Jaguar recalls 1,571 sedans in U.S. for possible braking issue

[December 18, 2014]  DETROIT (Reuters) - Jaguar Land Rover is recalling 1,571 Jaguar XJ luxury sedans in the United States for a possible braking issue, according to documents posted by U.S. safety regulators.

Jaguar Land Rover, a unit of Tata Motors Ltd <TAMO.NS>, said certain XJ cars from model years 2014 and 2015 may have underbody brake pipes that were not tightened to specification, which can lead to a loss of mechanical integrity of the braking system and extended brake pedal travel and reduced braking performance, according to documents filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The instrument cluster may display the warning message "fluid level low," along with the brake warning lamp being illuminated, according to the NHTSA documents.

A complete loss of service brakes could occur, potentially causing a vehicle crash, according to the NHTSA documents.

It is also possible that sufficient loss of brake fluid will deplete the brake pressure in the system such that the brake pressure switch required to start the vehicle will not activate and that would prevent the vehicle from starting, according to the NHTSA documents.

There has been one reported accident and no injuries related to the issue, according to the NHTSA documents.

A spokesman for Jaguar Land Rover was not immediately available to comment.

Dealers will inspect the cars and if needed tighten the joints to specification at no cost, according to the NHTSA documents. Dealers also will check brake fluid levels and add to that if necessary. Owner notification letters will be mailed on or before Jan. 16, 2015.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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