The Lemon IndexAll cars · Land Rover
Land Rover Freelander reliability: problems and recalls.
Owners filed 455 complaints about the 2000 to 2005 Land Rover Freelander with the government, most about engine.
No Lemon Index score yet: too few were sold in the U.S. for a fair per-car score, so here's what YouTube owners say, next to the raw complaint counts.
YouTube rank and complaints, by model year
YouTube rank: we read 197 YouTube videos about the Land Rover Freelander and ranked each year with 10 or more videos by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. It measures tone, not failure rates. Complaints are the raw number owners filed with NHTSA: popular years draw more partly because more were sold, and without usable sales figures we can't turn them into a per-car score.
What owners say on YouTube
2002–2005 Rover Freelander · 200 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Before you buy, watch
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.
Complaints and recalls by model year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001 | 3 | 0 |
| 2002 | 226 | 3 |
| 2003 | 140 | 5 |
| 2004 | 69 | 3 |
| 2005 | 16 | 3 |
Popular years draw more complaints partly because more were sold. We don't have usable sales for this model, so these are counts, not a score.
What owners complain about
| System | Share of complaints |
|---|---|
| Engine | 38% |
| Transmission & drivetrain | 16% |
| Electrical | 8% |
| Visibility | 7% |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 6% |
| Fuel system, gasoline | 5% |
When problems show up
Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 41,000 and 77,000 miles. The middle report was at 60,000 miles, from 378 complaints.
How serious
| Crashes | Fires | Injury reports | Death reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 11 | 4 | 0 |
As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.
In owners' words
2002 Land Rover Freelander has problems with faulty cam sensor, faulty sunroof, transmission and battery.
2002 Land Rover Freelander owner · NHTSA complaint 10117510
2003 Land Rover Freelander would not accelerate and lost power. Vehicle wouldn't start. Upon inspection mechanic determined the bolt that holds the upper cam started to back out.
2003 Land Rover Freelander owner · NHTSA complaint 10166892
While driving engine light illuminated. This caused the vehicle to stall. Consumer had the vehicle towed. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
2004 Land Rover Freelander owner · NHTSA complaint 10089888
Recalls 6
07V041000 Feb 2007 Exterior Lighting / Brake Lights / Switch
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE BRAKE LIGHTS MAY REMAIN ILLUMINATED EVEN WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT DEPRESSED. HILL DESCENT CONTROL (HDC), TRACTION CONTROL (TC) AND CRUISE CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS MAY ALSO BE ILLUMINATED.
Fix. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BRAKE LAMP OPERATION AND WHERE REQUIRED, ADJUST AND/OR REPLACE THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCHES WITH NEW SWITCHES OF THE SAME DESIGN UNTIL A NEWLY DESIGNED BRAKE LAMP SWITCH IS AVAILABLE IN MAY 2007. OWNERS WILL THEN BE RE-NOTIFIED TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES IN FOR THE NEW BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. AN INTERIM LETTER FOR THE INITIAL INSPECTION WAS MAILED ON MARCH 26, 2007. THE SECOND LET
05V300000 Jun 2005 Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch
ON CERTAIN FIVE DOOR SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, IT IS POSSIBLE TO OPERATE THE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE TO OPEN THE DOOR WHEN THE CHILD SAFETY LEVER IS IN THE "ON" POSITION.
Fix. DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE LATCH ASSEMBLY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT LAND ROVER AT 1-800-637-6837.
04V489000 Oct 2004 Structure / Frame And Members
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AN INCORRECT WELD NUT WAS INSTALLED. LACK OF THIS BOLT COULD EVENTUALLY CAUSE THE SUBFRAME TO CRACK OR BECOME DEFORMED.
Fix. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLE TO SEE IF THE SUBFRAME FIXING IS CORRECTLY FITTED AND CLAMPED UP. IF NECESSARY, THE SUBFRAME WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE THAT HAS CORRECT WELD NUTS. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT YET PROVIDED AN OWNER NOTIFICATION SCHEDULE. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT LAND ROVER AT 1-800-637-6837.
04V347000 Jul 2004 Structure / Body / Roof And Pillars
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 201, "OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN INTERIOR IMPACT." DURING TESTING, THE FREE MOTION HEAD FORM REGISTERED A MEASUREMENT MARGINALLY ABOVE THE PERMITTED 1000 HEAD IMPACT CRITERIA. AT THE LEFT AND RIGHT HAND A-PILLAR TRIM AREA.
Fix. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE A-PILLAR TRIM WITH A REVISED COMPONENT THAT ENABLES THE VEHICLE TO FULLY MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS 201. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT LAND ROVER AT 1-800-637-6837.
04V207000 May 2004 Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE CHILD DOOR LOCK ON THE LEFT HAND REAR DOOR CAN BECOME DISENGAGED.
Fix. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT HAND REAR LATCH. THE RECALL BEGAN DECEMBER 4, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT LAND ROVER AT 1-800-637-6837.
04V510000 Jan 2004 Air Bags
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 208, 'OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION.' THE DEFLECTOR PANEL CONTAINED IN THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG MODULE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN BUILT TO SPECIFICATION.
Fix. DEALERS HAVE REPLACED THE PASSENGER AIR BAG MODULES IN ALL THE AFFECTED VEHICLES.
Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check the exact car's VIN for open recalls.
Quick answers
What are the most common Land Rover Freelander problems?
In owner complaints to the government, the top areas are engine, transmission & drivetrain, electrical.
How many recalls does the Land Rover Freelander have?
6 safety recalls on record for the 2000 to 2005 models.
Source: NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, YouTube videos (titles and channels link to them). We don't give this model a Lemon Index: too few were sold in the U.S. for a fair per-car score (6 of the 6 years we have sales for were under 20,000, sales source). Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.
Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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