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

Jaguar XF

Q: What are the most common Jaguar XF faults?

On Jaguar XF MOTs at ages 6-9, the items testers record most often are: A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn (7.8% of tests); A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded (2.6% of tests); Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users (2.3% of tests); A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded (1.8% of tests); A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting (1.5% of tests). Figures are from DVSA 2025 data.

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

Reliability verdict

BBy age

CBy miles

Graded against its peers

Better than most saloons and estates for its age, though about average per mile driven. Watch suspension and brakes. A solid used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating suspension advisories.

First-time failure at age 7

14.8%

Across 5,784 tests. The average for saloons and estates is 17.4%.

First-time failure at 50-60k miles

17.1%

Across 7,567 tests. The average for saloons and estates is 16.8%.

Rank in its class

11 of 34

1 = lowest failure rate among the 34 saloons and estates we can rank.

Typical mileage at age 7

63k miles

How far the average car has gone by seven years old. 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.

What owners report

Reported

Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. 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

DisputedAutomatics 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

What to check on this car

Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.

Saveable checklist

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Bushes and ball joints Drive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 7.8% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 5.9%

Brake pipes underneathRuns high on this model Follow the metal brake lines with a torch where they run along the sills and over the rear axle. White crust or flaking metal means they are corroding, and the online MOT history usually shows the same advisory creeping up for years before the fail.Recorded on 2.6% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.4%

Underneath, with a torchRuns high on this model Get down and look at the sills, the subframes and the rear suspension mounting points. Flaking scale and bubbling matter; light surface rust does not. On older cars this is the one check that finds the fault that scraps them.Recorded on 1.8% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.6%

WheelsRuns high on this model Look at each rim for kerb damage and check no wheel nuts are missing. A steering wheel that shimmies between 50 and 60 on the test drive often turns out to be a buckled or badly balanced wheel.Recorded on 1.5% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.6%

Leaks Look at the ground where the car usually stands, then glance under the engine after your test drive. Fresh drips of oil or coolant are the cheapest warning you will ever get about a car.Recorded on 1.5% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 2.0%

Lights and horn walkround With a helper, run every light: dipped, main beam, indicators, brake lights including the high-level one, reverse, fog, and the horn. On newer cars a dead LED section can mean replacing the whole lamp unit rather than a bulb.Recorded on 1.4% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.2%

Warning lights on ignition Turn the ignition on without starting the engine and watch the dash. Every warning light should appear, then go out once it is running. Be more suspicious of a light that never comes on at all than of one that stays on; warning bulbs have been known to vanish before a sale.Recorded on 0.9% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.4%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Tyres, all four Check the tread across the full width of each tyre, inner edge included, and look for cracking and mismatched brands. A set of decent tyres is £500 or more on most cars, which makes this the easiest money to take off a price. If the pressure warning light is on, budget for sensors too.Recorded on 26.4% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 20.1%

Pads and discsRuns high on this model Look through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 18.2% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 10.1%

Windscreen and wipers Scan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 1.9% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 2.0%

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Bushes and ball jointsRuns high on this model Drive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 18.7% of tests of this generation · class average 7.5%

Lights and horn walkroundRuns high on this model With a helper, run every light: dipped, main beam, indicators, brake lights including the high-level one, reverse, fog, and the horn. On newer cars a dead LED section can mean replacing the whole lamp unit rather than a bulb.Recorded on 7.4% of tests of this generation · class average 2.5%

Rubber boots and gaitersRuns high on this model On full steering lock, look in behind each front wheel at the concertina rubber boots on the driveshafts and steering rack. Splits, or grease flung around the arch, mean dirt is getting into a joint that costs far more than the boot protecting it.Recorded on 4.9% of tests of this generation · class average 1.0%

Coil springs Look through the wheel spokes at the bottom coil of each spring; when springs snap it is usually there, and the break is visible. Step back and check the car sits level too. A dropped corner is often a broken spring.Recorded on 3.8% of tests of this generation · class average 3.6%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Pads and discs Look through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 17.0% of tests of this generation · class average 11.9%

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Wheels Look at each rim for kerb damage and check no wheel nuts are missing. A steering wheel that shimmies between 50 and 60 on the test drive often turns out to be a buckled or badly balanced wheel.Recorded on 1.3% of tests of this generation · class average 0.9%

Underneath, with a torch Get down and look at the sills, the subframes and the rear suspension mounting points. Flaking scale and bubbling matter; light surface rust does not. On older cars this is the one check that finds the fault that scraps them.Recorded on 0.9% of tests of this generation · class average 2.8%

Dampers Look for oil misting on the damper body behind each wheel, then push down hard on each corner of the car. It should settle in one bounce. A floaty or crashy ride on the test drive is the same fault felt from the driver's seat.Recorded on 0.7% of tests of this generation · class average 2.8%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

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.

Open the saveable checklist, tick it off at the car

The MOT data

Measured

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

How this model wears

Jaguar XFClass average, all tracked models

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 2.3%

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%

Others in its class

Same segment (Saloons & estates), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.

Audi A88.6%Porsche Panamera9.4%Lexus IS9.6%BMW 7 Series10.0%Mercedes S-Class10.8%Jaguar XJ12.9%See all Saloons & estatesreliability ranked

Jaguar XF

Generation

What owners report

Timing chain and tensioner wear (V6 diesel)

DPF and EGR clogging on short runs

Rear suspension and mounting hardware wear

Infotainment glitches and electrical gremlins

Diesel fuel dilution and oil level rise

ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox faults

What to check on this car

From this model’s MOT record

Worth doing on any used car

From this model’s MOT record

Worth doing on any used car

From this model’s MOT record

Worth doing on any used car

Because of what owners report

The MOT data

How this model wears

What testers flag

Faults with the car itself

Wear, upkeep and luck

By fuel & engine

Others in its class