Own a pre-2012 Jaguar XF? Leather dash? Yes? Then you likely have a dashboard that has begun to look like waves rolling in from a large ocean swell. I could spend all day debunking the lame boilerplate excuse that Jaguar & it's dealers provide. I.e. the sun is to blame. Okay, so now I can't drive my amazing supercharged Jag in the sun without risking major repair? No. Even if the premature adhesion failure was due to the sun, Jag is still liable for the manufacturing defect. But it's not the sun. Two of many reasons proving this: A majority of Jag owners garage their vehicles, out of the sun. The windshield, rear window, & side windows are ultraviolet light protected at the time of manufacture & assembly. (I also have tinted windows as do many other XF owners.) So, no, Jaguar does not get to blame "the sun".

The defect was apparent early. Possibly as early as 2008. Failures allegedly began at the factory before the first vehicles were shipped. Jaguar was absolutely aware of the issue in 2009 as warranty claims were numerous. Jaguar has admitted the real fault lies with a defective bonding agent.

Jaguar knew of this issue as early as 2008 yet they continued to manufacture & sell defective vehicles. You're likely aware, estimates provided by Jaguar to repair their defect, are absurd & insulting, ranging from $3,500.00 to $4,500.00. Yes, Jaguar wants XF owners to pay for their literal mistake. A known mistake at the time of production. A preventable problem with a cheap remedy if applied at the manufacturing stage. Simply using a different effective bonding agent & a few concealed staples would have prevented a substantial & guaranteed premature product failure. Asking to consumer to pay for a major visual & safety defect of which the manufacturer was aware is unacceptable. But we do have options.

Below you will find the 'Safety Complaint' I filed with the NTSB. Filing a safety complaint is our best hope of forcing or pressuring Jaguar into recalling & repairing the defective dashboards. It's important to included images / documents & to concisely state the safety issue. As without a safety issue there is little hope of the NTSB investigating and demanding Jaguar recall & mend the issue, for free. You can see the crux of the safety issue as spelled out in my complaint below. Many people have filed complaints & should you do the same. The more formal complaints the more likely the NTSB will investigate & demand Jaguar remedy the defect.

File a Vehicle Safety Complaint with the NTSB, it only takes minutes: https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/

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My complaint:


2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged Dashboard Glare & Visibility Obstruction

The leather dashboard on my 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged has begun to separate, ripple, & bubble. Resulting in a serious safety issue as the rippling (looks similar to waves) causes the sun to reflect / glare directly to the windshield & into the operators eyes. The result, under certain circumstance (high noon, very sunny days, dusk/dawn), is complete vision impairment.

The problem stems from a defective glue / bonding agent applied during the manufacturing process. Once separation begins it progresses and spreads like cancer.

The unacceptable repair estimate provided by Jaguar, $3,500.00 to $4,500.00, to replace the entire dash. Unnecessary as the defect is the bonding agent, not the hardware. Jaguar & official OEM forums suggest a... "cost effective alternative." The remedy via third parties: Remove the dashboard, separate the leather, clean, apply a new bonding agent, cure, and reinstall.

Because the dashboard is no longer flat, on sunny days & especially at dusk and dawn, the large bubbles & waves cause light to reflect directly to the windshield & the operators eyes. The resulting reflection / glare renders the vehicle completely unsafe to operate during the previously mentioned conditions.

Safety is important & Jaguar should address this issue via recall & not leave the costly remedy for this known defect to the consumer & potentially unqualified third party repair facilities. This known problem effects a majority of 2009-2011 XF models. Jaguar acknowledge the issue as early 2009. Yet continued to use a manufacturing process known to be defective. The known defect can cause temporary blindness while operating the vehicle. The consequences of driving while blind are obvious. Jaguar, should be required to remedy the defect.

 

 

Welcome to the forum.

I've deleted your doubled-up thread. Please no more multiple posting copy/paste of the same thing.

I get that you are upset about your dashboard, but spamming our forum with multiple posts won't get you anywhere, and it's against the forum rules.

When you get a moment stop by our new members area please ==>> New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

Thanks.

 

My apologies. I just signed up, thought I could edit, and accidentally submitted more than once.

Thank you,
Angelo

 

I've seen discussion that it's not so much caused by UV but just by heat. So being in the garage or in the shade isn't necessarily going to avoid it...cracking the sunroof open a notch to avoid oven bake is the most common tip I have seen....when I had a cracking issue on my Land Rover LR3 dash around the lines of the passenger airbag break out, LR Corporate did agree that they would foot 50% of the bill as an out of warranty goodwill gesture. It was still about $1K so I declined and got a dash pad from Amazon...I suspect the NTSB may well respond with something similar...not saying it's right but....

 

@stmcknig, I agree, heat could be a factor. Although, my garage is climate controlled, and I rarely leave the car in the sun. On the rare occasion when the car is parked uncovered, outside, in the sun (think grocery store) I leave the sunroof and a couple of windows slightly ajar. I also have a sunshade for the windshield.

It's my understanding that the adhesive is defective for multiple reasons. Even moderate heat blown into the passenger compartment can cause the bonding agent to fail. And because high temperatures are expected near the dashboard then this type of failure is inexcusable because it's 100% predictable. Heat from a vehicles internal climate controlled heating system can achieve extraordinary temperatures. That heat is literally blown through the dashboard and out of the vents. At the source and to the vents the heat generated can easily exceed average interior temps achieved via the sun / greenhouse effect. Therefore, failure resulting from "heat" is inexcusable because it's predictable and preventable.

 

Edited: See the post above. #7

TY,
A.

 

If you want another option I ended up pulling the dash out on my own. It only takes about 45 mins to an hour to remove. I pealed the leather off carefully and then brought the leather and the dash to an upholstery shop. They re-glued and stapled around the edges for $100. I installed it on my own and I'm extremely happy. I posted pictures in another thread: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...4/#post1186600

 

I had this same issue in my 2010 XFR, except my leather was shrunken beyond the ability to stretch it. I pulled the dash and took it to a local shop here in Austin, TX and they rebuilt it with new leather and were able to create a perfect match. They even redid the silver stitching. $900.

Now my 2012 is doing it too, but I negotiated it's replacement in the purchase.

 

I know Austin is a little hotter than OKC...I use a sun shade religiously no matter how short of time it is out in the sun...So far no problems (knock wood)

 

Which shop did you use ?

 

I will be REALLY pissed if my car does this, but, counselor, don't you think a NTSB complaint is a bit of a reach?
Good luck! :{)

 

Leather Menders. Go see Paul. He's a creative character, so stay on him. But the quality is downright amazing.

 

Wow do you have great taste in cars!!! Actually I have the same 2009 Supercharged, same color and all. I just haven't got the chrome wheels yet because my dashboard is horrible and I have to get that fixed first. Thanks so much for the information for NTSB. I'm filing my complaint now

 

Are you sure that's the original dash top leather? Looks too shiny to me and I can't see any stitching around the passenger airbag. It looks like it's already been re-covered.

 

Exactly!

What the heck are we looking at?? It looks like Hannibal Lector ripped the vinyl skin off some 70's date-rape van and pasted it onto his Jag dash!

 

Another option is to remove the windshield then refit, glue and staple the leather, this is how a dealer in my area repairs the dash, and replaces the delaminating windshield at the same time for $400.00

 

How common is this issue in 2010 models specifically XFR? I am really paranoid about this happening to the 2010 I just picked up.. So far it looks good although I notice some minor lines in the middle part but really only notice them if u look for them, I'm not sure if they are normal or an early sign..

That would really mess with my OCD 😂..

 

On my 2010 XFR there is no hint of a problem, the dash is perfectly flat and even.
And I'm in Adelaide South Australia which is very much like Arizona, with temps regularly hitting 110F plus (in the shade) in summer.
I use a dash mat in the warmer months, and before I found the dash mat I regularly gave the dash a wipe over with 303 Aerospace Protectant. I also use a windscreen sunshield on the rare occasion the car is parked in the sun for an extended period.
Maybe all these precautions work, maybe I'm just lucky, who knows!

 

When I get home to computer I'll upload a pic of mine see what you think.. It looks fine to me I Just hope those minor lines are normal for the leather ..