2003 Land Rover Discovery Ii

MY HUSBAND BOUGHT ME THE 2003 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY AS A 2006 CHRISTMAS GIFT. THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 46,000 MILES ON IT. WE WERE DRIVING IT AND HEARD A POP & THE CAR JUST DIED. I HAD THE CAR A LITTLE OVER A MONTH. THERE WAS OIL & CHUNKS OF METAL UNDER THE CAR. WE HAD IT TOWED HOME AS THE DEALERSHIP WAS HOURS AWAY. MY HUSBAND LOOKED THROUGH THE PARTS BOOK & FOUND THAT IT WAS POSSIBLY THE FRONT ENGINE COVER/OIL PUMP. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET & FOUND LAND ROVER ISSUED A TECHNICAL ALERT ENTITLED 2003 DISCOVERY SERIES II OIL PUMP FAILURES, #T03 1201, ON MARCH 14, 2003 TO ITS DEALERS. IT ADVISED THAT THE DOWEL PINS ON THE BLOCK DID NOT ALIGN CORRECTLY WITH THE OIL PUMP. THIS CAUSED OIL STARVATION , WHICH IN TURN, CAUSED ENGINE FAILURE. IT CLEARLY STATED THE DEFECT WAS THE RESULT OF A MANUFACTURING ERROR. MY HUSBAND PULLED OFF THE FRONT ENGINE COVER TO DISCOVER THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CRANKSHAFT DESTROYED. I CALLED LAND ROVER CUSTOMER RELATIONS & SHE ADVISED ME THERE WAS NO RECALL & TO CALL THE DEALERSHIP TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THEY WOULD DO. I AM STILL PENDING TO HEAR BACK FROM THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT. LAND ROVER NEEDS TO ADDRESS THE DEFECT ISSUE AS THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT . *AK

WE BOUGHT A NEW 2003 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY II FROM LAND ROVER OF MILFORD, CT IN 12/03. WE HAVE CHANGED THE OIL FAITHFULLY EVERY 3,000 MILES AND HAD THE NECESSARY SERVICES DONE AND WERE AT 44,724 MILES. WE WERE DRIVING HOME FROM VT A MONTH AGO AND THE OIL LIGHT WENT ON. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND CHECKED THE OIL, WHICH WAS FULL. I TURNED ON THE CAR AND THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY STARTED MAKING A STRANGE SOUND. I CALLED LAND ROVER ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND OUR WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED 28 DAYS PRIOR TO THIS. WE HAD IT FLAT BEDDED HOME TO CONNECTICUT IMMEDIATELY. THEN WE HAD IT FLAT BEDDED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE OIL PUMP HAD BLOWN AND THE ENGINE HAD SEIZED. AT FIRST THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT PAY FOR IT AS IT WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. I DID EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET REGARDING THIS PROBLEM AND FOUND OUT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE OIL PUMPS ON THE 03 DISCOVERY MODELS AND IN FACT THERE WAS A TECHNICAL RECALL FOR THAT YEAR. WHEN WE ASKED THE SERVICE MANAGER ABOUT THAT, HE SAID THAT IF IT WAS A FAULTY OIL PUMP IT WOULD HAVE BLOWN BY 20,000 MILES AND NOT GONE TO 44,000 MILES. WE SENT THEM DOCUMENTATION OF ALL THE SERVICES WE HAVE HAD DONE ON THE CAR AND THEY AGREED TO PAY FOR HALF OF THE COST OF THE ENGINE. WE STILL DON'T HAVE A CAR, AS THEY HAVE STILL NOT RECEIVED AN ENGINE. (AND THEY DID NOT OFFER US A LOANER CAR FOR THE INTERIM). NOW TODAY I WAS DOING FURTHER RESEARCH AND FOUND ON THE EDMUNDS WEBSITE 3 OTHER 03 DISCOVERY IT'S WITH 40,000, 57,000 AND 60,000 MILES ON THE ENGINES THAT HAD THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPEN. SO OBVIOUSLY IT IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IF IT IS HAPPENING TO SO MANY CARS. AND THAT IS JUST THE ONES WE KNOW ABOUT ON THE EDMUNDS WEBSITE FORUM. *JB

I ACCELERATED TO PASS AND HEARD A MUFFLED POP BUT INITIALLY HAD NO OTHER INDICATION OF A PROBLEM. AFTER DRIVING CAUTIOUSLY FOR ABOUT 1.5 MILES THE OIL PRESSURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. AT THIS POINT I PULLED OVER TO CHECK ON THE CAR. NO ANOMALIES WERE FOUND, SEEMED NORMAL. SO I DROVE ON FOR ANOTHER .5 MILES WHEN I BEGAN HEARING RANDOM, BUT DISTINCT CLANKING AND RATTLES. AT THIS POINT I DETOURED TO A KNOWN SAFE SPOT AT NO MORE THAN 10-15 MPH FOR APPROX. 1 MILE BEFORE THE VEHICLE BEGAN ACTING AS IF IT WOULD STALL. I SHUT DOWN AND HAD IT TOWED. DUE TO MY CONNECTIONS IN THE LR OWNERS COMMUNITY, AND IN TALKING WITH A WELL KNOWN INDEPENDENT LR MECHANIC, WITHIN HOURS OF THE INCIDENT I HAD LRNA'S TA03 1201 IN MY HANDS WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE TELLING ME THAT IT SOUNDED AS IF MY SYMPTOMS WERE EXACTLY WHAT THEY THEMSELVES HAD ENCOUNTERED. THE TECH ADVISORY IN QUESTION STATES THAT, "...THE ONLY EFFECTIVE REPAIR CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IS REPLACEMENT OF THE COMPLETE ENGINE..." SO, I WAS SURPRISED WHEN LR CONTACTED ME WITHIN A FEW HOURS TO TELL ME THAT MY VEHICLE WOULD BE READY FOR PICK UP THE NEXT DAY. I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO RETRIEVE THE CAR UNDER PROTEST (THEY DID NOT INITIALLY PROVIDE A LOANER, AND ONLY PROVIDED A RENTAL AFTER MORE THAN 24 HOURS) AND EVEN WHEN I PRESENTED THE TA TO THEM, THEY REFUSED TO, OR WERE UNABLE TO, SHOW ME THAT THE REPAIRS THEY MADE SUPERSEDED THOSE INDICATED IN LRNA'S OWN DOCUMENTATION ON THIS ISSUE. I CONTACTED THE OWNER OF THE FRANCHISE -- THEY DID NOT RETURN MY CALLS. I WROTE A LETTER TO THEM. I WROTE A LETTER TO LRNA AND CALLED THE CORPORATE HQ SEVERAL TIMES. THEIR STATEMENT WAS THAT IT WAS UP TO THE DEALER. I EVEN HAD AN INSURANCE AND WARRANTY LAWYER TELL ME THAT I HAD AN EXTREMELY STRONG CASE -- IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN. OUR WARRANTY IS NOW EXPIRED, AND WE AWAIT THE DAY WHEN THE OIL PUMP WILL FAIL AGAIN BECAUSE LRNA DID NOT REPAIR THE ACTUAL PROBLEM, THEY MERELY REPLACED THE PARTS THAT WERE BROKEN BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *JB

AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE BEGAN TO MAKE LOUD CLANGING NOISE. AS I BEGAN TO PULL OVER, THE CAR STALLED. I CALLED LAND ROVER CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS INFORMED THAT ALTHOUGH I WAS STILL UNDER THE MILEAGE,THAT MY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED 5 DAYS EARLIER. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO LOCAL LAND ROVER DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT LAND ROVER WOULD NOT COVER THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER CONCLUDED THAT VEHICLE NEEDS A NEW MOTOR. AN INDEPENDENT LAND ROVER REPAIR FACILITY HAS CONCLUDED THAT ENGINE FAILURE WAS THE RESULT OF OIL PUMP FAILURE. LAND ROVER ISSUED A TECHNICAL BULLETIN ON MARCH 14, 2003 STATING THAT ENGINE FAILURES ON '03 AND '04 DISCOVERY ARE THE RESULT OF MANUFACTURING ERROR ON THE OIL PUMP. VEHICLE STILL NEEDS A NEW MOTOR, LAND ROVER HAS BEEN VERY UNCOOPERATIVE EVEN WHEN PRESENTED WITH THE TECH ALERT (TA03 1201). I AM 2 MONTHS WITH OUT A VEHICLE. CAR IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION. *NM

MY 2003 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY RECEIVED ITS SCHEDULED 60K SERVICE THEN AT 65K THE OIL PUMP FAILED AND CAUSED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE ENGINE. ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SEVERAL DOCUMENTED CASES SIMILAR TO MINE LAND ROVER DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY OR PLAN TO RECALL. THE CONSUMER IS LEFT WITH A POTENTIAL DANGER AND CONSIDERABLE FINANCIAL BURDEN. I HAVE TRIED TO RESOLVE THIS WITH LAND ROVER WHO AT THIS TIME IS NOT WILLING TO HELP OR TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. AT THIS TIME I CAN NOT RECOMMEND THE LAND ROVER LINE OF VEHICLES TO ANYONE AFTER OWNING ONE MY SELF FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS. *NM

AFTER OWNING MY BRAND NEW 2003 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY FOR ABOUT 5 WEEKS, I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY WHEN THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON. WITHIN SECONDS THE VEHICLE BEGAN MAKING AND ODD NOISE. I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND BY THE TIME I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE, IT WAS ON FIRE. THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE BURNT OFF. LAND ROVER HAS REFUSED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE VEHICLE AND WILL DO NOTHING ABOUT THIS SITUATION. IN ADDITION, EVERYONE THAT I HAVE DEALT WITH AT LAND ROVER HAS BEEN RUDE, INCONSIDERATE AND EVASIVE. THEY HAVE ALSO REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE PERSONAL ITEMS THAT WERE IN THE VEHICLE AND DAMAGED BECAUSE OF THE FIRE. *JB