Hey y'all,

I posted here before about some problems I've been having, and unfortunately they just feel like they're getting worse.

Essentially out of the blue and a month into ownership, my F-Type has started to become an absolute pain to drive. The steering is EXTREMELY tight and heavy, with the wheel struggling/sometimes failing to return to center and a strong natural pull to the left (and sometimes right). Like I literally move the wheel a half inch to the left or right and the car reacts strongly. Taking my foot off of the gas does not result in a smooth coast where the car gracefully decelerates over time, but something that I can best describe as chunkiness, with the car bucking to try to slow me down which feels very uncomfortable.

It is under warranty, so I took it to the dealership where they reset all of the electronics and told me that no codes were firing internally. The problem persists, however and only seems to be getting worse.

I'm going on Monday to get an alignment done, as some of these problems sound like they could be alignment related and I want to eliminate that as a problem. Past that, I'm extremely concerned that this is going to be a huge pain to get the dealership to troubleshoot and fix as I have no idea what could be causing it. I'm hoping the weird deceleration could be due to the wheels not being straight or alignment being out.

Guess I'm just venting and looking for any insights you knowledgeable folk might have.

#SadFace

 

Tie rod?

 

Please put your exact model, model year and transmission (if a V6 RWD model) into your signature block so we can make some educated guesses. Without further details, this certainly sounds like an alignment issue, but could be a series of other issues depending on your platform.

 

Is it a new car, or pre owned?

I have owned mine since new in 2014. It has felt very nervous and a bit all over the road recently. Had a full alignment done last week, 3 out of 4 wheels were significantly out of spec. It's night and day now - I'm not fighting the steering all the time and all the confidence in handling has returned.

 

The car is pre-owned, 2015 base model coupe RWD w/ premium trim. I'll get the VIN and post it when I get the chance.


It's hard to quantify things like this, but it is DEFINITELY night and day from the first month that I drove it. If it had felt like this in the test drive I would certainly never have entertained buying it.

 

No need for the VIN.


Both Dave and ek993 could be correct. If the problem is getting perceptively worse, get it to the dealer right away. Something is failing in the steering linkage, horribly screwing up the alignment. Tie rods, knuckles, steering rack, etc...any of which could ultimately result in sudden loss of steering control.

 

Horror Story? Are you a writer for the National Inquirer?

Come on man, with the facts you have given about a drivability issue not yet looked at yet by the dealer's service tech, that headline is way out of bounds.

Let me predict your future with my own National Inquirer headline:

"Man Scared of Car, Dumps it and Loses Thousands"

 

When did you become an editor for jaguar forum. Let him write his headline however he wants. Everyone's a critic these days and it's just unnecessary negativity that is not needed.

 

If you re-read his quote, he did take it to the dealership where all the codes were reset. The symptoms described sure don't seem to be related to anxiety to driving an F-Type being too much vehicle to handle. Sounds like a legit mechanical issue to me.

 

I didn't realize that title would offend someone's fragile sensitivities. Dropping 70k on a car that is mysteriously failing while the dealership seems uninvested IS a horror story for me, but take it however you see fit. I am not at all bashing the car or the brand, in fact I am in love with the car and am extremely anxious about returning it to working order.

That's the only food I have for the troll.

 

But its under warranty. I feel like you have nothing you be horrified about; it will get fixed eventually. And if it doesn't that's what the lemon law is for. It may be a hassle, but its not like you have a risk of being out of pocket on this.

 

The warranty certainly will cover the cost of repairs, but the Lemon Law in Washington State probably does not apply. It applies only to vehicles with less than 24,000 miles and 2 years since the time of the initial service date.

 

Should be fixable under warranty. Leave it at the dealer until they solve the problem.

The real horror story is that you paid $70k for a 2015 base model. That's about $20k over what you should have paid. You can get a '15 R for that price or a '14 V8S for $10k less!

 

The first one sounds like a power steering failure of some kind, but in concert with the other problem, something electrical is amiss.

Mine managed to completely immobilise itself on my drive just after I parked it. That turned out to be the main control electronics getting confused as a result of a loose earth connection.

The fix was to unplug all the leads from the board (under the floor in the passenger footwell on a RHD car - it might be in the same place on a LHD car) and leave it for a few minutes.

Oh, and sort the earth connection...

 

A slight exaggeration there, but all up after taxes tabs and licensing fees (all of which are very high here) it was around 64-65k. 53,500 was the agreed upon price.

Oh and a 3 year extended warranty.

 

You are probably right, but having your dream car fall apart a month into ownership and possibly facing extensive troubleshooting and loss of use still counts as "worrisome" in my books. The dealership doesnt exactly seem enthusiastic to do the deep dive that is likely required but I'm fairly confident they will find and fix the problem eventually, yes.

 

He writes "Horror" in the headline.

I call him out on the inflammatory title, and you say I'm being unnecessarily negative???

You too are a pair; Squirrel 1 meet Squirrel 2.

 

Matt,
Don't sweat it. I'd be stressed out too if I just spent that kind of money on a car that doesn't work right.

 

Everyone but you is kindly providing constructive comments. Maybe take a hike? Or a boat ride?

 

A very kind group here indeed.