I have a 2013 XF AWD with about 66,000 miles. I drove from Denver to about Conifer and my car said Coolant Level Low, then a few seconds later it said Engine Overheating. I pulled over at a gas station and let it cool down for about 30 minutes. I checked the coolant and it was very low so I added enough to get to the cold fill line. I also didn't notice any signs of coolant leaking. I then continued to drive until Pagosa Springs where it said Engine Overheating once again. This time I pulled over and it looked like coolant had come out of the cap and there was a decent sized puddle under the car. I let it cool for about 30 minutes again and again topped off the coolant and drove until Mancos, CO. I had a local import mechanic shop look at it and they ran a pressure test with no sign of leakage. They determined it was a faulty cap so I had that replaced. I have driven it everyday since Saturday with no issue. Now today i was driving home and i got the message Engine Temp High. I can't for the life of me figure out what is going on. Each time it has Overheated or gotten Hot i have been going over a pass. Do these cars struggle going up hills? What could be the issue?

 

They do not struggle going up hills! You clearly have a coolant leak. If you have to keep topping it up, it's leaking out somewhere

Unfortunately overheating these engines can be fatal in just minutes. I would not drive it. Take it to a shop that has the right equipment and have them pressure test properly and work out where it's leaking from.
I wouldn't give up until you track it down and sure it's fixed as the heat issue is very serious

 

So the shop was basically wrong about the cap issue? They said they pressure tested and it held. Since I replaced the cap it hasn't overheated but it did get hot. As I said it only has happened while going over hills or passes at 7000-9000 ft elevation. I will contact the shop and let them know the issue and see where we can go from here.

 

They may be right that cap was leaking. But if it overheated / had issues again after that then there is something else. Perhaps it was low on coolant (topped up properly, an air bubble etc)? But driving over a pass at 9k ft should be a breeze.
May be something like a thermostat not opening properly, blocked radiator etc. But not normal.

 

Update: They said that they thought it was a faulty sensor because it would only say its overheating while going up hill so they had me keep an eye on my coolant levels and keep driving it. On Monday it then overheated, I pulled over, checked the coolant and it was almost empty. No sign of a leak but it clearly has an issue. It's currently in the shop but they didn't sound optimistic about finding the issue though.

 

They'll need to pressure-test the system again, as that is really the only way they're going to find the leak. There are a few places it could be leaking from, the primary suspect is usually the water pump because it was a known issue for a while with these engines, as well as the many pieces of plastic in the cooling system - including but not limited to the rear plastic coolant crossover pipe, which is a mare to get to on the v8 but maybe easier on the v6.

If you're losing coolant then that coolant is replaced with air, which causes engines - especially this one - to overheat.

They should also pressure test it when the engine's warm in case that's required for it to leak - but a coolant leak that bad should certainly be traceable.

 

Meant to say earlier - based on this I recommend you find yourself a new shop, or failing that, a dealer, as this one clearly has no idea what they're talking about. The coolant system is under pressure so the idea that you could have a faulty sensor based on the car going up hills is madness and frankly asinine to advise a customer to drive the car to potential destruction when you haven't even got it up to temperature and run it to test for further coolant leaks.

I'll have to check, but I'm pretty sure the (red) engine overheating warning is actually triggered by oil temperature, not coolant temperature - there is a separate "coolant temperature too high" message in orange which is triggered by the coolant temperature being too high, although in most cases it is quickly replaced by the (red) engine overheating warning as the oil temperature gets too hot. For anyone else reading this thread my advice if you ever see a red engine overheating warning is to SWITCH OFF YOUR ENGINE AS SOON AS YOU CAN. If it's got hot enough to trip the red "engine overheating" warning there is obviously a problem with the cooling system and continuing to run the engine is only going to get the engine hotter and almost certainly warp the aluminum heads/block.

You need to find the coolant leak. It's either leaking out or burning off. Let's hope at this point it's the first option.

 

OP is unaware, every time this car is driven is a roll of dice. Under any conditions resembling what is being described, these cars mechanically total in under a minute.

 

Update: About 3 weeks ago I took my car back from the shop that clearly had no clue what they were talking about. I then took the chance of driving the vehicle to the nearest Jaguar dealer which happened to be in Albuquerque(about 4 hours away). Thankfully I was able to make it without issue. Within about 2 hours they were able to diagnose that the issue was a water pump that was leaking as well as a thermostat that was sticking. Once they repaired that the vehicle has now run issue free. I am happy to have the issue done and taken care of. Now I just have to find a closer mechanic that has the ability to work on my car.

 

You need an independent that knows Jag vehicles. The water pump is a very common and well known issue for anyone who deals with these cars. Also shows that despite cost sometimes the dealer is the way to go...

 

Agreed. If you can't find a Jag indie, find one that works on Land Rovers/Range Rovers as it's basically the same engine.