A personal experience of owning a 2003 Jaguar S-Type with a LURCHING ZF Gearbox 
 TheLurch
Main
AA & TCS Reports
Multimedia
Choice of Seats ?
List of Faults
 List of Faults - list of faults experienced on my Jaguar S-Type
 
 

List of Faults with my 2003 model Jaguar S-Type 4.2 Executive

Faults I have experienced - and am still experiencing - with my 2003 Jaguar S-Type 4.2 Executive.

Fault Description
Breakdown - Overheating, faulty Cooling system After having the radiator replaced by a Jaguar Dealer in the UK, I was travelling across Europe when the red indicator light came on. Fluid was leaking out of the cooling system. I was stranded in Belgium on a Sunday for about 6 hours while I contacted Jaguar Assist who organised a Hire Car. The following Tuesday I had to return the Hire Car and take a day off work to fly back to Belgium and drive my car back to Switzerland . See Multimedia
ZF 6sp Gearbox (6HP26) Lurch

Lurching and snatching when coming to rest and gently pulling away. By far the MOST annoying fault I have experienced - ruining ANY pretence of a smooth car which Jaguar used to be rightly famous for. Happens every trip. Jaguar Dealer can not confirm this fault while the AA, the TCS, a Jaguar S-Type Test Driver and numerous other owners have experienced this fault.
See AA & TCS Reports and Owners' Feedback

Version 1 has been addressed with TSB S307-17 and S307-15v2.

Also strange whoop noise from rear on acceleration - as demonstrated to Dealer. Addressed with S307-15v2.

Rear Differential whine

At about 50-60 mph on a trailing throttle you can clearly hear what sounds like a Diff whine. I first commented on this over 2 years ago to my Dealer. (As stated on Jagtalk on 23rd August 2003)

Since been replaced

Supplied with wrong seats fitted Eventually without my prior knowledge the seats were replaced with second hand Sport seats from another S-Type by my Dealer. See Choice of Seats ?
Xenon levellers fault Even after replacing the adjusters the Xenon lights still periodically adjust with one beam too high blinding oncoming traffic and lighting up signposts far into the distance. Requires leaving the motorway, pulling in and restarting my S-Type.
See Multimedia
Air Con Lockout Fault Blew hot air in summer, needing to pull in and restart my S-Type ! Constant complaining to Jaguar got no reply. I had to take the TSB in myself to finally get this rectified after 1.5 years. Fixed with TSB S412-05 See Multimedia and Jaguar TSBs
Nav Screen blackouts Navigation screen occasionally remains black - no display. Still occurs periodically. See Multimedia
Steering Wheel squeak / noise Known fault with TSB S211-04. Already had this performed but the squeak still returns. ESPECIALLY sensitive to ambient conditions. See Multimedia and Jaguar TSBs
Front Brake Squeak / creaking Dealer replaced pads, still louder than expected. See Multimedia and Owners' Feedback
Burned out Rear brakes fault Brakes seized on, burned down to the metal at 13,000 miles. Now driven 3,000 miles since replacement calipers and Handbrake adjustment - TSB R-167. Will report later.
See Multimedia and Jaguar TSBs and Owners' Feedback
Faulty windscreen heater Large area failure of heating elements directly in front of driver. New windscreen fitted
Air Intake loose Sucking unfiltered air for 1000s of miles, causing unmetered air into engine. Causing rough running in cold weather. See Multimedia
Water ingress in the Boot / Trunk Flooded spare wheel well - among the GPS electrics. Discovered by AA Engineer. Noted by Dealer. See Multimedia
Tyre Wear : 4 tyres needed after 17,000 Miles

After I demanded the Dealer check the tracking 1 year ago, I was recently informed that I required 4 new tyres. 4 new tyres every 17,000 miles is more often than I expected. See AA & TCS Reports and Owners' Feedback

I have since been informed by another S-Type owner that he was told by his Dealer that you have to bring this tyre wear problem to the Dealers attention within the first year to be corrected.

Adjustable pedal box rattle There is no damping between the pedals and adjustable pedal box making it sound like a kit car when braking - with a metal clonk when releasing the brake pedal.
Front suspension The Front Suspension appears noisy compared with my earlier S-Type. Seems more "crashy" over an irregular road. The front noticeably dips more under braking than previous model.
 
 
The REAL experience of owning a 2003 Jaguar S-Type      The REAL experience of Swiss "Quality"
 
ZF Gearbox Lurch | S-Type Brake Faults | AA & TCS Reports | Xenon light fault & steering squeak | Air-con & display faults | List of Faults