2005 Jaguar S-Type Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2005 Jaguar S-Type most often describe fuel smells and fuel leaks around the tank, frequently after refuelling or with the check engine light on. The second recurring theme is the electronic parking brake engaging or failing to release on its own. Complaints arrive at widely spread mileages, from a few thousand to well over 100,000.

1. 1
   Fuel system

   Fuel smell and fuel leaking around the tank

   • 41 complaints (48%)
   • median 83,000 mi at 8.1 yrs old (35 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2005–2023

   Owners describe a fuel odor inside the cabin or around the parked car, sometimes most noticeable after filling the tank. Many report fuel dripping onto the ground or pavement, and on some cars the tank will not accept fuel because the pump nozzle shuts off immediately. Complaints commonly mention the check engine light coming on, and dealers or independent shops diagnosing leaking tank seals, a warped or cracked tank, or a faulty fuel pump flange and retaining ring. Several owners say they were told their vehicle identification number was not covered by the fuel tank recall even though the symptoms matched it, and some report the leak returning after an earlier recall repair. Reported across a wide range, from roughly 25,000 to over 130,000 miles, most often in the 40,000 to 100,000 mile band and usually noticed at or after refuelling.

   Recall 06V4180007 related service bulletins

   What to check: Smell the area around and inside the car after a fill-up, look for dampness or staining on top of and beneath the tank, and ask whether recall 06V418000 was performed and whether any leak has returned since.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “A strong smell of gas is evident in the cabin of the car when driving and it's been getting worse. After the gas tank is filled, it gets to the point where the vapors are making my families eyes water and we have to open all of the windows/sunroof and it's still bad. I have worked on many of my own cars in the past and I can tell you -it's a good thing I don't smoke because this car would have exploded. The vapors are that strong and I'm amazed there is no evidence of gas leaking out of the car, which would be extremely flammable. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10439096, filed 2011-12, 31,825 miles

   “Gasoline vapors very strong at all times. When fueling vehicle gas would leak out from under the vehicle. Check engine light illuminated at all time. Restricted performance indicator light illuminated when attempting to accelerate greater than 35 miles per hour with extreme hesitation. I researched the recall and was instructed my particular VIN# did not qualify. (plano park place Jaguar) there is fuel leaking from my vehicle! I've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair each individual item - with little to no improvement. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10524356, filed 2013-07, 120,000 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Electronic parking brake engages or will not release

   • 9 complaints (11%)
   • median 65,000 mi at 10.2 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2014–2016

   Complaints describe the parking brake light staying on, the brake failing to release so the car drags or smokes, or the brake applying by itself while driving, in one case locking the rear wheels in the rain. Owners frequently say a shop diagnosed the electronic parking brake module or control module as the cause, and some mention a reset procedure that works only temporarily. A few report that their vehicle identification number was outside the parking brake recall despite similar symptoms. Mostly reported between about 20,000 and 125,000 miles, with several cases in the 40,000 to 70,000 mile range.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Test that the parking brake releases cleanly from a stop and while rolling slowly, and ask whether the module has been replaced or recalibrated; a service bulletin describes a recalibration procedure for this system.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Initially while being parked in dec. 2014, I started the car but could not release the electronic park brake. I had to drive it to a mechanic 3 miles away with the brakes smoking. They saw a procedure for resetting the park brake and gave me a copy. All was well for 2 mos. But driving along about 30mph they suddenly locked. I was able to pull over and fortunately had been carrying tools for this and performed the procedure. It happened two more times in 2015 after I was stopped with engine off. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10860727, filed 2016-04, 117,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2005 Jaguar S-Type. The contact stated that the rear brakes seized without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the electronic park brake module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 59,583.”

   NHTSA complaint #10672779, filed 2015-01, 59,583 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Airbag warning light or unexpected airbag deployment

   • 6 complaints (7%)
   • median 60,000 mi at 6.0 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2005–2018

   Owners report the airbag warning indicator staying lit, or the passenger airbag light showing the seat as off even with an adult seated there. One complaint describes both front airbags deploying during normal driving at moderate speed, with the passenger bag following the driver bag by a couple of minutes. In another case the airbag light came on during a crash but no bag deployed. Complaints say the cars were not always diagnosed or repaired. Reported from roughly 59,000 to 92,000 miles in the sampled complaints, during ordinary driving.

   What to check: Confirm the airbag warning light goes out after start-up, check that the passenger occupancy light reads correctly with an adult seated, and ask whether any airbag fault codes have been stored.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Anti-lock brakes failed to operate during 'sudden stop' causing crash. Air conditioning system does not cool car off, even at lowest temp. Set and highest fan setting; car was brought into dealer 3 times for this as of this date; car does not take fuel - auto shut-off prevents it from accepting fuel; during recent crash caused by total brake failure, air bag light came on but no air bag deployed - why didn't the air bag deploy?; low fuel light does not come on; remote will not lock car, only unlock”

   NHTSA complaint #10126139, filed 2005-06, 2,852 miles

   “Passenger air bag light turns on, indicating that the passenger side airbag is off, even when an adult passenger is seated in the front passenger seat.”

   NHTSA complaint #10362598, filed 2010-10, 74,535 miles
4. 4
   Engine

   Engine cutting out or dropping into limp mode

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the engine shutting down while driving at moderate speed, sometimes with no warning light, and on other cars all dash lights illuminating followed by a limp mode that clears only after a restart. One complaint notes stalling while slowing to make a turn. Complaints mention dealers resetting engine software without curing the problem, and a service bulletin addresses clogged fuel injectors on the V8 engines causing poor running and misfires. Reported between about 27,000 and 100,000 miles, at steady speeds or when pulling away from a stop.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: During a test drive, watch for hesitation, dash warnings or a stumble under light acceleration, and ask for stored fault codes and any history of injector cleaning or software updates.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While traveling along a busy highway at approximately 45 MPH, the car engine shut down. We were unable to get the engine to start back up. We eventually needed police assistance to move the car from the far left of the highway to the far right (shoulder). The car had to be towed back to the dealership where we puchased it 9 days prior. There was gas in the car and no warning lights came on.the car stopped to the point of not being able to straighten it up with right rear in a lane of oncoming traffic.”

   NHTSA complaint #10731295, filed 2015-06, 93,000 miles

   “I was driving on an internal road ~45mph, not accelerating , just maintaining speed. The engine basically shut down, and I had to pull onto the shoulder. The car was barely moving even though the accelerator was depressed to the floor, engine light on, as well as engine systems fault, parkbrake fault, dsc not available message showing up on the dash. I restarted the car but now the battery light came on in addition to the other issues mentioned before and the car battery drained out completely and went limp. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10340209, filed 2010-06, 66,500 miles

Buying note. Have any S-Type of this year inspected for fuel leaks and tank seal condition before purchase, and confirm the fuel tank recall work was done and has held. Also verify parking brake operation and airbag warning lights, since both appear repeatedly in owner complaints.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.