Now that Ford owns a Jaguar, should I be worried about the quality of Jags if I were to consider buying one?

Question

I've a '02 Ford Focus for 4 years now and it's the worst car I've ever had. Almost 10 warrenty services and about 3 - 4 recall services. Next year, I'm looking at getting an '04 Jaguar X-Type (Low mileage of course), but I have serious concerns about the quality of Jaguar now that Ford owns them. On Jaguar's site, they claim; "Although Jaguar Cars is owned by Ford Motor Company, the two operate independently from each other." However, I've heard from other research Jaguars use all Ford parts now and the same manufacturing processes. Just thought I'd ask. Thanks.

I've a '02 Ford Focus for 4 years now and it's the worst car I've ever had. Almost 10 warrenty services and about 3 - 4 recall services. Next year, I'm looking at getting an '04 Jaguar X-Type (Low mileage of course), but I have serious concerns about the quality of Jaguar now that Ford owns them. On Jaguar's site, they claim; "Although Jaguar Cars is owned by Ford Motor Company, the two operate independently from each other." However, I've heard from other research Jaguars use all Ford parts now and the same manufacturing processes.

After further research, it seems that all Jags are still made in the UK. This suprises me after hearing rumors the US versions are made in Mexico.

I suppose my main concern is with Ford, now looking to sell Jaguar after major profit loss... well... since they bought them... should I expect less quality out of a car I've wanted to own since I was a kid, perhaps because of Ford presuring Jaguar to cut corners.

After further research, it seems that all Jags are still made in the UK. This suprises me after hearing rumors the US versions are made in Mexico.

I suppose my main concern is with Ford, now looking to sell Jaguar after major profit loss... well... since they bought them... should I expect less quality out of a car I've wanted to own since I was a kid, perhaps because of Ford presuring Jaguar to cut corners.

... and I I don't know how to add details right, so if you got this far and read what I said a few times, sorry.

Answer 1

The company has been owned by Ford since 1989 and currently forms a part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group (PAG) with Land-Rover and Volvo; both Jaguar and Land-Rover are currently up for sale, their future is very uncertain.

Jaguar's main competitors include Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Acura, Lexus, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Saab and Porsche.

Answer 2

Ford has been having a lot of problems getting the Jag management to realize that the consumer will not accept poor quality.
Fords investment in new equipment has not yielded the desired results.
If I remember right when Ford bought Jag, there were 32 know manufacturing/engineering problems that Jag had not corrected in all the time the models were in production (some dating back to the 60's). In the 60's people accepted the Jags problems because it was a Jag.
Not know.
Jag, may use some Ford parts, but I believe Ford is buying Jag engines for some of the Mercuries, not the other way around. Jag still has its own engineering groups which includes engine development.

Answer 3

Ford has owned Jaguar since the early 90's. As already mentioned, Jaguar was no paragon of quality before the takeover, and it could be argued that without Ford's stewardship, Jaguar would be history.

As for Ford's involvement in their lineup, the XK coupes an XJ sedans are basically all Jaguar. I think the engines are Ford based, but I'm not sure. The S series sedan is the platform mate to the discontinued Lincoln LS.

The X-type you're considering is a rebodied Euro-Ford Mondeo. That car was FWD, which did not seem suitable for Jaguar, so they modified the chassis to accept AWD. Since they were trying to quickly get this car to market as their C, 3, A4 competitor, much of the Mondeo genes live on in the X-type. It hasn't been the sales success that they wanted it to be, and the resale value isn't all that great, so you should be able to get one fairly cheaply. I would suggest to get the most recent model year you can afford and one that is preferably a CPO. That way you at least have some warranty protection.

Answer 4

The early model Focus models did have issues with them.. But I find any cheaper model will have issues compared to say a more expensive model.. but anyhow, some of the junk is gone.

Jaguar is using some Ford parts, but most parts are designed more for the Premier auto group than say can be found on a Mustang (look may be similar though)

Actually the major issue that Ford fixed with Jag was the electrical that was complete junk before Ford took over (actually I find cheaper designed electrical from Europe is all junk.. that was one of Ford's issues with the Focus and Contour (both originally designed in Europe)

So I'd go to a reputable shop that either specializes in Jags or European cars and have it checked out.

BTW..most luxury brands including the lexus use cheap plastic that peels apart also...

Answer 5

Who Makes Jaguar Now

Answer 6

Ford has owned Jaguar for years. If you've had the perception that they were good cars at the turn of the 21st century then you may be surprised to learn they've had a claim to ownership since the late 80s. They are operated independently of one another for the most part.

Check out Consumer Reports, Yahoo Autos and Cars.com for owner reviews.

Answer 7

Yes Ford now own Jaguar but do not know when

Answer 8

If I remember correctly Jaguar was junk before Ford came along, and I am no friend to ford or jaguar. I have heard all kinds of horror stories about older jaguars and the ammount of time they were in for service. I heard at one point " you can tell people who own Jaguar are wealthy, they can afford to have a car out for service 200 days a year".

Answer 9

Steve-
1st of all, you are basing your opinion of ONE Jaguar, by your experience of ONE Ford.
Take a deep breath, relax, & let me give you some facts, with cited sources, about 100s of thousands of vehicles.

First off ...Ford actually acquired Jaguar in 1989. The Ford Family of Brands includes:Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, LandRover
http://www.ford.com/en/company/about/brands/jaguar.htm
& at the time, Jaguars were absolutely horror stories, when it came to reliability/dependability ! Ford has been responsible in IMPROVING Jaguars Quality.

J D Powers publishes a VDS (vehicle dependability study) each year. This study tracks vehicles for 3 years, & rates them as to how many PROBLEMS they have over a 3 year period. Here is the results from the 2005 study (this is off 2002 models)
http://www.jdpa.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.asp?ID=2005089
Please note: Jaguar is WAY below the industry average, but Ford, Lincoln, & Mercury are ALL ABOVE the industry average!

The 2006 results (2003 models):
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/09/j-d-power-dependability-results-are-out/
Please note Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, AND Jaguar ALL above average!

Sorry but the 2007 results (2004 models) won't be published until August 2007.
But as you can see Jaguar's improvement.

Also of note is the recent studied "Initial Quality" where FoMoCo SMOKED All the other Manufacturers.
http://media.ford.com/newsroom/feature_display.cfm?release=25404
AND excerpted fro the above link:
"Ford's Premier Automotive Group brands ranked as follows: Jaguar placed 6th, Volvo placed 15th, Mazda placed 34th and Land Rover placed 35th while also becoming the most-improved brand in this year's study. "

Fords Quality is on par with the Japanese Manufacturers as well:
http://www.duemotori.com/news/auto_news/13106_Ford_quality_on_par_with_Toyota.php

So relax...take a deep breath... Have the INDIVIDUAL VEHICLE (the Jag you are considering)checked out !
Don't freak out based on rumors or your experience with ONE car that you had a bad experience with !

btw, the financial problems that the American Auto Manufacturers are having, have MORE to do with "legacy" costs (meaning health care, benefits, retirement pensions, etc,) of there Union Workers. Since most of the foreign manufacturers don't have unions protecting their employees, they don't have those "legacy costs" to worry about.
The financial problems have LESS to do with sales....the BIG THREE are still the BIG THREE when it comes to sales.
In fact FORD was the number one selling BRAND in 2006 ! Even though FoMoCo was #2 in sales.

Answer 10

Ford has owned Jaguar for awhile. My Fords haven't caused me any trouble. My 96 F150 with the 4.9 has almost 160K miles and it runs perfect. My 90 Mustang with the 5.0 runs strong as well with 128K miles. I have done very little to them. Water pump and fuel pump relay were the only problems out of the Mustang. The radiator in the truck was leaking a little bit so I replaced that and an EGR pressure sensor as well.