Tl* the contact owned a 2004 jaguar s-type. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the headlights suddenly shut off. The driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed off road. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The cause of the failure was not determined. The VIN was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,000.
Jaguar S-Type headlights problems
12 of the 483 owner complaints about the Jaguar S-Type describe headlights failing or too dim, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 12
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,400
- typical mileage
- 40,876
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
- 20052
- 20042
- 20036
- 20002
Often reported together
What owners say
The head lights on the car point down to the ground. At night with my head lights on they shine on about 7 feet in front of the car. I was told a plastic screw breaks off and the lights will droop and shine on the ground. To repair you have to replace head lights at a price of $1,800.00 per light, $3,600,00 for the two front headlights I need both lights. I was told during driving going over bumps in the road it will jar the plastic screw and eventually break. I stuff paper in lights to prop up and try to keep in place. Sometime while driving at night I hit a bump in the road and my head lights just drop and I have to pull over to stuff more paper in there to prop up my lights . If driving down a dark road or on the freeway and this happens it is really bad. I dealt with this the best way I could for all these years and I just recently found out I was not the only one with this problem. Jaguar said they use to sell a kit for this problem but not anymore. I do hope you find many more people with this problem and help us all. Thank you so much in advance.
2003 s type jaguar. Consumer states problem with electrical system, transmission slipping, drive shaft, and rear-end differential *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle was serviced 12 more times after he received a recall notice regarding the transmission and the problems were never corrected. Also, the windshield wipers did not work properly. The dealer replaced the wiper blades. The battery had to be jumped twice, the radiator and heater valve hoses were leaking and had to be replaced. The head lights fogged up and the bulb had to be replaced, the driver's seat rocked back and forth, the exterior driver's side mirror was not working due to a sticking switch.
As seen at the following web site, http://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s-type-15/how-headlight-repair-stype-faq-10745/, headlight leveling mechanisms on jaguar vehicles fail at a high rate causing the lights to only the ground approximately 20 feet around the vehicle. At over $1100 each, most owners opt to live with the unsafe condition rather than spend the money. The site shown above provides a home remedy, which may not be the safest recommendation. I have contacted jaguar na customer relations on several occasions and have been unable to sway them to do the right thing and replace the defective lighting mechanisms. The reduced lighting greatly reduces a drivers reaction time to a avoid road hazards, especially at higher rates of speed. Both mechanisms are currently broken on our vehicle at less than 20,000 miles.
I have an issue with the 'road leveling headlamps.' they motor down to such a position that I can no longer drive this vehicle safely after dark. The head lamps only project a few feet in front of the vehicle making it very dangerous to drive. I took this into the dealership, wilde jaguar of sarasota, who informed me that the cost to make this repair would be in excess of $3,000.00. I was also told that this was a common problem with this car. At a very minimum auto manufacturers should be required to ensure that the most basic of safety standards such as head lamps don't commonly fail.
Both low beam headlights self-leveling mechanisms have failed. According to authorized jaguar service department, the only solution is to replace the entire headlight system at a estimated cost of $2,000. Low beams are now aimed only 10-15 ft in front of the car.
Both headlights after leveling pointed only 10 or 15 feet down the road. Was told by the dealership that both headlight assemblies needed to be replaced at a cost of $2,400. The car has never been involved in any kind of accident.
Headlights point to low to the ground after leveling.
Dt: the contact stated while driving the windows started going up and down. Also the headlights started flashing. The vehicle surged uncontrollably. He pulled off to the side of the road, turned the vehicle off, and then restarted the vehicle. He drove the vehicle home. The next morning, the vehicle's windows were down. The sun roof was up, and the lights where on. The vehicle has not been to a dealership to determine the problem. *ak updated 01/19/06.
The regulators brackets that hold windows are breaking for no reason, ending in damages worth over $500 including labor, to change the of the regulator is included...also the cheap plastic brackets on the headlamps break as well, once a vehicle hits a pot hole hard enough, lamp it self costs over $1000 not including the labor.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Jaguar S-Type headlights
Which Jaguar S-Type years have headlights failing or too dim problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (6 complaints), 2000 (2 complaints) and 2004 (2 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix headlights failing or too dim on the Jaguar S-Type?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,400 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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