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Land Rover Discovery reliability.

Is it reliable? It's mixed. About as many complaints as the average car.

90All years 2000–2001 · 100 = average car

About average · 2000–2001

Fewest 2000

2001 Land Rover Discovery illustration

20012nd generation

No score for 2001YouTube #8 of 11See the 2001 report ›
2000Taller bar = more complaints per car sold2024

What owners say on YouTube

#216 of 269YouTube owner tone vs. cars the same age · 764 videos
2003YouTube's favorite year2007Least-liked year on YouTube

1999–2004 Rover Discovery · 198 most-watched videos

Owners praise

Reliability7%
Looks7%
Power6%

Owners complain about

Rust5%
Battery / alternator / starter4%
Electrical / wiring / TIPM4%
Coolant leaks / water pump / overheating3%

Fixes owners look up most

  1. Timing chain & engine212K views
  2. Oil changes & service159K views
  3. Windows, doors & mirrors51K views

Before you buy, watch

How can such a simple repair cause huge problems on this '99 Land Rover Discovery? CAR WIZARD knowsCar Wizard · 350K views2000 Land Rover Discovery Series II V8 SE7 Review & Test DriveAuto Ad Builder · 183K viewsWatch This Before Buying a Land Rover LR3 2004-2009AutoMotivate · 161K views

Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.

Every year2000Fewest owner complaintsSee every year →Comparevs Lincoln AviatorAlso Tesla Model X, Infiniti FX35See comparisons →Questions6 quick answersIs the Land Rover Discovery reliable?Is the Land Rover Discovery a good car?See questions →All the data22 model yearsin one table: index, complaints, recalls, mpgSee the table →

Looking at a 2001 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2018 best.

Fewest complaints

2000.

Only 1 Land Rover Discovery year has enough complaints and sales to score, too few for best and worst lists. 2000 drew a bit more than the average car's complaints.

Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.

2024–·2023–·2022–·2021–·2020–·2019–·2018–·2017–·2016–·2015–·2014–·2013–·2012–·2011–·2010–·2008–#62007–#102006–#72003–#22002–#42001–#82000117#3
Show 4 older years (1999–2009, YouTube reviews only, no complaint data)
2009·#11
2005·#9
2004·#1
1999·#5

Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average, too new (2023+: a partial score, marked “partial”) or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 11 Land Rover Discovery years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.

Scores before 2010 are rough: fewer owners filed complaints back then.

YouTube rank: we read 786 YouTube videos about the Land Rover Discovery, 1999 to 2025, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 2004. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.

Compare the Land Rover Discovery.

Land Rover DiscoveryLincoln Aviatorvs Lincoln AviatorLand Rover DiscoveryTesla Model Xvs Tesla Model XLand Rover DiscoveryInfiniti FX35vs Infiniti FX35Land Rover DiscoveryAudi Q3vs Audi Q3

Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →

Quick answers.

Is the Land Rover Discovery reliable?

It's mixed. It draws about as many complaints as the average car, but YouTube owners complain about it more than about most cars its age. No year beat the average car. The year with the fewest complaints, 2000, still drew 1.2× the average.

Is the Land Rover Discovery a good car?

It is about average, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2000-2001: Lemon Index 90; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2000 drew the fewest complaints.

What are the best Land Rover Discovery years to buy?

Only 1 Land Rover Discovery years have enough data to score, so we don't list best years. 2000 drew the fewest complaints (a bit more than the average car's complaints).

What Land Rover Discovery years should you stay away from?

Only 1 Land Rover Discovery years have enough data to score, too few to single out years to avoid.

How many recalls does the Land Rover Discovery have?

89 safety recalls across the 22 model years we track. Most: 2000 (11), 2001 (7), 2006 (6). Each year's page lists them, and every Land Rover Discovery recall is in one list here.

What are the most common Land Rover Discovery problems?

Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name engine, transmission & drivetrain and electrical most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.

Every year in one table
YearIndexCompared with averageComplaintsTop complaintRecallsCrash testMPG
2000117a bit more than the average car's complaints27service brakes, hydraulic (22%)11——
2001–too few complaints to score13suspension (31%)7——
2002–complaints only, too few sold to score14engine (43%)4——
2003–complaints only, too few sold to score29service brakes, hydraulic (38%)4——
2006–complaints only, too few sold to score25tires (28%)6——
2007–complaints only, too few sold to score3service brakes, hydraulic (33%)1——
2008–complaints only, too few sold to score2equipment (50%)1——
2010–complaints only, too few sold to score3parking brake (33%)1——
2011–complaints only, too few sold to score2brakes (50%)1——
2012–complaints only, too few sold to score5electrical (40%)2——
2013–complaints only, too few sold to score2electrical (50%)3——
2014–complaints only, too few sold to score1electrical (100%)2——
2015–complaints only, too few sold to score3electrical (67%)4——
2016–complaints only, too few sold to score16engine (38%)2——
2017–complaints only, too few sold to score16fuel system (25%)3——
2018–complaints only, too few sold to score14transmission & drivetrain (50%)4——
2019–complaints only, too few sold to score12speed control (25%)4——
2020–complaints only, too few sold to score6engine (50%)6——
2021–complaints only, too few sold to score4transmission & drivetrain (75%)6——
2022–complaints only, too few sold to score1wipers & visibility (100%)6——
2023–complaints only, too few sold to score7electrical (71%)6——
2024–complaints only, too few sold to score8electrical (50%)5——

The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: goodcarbadcar.net. How it works

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