NHTSA — Engine And Engine Cooling: Cooling System Problems

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
49,694 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2002 Land Rover Freelander cooling system problems

cooling system problem

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2002 Land Rover Freelander Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #32

Sep 012002

Freelander 6-cyl

  • 3,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

We have had several incidents with my 2002 Land Rover Freelander type S overheating and check engine light going on, we have regularly taken it to our local Land Rover dealer to find out the problem. The latest, now August 2011, the coolant was found to be low, and a discussion with the mechanic and the shop person indicated that their is no external leaks, and that the coolant may be leaking into the engine. I was told that the cylinders/heads are made of different materials, and that a gap may have formed there causing the coolant to leak into the engine. I was told that if the coolant continues to leak without any visible signs of external problems, the engine would need to be replaced. We have done all of the routine maintenance as well as thousands of dollars of repairs for the cooling - including multiple thermostats(I believe we are on our fourth one, including the ones under warranty, etc. The latest diagnosis is coolant into the engine and fouling a cylinder. I repeated asked, since we were under warranty, if we had a lemon and have now seen thousands of postings on the internet relating to this problem, with models from 2000 to 2005, the years the car was available in the us. It appears that there are no viable replacement engines available that do not have this same problem since, the vehicle was discontinued in 2005. Based on the information I have gathered, it appears that the engine used in this vehicle was of a faulty design, given the fact that a replacement with out this problem is not available for the record, my vehicle info is as follows: Make: Land Rover model: Freelander type S year: 2002 purchase date: 07/2002 I am the original owner, and I purchased this from Land Rover portland, portland Oregon.

- Portland , OR, USA

problem #31

May 142011

Freelander 6-cyl

  • 120,000 miles
Engine failure on the road.

- Bordentown, NJ, USA

problem #30

Aug 022010

Freelander

  • miles
Coolant leaking, head gasket failure, thermostat failure for 90,000 miles.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #29

Feb 222007

Freelander

  • 85,189 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I bought my 02 Freelander in March 06 with my fema money. I desperately needed a car after mine flooded in katrina. Since my purchase I have had nothing but trouble with this lemon. I see from the many blogs that I am not the only one. Between me and my now expired warranty we've spent well over 5,000. Please tell me if there is anything I can do. It has several problems now and is undrivable. I still owe over 7,000 on it.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #28

Sep 102008

Freelander

  • 33,000 miles
I have 2002 landrover Freelander with less than 35000 miles. I have transmission failure, repeated brake problems, cooling system problems, window and door operator problems, to include the lock on the driver side not been able to be opened with the remote. The hesitate when accelerating up hills. I have had to ship the car back to the states for repair. I am not happy with what I thought was my dream car. The company is not helpful. The dealership that repaired my car was very abrupt when they dealt with me. Something needs to be done about this problem vehicle. Too many complaints without any remedy.

- Christiansted, VI, USA

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problem #27

Dec 282008

Freelander

  • miles
I have a 2002 Land Rover Freelander. The car is more trouble than its worth. From the truck not starting, windows rolling up and down when they feel like it, engine coolant leaking, intake manifold problems, misdiagnosed from landrover, the locks don't work. The car basically starts when it wants to, it doesn't need a new starter, or spark plugs or an alternator. When driving the car wont accelerate as a car should it rides bumpy as if the engine is about to drop out. Land Rover wont help with anything because they say that the company who made the engines for the truck went out of business. Many people complain about this truck. When I took the car to Land Rover to see what the ticking noise under the hood was they charged me 200 for a diagnostic and diagnosed the problem wrong. The major problems are the windows rolling down, that's a safety hazard when you have people in the car and have the window lock on yet the window still rolls down. The coolant leaking because once a Land Rover engine overheats you have to replace the whole engine. The locks don't work meaning you cant lock the vehicle also a safety hazard and the car doesn't accelerate past 30 mph sometimes and its not the transmission.

- Bowie, MD, USA

problem #26

Oct 162008

Freelander

  • 97,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving on I45 on my way to work, when my 2002 Land Rover Freelander stopped working without any notice. I had to quickly do anything I could to ge out off the freeway with no power. It was one of the scariest days of my life. Thankfully the other drivers noticed that there was something wrong with the car and slowed and I was able to exit. I had to get the car towed to a shop where they told me that I needed a new fuel pump. I got it replaced and it worked well for 2 month and now its leaking fuel. The motor is also leaking antifreeze all over the place. You need to look into this cars. There's to many problems with it and complaints to go along. Thanks

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #25

Nov 232008

Freelander

  • 60,000 miles
Multiple problems expensive and hard to find parts, fuel pump, thermostat and transmission. SUV stalls in traffic, thermostat leaks constantly and transmission jerks violently in second gear.

- Murfreesboro, TN, USA

problem #24

Oct 152008

Freelander

  • 35,000 miles
I have a 2002 landrover Freelander and recently I ad to put coolant in the car almost every day. The mechanic states it is a very expensive repair job, if the hose can be found and replaced. The car have been inoperable for about 3 weeks now. I love the Freelander, but it appear to be very problematic.

- Christiansted, VI, USA

problem #23

Nov 022008

Freelander

  • 70,712 miles
I began experiencing reasonably significant loss of coolant over the last few months. I monitored and refilled every time I saw the level below the minimum level in the overflow tank. Over the last couple weeks I have began noticing what appeared to be solidified oil in the oil cap and am growing very worried that I am heading down the same path that so many 2002 Land Rover Freelander owners have experienced. Coolant is clearly leaking into the engine, is mixing with the oil and is in very short order destroying my engine. With 100's of reports of this very same issue it's obvious Land Rover is aware of the problem and based on the best information I can gather has no solution. They apparently don't even have replacement engines available as the model was discontinued. This makes repair completely impossible. I still owe several thousand on the vehicle. Given the accounts of many whose engines have seized while driving I am fearful of driving it. The negative impact of the widespread knowledge of this issue, bad pr, has devalued my Freelander to the point that it cannot be sold for what it's supposed to be valued at. I own a vehicle from Land Rover that does not deserve to be on the streets. To repair it is apparently impossible. Selling it can only be done at an extreme financial loss. The issue is a known manufacturing flaw. I believe it's time the dot stepped up and pulled these cars off the street before something very bad happens and holds Land Rover responsible by compensating all Freelander owners for their manufacture of a very, very flawed vehicle. Please take action and help take an unsafe vehicle off us roads.

- Carthage, MO, USA

problem #22

Jul 012008

Freelander

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Engine failure. Coolant leakage. Engine overheating. The inside of my car became so hot my mother who was riding in the passenger seat passed out.

- St Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #21

Aug 062008

Freelander

  • 65,000 miles
I only have 65, xxx miles on my 2002 Freelander and it now needs a new engine-somehow there is oil in my coolant tank? the dealer told me that it needs to go away. I still owe on this car-talk about upside down in a loan.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #20

Oct 152007

Freelander

  • 79,000 miles
2002 Land Rover Freelander S, engine and transmission failure, ,,,,,,,,,,

- Loms, CO, USA

problem #19

May 272007

Freelander

  • 51,175 miles
Coolant system leaked into the engine and cracked the block. Mileage 51,175.

- Laredo, TX, USA

problem #18

Jan 252007

Freelander

  • 87,000 miles
I have a landrover Freelander 2002. I have had the car for a year. 2 months after getting the car it needed a head gasket with only 87,000 miles on it. From what I've heard mine lasted longer than most. I had to put 2000,00 into it right after putting 4000,00 as a down payment. The repair shop said that landrover recommended it get a new motor but the warranty comp. Wouldn't cover it. A new motor cost about 7000,00. This is going on with hundreds of landrovers, because of the material the motor is made out of. I cant think of one good reason why there should not be a recall on this car. People are making payments on cars they cant even drive. We may be forced to do a voluntary repo so we can get another car. Peoples lives are being destroyed because of this car. Something has to be done.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #17

Dec 132006

Freelander

  • 49,000 miles
Transmission went out in busy intersection, I was stranded 100 miles from my house. 1 month later cam shaft seal burst while driving. 2 months later engine completely blew while driving.

- Arlington, TN, USA

problem #16

Jul 212008

Freelander

  • 37,500 miles
We bought the Freelander 2002 in April of 2002. Brand new. Started to have break problems and alarm system problems, along with constant air coolant/broken air conditioning problems that we had to take the car in for repairs. The transmission broke down in 2006 at approximately 30,000 miles. The dealer haggled with us because the warranty had just expired two months earlier! we ended up paying approximately $2,000 towards a new transmission that we now discover has been an ongoing problem for Land Rover Freelanders. Then, as I was driving my car a few days ago to be serviced, the car started to overheat. I had to have the car towed to the dealer and we are now told that the engine has broken down and that we are going to have to pay several thousand dollars to have the engine replaced. We told the dealer that the engine has had well documented defect issues from manufacture and that the innocent consumer should not have to pay for a manufacturing defect. Our car is now undrivable and only has 37,000 miles on it. We are being told that.

- Riverside, CT, USA

problem #15

May 292008

Freelander 6-cyl

  • 45,000 miles
We bought a Land Rover Freelander 9 months ago from a used car dealership. 2 weeks ago we noticed the heating gage going up and down and we needed a lot of coolant. Yesterday, the engine failed and we were told we need a new engine. According to the mechanic it was a problem in the heating system because the coolant is leaking into an unknown area. Landrover says since we didn't buy it from them, they will not help us. In order to file a complaint, we must tow the car to the dealership, pay the dealership to examine the care and then want 2 to 6 months for an engine, possibly a transmission as well to be order. They are backordered nation wide. The car has on 40,000 miles and has had good maintenance regularly.

- Forest Park, IL, USA

problem #14

May 252008

Freelander

  • 65,000 miles
Check engine light, ticking engine, antifreeze, oil leak, smelling coolant inside car and numerous other issues such as window regulator, wiper motor and rattling noises underneath car has been my complaints since Feb 13,2008. Parts were replaced that didn't correct the problem of the ticking engine, coolant leaks, smell of coolant inside car, and check engine light which always comes on a couple of hours after the dealer returns my car to me. Car was towed from freeway due to breakdown on the way home 15 minutes after picking car up from madison dealership for engine repair. Dealership stated that this was due to an oil seal/oil plug and it was not their fault although they just finished working on the engine. I did not have my car for a total of 30 days not including the prior visits where they took almost 2 weeks to diagnose the problem. I was charged for a rental car during this period. Milwaukee dealership claimed they corrected the engine problem on 3 different visits which I paid $600 for a timing belt which never corrected the problem along with a $100 deductible for using the warranty. The parts replaced on the vehicle is as follows; manifold assy. Motor assy for wiper blades, window regulator, timing belt and differential front mounting which did not resolve rattling noise underneath car. Milwaukee dealership has also attempted to correct these same problems with no success. The coolant leak is still apparent and the check engine light is on again. The only thing the dealership can tell me is to monitor how many times I have to replace coolant. In the mean time, they have sent me home with a car that has a check engine light on and a disappearing coolant problem. I guess they will continue giving me the runaround until my warranty expires Aug 2,2008 just as many others has reported they did to them. Please help!!!!!

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #13

Feb 012007

Freelander

  • 60,000 miles
I have a Land Rover freeland that started having coolant leakage in early February of 2007. I tried to get the car in to get fixed and was put off by Land Rover until my warranty expired. They never fixed it. It leaks coolant constantly, it looses power, it over heats and steams, the coolant is an oily brown color no matter how many times I flush it. This car has a bad head gasket I'm afraid and I've read about and know many people with the exact same problem. I've replaced the reservoir bottle, flushed the coolant, replaced the thermostat and nothing fixes the problem. I had a month long battle with Land Rover to fix it and they refused. This entire engine needs to be recalled, this is a terrible car and a hazard on the road, I'm scared every time I see a Freelander that it's going to blow something and kill someone on the freeway, Land Rover should be ashamed and all the cars should be recalled.

- North Salt Lake, UT, USA

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