— A Jaguar XF fuel leak investigation is closed after safety regulators determined a February recall should be good enough to prevent leaking fuel.
Jaguar has spent the past eight years answering customer concerns about fuel leaks in XF cars equipped with 5-liter and 4.2-liter engines.
The automaker first recalled 2010-2012 Jaguar XF cars equipped with 5.0L engines in November 2012. Jaguar said pressurized fuel could leak around the fuel supply line connections on the upper parts of the fuel tank assemblies.
Fuel system operating pressures of 5-liter gasoline engines could exceed design specifications and cause cracks in the fuel tank outlet flanges.
Jaguar told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) changes were made to the fuel tank outlet flanges in January 2010. The original flange had no internal ribbing and the changes added ribbing to reinforce the flange to prevent cracks and fuel leaks.
However, NHTSA opened an investigation in July 2019 following 30 complaints about fuel leaks and odors from the fuel tank flanges. Nearly 20 of those complaints involved 2010 XF cars equipped with 4.2L engines, and 11 complaints involved 2010-2012 XF cars equipped with 5-liter engines.
The investigation eventually found 51 complaints and field reports and 272 warranty claims related to fuel leaks from cracked flanges. More than 30 reports and 200 warranty claims involved 2010 XF 4.2L cars equipped with unreinforced flanges.
Additional complaints and warranty claims involved 5-liter cars equipped with original flanges, in addition to a few XF cars that had been repaired in 2012.
In February 2020, Jaguar recalled 2010 XF cars equipped with 4.2-liter engines after complaints about leaking fuel, illuminated warning lights and fuel smells. The 2010 XF cars were still equipped with fuel tank outlet flanges that could crack.
NHTSA closed its investigation based on Jaguar's February recall. Safety regulators say there are no remaining cars equipped with the unreinforced flanges because all affected vehicles have now been recalled.