AI Damage1989 Jaguar XJ6: common problems
Owners of the 1989 Jaguar XJ6 filed 17 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 17
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 41% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 29% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 12% of all complaints
- 4 Exterior lighting 6% of all complaints
- 5 Latches, locks, linkages 6% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 6% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 6% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 7 complaints (41% of all).
- Service brakes: 5 complaints (29% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (12% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (6% of all).
- Latches, locks, linkages: 1 complaints (6% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 17 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
When movin transmission pawl to reverse vehicle took off, making consumer lose control. Consumeer could not stop and crashed.
The accelerator pedel sticks while the car is in reverse. Please describe. Tt
The contact stated that the seat belt retractor mechanism failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the passive belt system needed to be replaced. In addition, the contact was informed that they no longer manufactured the parts needed for the repair.
The contact stated that the seat belt was broken. The vehicle was involved in recall 93v179000 (seat belts) but because of the age of the vehicle, the manufacturer no longer manufactured the part needed for repair. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.
The contact stated that the front passenger side seatbelt motor failed. The dealer advised that they would repair the vehicle according to the lifetime warranty yet the parts needed for repairs were not readily available. The vehicle was repaired by the contact's private mechanic.
While driving 55 mph, the low fluid indicator light illuminated and the brakes failed. The mechanic replaced the master cylinder for $600, but the failure persisted.
Car would not start after sitting-sometimes hours-sometimes days. Car seems to have elec drain from unknown source. Car been to four different service centers w/ over $3k spent. Car been undriveable for over 18 months. Car has had three new batteries installed as it continues to ruin batteries as a result of problem.
The exterior door handles have failed on all four doors at least twice and three times on the front driver and passenger dooors. The door handle when engaged will not open thereby creating a major safety issue if a person or persons become trapped and someone tries to open the doors via the exterior door handles.
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 8,823 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 24% most complained about).
On average one model year of the XJ6 has 8 complaints (17 years in the data). This year has 17, above average.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1989 Jaguar XJ6?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, service brakes, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 17. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (47%), brake failure (12%), door locks, latches, handles (12%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1989 Jaguar XJ6?
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 1989 Jaguar XJ6 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 1989 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.