Jaguar XK8 problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
107 owner complaints analyzed
2 distinct recall campaigns
54,550 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1997 to 2003 model years. Data snapshot: . 76 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Vehicle Speed Control is the most frequently named component, appearing in 12 of 107 complaints (11.2%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Engine operation | 24 | 22.4% |
| Transmission and shifting | 13 | 12.1% |
| Braking behavior | 10 | 9.3% |
| Steering behavior | 9 | 8.4% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 5 | 4.7% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control | 12 |
| Electrical System | 8 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 8 |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 8 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 7 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | 6 |
| Fuel System, Other | 5 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys | 4 |
Vehicle Speed Control: 12; Electrical System: 8; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 8; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 8; Engine And Engine Cooling: 7; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 6; Fuel System, Other: 5; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys: 4
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 13 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 15 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 32 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 10 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 6 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 13; 25,000 to 49,999: 15; 50,000 to 74,999: 32; 75,000 to 99,999: 10; 100,000 to 149,999: 6; 150,000 and above: 0
50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (32). 31 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 4 |
| 2001 | 5 |
| 2002 | 10 |
| 2003 | 14 |
| 2004 | 18 |
| 2005 | 9 |
| 2006 | 7 |
| 2007 | 10 |
| 2008 | 8 |
| 2009 | 6 |
| 2010 | 6 |
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 5 |
| 2018 | 2 |
2000: 4; 2001: 5; 2002: 10; 2003: 14; 2004: 18; 2005: 9; 2006: 7; 2007: 10; 2008: 8; 2009: 6; 2010: 6; 2011: 1; 2012: 1; 2013: 1; 2014: 5; 2018: 2
Pattern summary
Vehicle Speed Control leads the component reports. Engine operation appears in 24 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 13 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 10 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10021366 · 2003-06-10 (June 10, 2003)
1997 JAGUAR XK8 SUDDENLY STALLS OUT COMPLETELY DURING FREEWAY DRIVING. OTHER LISTINGS AT NHTSA REGARDING THIS. POTENTIALLY FATAL ISSUE AS THE CAR CANNOT BE STEERED OFF THE ROAD EASILY. NO WARNING OF FAILURE - RESULTING IN FOLLOWING TRAFFIC HAVING TO BREAK LANE SUDDENLY TO AVOID THE STALLED JAG. THIS IS REALLY SERIOUS STUFF.*AK
Owner-reported narrative. 66,800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10021366 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10064658 · 2004-03-22 (March 22, 2004)
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLED. DRIVER TRIED TO RESTART VEHICLE, BUT VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THROTTLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A WORN OUT SHUT OFF VALVE PART. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10064658 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 741349 · 2001-02-22 (February 22, 2001)
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. I WAS NOT GOING TO REPORT IT, HOWEVER I FOUND MYSELF DOING SOME RESEARCH ON YOUR WEBSITE WHERE I FOUND THAT THIS SAME…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 741349 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10032497 · 2003-08-07 (August 7, 2003)
PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION. ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS UPON REVERSING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY INTO TRAFFIC THE CAR WILL NOT GO INTO DRIVE FROM REVERSE. THE CONSUMER HAD TO SIT AND GO BACK INTO DRIVE UNTIL IT WORKS. TWICE WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY (70) MPH THE CAR HAD JUST STOPPED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. AFTER GETTING IT OFF THE LANE AND NUMEROUS TRIES IT STARTED AGAIN. *MR *CB *JB
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10032497 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 769599 · 2002-11-12 (November 12, 2002)
FRONT LEFT AND RIGHT UNITS REPLACED - ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL MODULE REPLACED ECM UNIT TO BE REPLACED - CAR NOW AT DEALER 11/11/02. DT
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 769599 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10236623 · 2008-08-01 (August 1, 2008)
THE VEHICLE, WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND INSTANTANEOUSLY AT SPEED LIMIT IN A FREEWAY TRAVEL LANE, CEASED TO OPERATE. THIS HAPPENED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS SINCE FIRST ACQUIRED WITH LESS THAN 4,000 MILES USE. EACH TIME THIS CAUSED THE DRIVER (MY WIFE) TO CONDUCT AN EMERGENCY PROCEDURE - HIT THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS, SHIFT TO NEUTRAL, AND RESTART THE CAR WHILE IT WAS DECELERATING. THE LAST TIME WAS ON JULY 14, 2008. THE POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, SAFETY HANDLING SYSTEMS, AND ENGINE WERE INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED JAGUAR D…
Owner-reported narrative. 40,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10236623 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10073240 · 2004-05-27 (May 27, 2004)
AFTER SPOTTING FLUID ON THE FLOOR, I CHECKED THE LEVELS IN THE CAR AND FOUND THAT THE POWER STEERING FLUID WAS LOW. AFTER FILLING THE PS RESERVIOR, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE NEAREST FORD DEALER, SINCE THE JAGUAR DEALER WAS 225 MILES AWAY. THEY FOUND A LEAK IN THE HIGH PRESSURE POWER STEERING HOSE. I WAS TOLD IT WAS A GOOD THING I DIDN'T DRIVE IT VERY FAR, SINCE IT COULD HAVE CAUSED THE PUMP AND RACK-AND-PINION STEERING TO FAIL. A REPLACEMENT HOSE WAS INSTALLED, BUT IT WAS A NEW DESIGN THAT, COINCIDENTALLY, ROUTED THE HOSE AWAY FROM THE ENGINE M…
Owner-reported narrative. 20,224 miles reported. Look up ODI 10073240 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10651382 · 2014-10-30 (October 30, 2014)
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. *TR
Owner-reported narrative. 146,023 miles reported. Look up ODI 10651382 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10075254 · 2004-06-12 (June 12, 2004)
HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY FAILED FOR NO APPARENT REASON-ELECTRICAL. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. 66,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10075254 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11090878 · 2018-04-29 (April 29, 2018)
WOULD NOT START, BATTERY RUN DOWN IN LESS THAN ONE WEEK. STATIONARY
Owner-reported narrative. 110,572 miles reported. Look up ODI 11090878 at NHTSA ↗
Recalls by model year
All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.
Recall campaigns
Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 1 |
| 1998 | 1 |
| 1999 | 0 |
| 2000 | 0 |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 |
| 2003 | 0 |
1997: 1; 1998: 1; 1999: 0; 2000: 0; 2001: 0; 2002: 0; 2003: 0