NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
121 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · Apr 1, 2010
Engine And Engine Cooling
2002 LAND ROVER FREELANDER DEFECTIVE ENGINE REPLACEMENT *CW AFTER TAKING THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE ENGINE HAD A DESIGN FLAW. THE CONSUMER WAS ALSO INFORMED IT WOULD COST$5,800, BUT THE REPLACEMENT ENGINE ALSO HAD A DESIGN FLAW. THE VEHICLE HAD A COOLANT LEAK. THE FIRST COOLANT LEAK WAS FOUND D…
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2002 LAND ROVER FREELANDER DEFECTIVE ENGINE REPLACEMENT *CW AFTER TAKING THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE ENGINE HAD A DESIGN FLAW. THE CONSUMER WAS ALSO INFORMED IT WOULD COST$5,800, BUT THE REPLACEMENT ENGINE ALSO HAD A DESIGN FLAW. THE VEHICLE HAD A COOLANT LEAK. THE FIRST COOLANT LEAK WAS FOUND DURING AN INSPECTION. THE COOLANT OVERFLOW RESERVOIR WAS REPLACED DUE TO A CRACK IN THE PLASTIC CONTAINER. THE SECOND LEAK HAD TO BE PERFORMED DUE TO THE THERMOSTAT LEAKING. UPON COMPLETION OF THE COOLANT LEAK REPAIR, THE TECHNICIAN NOTICED THERE WAS A KNOCKING TYPE NOISE IN THE ENGINE. THE CONSUMER BROUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AND THE NOISE HAD BECOME LOUDER. AFTER LISTENING TO THE MOTOR AND ISOLATING THE KNOCKING NOISE, IT WAS DETERMINED THE NOISE WAS IN THE AREA OF THE #2 CYLINDER CONNECTING ROD DEEP INTO THE ENGINE BLOCK. A CAUSE WAS NEVER DETERMINED FOR THE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE.
NHTSA ODI #10313143
Mileage unknown · Mar 3, 2010
Engine And Engine Cooling
I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO LANDROVER WHEN I NOTICED A LOSS OF POWER IN ENGINE & TAPPING NOISE WHILE IT WAS IN WARRANTY. A FEW TIMES LANDROVER CLASSIFIED MY PROBLEM AS THE THROTTLE, WHICH HAPPENED TO BE A RECALL ITEM. ONCE THEY DID THE "RECALL" REPAIR ON THE THROTTLE IN 4/05, I TOOK IT BACK A FEW DAYS LATER BECAUSE THERE WAS NO CHANGE…
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I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO LANDROVER WHEN I NOTICED A LOSS OF POWER IN ENGINE & TAPPING NOISE WHILE IT WAS IN WARRANTY. A FEW TIMES LANDROVER CLASSIFIED MY PROBLEM AS THE THROTTLE, WHICH HAPPENED TO BE A RECALL ITEM. ONCE THEY DID THE "RECALL" REPAIR ON THE THROTTLE IN 4/05, I TOOK IT BACK A FEW DAYS LATER BECAUSE THERE WAS NO CHANGE AFTER THE INITIAL "RECALL REPAIR". THAN I WAS TOLD IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG ALL FREELANDERS. NOW THAT THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY, I LEARNED ABOUT A TSB THAT CAME OUT A YEAR AFTER I REPORTED MY PROBLEM FOR MY IDENTICAL PROBLEM THAT EXISTED THAN AND NOW THAT LANDROVER TECH'S MISDIAGNOSED, MISTAKEN OR IGNORED FOR SOMETHING ELSE. THEY ARE CLEVER ENOUGH NOT TO INCLUDE WHAT THE CUSTOMER COMPLAINT IS ON THE REPAIR TICKET & ONLY INCLUDE WHAT THEY DID. THE LOSS OF POWER IS UNPREDICTABLE AND IS A HAZARD THAT LANDROVER IS FULLY AWARE OF PER THE TSB LISTED BELOW. IT'S DISTURBING THAT THE REPAIRS DONE TO MY VEHICLE UNDER "RECALL" NEVER FIXES THE PROBLEM. THE ROOF & PILLARS RECALL WAS FIXED TWICE WHEN IN WARRANTY AND BROKE YET AGAIN AND REMAINS BROKEN. LANDROVER NOW WANTS TO CHARGE TO FIX IT AGAIN. WHY, THE FIX DOESN'T WORK. THE VEHICLE HASN'T STOPPED YET, EVENTUALLY IT WILL GET TO THE POINT WHERE I CAN'T DRIVE IT BECAUSE OF THE UNPREDICTABLE BEHAVIOR. KV6 VARIABLE INTAKE MANIFOLD SYSTEM (VIS) MOTOR DIAGNOSTIC AID NO: 19/01/06/NAS FGN 310-00 REF: 19/03/03/NAS TA02TB01, TA021901, TA031901 ISSUE: 1 DATE: 26 JUNE 2006. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10316376
Mileage unknown · Mar 2, 2010
Air BagsEngine And Engine CoolingExterior Lighting
ENGINE ISSUES. REPLACED VACUUM HOSE TO 6TH CYLINDER. ALSO, THE TIMING BELT IS MAKING NOISE AND THE MECHANIC HAS ADVISED I WILL NEED A NEW ENGINE. THE CAR ONLY HAS 68,850 MILES. ALSO, HAVE REPAIRED THE BRAKES ON FIVE OCCASIONS AND THEY STILL SQUEAK. HAD TO REPAIR THE WINDOW REGULATOR. THE SRS LIGHT AND ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT …
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ENGINE ISSUES. REPLACED VACUUM HOSE TO 6TH CYLINDER. ALSO, THE TIMING BELT IS MAKING NOISE AND THE MECHANIC HAS ADVISED I WILL NEED A NEW ENGINE. THE CAR ONLY HAS 68,850 MILES. ALSO, HAVE REPAIRED THE BRAKES ON FIVE OCCASIONS AND THEY STILL SQUEAK. HAD TO REPAIR THE WINDOW REGULATOR. THE SRS LIGHT AND ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT IS ON. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10315905
93,400 miles · Jan 26, 2010
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train
I BOUGHT A 2002 LAND ROVER FREELANDER HSE WITH 92,000MI, ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO, FEW MONTHS AFTER THIS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING, SO I TOOK IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP, IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE THERMOSTAT AND SOME RELATED PARTS, I ENDED UP PAYING 600 DOLLARS. THEN A WEEK AFTER THAT MY TRANSMISSION FELT WEIRD AND SHOWED A CO…
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I BOUGHT A 2002 LAND ROVER FREELANDER HSE WITH 92,000MI, ABOUT 6 MONTHS AGO, FEW MONTHS AFTER THIS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING, SO I TOOK IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP, IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE THERMOSTAT AND SOME RELATED PARTS, I ENDED UP PAYING 600 DOLLARS. THEN A WEEK AFTER THAT MY TRANSMISSION FELT WEIRD AND SHOWED A CODE IN F-4 IN THE DASHBOARD SO I TOOK IT TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND IT TURNS OUT IT IS A SOLENOID, THE REPAIR COST WILL BE ABOUT ANOTHER 300 DLLS. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10302438
161,000 miles · Nov 20, 2009
Engine And Engine Cooling
I OWNED A 2002 LAND OVER FREELANDER, SINCE 2006. IT HAS BEEN HAVING ENGINE PROBLEM 12 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING. I HAVE CONTACTED AND INTERVIEWED OTHER CONSUMERS WITH THE SAME VEHICLE AND ISSUES. WHEN I CONTACTED LAND ROVER, THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THE ENGINE FIRST OVER HEATS, IT THEN HAS A CACKLING SOUND IN THE HEAD…
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I OWNED A 2002 LAND OVER FREELANDER, SINCE 2006. IT HAS BEEN HAVING ENGINE PROBLEM 12 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING. I HAVE CONTACTED AND INTERVIEWED OTHER CONSUMERS WITH THE SAME VEHICLE AND ISSUES. WHEN I CONTACTED LAND ROVER, THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THE ENGINE FIRST OVER HEATS, IT THEN HAS A CACKLING SOUND IN THE HEAD, THE SERVICE ENGINE SIGN IS ALWAYS ON. WHEN I TAKE IT TO THE DEALERS FOR DIAGNOSTICS, ONE EMPLOYEE SAID THAT THESE MODEL VEHICLES COME IN FOR THIS PROBLEM VERY OFTEN. THE VEHICLE WAS ESTIMATED TO COST ME OVER $5,000 TO REPAIR. THIS WAS NOT FEASIBLE BEING THAT THERE WAS A $70,000 PAYMENT LEFT ON THE CAR. I HAD TO TURN IT IN TO THE BANK BUT STILL STUCK WITH A PAYMENT ON A CAR THAT I CAN'T EVEN DRIVE AND WAS MANUFACTURER'S AND DEALERS DEFECT. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10293008
60,000 miles · Oct 2, 2009
Engine And Engine Cooling
MY HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED A 2002 FREELANDER TYPE S WITH AROUND 60,000 MILES ON IT. AFTER OWNING IT FOR LESS THEN A WEEK IT STARTED OVERHEATING. EACH TIME IT WOULD START TO OVERHEAT, IT WOULD REQUIRE US TO IMMEDIATELY PULL OFF THE ROAD TO PREVENT THE ENGINE BLOCK FROM CRACKING. I TOOK IT INTO THE LANDROVER DEALER TO FIND OUT WHA…
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MY HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED A 2002 FREELANDER TYPE S WITH AROUND 60,000 MILES ON IT. AFTER OWNING IT FOR LESS THEN A WEEK IT STARTED OVERHEATING. EACH TIME IT WOULD START TO OVERHEAT, IT WOULD REQUIRE US TO IMMEDIATELY PULL OFF THE ROAD TO PREVENT THE ENGINE BLOCK FROM CRACKING. I TOOK IT INTO THE LANDROVER DEALER TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM COULD AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CYLINDER SLEEVE WAS SLIPPING CAUSING COOLANT TO LEAK INTO THE ENGINE AND MIX WITH OIL AND WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE THE ENGINE TO FREEZE. THE ONLY REMEDY FOR THIS PROBLEM WAS TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AT THE COST OF 12,000 DOLLARS AND THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE LABOR COSTS. AFTER READING QUITE A FEW COMPLAINTS THIS SEEMS TO BE THE NUMBER ONE PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. LANDROVER SHOULD BE AT FAULT AND SHOULD RECALL THE FAULTY PARTS IN THE ENGINE! *TR
NHTSA ODI #10286045
97,000 miles · Sep 11, 2009
Engine And Engine Cooling
WE PURCHASED A 2002 LANDROVER FREELANDER WITH 71,000. REGULAR MAINTENANCE HAD BEEN PERFORMED ON CAR BY ORIGINAL OWNER AND WE CONTINUED IT. IN THE FIRST 2 YEAR OF OWNERSHIP WE HAD TO REPLACE THE WATERPUMP TWICE AT $ 1,100 AND $565. THERE WAS A RECALL ON FUEL FILTER AFTER I HAD IT REPLACED DUE TO BREAKING DOWN. NOW, MY WIFE W…
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WE PURCHASED A 2002 LANDROVER FREELANDER WITH 71,000. REGULAR MAINTENANCE HAD BEEN PERFORMED ON CAR BY ORIGINAL OWNER AND WE CONTINUED IT. IN THE FIRST 2 YEAR OF OWNERSHIP WE HAD TO REPLACE THE WATERPUMP TWICE AT $ 1,100 AND $565. THERE WAS A RECALL ON FUEL FILTER AFTER I HAD IT REPLACED DUE TO BREAKING DOWN. NOW, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING IT AND IT BROKEN DOWN ON SIDE OF HIGHWAY WITH MY 2 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER FROM ALMOST 2 HOURS. SHOP CALLED SAID NEEDS NEW ENGINE BECAUSE BLOCK IS MADE OF ALLOY AND CYLINDER SLEEVE MADE OF STEEL. WHEN THEY GET HOT EXPAND AT DIFFERENT RATES. AFTER A WHILE THIS CAUSE THE SLEEVE TO DROP INTO LOWER BLOCK AND THE ENGINE HAS TO BE REPLACED. IT CANNOT BE REBUILT. THIS COST AT LEAST $4,000 FOR ENGINE PLUS REPAIR. DO A INTERNET SEARCH AND SEE ALL COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ENGINE. MOST GO OUT BETWEEN 50,000 AND 100,000 MILES. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AND NOT LET LANDROVER GET AWAY WITH TAKING ADVANTAGE OF US CITIZEN. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10283671
79,000 miles · Aug 22, 2009
Engine And Engine CoolingFuel System, Gasoline
2002 LAND ROVER FREELANDER. ENGINE REPLACED AT 56,000 MILES, IT IS ONCE AGAIN IN SHOP FOR ENGINE PROBLEMS AT 79,000 MILES. FUEL PUMP REPLACED AT 70,000 MILES. 5-6 BATTERIES HAVE BEEN REPLACED SINCE OWNED CAR IN 2005 AND NO ONE KNOWS PROBLEM. THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP AT LEAST 10 TIMES FOR EXTENDED LENGTHS SINCE I'VE OWNED IT…
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2002 LAND ROVER FREELANDER. ENGINE REPLACED AT 56,000 MILES, IT IS ONCE AGAIN IN SHOP FOR ENGINE PROBLEMS AT 79,000 MILES. FUEL PUMP REPLACED AT 70,000 MILES. 5-6 BATTERIES HAVE BEEN REPLACED SINCE OWNED CAR IN 2005 AND NO ONE KNOWS PROBLEM. THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP AT LEAST 10 TIMES FOR EXTENDED LENGTHS SINCE I'VE OWNED IT. I HAVE KEPT UP WITH ALL OIL CHANGES AND HAVE TAKEN VERY GOOD CARE OF THIS CAR. EVERYTIME I RESEARCH IT, I FIND NOTHING BUT COMPLAINTS A MILE LONG. I BELIEVE THERE TO BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR, AND THINK THAT SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE FOR THE UNFORTUNATE OWNERS OF THEM. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10281394
Mileage unknown · Aug 19, 2009
Engine And Engine CoolingEquipment
I OWN A 2002 FREELANDER SE THAT HAS HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS THAT HAVE LEFT THE CAR STALLING ON THE ROAD OR OVERHEATING. I HAVE ALL REPAIR PAPERWORK AND HAVE OBEYED ALL REGULAR MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES. THE ENGINE SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED BUT LAND ROVER REFUSES TO MAKE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS. OTHER ISSUES HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCED THRO…
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I OWN A 2002 FREELANDER SE THAT HAS HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS THAT HAVE LEFT THE CAR STALLING ON THE ROAD OR OVERHEATING. I HAVE ALL REPAIR PAPERWORK AND HAVE OBEYED ALL REGULAR MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES. THE ENGINE SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED BUT LAND ROVER REFUSES TO MAKE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS. OTHER ISSUES HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCED THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF THE CAR. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10280965
49,800 miles · Jul 23, 2009
Engine And Engine CoolingPower Train
AT LESS THAN 40,000 MILES I NEEDED TO HAVE MY TRANSMISSION REPLACED AND LESS THAN 50,000 I NEEDED TO HAVE THE ENGINE REPLACED BECAUSE OF A HEADGASKET PROBLEM. ALSO MANY OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE BUT THESE WERE THE MAJOR ONES. *TR
NHTSA ODI #10278085
NHTSA investigations
1EA05016 · Brake Light Switch Failure
Opened Oct 14, 2005 · Closed Feb 22, 2007
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights; Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch
ON JUNE 16, 2005, THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE05-034) TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED STOP LAMP (BRAKE) SWITCH FAILURES IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2004 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SERIES II VEHICLES.ON OCTOBER 14, 2005, THE INVESTIGATION WAS UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AND THE SCOPE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE CERTAIN MY 2002 THROUGH 2005 FREELANDER VEHICLES THAT USE A SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR SELF-ADJUSTING STOP LAMP SWITCH FURNISHED BY THE SAME SUPPLIER, METHODE ELECTRONICS MALTA, LTD. (METHODE).IN SEPTEMBER 2003, METHODE MOVED THE PRODUCTION OF AN INTERNAL SWITCH COMPONENT, KNOWN AS THE SLIDER MECHANISM, FROM A VALIDATED PLASTIC INJECTION-MOLDING TOOL (?CAVITY 1?) TO ANOTHER TOOL (?CAVITY 2?) THAT HAD NOT BEEN USED BEFORE TO PRODUCE PARTS FOR LAND ROVER.SLIDERS FROM CAVITY 2 MAY BE CHARACTERIZED BY POOR FILL, LACK OF DEFINITION IN THE SLIDER TEETH AND DIMENSIONAL INSTABILITY.CONSEQUENTLY, THE SLIDER MAY BE UNABLE TO RESTRAIN IMPROPER MOVEMENT OF THE PLUNGER DURING NORMAL BRAKE PEDAL OPERATION.THIS MAY CAUSE THE SWITCH TO FALL OUT OF ADJUSTMENT, THUS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING THE EFFORT REQUIRED TO ENERGIZE THE SWITCH AND ILLUMINATE THE STOP LAMPS.?CAVITY 2? SWITCHES WERE INSTALLED IN APPROXIMATELY 8,763 DISCOVERY SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT FROM DECEMBER 2003 THROUGH MAY 2004 AND APPROXIMATELY 3,915 FREELANDER SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT FROM OCTOBER 2003 THROUGH MAY 2004.ADDITIONALLY, STOP LAMP SWITCHES IN CERTAIN MY 2002 THROUGH 2005 FREELANDER SUBJECT VEHICLES MAY SLIP OUT OF ADJUSTMENT AS A RESULT OF SWITCH DAMAGE DUE TO AN INCORRECT SETTING PROCEDURE DURING VEHICLE MANUFACTURE OR AS A RESULT OF SWITCH MOUNTING BRACKET FLEX.ANALYSIS OF ALL AVAILABLE DATA INDICATES THE PREDOMINANT FAILURE MODE IS CONSTANT STOP LAMP ILLUMINATION.OTHER REPORTED CONSEQUENCES OF STOP LAMP SWITCH MALADJUSTMENT INCLUDE INOPERATIVE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION GEAR SELECTOR/BRAKE PEDAL SHIFT INTERLOCK, INOPERATIVE SPEED (CRUISE) CONTROL, AND TELLTALE ILLUMINATION AS DESCRIBED IN TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) NO. LT206-001 DATED OCTOBER 28, 2004 ISSUED BY THE MANUFACTURER TO LAND ROVER DEALERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM (UK).TO DATE, ODI IS AWARE OF 77 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS THAT ALLEGE STOP LAMP SWITCH FAILURE ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES (10 COMPLAINTS ON MY 2004 DISCOVERY, 45 ON MY 2002 FREELANDER, 19 ON MY 2003 FREELANDER, AND 3 ON MY 2004 FREELANDER VEHICLES).ADDITIONALLY, 4,595 DISCOVERY AND 13,370 FREELANDER SUBJECT VEHICLES HAVE EXPERIENCED ONE OR MORE WARRANTY CLAIMS TO REPLACE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH.OF THE 5,170 WARRANTY CLAIMS PAID TO REPLACE STOP LAMP SWITCHES ON DISCOVERY SUBJECT VEHICLES, APPROXIMATELY 31% OCCURRED BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS SOLD NEW AND APPROXIMATELY 88% OCCURRED WITHIN THE FIRST 12 MONTHS OF VEHICLE SERVICE.THE WARRANTY TREND ON DISCOVERY SUBJECT VEHICLES IS IN DECLINE WITH 3,545 CLAIMS PAID IN CALENDAR YEAR (CY) 2004, 1,303 CLAIMS PAID IN CY 2005, AND 322 CLAIMS PAID IN CY 2006 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 28, 2006 (WHICH IS WHEN ODI LAST RECEIVED UPDATED WARRANTY CLAIMS DATA FROM LAND ROVER), AND IT APPEARS THAT THE ALLEGED DEFECT ON DISCOVER SUBJECT VEHICLES HAS BEEN REMEDIED THROUGH WARRANTY REPAIRS.HOWEVER, ODI ANALYSIS OF THE MANUFACTURER?S WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RECORDS INDICATES THE FAILURE TREND ON CERTAIN FREELANDER SUBJECT VEHICLES IS ONGOING.BY LETTER DATED FEBRUARY 2, 2007, LAND ROVER HAS NOTIFIED ODI THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL (NHTSA RECALL NO. 07V-041) TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE STOP LAMP SWITCHES IN APPROXIMATELY 33,247 MY 2002 THROUGH 2005 FREELANDER VEHICLES BUILT AT THE SOLIHULL, UK ASSEMBLY PLANT FROM SEPTEMBER 5, 2001 THROUGH MAY 19, 2005. ALTHOUGH ODI HAS CONCERN
Additional source detail variants (2)
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights
ON JUNE 16, 2005, THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE05-034) TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED STOP LAMP (BRAKE) SWITCH FAILURES IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2004 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SERIES II VEHICLES.ON OCTOBER 14, 2005, THE INVESTIGATION WAS UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AND THE SCOPE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE CERTAIN MY 2002 THROUGH 2005 FREELANDER VEHICLES THAT USE A SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR SELF-ADJUSTING STOP LAMP SWITCH FURNISHED BY THE SAME SUPPLIER, METHODE ELECTRONICS MALTA, LTD. (METHODE).IN SEPTEMBER 2003, METHODE MOVED THE PRODUCTION OF AN INTERNAL SWITCH COMPONENT, KNOWN AS THE SLIDER MECHANISM, FROM A VALIDATED PLASTIC INJECTION-MOLDING TOOL (?CAVITY 1?) TO ANOTHER TOOL (?CAVITY 2?) THAT HAD NOT BEEN USED BEFORE TO PRODUCE PARTS FOR LAND ROVER.SLIDERS FROM CAVITY 2 MAY BE CHARACTERIZED BY POOR FILL, LACK OF DEFINITION IN THE SLIDER TEETH AND DIMENSIONAL INSTABILITY.CONSEQUENTLY, THE SLIDER MAY BE UNABLE TO RESTRAIN IMPROPER MOVEMENT OF THE PLUNGER DURING NORMAL BRAKE PEDAL OPERATION.THIS MAY CAUSE THE SWITCH TO FALL OUT OF ADJUSTMENT, THUS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING THE EFFORT REQUIRED TO ENERGIZE THE SWITCH AND ILLUMINATE THE STOP LAMPS.?CAVITY 2? SWITCHES WERE INSTALLED IN APPROXIMATELY 8,763 DISCOVERY SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT FROM DECEMBER 2003 THROUGH MAY 2004 AND APPROXIMATELY 3,915 FREELANDER SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT FROM OCTOBER 2003 THROUGH MAY 2004.ADDITIONALLY, STOP LAMP SWITCHES IN CERTAIN MY 2002 THROUGH 2005 FREELANDER SUBJECT VEHICLES MAY SLIP OUT OF ADJUSTMENT AS A RESULT OF SWITCH DAMAGE DUE TO AN INCORRECT SETTING PROCEDURE DURING VEHICLE MANUFACTURE OR AS A RESULT OF SWITCH MOUNTING BRACKET FLEX.ANALYSIS OF ALL AVAILABLE DATA INDICATES THE PREDOMINANT FAILURE MODE IS CONSTANT STOP LAMP ILLUMINATION.OTHER REPORTED CONSEQUENCES OF STOP LAMP SWITCH MALADJUSTMENT INCLUDE INOPERATIVE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION GEAR SELECTOR/BRAKE PEDAL SHIFT INTERLOCK, INOPERATIVE SPEED (CRUISE) CONTROL, AND TELLTALE ILLUMINATION AS DESCRIBED IN TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) NO. LT206-001 DATED OCTOBER 28, 2004 ISSUED BY THE MANUFACTURER TO LAND ROVER DEALERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM (UK).TO DATE, ODI IS AWARE OF 77 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS THAT ALLEGE STOP LAMP SWITCH FAILURE ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES (10 COMPLAINTS ON MY 2004 DISCOVERY, 45 ON MY 2002 FREELANDER, 19 ON MY 2003 FREELANDER, AND 3 ON MY 2004 FREELANDER VEHICLES).ADDITIONALLY, 4,595 DISCOVERY AND 13,370 FREELANDER SUBJECT VEHICLES HAVE EXPERIENCED ONE OR MORE WARRANTY CLAIMS TO REPLACE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH.OF THE 5,170 WARRANTY CLAIMS PAID TO REPLACE STOP LAMP SWITCHES ON DISCOVERY SUBJECT VEHICLES, APPROXIMATELY 31% OCCURRED BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS SOLD NEW AND APPROXIMATELY 88% OCCURRED WITHIN THE FIRST 12 MONTHS OF VEHICLE SERVICE.THE WARRANTY TREND ON DISCOVERY SUBJECT VEHICLES IS IN DECLINE WITH 3,545 CLAIMS PAID IN CALENDAR YEAR (CY) 2004, 1,303 CLAIMS PAID IN CY 2005, AND 322 CLAIMS PAID IN CY 2006 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 28, 2006 (WHICH IS WHEN ODI LAST RECEIVED UPDATED WARRANTY CLAIMS DATA FROM LAND ROVER), AND IT APPEARS THAT THE ALLEGED DEFECT ON DISCOVER SUBJECT VEHICLES HAS BEEN REMEDIED THROUGH WARRANTY REPAIRS.HOWEVER, ODI ANALYSIS OF THE MANUFACTURER?S WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RECORDS INDICATES THE FAILURE TREND ON CERTAIN FREELANDER SUBJECT VEHICLES IS ONGOING.BY LETTER DATED FEBRUARY 2, 2007, LAND ROVER HAS NOTIFIED ODI THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL (NHTSA RECALL NO. 07V-041) TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE STOP LAMP SWITCHES IN APPROXIMATELY 33,247 MY 2002 THROUGH 2005 FREELANDER VEHICLES BUILT AT THE SOLIHULL, UK ASSEMBLY PLANT FROM SEPTEMBER 5, 2001 THROUGH MAY 19, 2005. ALTHOUGH ODI HAS CONCERN
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch
ON JUNE 16, 2005, THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE05-034) TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED STOP LAMP (BRAKE) SWITCH FAILURES IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2004 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SERIES II VEHICLES.ON OCTOBER 14, 2005, THE INVESTIGATION WAS UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AND THE SCOPE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE CERTAIN MY 2002 THROUGH 2005 FREELANDER VEHICLES THAT USE A SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR SELF-ADJUSTING STOP LAMP SWITCH FURNISHED BY THE SAME SUPPLIER, METHODE ELECTRONICS MALTA, LTD. (METHODE).IN SEPTEMBER 2003, METHODE MOVED THE PRODUCTION OF AN INTERNAL SWITCH COMPONENT, KNOWN AS THE SLIDER MECHANISM, FROM A VALIDATED PLASTIC INJECTION-MOLDING TOOL (?CAVITY 1?) TO ANOTHER TOOL (?CAVITY 2?) THAT HAD NOT BEEN USED BEFORE TO PRODUCE PARTS FOR LAND ROVER.SLIDERS FROM CAVITY 2 MAY BE CHARACTERIZED BY POOR FILL, LACK OF DEFINITION IN THE SLIDER TEETH AND DIMENSIONAL INSTABILITY.CONSEQUENTLY, THE SLIDER MAY BE UNABLE TO RESTRAIN IMPROPER MOVEMENT OF THE PLUNGER DURING NORMAL BRAKE PEDAL OPERATION.THIS MAY CAUSE THE SWITCH TO FALL OUT OF ADJUSTMENT, THUS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING THE EFFORT REQUIRED TO ENERGIZE THE SWITCH AND ILLUMINATE THE STOP LAMPS.?CAVITY 2? SWITCHES WERE INSTALLED IN APPROXIMATELY 8,763 DISCOVERY SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT FROM DECEMBER 2003 THROUGH MAY 2004 AND APPROXIMATELY 3,915 FREELANDER SUBJECT VEHICLES BUILT FROM OCTOBER 2003 THROUGH MAY 2004.ADDITIONALLY, STOP LAMP SWITCHES IN CERTAIN MY 2002 THROUGH 2005 FREELANDER SUBJECT VEHICLES MAY SLIP OUT OF ADJUSTMENT AS A RESULT OF SWITCH DAMAGE DUE TO AN INCORRECT SETTING PROCEDURE DURING VEHICLE MANUFACTURE OR AS A RESULT OF SWITCH MOUNTING BRACKET FLEX.ANALYSIS OF ALL AVAILABLE DATA INDICATES THE PREDOMINANT FAILURE MODE IS CONSTANT STOP LAMP ILLUMINATION.OTHER REPORTED CONSEQUENCES OF STOP LAMP SWITCH MALADJUSTMENT INCLUDE INOPERATIVE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION GEAR SELECTOR/BRAKE PEDAL SHIFT INTERLOCK, INOPERATIVE SPEED (CRUISE) CONTROL, AND TELLTALE ILLUMINATION AS DESCRIBED IN TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) NO. LT206-001 DATED OCTOBER 28, 2004 ISSUED BY THE MANUFACTURER TO LAND ROVER DEALERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM (UK).TO DATE, ODI IS AWARE OF 77 NON-DUPLICATIVE COMPLAINTS THAT ALLEGE STOP LAMP SWITCH FAILURE ON THE SUBJECT VEHICLES (10 COMPLAINTS ON MY 2004 DISCOVERY, 45 ON MY 2002 FREELANDER, 19 ON MY 2003 FREELANDER, AND 3 ON MY 2004 FREELANDER VEHICLES).ADDITIONALLY, 4,595 DISCOVERY AND 13,370 FREELANDER SUBJECT VEHICLES HAVE EXPERIENCED ONE OR MORE WARRANTY CLAIMS TO REPLACE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH.OF THE 5,170 WARRANTY CLAIMS PAID TO REPLACE STOP LAMP SWITCHES ON DISCOVERY SUBJECT VEHICLES, APPROXIMATELY 31% OCCURRED BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS SOLD NEW AND APPROXIMATELY 88% OCCURRED WITHIN THE FIRST 12 MONTHS OF VEHICLE SERVICE.THE WARRANTY TREND ON DISCOVERY SUBJECT VEHICLES IS IN DECLINE WITH 3,545 CLAIMS PAID IN CALENDAR YEAR (CY) 2004, 1,303 CLAIMS PAID IN CY 2005, AND 322 CLAIMS PAID IN CY 2006 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 28, 2006 (WHICH IS WHEN ODI LAST RECEIVED UPDATED WARRANTY CLAIMS DATA FROM LAND ROVER), AND IT APPEARS THAT THE ALLEGED DEFECT ON DISCOVER SUBJECT VEHICLES HAS BEEN REMEDIED THROUGH WARRANTY REPAIRS.HOWEVER, ODI ANALYSIS OF THE MANUFACTURER?S WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RECORDS INDICATES THE FAILURE TREND ON CERTAIN FREELANDER SUBJECT VEHICLES IS ONGOING.BY LETTER DATED FEBRUARY 2, 2007, LAND ROVER HAS NOTIFIED ODI THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL (NHTSA RECALL NO. 07V-041) TO REPLACE DEFECTIVE STOP LAMP SWITCHES IN APPROXIMATELY 33,247 MY 2002 THROUGH 2005 FREELANDER VEHICLES BUILT AT THE SOLIHULL, UK ASSEMBLY PLANT FROM SEPTEMBER 5, 2001 THROUGH MAY 19, 2005. ALTHOUGH ODI HAS CONCERN