While driving low mileage 2003 Discovery II SE7, engine began to knock in upper engine area on driver side. Pulled into local repair shop immediately and was told it was not a rod as the noise dissipates when idled above 1000 RPM. Took it to a local Land Rover shop and was told it was either a bad oil pump or the sleeve in the cylinder at the back of the engine has come loose and is knocking up against the head gasket. Technician privately indicated both are known issues and that a new engine is required in either case and that lr North America knows of the issues and has refused to assist owners or issue a recall. Cost of new engine is between $8,000 and 12,000 depending on who you talk with. Since the only real issue so far is the noise factor (sounds like a diesel while idling), technician further advised it would be best to keep driving the lr until it completely failed as the price of new engine would not be more and I should get as much from the original as possible. Request NHTSA lobby on behalf of owners to get this issue resolved between owners and lrna. Issues are obvious manufacturing defects and lr should be held accountable for the problem and offer some type solution to the consumer. The NHTSA should issue some sort of fine if possible to force lr to make good on their product.

- Houston, TX, USA

I have experienced what appears to be the same oil pump symptoms others have complained of. Despite reading "full", my truck seems to have difficulty adequately lubricating. So, some days it's sounded like a tank!!

- Desoto, TX, USA

I purchased a 2003 Land Rover discovery series II hse with 44K miles. In February 2008, I brought the vehicle to Land Rover dealer to have a full inspection of the vehicle. The inspection report noted that vehicle was in great condition with no issues needing to be addressed. But along with the evaluation paper work provided by the Land Rover dealer was a Land Rover technical alert. The technical alert stated the following;' discovery series II (lt) 3A771801 ' 3A808362 situation oil pump failures on 2003 discovery series II vehicles may be the result of a manufacturing error. Locating dowel pins may be slightly misaligned permitting assembly of the oil pump to the engine block, but placing stress on the pump housing which can ultimately lead to leakage or failure. Resolution whenever an oil pump failure is encountered on vehicles within the above VIN range the only effective repair currently available is replacement of the complete engine assembly including the front cover/oil pump manufactured to the latest tolerances. My Land Rover VIN number falls within the identified VIN number range of affected vehicles. Jump ahead to 2010. While driving the vehicle on 26 March 2010, the oil light came and the engine began to make rumbling sounds. I turned off the vehicle. Fearing the worst, I had the vehicle towed at a cost of $545 to my mechanic. My mechanic confirmed that the oil pump had failed. I spoke to the Land Rover dealer and to Land Rover of North America. Neither would cover the repair in spite of the technical alert published and provided by them on this condition. The estimated cost to repair the vehicle is $10,000. I believe that I am responsible for the ownership and reasonable risks associated with a used vehicle. But, the issue with my vehicle is not reasonable. Land Rover made a manufacturing 'error', published it and then left the 'error' to the consequence and expense of myself.

- Seattle, WA, USA

2003 Land Rover discovery oil pump failure. Land Rover is aware of this problem and does not want to do a recall.

- Clearwater, FL, USA

I have a 2003 landrover discovery 85,000 miles on the vehicle when the oil light came on. The repair shop states I need a new oil pump. There is a landrover service bulletin out that states they are aware that some discovery's between a set of serial numbers are defective but they will not help the owners of these vehicles to repair the problem it will cost me $1,300 dollars at the least to fix this problem. This should be covered by landrover.

- Coral Gables, FL, USA

Bolt on oil pump lost torque that caused oil loss and engine overheating and head gasket failure. Occurred one time and had oil pump repaired. Expansion reservoir tank replaced. Plenum lines replaced. Head gasket replaced. According to design flaw indicated by Land Rover America, this issue is highly likely to occur again.

- Little Rock, AR, USA

Land Rover needs to recall all affected discovery vehicles with oil pump problems. I have had a ticking noise coming from the engine which my mechanic says is caused form lack of oil. After researching the problem, I have found several occasions where this has happened due to a production error. And the only fix is replacing the entire engine? I'm amazed this problem has not gotten more attention!

- Opelika, AL, USA

Land Rover technical alert TA03-1201 oil pump failures on 2003 Discovery II vehicles may be the result of a manufacturing error. Vins 3A771801 - 3A808362 are the affected vehicles. The alert states the only effective repair is engine replacement. I've been told Land Rover will not pay for this repair. Why?

- Belmont, NC, USA

We have a 2003 Land Rover discovery w/ 47K miles on it. On Friday night, August 15th 2008, we started to drive down our street when all of a sudden the engine sounded like a diesel truck. It was horrible. We also had a red oil light. The car felt sluggish, sounded horrible & had an oil light on so we turned around and parked the Land Rover before the engine seized up. We have been trying to figure out what it could be & determined that our oil pump has failed. I am understanding that there is a technical defect that was issued on March 14, 2003, but no recall. This is quite disturbing since the manufacturing is admitting to fault, but is not setting up a recall for this item. With the prices of gas, food, utilities and the general state of our economy, I don't have the resources to fix this rig at this time. I am hoping that the dealership will fix this issue since it is a manufacturer's (self admitted) defect. We tried calling the dealer on Saturday, August 16th 2008 but the service department is closed. We don't know where else to turn for help but to the dealer. And, from reading other forum posts from other individuals such as myself it appears that the dealerships are less than helpful in resolving this defect. Good business is good business -- and... bad business is bad business. Please help!!!!!

- Spokane, WA, USA

I had an oil pump failure on my 03 Land Rover discovery. It was under warranty, so it was towed to the dealership. However, even before they got back to me with a diagnosis, I had researched and found out what the issue was, as it is a common issue with this year, and within a certain VIN range. Land Rover even issued a tsb about the issue, and by the time they called me back, I had that tsb in hand. The dealership stated that my car would be ready to pick up the next day, that the oil pump had, "basically exploded" that they had cleaned all the metal out of the engine, and that it would be fine. I protested this based on the tsb, published by Land Rover, that stated that the only way to fix this problem would be to replace the entire engine! the dealership said that this tsb did not apply anymore. I asked for the documentation to show that the tsb had been overridden. They said that there was none, but that they had fixed it in the, "new way". I contacted the Land Rover North America corporate hq and they told me that there was nothing that they could do, that the dealership could decide what it wanted to do with the issue. Since then, I have got several first hand accounts of people who have had this same issue and who had a new engine put into their car within a month. I also have first hand accounts of people who had the issue, did not know about the tsb, and never got a new engine. Land Rover's own documentations say that I need a new engine in my car, independent mechanics say I need a new engine, and even mechanics at other Land Rover dealers have told me that I need a new engine. I have all these on record, willing to vouch for my side of this argument.

- Portland, OR, USA

I encountered a fairly well documented problem with 2003 Land Rover discoveries. There was a manufacturers defect in the oil pump that ultimately causes the entire engine to fail. Land Rover has issued a technical service bulletin acknowledging the problem yet is not standing behind their product when the discoveries breakdown. They have told me that it was a faulty part that caused the engine failure in my vehicle yet they are trying to charge me to put in the new engine.

- Mountlake Terrace, WA, USA

My husband bought me the 2003 Land Rover discovery as a 2006 christmas gift. The car had approximately 46,000 miles on it. We were driving it and heard a pop & the car just died. I had the car a little over a month. There was oil & chunks of metal under the car. We had it towed home as the dealership was hours away. My husband looked through the parts book & found that it was possibly the front engine cover/oil pump. I did some research on the internet & found Land Rover issued a technical alert entitled 2003 discovery series II oil pump failures, #T03 1201, on March 14, 2003 to its dealers. It advised that the dowel pins on the block did not align correctly with the oil pump. This caused oil starvation, which in turn, caused engine failure. It clearly stated the defect was the result of a manufacturing error. My husband pulled off the front engine cover to discover the engine needed to be replaced. The crankshaft destroyed. I called Land Rover customer relations & she advised me there was no recall & to call the dealership to see if there was anything they would do. I am still pending to hear back from their service department. Land Rover needs to address the defect issue as this is not an isolated incident.

- Juniper Hills, CA, USA

I accelerated to pass and heard a muffled pop but initially had no other indication of a problem. After driving cautiously for about 1.5 miles the oil pressure light illuminated. At this point I pulled over to check on the car. No anomalies were found, seemed normal. So I drove on for another.5 miles when I began hearing random, but distinct clanking and rattles. At this point I detoured to a known safe spot at no more than 10-15 mph for approx. 1 mile before the vehicle began acting as if it would stall. I shut down and had it towed. Due to my connections in the lr owners community, and in talking with a well known independent lr mechanic, within hours of the incident I had lrna's TA03 1201 in my hands with several people telling me that it sounded as if my symptoms were exactly what they themselves had encountered. The tech advisory in question states that, "...the only effective repair currently available is replacement of the complete engine..." so, I was surprised when lr contacted me within a few hours to tell me that my vehicle would be ready for pick up the next day. I had no choice but to retrieve the car under protest (they did not initially provide a loaner, and only provided a rental after more than 24 hours) and even when I presented the ta to them, they refused to, or were unable to, show me that the repairs they made superseded those indicated in lrna's own documentation on this issue. I contacted the owner of the franchise -- they did not return my calls. I wrote a letter to them. I wrote a letter to lrna and called the corporate hq several times. Their statement was that it was up to the dealer. I even had an insurance and warranty lawyer tell me that I had an extremely strong case -- if it happens again. Our warranty is now expired, and we await the day when the oil pump will fail again because lrna did not repair the actual problem, they merely replaced the parts that were broken because of the problem.

- Portland, OR, USA