2002 Land Rover Freelander: sudden loss of power

Filed Dec 17, 2012 · Engine · 49,807 miles · RI

On november 1st my wife and I left la proper headed towards phoenix, az. With the mileage now at 49,807 and approximately 2 hours of driving on I 10 the car was losing power, so I did my best to safely pull over to the break down lane which was next to the on ramp (very scary). I had been driving at 65 miles per hour when the car would no longer accelerate. I had to call a tow truck because after I let it rest a minute or two it wouldn't turn over. When I looked under the hood I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, no smoke, the coolant tank was full, I checked the oil dipstick and it seemed fine. There were no lights that came on inside the auto to signal that something was wrong, no overheating etc. I had it towed to the nearest dealer and was told to come back next morning. I was told that the engine blew a gasket and was advised due to damage to the engine was to replace it. I was quoted a price of $10,000.00! I ended up selling it for salvage for $500 since we were traveling so far away from home and the cost to tow it to rhode island didn't seem worth it. Since then I have contacted land rover and have been given the run around like many other owners. I also have had the chance since this occurrence to check via internet that this is not unusual for the 2002 freelander. I feel this engine should of been recalled.

Filed Nov 15, 2010 · Brakes, Engine · 120,840 miles · CA

1 numerous problems over several years, including (but not limited to) sudden loss of coolant and oil. And yesterday, a strong smell of hot oil, and sudden squealing from right, front wheel. 2 complete loss of engine power. Vehicle is no longer drivable. 3 contacted landrover.

Filed Mar 3, 2010 · Engine · AZ

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.

Filed Sep 3, 2008 · Body, Transmission · 48,000 miles · CO

Mechanical problems immediately after purchase required 4-5 trips to dealership before they fixed it. I don't' recall the exact problem. Sunroof motor died & had to be replaced. Left rear window regulator died and had to be replaced. Right rear window regulator died and had to be replaced. Broken latch on hood had to be replaced. Check engine light and excessive cranking 6/1/02 and 8/17/02 dealership cleared codes no repairs. Service engine soon light and excessive cranking 9/17/02, dealership replaced leaking fuel pump. Service engine soon light and shifting problems 3/2006, dealership sent me home no repairs. Service engine soon light and car lost power while driving, throttle body had a short and dealership replaced. Service engine soon light and delay in shifting from 2nd to 3rd 9/1/08. Have not had this diagnosed yet. Suspect bad solenoids or transmission failure.

Filed Jun 13, 2008 · Engine, Locks · 75,000 miles · NH

Vehicle was purchased with 40,000 miles on it from a dealership in december of 2004. Day after vehicle was purchased rear window motor broke. Dealership replaced. Two weeks later car began to lose power, dealership replaced sensor. Loss of power again dealership ending up performing engine work. Vehicle continually displaced hill decent / track control light. Dealership replaced. At 65000 miles keyless entry stopped unlocking all doors with the exception of the driver's side door. Doors can no longer be unlocked from the inside as well. Rear passenger window on driver's side does not go down. Loss of power issue is happening again now at 75,000 miles.

Filed Jun 3, 2008 · Transmission · 66,938 miles · WV

Transmission failed causing loss of power and movement. Towed to transmission repair shop and had to have the transmission re-built. Hill decent light would come on and stay on while driving until engine was turned off for no reason before the failure of the transmission occurred.

Filed Apr 10, 2008 · Engine, Transmission · 50,300 miles · MA

Our well-maintained 2002 freelander had engine and transmission failure within 6 months of reaching 50,000 miles. In both cases the failures occurred during highway driving with no warning lights or indications of problems. In both cases the loss of power/control posed a serious health hazard to everyone in the car. One of these events occurred immediately following service and safety check by the dealer. This care is so badly designed that is a driving hazard and should be recalled in its entirety. The very extensive information on major failures without warning attest to the dangers that this vehicle is imposing on the public on a daily basis.

Filed Jul 20, 2007 · Engine · 52,400 miles · NC

My landrover freelander se (2002) stop in the middle of the road due to loss of power... So many customers have various complaint against land rover product,.... See following complaints from various people. Landrover still selling cars in us, how long it will take for us government to interfere and help consumers to provide support? We must do something asap and don't approve any cars from manufacturers like land rover. Please respond at your convenience,

Filed May 29, 2007 · Engine · 61,034 miles · NY

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 land rover freelander. While driving, the heat shut down inside the vehicle. The dealer stated that her heater coil failed. The contact took the vehicle to a different mechanic because it was out of warranty. The heater coil was repaired. Approximately ten months later, the vehicle failed inspection. The mechanic performed a diagnostic but was unable to determine the cause of failure. As the inspection was being performed, the vehicle lost all power and would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who disassembled the engine and removed the head gasket. She left the vehicle at the dealer and a few days later, the dealer stated that the engine was completely dead. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of failure and stated that nothing could be done because the vehicle was out of warranty. The federal trade commission would not help either. The current and failure mileages were 61,034.

Filed Dec 14, 2006 · Brakes, Engine · 73,888 miles · FL

In october of 2002 my husband and I purchased a 2002 freelander from landrover north dade of florida. The car was in the showroom with minimal miles. Within three(3) days of purchase we returned the car because it shook violently after reaching a speed of 50 MPH. I must admit the dealership advised us of some type of malfunction and offered us an exact replacement freelander. At that point we should have asked for a refund of our cash payment and left landrover alone. It has been a completely expensive nightmare diving this lemon with its myriad of problems: repeated overheating, loss of power without warning (often times resulting in close call situations, replaced brakes and rotor (lost count), not to mention an air conditioner unit that only works on full power(imagine that in florida). At present, the vehicle is at an authorized landrover repair shop because the warranty has ended. The landrover dealership has been negligent even rude when approached regarding all these mechanical defects. Two weeks out of every two to three months, my young children and I are without transportation and at least $800.00 minimum, each time. Most importantly however is my fear to drive the car at all, and to add insult to injury, we are offered $3000.00 by carmax when we attempted to sell them a car we purchased for over $30,000. With 73k miles.

Filed Aug 25, 2004 · Fuel system · GA

I purchased a 2002 freelander s in october 2003. The vehicle was a demo model, with approximately 8,000 miles. In the 10 months that I've owned the vehicle, I have had to have brake and rotor work done, and have had to have the fuel pump replaced. I have complained on three separate occassions about the vehicle losing power. I have also had to have the headliner replaced, along with several other small problems. The most recent concern for me is the 3 times in 20 days that the vehicle has had to be towed into the dealership. The fuel pump was "repaired" a few days ago, yet one day after picking the vehicle up from the dealership, the car broke down and had to be towed in for repairs. I am now told that it was a problem with the fuel gauge. The headache of owning this vehicle is too much. I've never had any problems like this with previous vehicles.