Owners have filed 389 complaints on the Jaguar S-Type, covering 2000–2008. The system named most often is Power Train (59 reports). Worst years by volume: 2000, 2003, 2005; cleanest: 2007, 2008, 2006. 42 reports describe a crash, 7 a fire, 4 a death. On average the car was 6.5 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Jaguar S-Type
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 389 S-Type complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 59 Read
On several occasions I've had problems with my 2000 s type jaguar. The transmission causes many safety problems. Such as not shifting, hesitation etc. Which could be a major safety issue while driving on the hwy. Once my fiance was driving the vehicle and the hesitation of the transmission caused him to slam into the…
On several occasions I've had problems with my 2000 s type jaguar. The transmission causes many safety problems. Such as not shifting, hesitation etc. Which could be a major safety issue while driving on the hwy. Once my fiance was driving the vehicle and the hesitation of the transmission caused him to slam into the…
On 5/8/23 called JLR NA on transmission issues fault codes C0003A(abs) P0500 and PO721 gear box and speed sensors. They recommended not to drive and have towed and connected to JLR road side, but $225 to closest JLR dealer, so called back and JLR recommended Jaguar Plus and T&S Auto Clinic, locally. Plus does not do…
Suspension 50 Read
While stopped at stop light, experienced car on fire. A lady yelling for me to get out, I saw smoke did not know it was my car. *bf the rear back wheel had fire flaming out and had gone out before the fire department arrived. The consumer had new brakes placed on the vehicle when it was three months old and had…
The contact owns a 2001 jaguar s-type. The contact purchased the vehicle on september 12, 2008. Later that same day, while driving 40 mph, the contact turned the steering wheel to the left, but the vehicle turned in the opposite direction. The vehicle began swaying left to right and she lost all control. The vehicle…
The contact owns a 2008 jaguar s-type. While driving various speeds, the suspension made a loud clicking and rattling noise coming from both front tires. In addition, the gear box within the vehicle was faulty and the "gear box" warning indicator illuminated and falsely reported that the trunk was open on several…
Service Brakes 32 Read
Accident causing death with the rear brakes engaging with the car in motion, without any warning lights, etc. That has potentially lead to loss of control at speed. Electric parking brake which is too short and applies the rear brakes whenever the car suspension compresses due to carrying large load of rear…
The contact owned a 2006 jaguar s-type. The contact was driving approximately 20 mph approaching an intersection when another vehicle crashed into the front of the contacts vehicle. The contacts vehicle was pushed forward rapidly and as she attempted to apply the brakes, the brakes would not engage and she proceeded…
When applying the brake pedal to come to a stop vehicle intermittently commenced to accelerate. This incident occurred on five separate occasions. On two occasions it caused the vehicle to hit a pole and the back bumper of another vehicle. Dealer could not duplicate the problem
Engine And Engine Cooling 30 Read
On jan. 21 2009, a spontaneous fire began in the engine of the car. It had just been to the dealer jan.6-9 2009. The fire caused a complete destruction of the vehicle
While driving the vehicle will come to a complete stop. There has been a recall on this vehicle but this problem continues to exist intermittently. It has been in the service department several times to correct the problem. This automobile has cut-off while moving which caused another vehicle to hit the rear causing…
The contact owns a 2000 jaguar s-type. The contact stated that while traveling 55 mph burning fumes emitted into the vehicle. The contact was able to merge the vehicle to side of the road. The vehicle was able to be driven to an independent mechanic where it was found that there was a hole in the top of the muffler…
Fuel System 28 Read
I am investigating a fatal collision involving a vehicle fire of a 2006 jaguar s type 4dr sedan. The fuel filter is located inside the left front fender well and is not protected by any frame component. The fuel shut off switch is located directly behind the left front wheel well. The victim vehicle was struck in an…
The contact owns a 2006 jaguar. The contact stated that the vehicle was exhibiting an unusually strong odor of gasoline coming from the rear of the vehicle. When opening the rear trunk, the odor became overbearing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer twice yet the dealer was unable to duplicate a failure within the…
Consumer placed gas into the vehicle, drove home and noticed gas on the ground. The next day she took the vehicle to the dealer, and they replaced the filler cap. Some weeks later consumer discovered gas on the ground again, and the cap was repaired. Consumer experienced another occurrence of gas leakage.*ak…
Electrical System 27 Read
February 4, 2009 our s type r jaguar was the victim of a rapid acceleration/runaway. On february 3 the electronic throttle shut the vehicle off when it was stopped on three or four occasions. The next day, as the vehicle was being driven out of the driveway, the throttle stuck in the open position causing the car to…
I was driving, and I smelled smoke so I decided to pull over. Upon closer examination I discovered that the smoke was coming from the garage door opener, which I never use! When I touched the cover for the garage door opener it was hot. Within a few minutes my car was filled with smoke, and a small fire began to burn…
Had just retrieved car from dealer service. Within 10 blocks, car's brakes engaged and car skidded to stop in center turn lane (lucky me that I was not rear-ended). Dsc and park brake lights were illuminated. Moments later, flames shot from right front engine compartment between hood and fender. Exited car and called…
Vehicle Speed Control 25 Read
The contact owns a 2006 jaguar s-type. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and depressing the brakes, she shifted into reverse and there was a sudden acceleration, causing the contact to crash into a pole. The failure occurred without warning. The contact suffered injuries to the right shoulder blade,…
The contact owns a 2005 jaguar s-type. While the vehicle was parked in the driveway, the driver shifted into reverse and the vehicle experienced unexpected acceleration. The vehicle sped over a curb and crashed into a wooden deck. The passenger side wheel detached from the vehicle. A police report was filed. The…
The contact stated while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated as though the cruise control was activated. The vehicle stopped after colliding with cement steps. This caused minor damage to the front end. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where diagnostic tests were performed. The test results were…
Air Bags 24 Read
On 12/26/05, at approximately 3:55 p.m. Plaintiff was driving a 2004 jaguar sedan vehicle that went from right lane to left lane and continued off roadway into middle median area striking bush and two to three trees 1st small tree/bush flattened, 2nd small tree/bush impacted rear driver side, 3rd large tree head on…
2003 jaguar s type, front end collision at 25 mph. Both front fenders and hood damaged severely. The vehicle is totaled by the insurance company
The contact owns a 2003 jaguar s type. While driving 65 mph the rear passenger tire exploded with out any warning. The vehicle crashed into an iron fence and the airbags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a police impound where the insurance company recovered it. The vehicle is being inspected and to determine…
S-Type years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | 1 | |
| 2007 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2006 | Electrical System | 4 | 1 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 7 | 1 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 3 | 1 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 11 | 1 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 5 | 1 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 8 | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 164 |
| Average complaints per series | 2.4 |
| Worst single series | 9 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.5 years |
A model average of 2.4 hides a worst series at 9. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the S-Type?
By complaint volume, 2000, 2003, 2005 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which S-Type years are the cleanest?
2007, 2008, 2006 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Jaguar S-Type have?
389 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2000–2008. Of those, 42 describe a crash and 7 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.