1997 Jaguar XK8 Engine cooling Problems

“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.”

“While driving 50 MPH the timing chain broke which caused the vehicle to stall. The driver was able to coast to the side of the road out of traffic. The consumer stated that the timing chain is made with a plastic coating that is prone to failure. The failure was corrected in later models.”

“Timing chain tensioner failed, broken chain, bent valves. Jag service said '97 XK8 had faulty tensioners. Most warranty replaced. Many NHTSA complaints & TSB's on this failure. Jag. Is aware of this dangerous problem. Jag. Agreed to pay for 1/2 repair, if I bought a new jag. Not acceptable! Does someone have to be killed on the freeway for jag to take notice! There needs to be a recall for this problem! Not just service bulletins! Both service and sales said that these tensioners will fail! Revised tensioners were used on later models!”

“Jaguar has 40,000 l997 model XK8 sold for $75,0000. Needs new engine! Dealer wont take of expense of replacing it. Web says they have faulty tensioners, and cylinder liners.”

“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 problem occurred to someone else. …”