Is THIS Britain’s ‘most dangerous’ electric car? How £70,000 Jaguar I-PACE has been involved in spate of crashes and near-misses including crush death of seven-year-old boy
- Owners report unexpected acceleration – but firm says human error is to blame
- Parents of boy killed in an incident involving I-PACE hit out at car’s ‘design flaw’
- Do YOU own an I-PACE? Email [email protected][1]
‘When designing electric vehicles, you can throw out the rulebook,’ Jaguar said when it unveiled its I-PACE electric car as a concept in 2016[4].
However, given the record of incidents involving the car, it might have paid off for the legendary British marque to have kept the rulebook to hand.
Since its release six years ago, the I-PACE has been implicated in a number of safety incidents, from claims of unexpected acceleration to a young fatality that a coroner said may have been caused, in part, by the poor design of its gear selector.
The company has maintained that each incident was caused by driver error. However, owners and the courts say issues with the car’s interior design may have had a part to play.
Last year, Jaguar announced it was killing the model off – even though it wants to be an all-electric car maker by 2025[5].
The firm says this is because it has a new platform on which to build its electric cars – but is the I-PACE simply too cursed to keep on the road?
Do YOU own an I-PACE? Email [email protected][6]
A coroner has criticised the interior design of the Jaguar I-PACE after a driver error caused the death of a seven-year-old boy
Assistant coroner Deborah Archer has called for Jaguar to introduce an ‘intermediary step’ when changing gears in the electric car after the death of Alfie Tollett
While driver error played a part in the incident, the coroner believes electric cars that use buttons for changing gears would benefit from an extra step to confirm the direction of travel (pictured: the gear selectors on an I-PACE’s centre console)
However, other drivers have experienced unrelated issues with their I-PACE cars appearing to accelerate at unexpected times including this incident in 2021
The I-Pace ploughed into a Porsche (right) which then crashed into a Volkswagen (left). The woman said the Porsche had to be written off after it was rear-ended by her Jaguar
Over the last two years, MailOnline has reported on a number of I-PACE owners who experienced issues with the car, which was Jaguar’s first foray into the electric vehicle (EV) market.
When it was unveiled, the company proudly trumpeted the car’s sleek design, which was overseen by Scottish car designer Ian Callum. A clay model of the I-PACE was exhibited in the V&A Dundee design museum in Scotland.
The car also grabbed a number of industry awards upon its release, and was named European Car of the Year 2019.
It has a five-star Euro NCAP rating, and was the first EV to meet global standards of being audible at low speeds – ensuring blind pedestrians can hear it coming.
But owners’ experiences of the I-PACE, and a coroner’s opinion, suggest the design of the car’s interior may have indirectly contributed to driver errors that caused several high-profile crashes and at least one fatality.
Last week, a coroner wrote to Jaguar to tell the manufacturer it had ‘the power to prevent future deaths’ after an I-PACE was involved in a crash that resulted in the death of a seven-year-old boy.
Alfie Tollett, from Devon was killed after being crushed between his family’s car and a van that had been rammed forward by a motorist at the wheel of an electric Jag[7].
Young footballer Alfie had been standing at the rear of his family car changing his shoes in February last year, in front of a white Volkswagen van, when a 55-year-old man at the wheel of the Jaguar EV pulled up behind.
The forwards, neutral and backwards gears are selected in an I-PACE with buttons, rather than a traditional lever. The driver pressed what he thought was the reverse gear button without looking down.
However, he inadvertently selected the forward gear and drove forward, crashing into the van, which lurched forward and pinned Alfie to the rear of his family car.
Assistant coroner Deborah Archer concluded that the driver of the car, who has since died, made ‘a number of errors’ such as failing to notice the reverse warning sound and not braking after setting off.
However, she also said the design of the car may have contributed to the incident – with no ‘intermediary step’ in changing gears beyond pushing a button.
‘In the (investigating) police officer’s opinion if there had also been a lever or something similar present in the vehicle that needed to be engaged before a button was pressed, this may have alerted (the driver) to the fact that he had pushed the incorrect button on the three button console,’ she wrote in her report[8].
Alfie’s parents, Stephen and Gemma Tollett, have called on Jaguar Land Rover to change what they see as a ‘design flaw’ to ensure no one else suffers a similar tragedy.
‘There is so much we could say about Alfie, but we just want everyone to know he was our amazing, cheeky, precious little boy who we all miss and love so very much,’ they said.
‘We thank the coroner for her findings and the confirmation that she will write to Jaguar Land Rover about whether additional steps can be taken to make this electric car safer.
‘We would welcome anything that prevents any other family from having to go through what we have as a family, and that includes all manufacturers of electric vehicles to review their control designs in light of this case.
‘We have lost our beautiful son Alfie because of what we see as a design flaw and we are passionate for this to never happen again.’
Some owners are convinced the pedals are either placed too far to the left, or too close together, making it possible to hit the accelerator by accident instead of the brake (pictured: an I-PACE interior)
A Jaguar I-Pace smashed into a home on Moston Lane, north Manchester, last October. Police said the driver didn’t sustain any serious injuries
Jaguar has until October 22 to respond to the coroner’s concerns.
It said in a statement: ‘We have received correspondence from the coroner and shall be responding in due course. Our thoughts and sympathies, however, are with the family of Alfie Tollett following his accidental death.’
The gear selector is not the only potential flaw in the I-PACE, however.
The first-ever Big Brother winner, Craig Phillips, told MailOnline how he became trapped behind the wheel of his £76,000 Jaguar I-Pace[9] while his wife and two young children were in the car after the brakes stopped working.
He claimed the incident, at the end of 2023, saw the brake pedal pushing back against his foot.
Mr Phillips said earlier this year: ‘She could see my whole body stiffen up as I pressed my body weight on it. And I said no, I literally could not stop the car. It was free wheeling and it was pushing the brake back up on my leg.
‘My wife’s just like “we are not putting our children back into an I-Pace, full stop”. Even if they deliver it to my door, we’re not going to drive it. Take it back. So we’re done with Jaguar.’
Jaguar said it was taking his complaints ‘very seriously’.
Elsewhere, an I-PACE owners’ forum is full of posts from owners claiming their cars had experienced ‘sudden unintended acceleration’ – and some believe the car’s pedals are to blame.
Jaguar says its investigations of ‘uncommanded acceleration’ always result in driver error being to blame – but the model of car has been involved in several high-profile incidents that see it gain a sudden and unwanted burst of speed.
Last October, a white I-PACE sailed across a junction in the Manchester suburb of Moston and embedded itself in the front of a house – narrowly missing a woman pushing a pram.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service were called amid concerns over a gas leak, which was then isolated. Greater Manchester Police[10] said no arrests were made.
A driver called Julie posted on a Jaguar I-PACE forum that she was left ‘unnerved’ after her EV ‘suddenly went off like a rocket’ in the Lancashire village of Longton[11].
She said the airbags were activated after she crashed into the back of a parked Mercedes as she pulled up to her son’s house, in an undisclosed location.
Big Brother winner Craig Phillips’s Jaguar I-Pace, in which he became trapped behind the wheel after the brakes stopped working
Neil Turner said his father, Colin, had suffered a close call in his I-Pace after it accelerated suddenly while he was trying to park in November 2019 (pictured)
The woman wrote in December 2021: ‘It ploughed into a Porsche in front of me that went into a Volkswagen that pushed a lamp post over.’
One forum user called Dave said his wife had been left ‘confused’ after their I-Pace was driven into the house opposite them and had to be written off.
‘My wife was driving our I-Pace last month and had an almost identical incident that resulting in the car being written off after being driven into the house opposite,’ the man wrote.
‘Again no one harmed thank goodness, but she would love to understand exactly what happened.’
Neil Turner said his father, Colin, suffered two close calls in his I-PACE after it accelerated suddenly while he was trying to park in November 2019.
In footage of the near-collision, the car suddenly takes off and almost collides with a flagpole before Colin manages to slam on the brakes.
‘The car tried to accelerate by itself and was stopped just in time before doing any damage,’ Neil told MailOnline.
‘We reported it to Jaguar, who said nothing was wrong with the car. It did it again while I was driving it and we decided to sell it not long afterwards.’
Neil said Jaguar had taken the car in for assessment but that technicians, as well as roadside assistance, were unable to replicate the fault.
What is behind the I-PACE’s lunging mystery? Owners have shared theories, such as that the pedals are set further to the left than in other cars, which would normally need space in the footwell for a clutch pedal, or that they are too close together.
I-PACE owner Nick previously told MailOnline he had experienced several ‘heart-stopping moments’ when he first bought the EV, applying his foot to what he thought was the brake only to hit the accelerator[12].
After measuring the pedals himself, he concluded they were further left than he was used to – and after adjusting his foot placement, never experienced the issue again.
‘I took a lot of measurements of the brake and accelerator pedals and concluded that both pedals were slightly more to the left and the accelerator pedal was quite close to the brake pedal,’ he said.
‘Since then, I’ve managed to educate myself to the problem and have had no further episodes. But I do think that the accelerator pedal should be moved about 30-40mm to the right.’
Nick claims he mentioned the incident to a engineer who confirmed Jaguar was aware of the issue and agreed with his assessment of the pedals.
One man told an I-Pace forum his wife had been left confused and seeking answers after their I-Pace (pictured) was driven into the house opposite them and written off as a result
Jaguar has made much of the I-PACE’s design – but a coroner, and some owners, have suggested there may be flaws in how the interior is laid out
Jaguar has made much of the car’s safety features – from its five-star crash rating to the fact the car was the first to meet global standards for audible electric cars, which are silent at low speed
The I-PACE owners’ forum is full of posts about the space between the brake and accelerator pedals.
One member said they suffered a ‘heart-stopping surge’ after accidentally hitting the side of the accelerator pedal with the edge of their right foot while pressing the brake pedal.
‘The pedals are a bit close together for my big feet,’ they said. ‘I even find that when my left foot is on the rest pad that I am slightly pushing the edge of the brake pedal angled lever.’
Another agreed: ‘I have size 12’s and at some point, after walking the dogs with waterproof walking shoe I did hit both pedals.
‘The accelerator pulls through the foot brake and of course once you start moving when your mind thinks you are already on the brake you push harder! Thankfully I was in the middle of nowhere.’
A third said they had the same issue if they wore a certain pair of boots, adding: ‘Thankfully after the first time I’m very aware and try not to drive with them on. I think the accelerator pedal is very easily caught.’
Another I-PACE owner is convinced user error is to blame – nothing more, nothing less.
Tom, who owned an I-PACE for several years, ‘It’s a high-performance vehicle, and it’s much more likely that an inexperienced driver caught the accelerator instead of the brake and can’t bring themselves to admit their mistake.’
One high-profile I-PACE incident on the M62 in March this year led to a man being arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and causing a public nuisance.
MailOnline understands he remains under investigation, with Jaguar providing data on the car in question to the police.
MailOnline asked the firm if reported issues with existing cars are taken into consideration when designing its new vehicles.
A Jaguar spokesperson said: ‘All investigated claims to date relating to alleged un-commanded vehicle acceleration have, without exception, been found to be the result of driver-applied acceleration.
‘The safety of our clients is our highest priority and any claim relating to vehicle safety is always thoroughly investigated, as well as ratified by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency when required or requested.’
The car has been the subject of several recalls – none linked to the alleged acceleration issue. One recall in 2019 was made because of a fault with the car’s regenerative braking system, which affected its stopping distance.
All 26,000 UK models were the subject of a recall last year after Jaguar identified a risk of the battery catching fire. A further 3,000 US models were recalled for a similar issue last week.
The I-PACE is being phased out of Jaguar’s line-up. The company says this is because it has a new platform on which to build its new cars – an umbrella term for much of the underpinnings of a modern car – that the I-PACE does not fit.
Jaguar Land Rover CEO Adrian Mardell told Autocar[13]: ‘We don’t want the product to be out of the market for too long, particularly the electrified one.’
Mardell said the I-PACE is now mainly sold in the UK and mainland Europe to help ensure the company is compliant with emissions targets.
He added that the car has been a big help in steering development of the firm’s other EVs and that JLR ‘understands how to develop them’ off the back of making the I-PACE.
References
- ^ [email protected] (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Jon Brady (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Olivia Day (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ unveiled its I-PACE electric car as a concept in 2016 (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ wants to be an all-electric car maker by 2025 (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ [email protected] (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ crushed between his family’s car and a van that had been rammed forward by a motorist at the wheel of an electric Jag (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ her report (www.judiciary.uk)
- ^ trapped behind the wheel of his £76,000 Jaguar I-Pace (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Manchester Police (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ went off like a rocket’ in the Lancashire village of Longton (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ hit the accelerator (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Autocar (www.autocar.co.uk)