Land Rover and Jaguar Timing Chain Class Action Lawsuit

Buyers of luxury cars generally do not expect to spend thousands of dollars on major engine repairs when they have regularly maintained their vehicles. Regrettably, car buyers that own Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles from the 2012, 2013 and 2014 model years may be discovering that their cars’ engines were manufactured with defective timing chain tensioning rails. More critically, the manufacturer may well have been aware of this defect but did nothing to correct it before selling Land Rover LR4’s and Range Rovers, and Jaguar X and F-type vehicles at premium prices to unsuspecting purchasers.

The product defect attorneys at Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman are representing clients in the timing chain class action lawsuit against Jaguar Land Rover in New Jersey. Plaintiffs are trying to force the manufacturer to correct this defect before the vehicles lose all their value or the defect leads to serious safety problems that cause injuries or fatalities. Although the case was filed in New Jersey, Jaguar and Land Rover owners from elsewhere in the United States may be eligible to join the class of plaintiffs who are seeking compensation to recover the lost value of their defective vehicles.

What Does a Timing Chain Do?

The pistons in your car’s engine are attached to a crankshaft that rotates as the pistons pump up and down. Your engine’s camshaft sits above the engine cylinders and controls the opening and closing of valves into the cylinders in coordination with the pistons’ up-and-down movement. The engine’s timing chain synchronizes the rotations of the camshaft and crankshaft. If the rotations are not coordinated, the timing of the opening and closing of the engine’s valves falls out of synch with the movement of the engine’s pistons. Over time, this can cause power loss and engine failure.

What Are the Signs of Timing Chain Failure?

The most common signs of timing chain failure are:

Engine misfiring
Metal shavings in the oil
Engine rattling while idling

Timing chains generally do not fail catastrophically, but they can stretch and become loose or deformed over time. This affects engine performance and reduces the vehicle’s value. If the defect is not remedied, in extreme cases the vehicle’s entire engine may need to be replaced. The engine replacement cost for Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles can be in the range of $20,000.

What is the Basis of the Jaguar Land Rover Timing Chain Defect Litigation?

Between 2012 and 2014, Jaguar Land Rover designed its vehicle engines with cast aluminum tensioning rails that were intended to maintain timing chain tension. Preliminary evidence suggests that those rails are defective and prone to premature failure. The company’s own technical service bulletins suggest that Jaguar Land Rover knew about this defect but ignored it. More specifically, it knew that a contact point at the engine’s piston-rail creates a wear point on the tensioning rail, leading to a slacking chain and causing engine rattling noises.

If this problem is not corrected, the noises will get worse and serious engine problems, including loss of power steering and power brakes, can arise. This defect affects the safety and reliability of the vehicle and reduces its trade-in and resale value.

One of the company’s publications specifies that its vehicle engines include a “maintenance-free highly durable chain transfer drive”. The company’s vehicle manuals include no maintenance schedules for timing chain inspections, and owners of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles are led to believe that the timing chain in the cars should last for 150,000 miles or more. In reality, owners are experiencing timing chain problems with Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles after as few as 80,000 miles.

How You Can Participate in the Jaguar Land Rover Timing Chain Lawsuit?

If you purchased or leased a Jaguar or Land Rover vehicle in New York, New Jersey, or elsewhere in the United States from any of the model years between 2012 and 2014 and your vehicle is showing signs of timing chain failure, you may be eligible to participate in the pending class action litigation against Jaguar Land Rover. The company is seeking to dismiss the litigation, but as more Jaguar and Land Rover vehicle owners come forth with defective timing chains in their car engines, the company will not be able to ignore its customer base.

You may be eligible for compensation in the Jaguar Land Rover timing chain defect litigation even if your defective vehicle is no longer under warranty.

Are You Eligible to Join the Jaguar and Land Rover Timing Chain Defect Litigation? Call the Defective Vehicle Lawyers at KGG

The defective vehicle attorneys at Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman believe that corporations should be held accountable for selling known inferior products that impose excess costs on their customers. Jaguar Land Rover is attempting to avoid responsibility for the known timing chain defect by hiding behind the limited 4-year 50,000-mile warranty it offers to its customers. The company’s own documentation reveals, however, that it knew about the premature wear problem in its vehicle timing chains but did nothing to correct that problem.

Call us if you suspect that your Jaguar or Land Rover vehicle is experiencing timing chain wear. Our experienced and knowledgeable car defect lawyers will provide a free case review and outline your options for joining the timing chain class action lawsuit. We will continue to press our clients’ claims against Jaguar Land Rover to force the company to compensate its customers for their excess vehicle repair costs.