Fault File
All models / All cars / Saloons & estates / Jaguar XF

Jaguar XF

All generations and engines together · 86,803 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 63k

First-time failure at age 7
14.8%
Across 5,784 tests. The average across all tracked models is 19.5%.
Rank at age 7
50 of 239
1 = lowest failure rate among the models tracked.
Typical mileage at age 7
63k miles
Check the mileage view below; low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

Generation

Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.

How this model wears

Jaguar XFClass average, all tracked models

Known issues

Measured

Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.

What testers flag

Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.

Faults with the car itself

The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 27,067 tests in this band.

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
7.8%class 5.9%
A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded
Advisory
2.6%class 0.4%
Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users
Advisory
2.3%class 2.4%
A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded
Advisory
1.8%class 0.6%
A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting
Advisory
1.5%class 0.6%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Fail
1.1%class 0.9%
Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
Fail
0.9%class 0.4%

Wear, upkeep and luck

Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
29.7%class 22.9%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
18.2%class 10.1%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
12.7%class 8.7%
A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
12.1%class 13.4%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Fail
3.5%class 2.2%
A tyre seriously damaged
Fail
2.7%class 2.0%
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
Advisory
2.1%class 3.4%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Fail
1.9%class 1.6%

Unconfirmed issues

Reported

Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.

Timing chain and tensioner wear (V6 diesel)

Confirmed pattern

The 2.7 and 3.0 V6 diesel engines used in the X250 XF are known to stretch their timing chains, with a rattly cold start being the first sign. Left alone it can jump time and wreck the engine, and by the time it is noisy the tensioner and guides usually need replacing too. Owners report this from around 100,000 miles, with repair bills upward of £4,000 if it is caught in time and far more if the chain has already let go.

Reported from 100k miles · repairs from £4,000 · sources: Honest John carbycar, owner forum reports

DPF and EGR clogging on short runs

Confirmed pattern

Diesel XFs used mainly for short, low-speed journeys struggle to burn off soot in the particulate filter, triggering warning lights, limp-home mode and, in bad cases, a filter that needs replacing rather than cleaning. The EGR valve clogs for the same reason and causes rough running or a flagged fault code. This shows up anywhere from 40,000 miles on a town-only car, and a replacement DPF runs to around £1,500-£2,000, an EGR valve to £700-£800.

Reported from 40k miles on town use · DPF £1,500-£2,000 · sources: Honest John carbycar, What Car reliability review

Rear suspension and mounting hardware wear

Partly in the MOT data

Owners describe rear suspension mounting bolts and wishbone assemblies wearing or shearing after pothole impacts, sometimes needing £2,000-plus repairs on higher-mileage cars. This lines up with the measured MOT data for the saloon/estate segment, where suspension is the standout fault category for this model, so the folklore and the numbers point the same way. It is worth a proper look underneath rather than just trusting a clean MOT history, since wear can build for a while before it fails an inspection.

Reported on higher-mileage cars, repairs from £2,000 · sources: Honest John carbycar, MOT segment data

Infotainment glitches and electrical gremlins

Emerging

Pre-Pivi Pro touchscreens (fitted up to around 2020) are widely reported as slow, prone to freezing, and occasionally losing Bluetooth or navigation function until rebooted. Some owners also report battery drain traced to the system not fully sleeping overnight. There is no manufacturer acknowledgement of a fix, and dealers typically just re-flash software rather than replace hardware. Later cars with Pivi Pro are reported as much better.

Reported across ownership, no fixed timescale · sources: Honest John carbycar, What Car reliability review

Diesel fuel dilution and oil level rise

Disputed

Some owners of DPF-equipped diesels report engine oil level creeping up between changes, blamed on unburnt diesel from regeneration cycles draining into the sump. A few forum threads link this to instances of uncontrolled revving on shutdown, though this is rare and not something Jaguar has confirmed as a systemic fault. Anyone buying a high-mileage, short-trip diesel should have the oil level and condition checked as part of a pre-purchase inspection.

Rare but reported, mainly short-trip diesels · sources: Honest John carbycar, owner forum reports

ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox faults

Automatics only

Early X250 automatics (pre-2010-ish) have a history of the transmission control module causing the box to lock in Drive or stall the car, and some owners report expensive diagnosis before the fault is traced. It does not affect manual cars, which are rarer on this model but exist on some diesel variants. Repairs vary widely depending on whether it is a software fault or the control module itself, from a few hundred pounds to several thousand.

Reported on early automatics · sources: Honest John carbycar

Viewing one? Ask this

Built from the two sections above.

Start the engine from cold and listen for 3-4 seconds before it settles. A rattle or chain noise on cold start points to timing chain wear on the V6 diesel.
Check the service history for DPF-related warnings or forced regenerations. Repeated DPF or EGR entries suggest a car that has done mostly short journeys and may need a filter soon.
Get the car on a ramp or have a look underneath at the rear subframe and wishbones. Corrosion, play in bushes, or shiny witness marks on mounting bolts point to the suspension wear this model is known for.
Cycle through every infotainment screen and pair a phone via Bluetooth. Freezing, slow response, or a failure to pair suggests the older pre-Pivi Pro system's known glitches.
Pull the dipstick and check the oil level against the diesel's stated capacity. Oil sitting noticeably above the max mark can mean fuel dilution from DPF regeneration.
On an automatic, drive it through all gears including a full-throttle kickdown. Hesitation, flaring, or reluctance to select Drive cleanly suggests the transmission control module fault.
Ask when the last major service was and whether it included a full diagnostic scan. A seller who cannot answer, or a car overdue a service, raises the odds of an unresolved fault code.

Others in its class

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