XJ XJ6 / XJ8 / XJR ( X350 & X358 ) 2003 - 2009

Headrests Will Not Move Forward

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Old Feb 17, 2026 | 10:16 PM
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Default Headrests Will Not Move Forward

Hi All, I have a 2003 XJ8 4.2 and totally love it. They can bury me in this car. I have tried with all my strength to "tilt" the front head rests so that they are resting against the back of my head, but no avail. There is also no "obround" or "cut out " under the headrest that would suggest the chrome stalks could move in any way in the assembly. My head rests also have video screens in the back of them
I researched deeper and found this. (sorry cant seem to alter text size)
​​​​​​


The Jaguar X350 (2004-2009 model years) is equipped with Active Head Restraints (AHR) in the front seats, which are designed to automatically move forward and upward in the event of a rear impact to help reduce the risk of whiplash injury.

Active Head Restraint System Details
The active head restraints on the Jaguar X350 are a passive safety feature that activates automatically based on crash severity sensors; they are not something the driver manually controls in an "automatic" way while driving.

  • Operation: In a rear-end collision, the force of the occupant's body pressing into the seatback triggers a mechanism (which typically involves a lever system within the seat) that pushes the headrest up and forward. This action decreases the distance between the occupant's head and the headrest, providing timely support to the head and neck to prevent excessive whiplash strain.
  • Resetting: A key feature of the X350's system is that after activation, the mechanism automatically resets and does not need to be replaced, unlike some single-use pyrotechnic systems.
  • Adjustments: The height of the front headrests is electrically adjustable, which helps ensure proper positioning for different height occupants. The top of the headrest should ideally be at least as high as the top of the occupant's head.
  • Rear Headrests: The rear seating on the X350 typically features either a fixed bench with manual headrests or an optional twin electric bench with electrically adjustable head restraints, but these are for comfort and general safety, and search results do not indicate they have the specific AHR whiplash protection system found in the front.
    Adler Giersch +4

This system works in conjunction with other safety features such as seatbelt pretensioners and the Advanced Restraint Technology System (ARTS) to optimize occupant protection during a collision.

Is this what some owners (like me) are coming across?
Does anyone know if it can be over ridden?
All the best
Stuart
 
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Old Feb 18, 2026 | 04:14 AM
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You'd be better off asking in the X350 section, this is for the X308 which is the model before yours.
 
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Old Feb 18, 2026 | 06:02 AM
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Originally Posted by stuartf
Hi All, I have a 2003 XJ8 4.2 and totally love it. They can bury me in this car. I have tried with all my strength to "tilt" the front head rests so that they are resting against the back of my head, but no avail. There is also no "obround" or "cut out " under the headrest that would suggest the chrome stalks could move in any way in the assembly. My head rests also have video screens in the back of them
I researched deeper and found this. (sorry cant seem to alter text size)
​​​​​​


The Jaguar X350 (2004-2009 model years) is equipped with Active Head Restraints...

Is this what some owners (like me) are coming across?
Does anyone know if it can be over ridden?
All the best
Stuart
Hi Stuart,
Hooli is correct. But, You say you have a 2003 XJ8 which is an X308. Yet, you pasted into on the X350 which is significantly different.

So, I do not think X350 headrest info is relevant to your X308 headrest.
Does your headrest look like this?




Regards,

Steve
 
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Old Feb 19, 2026 | 06:37 AM
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Originally Posted by Iconoclast
Hi Stuart,
Hooli is correct. But, You say you have a 2003 XJ8 which is an X308. Yet, you pasted into on the X350 which is significantly different.
He also says 4.2, which is a x350. I believe the first x350s were 2003 MY builds, hence the 2003.5 MY tag you sometimes see on diagrams etc.
 
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Old Feb 20, 2026 | 12:37 AM
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He may not know which version he has. I posted the photos since it shows X308 headrests with an obvious slot in back for adjustment.
If he replies that his do not look like that then he does NOT have an X308.
He only has 1 post so may not even bother checking his post for replies.
I see his profile shows he is in Australia.
 
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Old Feb 20, 2026 | 01:43 AM
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Default cant move head rests

Hi Guys, Typical me 1st post and its on the wrong forum. My appologies. I can however confirm that I do have an X350 so I dont know if the moderator can
move to the appropriate one or should I just go with this thread.
Attached are some shots of my headrests and clearly there no slotting




 
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Old Feb 20, 2026 | 06:18 AM
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Yep, we kinda thought that might be the case.
 
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Old Feb 20, 2026 | 10:37 AM
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Originally Posted by stuartf
Hi Guys, Typical me 1st post and its on the wrong forum. My appologies. I can however confirm that I do have an X350 so I dont know if the moderator can
move to the appropriate one or should I just go with this thread.
No worries, it's not uncommon.

I've reported your first post in the thread with a message asking the mods to move it. They'll see it that way as I can't remember who they are to tag them in here.
 
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Old Feb 21, 2026 | 10:07 AM
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Front seat headrest pivots on it's 'legs' somewhat, it does not fixes in any position but 'default.' The front seats headrests are powered as far as HEIGHT goes and are activated by pushing indicated button up or down:


The rear headrest has a lock; The lock is only one 'leg' the outward one Does this help?
 

Last edited by Big Koshka; Feb 21, 2026 at 11:23 AM.
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