The 1988 Jaguar Xjs has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 121,845 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 7 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seat belts. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEAT BELTS93V1790001993-11-0152,102 affected
Defect
THE NORMAL LOCKUP FUNCTION OF THE AUTOMATIC (PASSIVE) BELT REEL CAN CAUSE THE BELT MOTOR WINCH ASSEMBLY TO LOCKUP SUCH THAT THE PASSIVE BELT SYSTEM WILL NOT DEPLOY/FUNCTION OR GETS STUCK AT VARIOUS POINTS ALONG THE TRACK CAUSING THE KINKING OR BREAKING OF ITS CABLE OR DETACHMENT OF THE TONGUE.
Consequence
IF THIS OCCURS THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE CANNOT USETHE SAFETY BELTS, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY IN THE EVENT OF A SUDDEN STOPOR ACCIDENT.
Remedy
JAGUAR WILL REPAIR THE PASSIVE BELT SYSTEM IF THIS PROBLEM OCCURS OR HAS OCCURRED. JAGUAR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF THE EXISTENCE OF A LIFETIME WARRANTY ON COMPONENTS OF THE AUTOMATIC (PASSIVE) BELT SYSTEM.
ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED VALVES IN THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTUATOR MAY NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY DUE TO DIRT ENTERING THE VALVES.
Consequence
CRUISE CONTROL WOULD NOT DISENGAGE UNDER NORMAL OPERATINGCONDITIONS WHICH COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND AN ACCIDENT.
Remedy
REPLACE CRUISE CONTROL ACTUATOR AND INSTALL ADDITIONAL VACUUM DUMP VALVE.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING89V1680001989-10-111,994 affected
Defect
EXCESSIVE FUEL VAPOR PRESSURE CAN OCCUR.
Consequence
THIS CREATES FUEL ODORS AND AFTER PROLONGED CYCLINGCOULD CAUSE WEAKENING OF THE FUEL TANK STRUCTURE, WHICH COULD RESULT IN FUELTANK LEAKS. IF A SOURCE OF IGNITION IS PRESENT, A FIRE COULD RESULT.
Remedy
INSTALL REVISED PURGE SYSTEM COMPONENTS.
Complaints by component
SEAT BELTS
3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
1
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
1
1crashes1injuries
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
1
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
1
Total complaints7
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“1988 jaguar xjs. Consumer writes in regards to defective drivers side seat belt. *ld the consumer stated the manufacturer repaired the seat belt, but the failure recurred. *js”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1988 jaguar xjs. The contact stated that the front drivers seat belt would not pull out from its retractor, making it inoperable. An authorized dealer was notified and informed the contact that the warranty was restricted un the nhtsa campaign id number 93v179000 (seat…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1988 jaguar xjs. While driving approximately 30 mph he smelled a strong odor of gasoline. He stated that the smell was so strong that it gave him a headache. He added fuel to the vehicle and thought that he had spilled some fuel on him. He referenced recall 90v123000,fuel…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1988 jaguar xjs. While driving approximately 65 mph, the fuel line became loaded with fuel, which caused pressure to build in the fuel tank. The contact smelled fuel coming from the fuel tank and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted after several…”
“The driver's side seat belt mechanism (automatic seat belts) on my 1988 jaguar xj6 coupe are not working. Jaguar claims a lifetime warranty. However the parts are on "national back order" according to my dealer. This is a safety issue if I choose to drive my car, possibly a traffic violation as…”
“I was parked in a small strip center. I had just left the barber shop and I took note of all the kids in the parking lot and a suv parked nearby. I turned on the engine of my 1988 xjsc jaguar, engine sound seemed normal. I then turned my head to view the rear and proceeded to move in reverse, but…”
“Consumer states that the gas tank is leaking gas all over the rear passenger seats and into the trunk. Consumer states that vehicle has 3 fuel tanks characteristics and poor design is causing a leak. Mr”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE93042 Opened 1993-05-04 · closed 1993-11-04
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1988 Jaguar Xjs as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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