I am having a stubborn issue on my dad's 2009 XKR that nobody can seem to diagnose or fix.

When turning, the outside tire seems to "jump" or slip off the ground momentarily, possibly because it is at a different angle than the inside tire to an amount such that the outside tire is getting dragged or pulled laterally and when the tread's friction cannot hold the pressure anymore, the tire slips to relieve the pressure. This happens when turning in either direction.

From inside the car, it feels like a series of bangs, as if you are driving over some strange surface, or driving over a surface that is giving way (like snow collapsing under a wheel). The bangs are very strong and noticeable. You can both feel and hear it.

Standing outside the car with a driver going in circles slowly, you can actually see the tire jump (it kind of looks like the tire stops spinning for a fraction of a second, but that may be an illusion since it happens so fast).

The strange thing is that the problem goes away after a few minutes of driving, suggesting that maybe something warms up or settles in to correct the issue.

The car has been aligned three times within the past few weeks. First by an independent mechanic who we know has done good work in the past, and the second two times by a Jaguar dealer. The problem is still not resolved.

Also, my father reports that the car does not recover well when hitting bumps on the road while driving.

I am guessing that since the car has recently been aligned that the amount of toe in or out is within specs, so I can't imagine what is wrong.

My father purchased this car used, so we do not know what the vehicle's history was before, however none of the mechanics that have looked at it see any evidence of the car being in an accident.

Thankfully the car is under warantee, so it is not costing an arm and a leg for Jaguar to investigate the problem, but this is getting frustrating.

Have any of you dealt with a probem of this sort?

Thanks in advance.

 

My old 97 XK had a problem with the wiring harness to one of the front wheel speed sensors and the traction control would end up pumping the brakes on one wheel occasionally while turning slowly at full lock.

To see if is was a problem with the TC you could try turning it off completely (hold the DSC/trac button down for 10 seconds) and see if it still does it. Remember to turn the TC back on when you're done though

It may just be dirt in the wheel speed sensor or electrical noise in the wiring. Or it could be something else completely :/

 

Jallitt - you could be right! It really did look like the wheel stopped turning for a moment, but I didn't believe that that could be the case. I will try your test. Thanks!

 

I'm not that familiar with the XK series, but if it's got a limited slip type differential, I'd suspect sticking clutch plates.

 

I forgot to specify that the tire jumping/stopping is with the front wheels only, so it is probably not something related to the clutch or differential since it is a rear wheel drive car.