. Each time I put the transmission into neutral and unsuccesfully attempted a rolling restart. Upon getting the vehicle to a stop at the shoulder of the road I put the transmission in park and was able to complete a successful restart and resume normal driving. The loss of accelerator control and power steering while in traffic is a disconcerting experience.
Intermittently while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled. It stalled three times in two weeks. There was a recall for this problem, but only foreign vehicles were involved. The problem continued.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 jaguar xk8. The contact drove the vehicle to the shopping center and when she attempted to restart it, she was unsuccessful. The repair shop inspected the vehicle and found that the tension bar failed, which caused the engine to fail. The vehicle was towed away. The engine will need to be replaced at the cost of $18,000. A report was filed with the manufacturer and they stated that the vehicle was out of warranty; therefore, they would not assist with the repair.