IllustrationCONSUMER WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE CLIPPED CONSUMER'S VEHICLE FROM THE REAR, FORCING IT INTO A GUARD RAIL, AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK
1998 Land Rover Discovery
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Discovery years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 10 of 33 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports4 fire reports5 injury reports
What owners actually said
33 reportsNON DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S AIRBAG IN FRONTAL ACCIDENT SEVERE ENOUGH TO DISTORT VEHICLE'S FRAME (1998 LANDROVER DISCOVERY). *JB
DASHLIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS MALFUNCTIONED DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, TIE ROD COLLAPSED AND CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *AK *TS *JB
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED FRONT RIGHT TIRE WOULD SHAKE AND WIGGLE WHEN DRIVING. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
PURCHASED A 1998 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY LSE WITH 79000 MILES IN JANUARY 2003 AND 7 MONTHS LATER THE FRONT U-JOINT FAILED, BENDING THE DRIVESHAFT AND DAMAGED CASE ON TRANSMISSION WHILE TRAVELING FROM IN ON VACATION TO TNENNESSE. *AK
THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. *JB THERE WAS AN ELECTRICAL FIRE IN THE DRIVER SIDE DASH. THE CONSUMER SMELLED SMOKE, THEN VIEWED LIGHT GRAY SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING OUT OF THE DASHBOARD BELOW THE STEERING COLUMN. SCC
STEERING COLUMN FAILED WHICH RESULTED IN LOSS OF STEERING.DEALER CONTACTED.*AK
WHILE DRIVING IN A FRONTAL COLLISION NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, CAUSING INJURIES TO DRIVER.*AK
THE SHOULDER SEAT BELT ADJUSTER CONSISTS OF A KNOB AT THE PASSENGERS SHOULDER AND IT STICKS OUT ABOUT AN INCH, CONSUMER STATES THAT IF THE VEHICLE WERE TO BE INVOLVED IN A COLLISION, THE PASSENGERS SITTING IN THE BACK SEAT CAN BE THROWN FORWARD AND CUT BADLY ON THE ADJUSTER. *SLC
Official recalls
198V040000 · Air Bags:frontal; Vehicle Speed Control
Feb 24, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. AS A RESULT OF CHAFFING OF A CRUISE CONTROL WIRE, THE STEERING WHEEL ROTARY COUPLER CAN OVERHEAT AND INADVERTENTLY DEPLOY THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAG RESTRAINT SYSTEM WITHOUT WARNING CAN CAUSE A DRIVER TO LOSE VEHICLE CONTROL.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSIBLE LINK WHICH WILL PROTECT THE ROTARY COUPLER FROM OVERHEATING.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Vehicle Speed Control
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. AS A RESULT OF CHAFFING OF A CRUISE CONTROL WIRE, THE STEERING WHEEL ROTARY COUPLER CAN OVERHEAT AND INADVERTENTLY DEPLOY THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG.
Consequence: DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAG RESTRAINT SYSTEM WITHOUT WARNING CAN CAUSE A DRIVER TO LOSE VEHICLE CONTROL.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSIBLE LINK WHICH WILL PROTECT THE ROTARY COUPLER FROM OVERHEATING.
Air Bags:frontal
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. AS A RESULT OF CHAFFING OF A CRUISE CONTROL WIRE, THE STEERING WHEEL ROTARY COUPLER CAN OVERHEAT AND INADVERTENTLY DEPLOY THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG.
Consequence: DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAG RESTRAINT SYSTEM WITHOUT WARNING CAN CAUSE A DRIVER TO LOSE VEHICLE CONTROL.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSIBLE LINK WHICH WILL PROTECT THE ROTARY COUPLER FROM OVERHEATING.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.