1998 Jaguar XJ8

No clear pattern

0% of complaints about the 1998 Jaguar XJ8 arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 1998 vehicle, but with only 91 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is engine cooling (34 complaints), typically at 6.8 yr or about 66,000 miles.

Complaints: 91
Median age at failure: 6.8 yr
Median mileage: 68,000 n=59
Crash / fire / tow: 5.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

06E043000 2006-05-19

Fuel system

CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, FRAM BRAND NAME P/N G3727, WITH DATE CODES X52911 THROUGH X60801 SEQUENTIALLY OR X600141 AND A MEXICO COUNTRY OR ORIGIN MARKING ON THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 18, 2005, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2006, SOLD FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE AND ON CERTAIN SCHOOL BUSES. (TO SEE THE SCHOOL BUS ENGINE SIZES, CLICK ON "DOCUMENT SEARCH" AND THEN "BUS APPLICATIONS"). THE CONNECTOR ON THE FUEL FILTER WAS NOT MANUFACTURED TO HONEYWELL'S SPECIFICATION. AS A RESULT, THE O-RING MAY NOT SEAT CORRECTLY ON THE FUEL LINE.

THIS CONDITION MAY CAUSE AN INADEQUATE SEAL AT THE CONNECTION, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO A FUEL LEAK. IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.

In owners’ own words

Engine cooling mileage not reported 1.9 yr in service

ENGINE FAILED ON TWO OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING AT A SPEED OF FIFTY MILES PER HOUR. MJS

Engine cooling mileage not reported 1.3 yr in service

I PURCHASED A 1998 JAGUAR XJ8 FROM PEYTON CRAMER JAGUAR IN JULY OF 1998, VIN # [XXX]. SINCE THAT TIME I HAVE HAD A REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH ENGINE STALLING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS (55-70 MPH). THIS OCCURS WITH NO WARNING, AND PLACES MY FAMILY AND ME AT RISK. WHEN THE ENGINE STALLS I HAVE TO DRIFT OVER TO THE RIGHT LANE, AGAINST THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC SO THAT I CAN PARK THE CAR. ONLY THEN CAN I RESTART THE ENGINE, SINCE IT MUST BE STARTED IN THE "PARK" SHIFTER POSITION.*AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

Engine cooling mileage not reported 4.3 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY MY CAR DIED OUT EVEN THOUGH MY PEDAL WAS TO THE FLOOR. IT WAS THE MOST FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE AND I FEARED FOR MY SAFETY. I WAS A MIRACLE I WAS NOT KILLED. *AK

Other XJ8 model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

1998 Jaguar XJ8

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other XJ8 model years

How to read this