I have an 03 XK8 and neither of my headrests work. It's obviously out of warranty, but since there was a TSB for this specific issue, is this something that Jaguar would still cover? It seems like since they were aware there was an issue they should cover it for no charge whether it's under warranty or not. For example, my company has just spent several million dollars repairing a software glitch that affected some systems that are 10 years old (or more). We've been updating our customer's software for free.

 

TSBs are NOT RECALLS. TSBs are for dealer mechanics (or parts department) to address common faults, problems or repair procedures. Recalls are for safety concerns and are usually done free of charge to the customer. I doubt the headrest adjustment fault is a major safety concern so it would not be repaired without charge to the customer. In our overly litigious society I suppose you could get an attorney and claim the headrest as a safety item and try to get it repaired as a class action recall.

bob gauff

 

When my headrest started acting up I deduced (based on searching this and other forums) that the problem was the drive cable sheathing issue since I could hear the motor running. I could have had this fixed for free at the dealer since I still had the Select Edition warranty but, instead opted to do it myself. It is really not that had and it gives you some quality time with the car.

Doug

 

It is amazing that this was a long time issue with these cars and Jaguar continued to use the defective cable for years.

 

I was wondering if they ever came out with a cable that was the right length that can be purchased or if they just kept recommending the cut-remove-splice fix for cars that had this problem. Frankly, if I knew that the "correct" cable was available, I would just go ahead and buy it rather than fix my splice again when the time came.

Doug

 

The only way I know of is to get the old part number and do a search for it on one of the online parts sites. If it has been revised, it will usually tell you it has been revised to a new number.

 

In the various parts charts I have seen, I have never seen the cable listed separately. The part number is always for the entire mechanism including the motor.

Doug

 

They list the short and long cable. I believe the long cable is the culprit. It's about $150, so I would just do the repair!!