AI Damage2004 Jaguar S-Type: common problems
Owners of the 2004 Jaguar S-Type filed 25 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 25
- involving a crash
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 28% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 20% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 20% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 20% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 16% of all complaints
- 6 Parking brake 16% of all complaints
- 7 Exterior lighting 8% of all complaints
- 8 Steering 8% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 7 complaints (28% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 5 complaints (20% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 5 complaints (20% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 5 complaints (20% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 4 complaints (16% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- 4.2 L · petrol · 8 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- 4.2 L · petrol · turbo · 8 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 6-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 25 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
While driving approximately 40 mph, the headlights suddenly shut off. The driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed off road. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The cause of the failure was not determined. The vin was not available.
On 12/26/05, at approximately 3:55 p.m. Plaintiff was driving a 2004 jaguar sedan vehicle that went from right lane to left lane and continued off roadway into middle median area striking bush and two to three trees 1st small tree/bush flattened, 2nd small tree/bush impacted rear driver side, 3rd large tree head on…
The consumer later received a recall for the electronic parking brake. The consumer request that the manufacturer replaced the rear bumper and the rear brake pads and rotors due to excessive wear.
This vehicle has issues with the automatic transmission, the transmission is not responding properly to the computer and needs to be reprogrammed in this model, also the parking brakes do get mixed up and if you put the gear control in drive it goes into reverse and the parking brake default light and transmission…
This I believe is the reason the car is able to slip gears in to reverse which is very dangerous. Initially I thought the issues with the car may have been a result of something I was doing. But after researching I saw that there are as many as 10 recalls for my car year and model.
The head lights on the car point down to the ground. At night with my head lights on they shine on about 7 feet in front of the car. I was told a plastic screw breaks off and the lights will droop and shine on the ground.
While driving approximately 55 mph, the transmission failed to shift up and the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to be restarted the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering column and transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired.
Found that fuse for fuel pump had blown. Mileage was 35,896. Again on 03/21/10 while driving approx 60 mph on I-695 (had driven approx 160 miles) my engine suddenly stopped. Mileage was 37360.towed vehicle to same authorized dealer who found that fuse for fuel pump had blown.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 7,449 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 20% most complained about).
On average one model year of the S-Type has 46 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 25, below average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Jaguar S-Type?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, engine and cooling, service brakes. Total complaints: 25. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rollaway, parking brake (24%), stalls while driving (12%), brake failure (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 Jaguar S-Type?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2004 Jaguar S-Type from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2004 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.