Big Brother legend Craig Phillips in terrifying runaway car nightmare after brakes fail in £76k Jaguar
He thought he was going to kill his wife and children
BIG Brother legend Craig Phillips has shared a harrowing experience when the brakes on his £76,000 Jaguar I-Pace suddenly failed.
The TV personality, 52, joins a growing number of electric vehicle drivers who have reported similar incidents of a runaway car.
Craig, who shot to fame after winning the first series of Big Brother in 2000, recounted the terrifying moment his vehicle’s brakes stopped working.
Just days after his car was returned from the manufacturer for an unrelated issue, he found himself unable to stop as he approached a red light with traffic ahead.
The reality star was accompanied by his wife Laura, 37, and their two children, aged three and five, after a family meal on New Year’s Eve.
He told : “I can’t describe to you what a terrifying feeling that was when the two children are in the back. The more I pushed down, the more it forced up, and the car carried on rolling.”
Craig explained that he was extremely fortunate that the traffic lights turned green just in time, which meant the cars in front moved away before his vehicle could collide with them.
“Otherwise I would have collided with them,” he added.
The star found himself with three options: mounting the curb, colliding with the cars in front, or swerving into oncoming traffic.
Fortunately, he managed to turn into a quieter road and the brakes kicked back in about 30 meters later, allowing him to stop the vehicle.
Craig, who bought the car brand new in March 2020, returned home and immediately contacted Jaguar, asking for the vehicle to be collected.
However, he was left feeling “fobbed off” when he was informed “we don’t have that service.”
As his warranty expired after three years, he was told it would cost him £210 to diagnose the issues, but he refused to pay.
Craig has now been told his car is ready for collection but he and his wife have refused it.
A Jaguar Land Rover spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We are taking these claims by Mr Phillips very seriously and are looking into his complaint.
“Our client experience as well as the safety of our clients and vehicles is JLR’s highest priority.”