Engine Belts And Pulleys problems of the 1999 Jaguar XJ8

The contact states vehicle would not start. She had it towed to the dealership, and they determined there was sludge in the oil pan and the timing chain broke. The engine needed to be replaced. The plastic timing chain tensioner failed and jammed in the timing chain which caused the chain to break in half. This resulted in the valves being stuck open and the pistons to collide. The consumer learned of sb x303-68 and 303-30 which addressed this problem. The consumer learned a defective timing chain tensioner was installed when the vehicle was manufactured. Updated 01/25/06.

Engine failure `99 Jaguar Xj8 vanden plaas ("lower engine disfunction," due to deficient tensioner malfunction per dealership diagnosis) at 61,400 miles. Vehicle well maintained and checked on numerous occasions. We were sent many warnings and suggestions about other maintenance objectives, but a potential problem with tensioners was never mentioned. We know of well over a hundred cases. One dealer told us they see at least one case like ours a month and suggested that a larger dealership in northern virginia would make their numbers look skimpy. The ignorance of this problem has nearly caused some catastrophic accidents that could have easily resulted in the loss of limb or life. If that in itself fails to move the NHTSA we have to wonder what will. There are several respected automotive experts who cannot figure out why Jaguar and Ford have not solved this situation (I. E. Replaced the faulty parts and/or taken care of the cost of installing a new power plant in the `98, `99, and some `00 Xj8 models). This vehicle is still disabled because we had been led to believe that a rep. From Jaguar planned on "helping us out. " and, we have been quoted a wide range of engine replacement costs, none by formal written quote, not even the 12 month warranty text promised several months ago. We feel Jaguar needs to "come to the table" as far as this example of potential consumer fraud and request proper investigation relative to what we consider to be the most rampant disregard for what most consumers expect when buying a vehicle, especially when the sales pitch centers on dependability that was supposed to result from the acquisition of Jaguar by Ford. These allegations are well documented and could hold up in any court in virginia as far as stating our case of misinformation and the aforementioned false promise. We would gladly "join in" as far as any class action is concerned yet are hopeful that the NHTSA will do what we believe is their "due diligence. ".