My land rover freelander has been in to the dealership for coolant smells coming into the cabin 20+ times and has never been repaired. They have replaced external parts, (reservoir tank, hoses and thermostats) and never fixed the problem. After researching the problem while it was still under warranty on my own, I found a complaint about head gasket problems with the k series engine and was told by the dealer that they new nothing about it, and you can't believe everything you read on the internet. Since then I called the ca bureau of automotive repair and had an agent investigate. The dealership offered to send it to another warranty shop which found a bad head gasket. I also called l/r direct to try and find out what they may be able to do for me. They told me they would not replace the engine because it cost $11,000 +, and the replacement engine will fail also. The engine was manufactured incorrectly at the factory. The cylinder sleeves are the wrong alloy and loosen when the engine is hot causing head gasket and eventually total engine failure. Land rover has known about this problem since 2004, technical bulletin #0036 and #0026 issued 06/18/2004. The manufacturer offered me $3500 to buy my car from me, and would not replace the engine. The vehicle only has 54,000 miles on it. This seems to be a safety hazard as well as a health issue from breathing in toxic fumes from the coolant. There have been other incidents with this vehicle which are to many to mention in this letter. Please contact asap about this matter.
2003 Land Rover Freelander engine complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 91, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl-the contact owns a 2003 land rover freelander. While driving at any speed the vehicle would stall. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was told the head gasket needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure continues. The failure mileage was 36,000 and the current mileage was 55,000. The VIN was unavailable. Sm.
Tl*the contact owns 2003 land rover freelander. While driving approximately 10 MPH he noticed that the temperature gauge displayed that the vehicle was hot. He pulled over, inspected the vehicle and noticed that the fan was running at a very high rate. The contact had to add anti freeze every other time fuel was added to the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who advised him to replace the engine because of a well know coolant failure. The local mechanic advised him to continue adding coolant and that if the failure continued to occur the seal could break, mix with the coolant and ruin the engine. The vehicle was purchased used in june 2010. The engine was destroyed when the complaint was filed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 58,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.
2003 land rover freeland - began to experience a mysterious loss of coolant. Made multiple trips to local garage - they were unable to locate leak. Checked web site - it's a well-known engine flaw with the freeland that leads to engine failure. I bought this car in 2003 from lr dealer. Technical bulletins were issued back in 2005. Went to dealership yesterday - $8000-$10000 to replace engine if they could get one. Evidently, it's difficult to get engines. Service department knows the problem well - told me my car was junk and lr was well aware. Asked what was done for owners since it was a well known documented design flaw. Nothing! Told me I was lucky it did not happen sooner. Lr is just preying on the innocent public by refusing to deal with what is clearly of their own making.
03 freelander, purchased used with 74,000 miles. Engine had knocking noise, was told by dealer that was "normal", not even ninety days later fuel pump failed. Ok, no big deal. Towed car 90 miles to lr dealer for covered part. Was determined at lr dealer that there were serious issues with engine and vehicle was not safe to drive. Coolant mixing with oil, etc. Have read all of the issues I am experiencing in forums online. This is a defective vehicle and lr needs to be held responsible before someone gets hurt.
I have a landrover freelander 2003. The car needed a new engine at 41,000 miles and right after that transmission seals had to be repaired right after that air. Heating units were replaced now the car is at 73,000 miles and the dealer is telling me that I need a new engine again for the same problem coolant and oil mixing ,which was the problem I had in 2007 when they replaced the engine. The car is at the dealer for the past two weeks and they are refusing to give me a loaner because I have contacted land rover to see what they are going to do about the garbage of a car and they are taking their time resolving the issue.
2003 landrover freeland - began to experience a mysterious loss of coolant. Made multiple trips to local garage - they were unable to locate leak. Local garage contacted landrover. Turns out not so mysterious leak. It's a well know engine flaw with the freeland that leads to engine failure. I bought this car in 2007 from lr dealer. Technical bulletins were issued back in 2005. Went to dealership yesterday - $8000-$10000 to replace engine if they could get one. Evidently, it's difficult to get engines. I paid $11600 for the care 2.5 yrs ago. Service department was knows the problem well - told me my car was junk and lr was well aware. Asked what was done for owners since it was a well known documented design flaw. Nothing! Told me I was lucky it did not happen sooner. Heck - there is event a youtube video posted by another lr dealership which shows exactly what the problem is, and what needs to be done to fix it. Lr is just preying on the innocent public by refusing to deal with what is clearly of their own making. Landrover is a -0- integrity corp!!!
I am having problem with the entire engine system. I spent $1000 repairing the timing belt, yet the timing belt persist with engine failure. Mass airflow meter keep blowing up, I am bought 3 at $325 so far. I have spent another $2000 to get the engine fixed still no solutions. Highlight keeps coming on every time I press the brake light. The car won't speed up check engine lights come on, SRS light is on everything in this car is bad as a result make it real unsafe. Please people try to do something for the people that drive this and hopefully get it off the market.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 land rover freelander. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, the vehicle over heated. A local mechanic performed a diagnostic test. The timing belt and the water pump were replaced. Two weeks later the vehicle over heated again and it was taken back to the mechanic who then replaced the over flow reservoir and hoses. When the vehicle over heated the third time it was taken to an authorized dealer. The dealer replaced the thermostat but the failure recurred. The dealer stated that there was air in the engine, which was removed; yet, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer. The manufacturer was notified and advised the contact that they were willing to buy back the vehicle for less than the purchase price. The contact refused and was advised that they would investigate the failure and notify her of the results. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 51,483 and the current mileage was approximately 55,900.
I took my car to tuffy service center on 02/16/2008 to have my car serviced for a timing belt. After they changed the belt and put everything back . The odometer switched from mileage to kilometers. When talking to dealerships, they mention that they have seen this before and it is common. If it is common why they do not recall the vehicles and fix them.
2003 freelander land rover - transmission died at 40000 miles and coolant system failed 2 weeks later. Dealer will not repair, car is incredibly unreliable and hence unsafe.
Coolant is leaking visibly in coolant bowl. I add coolant on a monthly basis and dealer tells me to replace thermostat ($1,000). Coolant still leaking visibly so they replace bowl. Coolant still leaking visibly. I have foggy windows and the dealer tells me this is vapor from the coolant leakage. So now I am inhaling coolant (glycol) which is probably a toxic chemical. Now I have to replace a heating sensor where the coolant is leaking still. Cost is $1100, dealer tells me at least I don't have the big problem. I say, what is that? He says the coolant can leak in about 1/3 of the freelanders and it can ruin the engine. The cost of a rebuilt engine is $7,000. This is the same engine and will most likely have the same problems!
Known defective metal used in engine with this model... Causes engine to overheat and engine failure, coolant loss... Etc. First overheating in my ownership of the car... Busted thermostat 1500.00 repair estimate.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 land rover freelander. The contact was driving at an unknown speed rate on normal road conditions. There was a strong odor of coolant inside of the vehicle. Suddenly, smoked expelled from underneath the hood. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle. There was a coolant leakage. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician replaced the thermostat. The identical failures occurred on thirty separate occasions. The components replaced over a period of time consist of the head gasket and replacement of the engine three separate occasions. The failures continued after the repairs performed on the vehicle. There were no resolutions. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The contact had concern of the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was unavailable. The current mileage was 105,000. The VIN was unavailable.
When I purchase my car jan 2009 it had roughly 56,000 miles on it. I did notice that when I started it in the morning it had a funny sound. I tried to bring back to the dealership several times to have it looked at, either no one was there to help me or the noise was gone since the car was warm. I notice some smoke a week ago and filled the antifreeze fluid back to max line, then I notice the antifreeze was down past the min line again, with no antifreeze on the ground??? Took it in the shop and he gave a list of this wrong, intake manifold valves always open, bank 1 & 2 lean, he replace my "t" connector, just to name some.. Oh yeah and noise coming from three different places.. Valve tran, water pump/timing belt and the alternator. No he told me it will cost thousand of dollars to fix it.
Coolant has been leaking into the engine ever since I purchased about 18 months ago. Landrover finally acknowledge the problem but now there is not enough funds on my extended warranty to cover a new engine. For the past 18 months my vehicle has been at the dealership at least half the time. It just seems like a big cover up.
After knowing about the coolant problems of this car we took care, had an coolant flush and regularly control that there was enough coolant. When we noticed that the coolant was running low, we topped it off, but this happened again and again without any obvious leaking. The repair facility saw some cracks in the coolant tank so we changed it, a few days later the car did not work at all and hand to be towed. The whole engine had to be change; the explanation was coolant was leaking and mixing with oil. Now, with the new engine there are again warning lights blinking and repair facility told us we could need a new intake manifold. Meanwhile the coolant was low again and we had to change the thermostat because they found a leaking there. There are so many complaints with the coolant and engine to find in the internet and even on this page, so when do they recall the coolant system and engine??
Coolant leaks into the engine in the 2003 land rover freelander. Problem started at 25,000 miles and was dismissed by the land rover dealer (frankel land rover- hunt valley) who I bought the car from. I bought it brand new. Eventually at about 60,000 miles they told me I would need a new engine after the warranty expired. I continued to fill the coolant chamber daily and drove it until it completely failed at 103,000 miles while I was driving on the baltimore beltway (695) at 60 MPH. Freelander k-series engines have been known to drop the cylinder liners into the block. Because the liners are steel and the block is alloy, the liners being harder, work their way into the block. This is due to the engine block and cylinder head being composed of different materials that expand at different rates with heat generated during running of the vehicle. This can cause the head gasket to fail. The head gasket/cylinder liner design fault has not been classified as a recall.
The 2003 landrover freelander stalled on 2 seperate ocassions,once in an active intersection with barely missing being struck by another vehicle. The 2nd time ocurred about 4 minutes before the previous instance. Additionally,the vehicle as a whole shouldn't be on the highway. To my knowledge this vehicle has never been in an accident and it's uncertain if it may be refurbished from a area where damage was such that some work and relocation presented it for sale elsewhere. The vehicle purchased at a little over 73,000 miles has been in the shop 14 times in 27 months totalling well over $10,000 in repairs. I paid $12,288 for the vehicle. Intake maniifold gaskets,cylinder head gaskets, head bolts,cam bolts, the famed "coolant leak" that has coolant leaking into the engine causing it to cease up. That's the only thing that hasn't happened mechanically with this vehicle. I ride around, when it's not in the shop,with coolant in the back in case its starts to steam again. Lock assemblys (2x), torque converter motor,themostat and several other issues that make it non-highway worthy. This is just mine, at the emunds.com automotive forum among the many others I visited there are hundreds of others with the same problems and are left with either, broken down sitting in the driveway, in the driveway after its last repair so miles are kept low for resale or forced to procure another vehicle or mode of transportation, or forced to continue driving it as its their only source of transportation and low resources while still paying a loan on it and an extended warranty company that you hope doesn't dance around the responsibility of paying for repairs that are obvious covered items in the warranty. Finally, if it weren't bad enough to be stuck with this vehicle and not know if it will remain operable for the length of the loan,currently 48 months, I can't even rely on the vehicle to safely transport my wife and daugther. Landrover mechanics can't keep these vehicles on the road.
Engine needed to be replaced. Mechanic said that the coolant was going into engine and mixing with the oil causing oil pressure to drop. Also pistons were cracked because engine was running to hot (possible cause). I have numerous problems with this car windows, left passenger door jams up, thermostat needed to be replaced, fuel pump needed to be replaced after car stalled while I was driving, brake lights were malfunctioning dealership said I had replaced wrong bulb on one brake light and that caused malfunction. I found out after shelling out 400 dollars that there was a recall on brakes. I have also had to replace battery the battery twice in the five years I have owned this car. All window motors had to be worked on front right twice.
Well I have had several problems with the landrover. Its a horrible car, I have already replaced the engine twice, along with a faulty brake light that was later recalled. This summer, my car began to smoke and overheat I immediately took it to the shop I was told there had been a crack and the coolant was leaking into my engine. They fixed the vehicle, a week later the crack came back but this time my sixteen year old daughter was driving and it began to smoke leaving her stranded on the freeway. I again took it to the shop and it was fixed they replaced the pipe and fixed the crack. 2 days later the same thing happened she was again stranded on the freeway, and it was taken back to the shop. We were told by our mechanic that I now needed to replace my engine for the third time and it was a complete lemon. I called landrover and they were very rude, and said they could do nothing. I began to read reviews about the vehicle and this apparently has happened to about 85 % of the vehicles. Please recall this car so people know the dangers of this vehicle , and me and the rest of the landrover owners can get justice!
Car lost power on highway after driving 10 miles at speed of 65-70 MPH, exiting the highway. Temperature gauge showed high temperature only when decreasing speed. Coolant was smelled in the engine compartment. Car was towed to repair shop. Repair shop did not have proper equipment. Land rover of st.louis was called. Repair dept. Told me that the repair would total more than the vehicle was worth, the engine had known problems for that model year. Nothing has been done, due to lack of funds and the advice of the repair shop.
2003 landrover freelander with 35000 when problems started. Check engine light came on soon after purchase. Car wouldn't hold coolant and constantly overheated. We drove it as little as possible. Engine blew on highway. Certified mechanic said it was because of the head gasket and that engine needed replaced for approx $6500.
1. The head gasket fails allowing coolant to leak into the crank case, which at highway speeds the motor locks up., which can cause a serious accident 2. When the failure occurs the motor is destroyed, and there are thousands of people with these vehicles with defective motors and land rover refuses to do anything if out of warranty. But they are aware of the problem because the new freelander has a completely different motor design which shows that they were aware of this defect. We need your assistance im making this safety issue a national recall. 3. Land rover totally refuses to do anything, they say take it to a land rover dealership, but it will be all at your expense.
I purchased new a 2003 freelander land rover. This vehicle has had so many conditions including the engine, cooling system, brake and lights system, corrosion. At this point the coolant has manage its way into the engine and mixed with the engine oil, which I attribute those whom have had the engine abruptly stalled, the cause for it. There are many sites and mechanics that will explain this failure to be a badly design and constructed engine. Land rover continues to replace the broken parts but they continue to brake. It needs a totally different construction for this problems to stop. I have all records of maintenance if needed.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 land rover freelander. The contact stated that the engine was warm and the vehicle failed to start after several attempts. The engine was overheating prior to the failure. There were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was inspected by a certified mechanic, who stated that the failure was contributed to the head gasket. The mechanic further stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 55,000. Updated 8/10/09 *cn updated 08/13/09.
I am driving an SUV - freelander se3 of the land rover, and have a defect that is getting worse as the car get into highs miles. I can be driving over 50 miles per hour and the service engine light came up, followed by t/c and decent hill lights, them the car have a strong jump and the d (drive mode) change to a flashing "f" "4"- them suddenly the engine shotoff. I drive with the fear that one day I will not be able to pull over and I will be crashing. Another problem is that the vehicle loss total power and stop moving, no matter how hard I press down the gas pedal.
We were driving our 2003 land rover freelander down freeway in portland, or and all the sudden the thermometer began to bounce around, then the car decided not to go anymore and the engine died on freeway !! Someone could have been seriously injured for a defect in the motor that land rover has known about. Once three transients helped us we got it to a safe place and lifted the hood while clouds of something was billowing out. Car would start but not stay running and all fluids would run right through it.. Land rover portland told me that it would need a new motor. This car only has approx. 65k miles on it. Are you serious!!! Land rover what a cop out... Their should be a recall on this motor before someone get seriously injured or killed. So far nothing can be done to correct the failure because land rover no longer carries this motor, what are we supposed to do!!!!
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 land rover freelander. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle began overheating. There was no fire or smoke, but the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was hot. The contact took the vehicle to a toyota dealer, but they could not find any failure or a leak. The contact had to continuously place coolant in the vehicle to prevent it from overheating. Six months after the failure began, the engine shut off while driving 5 MPH in the driveway. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that there was engine damage, which could have possibly been the water pump leaking coolant due to overheating. The only solution would be to replace the entire engine. The failure mileage was 62,000 and current mileage was 65,000.
My lr freelander 2003, has an overheating problem, the head gasket is blown and is in need of repair. There are now mechanics that will fix the problem except for the land rover dealer and they can not guarantee the work. There is a design defect with the heads in this vehicle know by the manufacturer but they refuse to make this a recall to the consumers and they have stopped making this engine. I need this repair done so I may at least trade the vehicle in for a new vehicle.
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