Hi All, I recently became the fortunate owner of a 2017 XE 35t awd RSport, and have been quite impressed with the driving dynamics, handling, and the power of the supercharged V6. This is my first jag ever and I am beginning to understand the enthusiast following with this brand! I've put a couple of thousand miles on the car and have enjoyed it quite a bit. However, I am hoping to get some input on an issue that I seem to be having with the car.

The vehicle was initially misaligned (mainly pulling to the left) with unbalanced tires upon picking it up new. It would not track straight and I was feeling a lot of vibration through the steering wheel. After contacting the dealer, they happily took the car in, completed a road force balance, aligned it to spec and swapped a front left tire from another car. After picking up the car, the vibration was eliminated, yet it still pulled to the left. The pull worsened over a matter of a month and they took it back and stated the toe on the rear wheel was out and it was remedied. I believe they did their due diligence and upon getting the car back, it tracked ok (with exception of pulling in the leftmost lane, but I could live with minimal pull) after the second dealer visit. About 3-4 weeks later, the vehicle seems to track ok on back roads, but is frustrating to drive in the left lane of the highway since it wants to go left into the median once you let go of the wheel momentarily. I recently did a test drive with the foreman who is quite thorough and he felt it was the character of the chassis and suggested I simply wasn't used to the steering. He also indicated that it was normal to keep constant effort on the steering wheel to keep the vehicle from wanting to go to the left in the passing lane. This issue seems to occur on any highway I drive in the leftmost lane. After several weeks, the issue seems to worsen and the pull to the left occurs while traveling in the second lane as well. I had a long discussion with their foreman and they even let me drive a similar new car with him. The new car exhibited slightly similar pull to the left, albeit to a much smaller degree.

They are trying to convince me it's the chassis design of the car and sensitivity of the steering on the road which is normal. Personally I feel that a vehicle should want to track straight by design, and it's unnatural for a driver to have to force the wheel to constantly stay straight to keep the car in the lane and fight the force of the car wanting to go left while attempting to keep it straight.

My question is, is this something particular to the XE? Is it something to do with the Pirelli Cintuarato tires, or am I expecting too much of a luxury sedan to want to track straight in the left lane of any highway? It seems to get worse over 50 mph and I could make it go into the median or jersey barrier by simply accelerating to 70+mph. It feels tiring driving the car over longer distances on the highway with a constant attempt to keep the vehicle straight. My worry is that a momentary lapse in steering could send me into the left divider..... Any input or experience with an XE Jag would be much appreciated! I am coming from an Audi B8.5 S4 3.0supercharger (also with electromechanical steering) that always tracked straight after three sets of tire changes over my ownership experience, multiple tire switched and over 3 Years of no alignments or balancing jobs. I guess that is the benchmark I am using, but open to any input someone has. I have wondered whether this is due to a tire pull, a flat spot in a tire, or a defective radial tire issue. I don't want to make the dealership buy new tires because I suspect it, but feel this takes away from the vehicle experience and would be unlikely to get another jaguar after this if it's a car design issue. Form my experience with the dealership, they may be open to working on this further, if I press the issue, but frankly I am embarrassed to return it for the third time with them appearing to think its normal for the car to do this. They are open to getting JLR involved and having an engineer drive the car. I just haven't had a vehicle ever do that before, particularly a brand new off the lot. The only thing I can think of is, the car may have sat on their lot for a while since it was covered in pine needles and pollen etc when I first test drove it. But then again, they had about 100+ cars in their backlot in the same condition. Upon delivery the vehicle was thoroughly cleaned and detailed, but I wonder if sitting for that long would affect the tires in some way.
Having read through other threads, its clear there are very knowledgeable folks here and I am hopefully that they can provide some good insight. Any light Folks can shed is much appreciated!

Sorry for the long post, and thank you in advance for reading this!

 

The Pirelli Cintaurato are crap tires. What does the alignment print out say for your values. I would demand the alignment be dead center for each value to eliminate that factor of the equation. I am on 6th tire within 6K miles.

Are your tire pressures dead on? Try setting them to light load (I think that is 37 psi at all corners). Normal load is way too much pressure for anything other a full load of people and cargo.

Will dealer let you take out another XE to see if they are indeed the same? There is a toll free number to Jaguar to raise the dialogue. You can bring it another dealer as well.

 

Hello

Sorry to hear that you are having such issues.

That is not normal at all. The car should be dead on straight with no pulling at all. That applies to 100K luxury cars as well as 20K econoboxes.

One of my favourite features of the XE is that it is very composed on the highway regardles of speed. My car goes straight without any pulls even though I know my tires need to be rotated/balanced.

I would recommend talking with the dealer again and demand that they fix it. It is either a tire problem or there was a damage/manufacturing defect with the suspension.

Ask them to put 4 set of different tires and see if the problem persists. If it does, that means that something is wrong with the suspension.

PS. How do you compare S4 to XE V6 in terms of power and acceleration?

 

I don't remember the alignment paperwork, but on both occasions I do remember them being totally within spec. The foreman did mention they are having a lot of problems with the Pirelli Cintaurato tires on X-types..........

The tire pressure is dead on for normal load settings, but I mainly drive alone. I guess I could readjust the pressure to light load and take it out on the highway tonight. The dealer let me take out a similar brand new car, and it exhibited similar issue, but they were prepared for me and considering how my car was out of alignment when I picked it up brand new, who knows if this car was poorly prepped to begin with.

I am at around 4K on the tires, and I can't help but think that since they've worked out the alignment stuff, that its the tires. I just feel hesitant making a further issue since dealerships always have a way of making you feel like you're wrong.

 

Thanks for your input! I had this issue briefly on a new nissan about 10 years ago, and once they replaced all four tires, the issue went away permanently.
Thank you for confirming that this is not a normal issue at all, its hard to challenge the dealer when they insist its the car chassis, its this, or that.......

The car is wonderful aside form this issue and I am willing to overlook the few electrical issues I've had with it. its the pull that takes away from the vehicle.
Aside from that, it is indeed very composed at any speed and really feels like a freight train on rails. I am very impressed with the feel and handling and the composure certainly makes it feel much more secure above 80mph than my S4 was. While the S4 was a fantastic car with great handling, acceleration, and superior fit and finish of materials, the XE feels like it is tuned for more power at any speed. The s4 felt like it needed more oomph above 80mph and not as responsive at higher speed. Also, I never felt comfortable at higher speeds in the s4 (although I knew it was a very solid car), but somehow the XE seems to melt away the feel of the true speed you're traveling at.

I notice both previous commenters are from the Boston area and I am from South of Boston, so I assume you've traveled along 95 N and S between RI and Boston which is where it primarily tends to happen.......

Thank you so far for the input, I am feeling better about contacting the dealership again and maybe pushing for the tires to be replaced. I am willing to spend my time to work with the methodically, i.e.. if they replace front tires and then I could take it out, then move to replace the rest if it still doesn't improve it, etc...... I just hope the issue can get worked out so I can properly enjoy the car and maybe look toward expanding my garage with a SUV or convertible for summer.......otherwise, I'd probably return to Audi after this one and call it a day.....

 

Normal mode, the car drives like crap; like it's on solid tires... I think that was mistake by Jaguar. "Light mode" should labelled "Normal", and "Normal" should labelled "Heavy Load".

 

Yes, it will most likely will be the tires because it is very unlikely that suspension would be damaged on a brand new car.

As Moses said, those P7 All seasons seem to be very poor quality. My car has Continental ProContact GX All Seasons and while they are not high-performance tires and lack grip while driving aggressively, they have been very reliable and even on "always under construction" I-95 where the lanes shift every 10 seconds, they are very stable and straight.

If you purchased Wheel and Tire Insurance, they should be able to replace all 4 of them free of charge. If you don't have that, maybe dealership will be nice enough to do it for free or with a discount still.

 

Sudbury Jaguar (Herb Chambers) will sell you a tire and wheel insurance package. I believe it is generally a 3 year package and well worth it. Ask for Sam.

 

Thanks for the input to both of you guys, I believe your comments are entirely on point. I tried changing the load setting to light yesterday and adjusted the tire pressures accordingly. When I went out on the highway for about a 20mi ride last night, the vehicle continued to pull to the left and even more so than before. It pretty much pulled to the left on I95 in the passing and second lanes now.

I unfortunately didn't buy the rim and tire package since I have been pretty fortunate with rims and tires in the past (and if need be would bite the bullet of buying a tire if I popped it). However, in this case, I think I will contact the dealer again and see how they can escalate this to Jaguar and find a resolution.
Your comments prompted me to look up these Pirelli P7's online and they have some awful reviews! Wow, people were really disappointed in this set of tires and Im beginning to think that may be the issue here since I trust the dealer did a thorough alignment and balance on both occasions. I also spoke with friend last night who has several sports cars with staggered wheel setups, rwd and awd cars who said he's never experienced this issue with any car he's had regardless of the tire size differences if the alignment is done right. So I think the evidence is building that it may be the tire issue since other things have been ruled out. I hate pushing the dealer to pay for another set of tires, but maybe they'll consider a different brand or type of tire. Ive had great experience with Continental DWS06s and my friend swore by Michelins......

 

Some of the forum regulars should know my mindset by now, on issues like this. All the comments here are right and good, and it’s true that “alignment” is something that ever maker gets true and straight before that car (no matter what make or budget) leaves the factory.
Which leads me to think right off the block that your car’s problem is not a defect from factory, but an “injury” that the car received somewhere between leaving the factory, and being handed to you.

Firstly, before it reached you, either the shipping agent or the staff from your dealer “drove” that car, and could tell it was pulling. But with smiles and handshakes and smooches, they were determined to hand the car over to you and not tell you.

Secondly, I’ve seen two separate Jag dealerships in my area try to diagnose and repair problems in the XE. Perhaps because the XE is still so new, sadly the mechanics DON’T seem to know how to correctly pinpoint a problem, and accurately fix it in one or two professional sessions. They just don’t impress me, with a car and a brand that clearly is impressive at design-level and factory-level.

For these two reasons, I can’t in good faith trust the Jag dealerships. Any time I have a problem with my XE, the dealership is the LAST person I contact. I call or email Jaguar Regional Customer Service directly first, have them give me their courteous advice, tell them “this problem in the car is scaring me—and I feel unsure driving this thing” (which is not a lie… you ought to feel a bit unsafe with steering that is not going precisely where you want). Tell Jaguar “I’d like to take it to XXXXX-dealership on Hudson street”, and Jaguar will notify that dealership you are coming onto their runway with an injured fighter-plane.

Not only does this technique get you red-carpet service from the dealership that’s been told by Jaguar to be ready for you… but the dealership also feels the pressure that Jaguar knows about this, is watching them, and wants a follow-up report confirming the issue (which in your case was likely caused by, or could easily have been repaired before initial customer pickup by, the dealer) was fixed outstandingly.

 

Sudbury Jaguar went through a few service managers in the short time I have owned my car, but the current guy (I think his name is Frank) is on the ball. He handled everything well on my last visit.

 

Don't forget that the camber of the road has an influence on the steering. Last week in Germany I noticed the car had a slight pull to the right as we drove along. In England I expect a slight leftwards inclination on cambered roads. In the US, you'll be on a similarly cambered road as the Germans so a slight inclination to the right would be expected, but a pull to the left would be unusual unless the carriageway is "humped" and thus making the overtaking lane cambered to the left instead of the right.

Best way to check is probably drive along an aerodrome runway as this will be dead flat. It has to be for a stable take-off and landing.

 

It may get you red carpet treatment in your eyes, but in reality all you are doing is becoming "that customer". In the end you are far better to develop a relationship with your dealer. They are the ones that are fixing the car not the outsourced customer relations rep.

 

It's not normal to pull left. In the 12k miles of driving my XE on the same tires as OP I've never experienced this. Something is amiss.

If I were you, I'd bring it up to corporate. Usually they send a survey to your email after you've had work done. If you fill it out with whatever issues you are having they'll contact you. I had an issue with my dealer and within a couple weeks I received a personal phone call from JLR who remedied the issue for me. They actually read those satisfaction surveys so it's worth filling out.

I agree with the post above that it's not good practice to do this before you've given your dealership a chance. But in this case, it seems warranted.

 

Since you are in MA and this has been a repetitive service that hasn't been fixed; ask for another car. You want your money back; you got a lemon. Keep on that one with Jaguar Corp and your dealer. Something will happen with a new car and our state law.

 

My XE also has the Pirelli P7 Cinturato All Season tires. 225/40/R19 Front and 255/35/R19 Rear. One year ownership with 5K+ miles. Car drives straight. Car pulling to the left is definitely not normal.

 

Same here, exactly.

 

Sounds like you're doing the right thing attempting to resolve this with the dealer first.

But after providing them with several chances to resolve the problem, and no remedy, it is your moral right to ask for another vehicle.

If you are fed up tell them how many hours of your life you have wasted on this issue caused by a defect you purchased from Jaguar, and demand they use the concierge service for any further service visits so YOU don't have to waste your valuable time with trips to the dealer.

Generally, after THREE service attempts, you have provided Jaguar with a reasonable opportunity to solve the issue, and should ask for another vehicle.

In Texas, there is a consumer protection law that allows purchasers to seek 100% of their purchase price back if the manufacturer fails to solve this kind of safety issue.
(Texas Fair Trade Practices Act). This is way better for the consumer than seeking remedy under tha national lemon Laws, where they will deduct dollars for mileage you have put on the car do far. There may be a similar protection in your state.

I'm no lawyer, but I bet one would love this kind of business as it's a slam dunk.

But try to work with Jaguar first, and give the dealer three fair attempts to resolve, that would be a lot easier for all involved if they actually fixed your issue.

You XE should track dead straight, do not accept anything less.

 

Thank you from all for further confirmation that this issue should not be happening. Its certainly helping me build the confidence to challenge the dealer/push the issue further. I was recently on a stretch of highway in the left lane where the jersey barrier was up quite close to the edge of the yellow line, momentarily taking pressure off the wheel, and I had to overcorrect because I almost scraped the barrier with my left side. That has certainly sealed the confirmation to me that it is unnatural for the vehicle to behave this way and to always want to drift left unless I hold pressure on the wheel. I want to love the car, but this unpredictability makes me hesitate to embrace the brand, unless they work it out.

I did lower the tire pressure and set the load to "light" as suggested by previous commenters. Unfortunately, the issue became even more bothersome and now the vehicle wants to drift on regular roads and backstreets, as opposed to it only wanting to do that previously in the leftmost lane of the highway.

I have contacted the dealer again last week, but haven't heard back from them yet. I am far from a complainer, so I would like to give the dealer an opportunity to work this out, but this would be my fourth time returning with this issue and I am not the type who enjoys frequent trips to the dealer. I prefer to spend a premium on a nice car so it drives reliably......

Some of you have mentioned the lemon law and I don't have much experience with this issue. I certainly don't want it to come to that since I did get a very good lease deal on this vehicle, with a rock bottom MF (offered at the time from the bank) and a pretty high residual. I don't see those promotions currently anywhere near the deal I got about 6 months ago. I guess this makes me wonder how the lemon law would play out, do they take the car back, wipe out my payments and I go hunting for another deal (end up potentially paying much more for the same vehicle since I am limited by the MF and Residuals at the current time), or do they simply swap the vehicle out and maintain my payment structure?

I really want to love the vehicle and enjoy it rather than be dealing with this, so again, I hope its some tire issue or some other issue that hopefully they can resolve.

 

I’ve never had a lemon, but have had to dig through the car laws here in NY for two incidents between my car and the dealership’s (or insurance company’s) mishandling of damage.

https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/file...n_Law_2011.pdf

Here is the best site I’ve come across for Lemon Law stuff. Explains your rights, the dealer’s rights, and the money you can expect to get refunded (or subtracted from the refund) if the dealer wants to subtract anything.
I suspect Lemon Laws vary slightly from state to state, so if you’re not in NY, check to see if your state will have its own variation.

Incidentally, my hunch still says your car is fine—but it suffered an actual driver-initiated break or damage somewhere between the day it left the factory and the day the dealer handed you the key. Not a lemon… just no one willing to reveal to you what incident accidentally happened with your car.