10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
36,909 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 electrical problems

electrical problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2002 Land Rover Freelander:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2002 Land Rover Freelander Owner Comments

problem #17

Dec 082014

Freelander

  • miles

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

What is to say that has not already been said about this nightmare! I have replaced everything on this car: Power steering system, engine manifold, coolant reservoir, water pump, radiator, brakes 2X, camshaft and crankshaft sensor, crankshaft pulley, timing belt, and now I am lucky enough to have the same transmission failure happening that everyone else who owns this junk experiences. This is not to mention that the sunroof does not work, the passenger door lock, and 3 of the 5 power windows do not work either. In the last year alone I have put more than $3000+ into this thing, and that is but a fraction of total I have put into it during ownership..and the blue book value is less than $5000 at best! words cannot express how angry it makes me, and how pathetic it is of Land Rover to knowingly ignore the problems associated with this vehicle and the suffering that owners of it have to endure. The transmission problem alone should have a mandatory recall forced on Land Rover to fix for all Freelanders, and that should just be the beginning! I cannot tell you how many Land Rover technicians have blatantly told me that lr knows these are a money pit nightmare full of defects, and that they hate to work on them and feel bad for us. When will this sort of treatment by big corporations end" what ever happened to standing behind your product? whatever happened to government agencies assigned to enforce rules governing this sort of thing actually doing something for the consumer" I could go on and on about this nightmare, trust me, but I am too worked up at this point as it is. Please NHTSA, do something, anything for us unfortunate Freelander owners!

- Reno, NV, USA

problem #16

May 102007

Freelander

  • 70,000 miles
The year is accurate, month and date are approximations started having problems with overheating and coolant leaks. Coolant wouldn't puddle under vehicle, though.but I could smell it sometimes with windows open. Then, one day it would not start. Towed it to Land Rover dealer and over the course of 3 days, they couldn't start it, either. Was told it needed a new engine.paid out $5800+.now, with 104,000 miles, it's losing coolant, again. They claimed the over flow container was leaking. Had it replaced. And it is still losing coolant.it is not puddling under the truck.I saw, online, where the Freelander has a possible engine defect, with cylinder sleeves and gasket problems.do I have any recourse with Land Rover" or, could the lemon law come into effect" I, also, have experienced rear window and sunroof motor failures. I am retired. I cannot afford to replace another engine ! thank you.

- Olathe, KS, USA

problem #15

Sep 282010

Freelander

  • 68,000 miles
My sons 2002 Land Rover Freelander caught fire on September 29, 2010 at 4:00 am. The vehicle had been parked since 11:00 pm the previous evening. At 4:00 am my son heard his alarms in the car going off and rushed to see what was going on to find the interior of the car was on fire. He tried to slap the fire out with his hands and received 3rd degree burns due to this. He then ran inside and retrieved a fire extinguisher and put the fire out. The fire was contained, but the damage was so severe, the vehicle was declared a total loss. The fire started in the wiring system under the steering column. We do have a case open with Land Rover, but their representative stated this is only for their internal use and no compensation would be made. My son only owned the pre-used vehicle for one month and had only secured "liability" insurance only on the vehicle until his next paycheck so he could afford full coverage. Who would have thought that a vehicle would catch on fire by itself. We are grateful that he was not harmed further and that the vehicle was not parked in the garage, but we are extremely disappointed that a vehicle which he owned for only one month would catch fire and Land Rover will not offer any compensation for our loss.

- Bloomington, IN, USA

problem #14

Nov 272008

Freelander

  • 77,000 miles

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

Have owned 2002 lr Freelander since May 2008, for around $9,000, have spent $4000 on repairs since. Transfer case went in the end of November, then the transmission died in the middle of January. The car was returned to me "fixed" early February but the transmission died again within 25 miles of the auto shop, luckily the work was under warranty, they found that an electrical issue was the true problem and returned it to me "fixed" again March 6, 2009, not even 20 miles this time and I'm getting the F4 signal, hdc warning, and the gears won't shift. I owe to much on the car to scrap it, but can't imagine wasting more money to have it sit in the shop for another couple of months (while im making payments on it) just to suffer the same fate.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #13

Nov 122008

Freelander

  • 70,000 miles
Bought a 2002 Land Rover Freelander used a little over a year ago with under 55,000 miles. Just got it back yesterday from the shop with an estimated repair cost of over $10000 and that is just in parts not labor. Did some research on the vehicle and come to find out others have had the same problems with less mileage on there vehicles and there have been absolutely no recalls on this vehicle that include any of these problems. The worst of which being the engine leaking antifreeze into the oil. This could cause the motor to overheat and seize and lock up. Who knows what kind of damage or what kind of accident this could have caused if this had happened to the vehicle when my wife was driving to work. We lucked out and discovered the problems before my wife, myself or anyone else got hurt. There are major problems with these vehicles and landrover should be held responsible.

- Milton, VT, USA

problem #12

May 192008

Freelander

  • 29,000 miles
Service history at plaza motors overview date issuerepairs date returned 6/7/06vehicle stalled, won't startbattery replaced6/8/2006 6/16/2006vehicle stalled, won't startreplaced ignition switch, key reader7/17/2006 8/15/2006vehicle stalled, won't start, intermittent startreplaced fuel pump8/18/2006 6/5/2007vehicle stalled, won't startsecured started wire6/6/2007 6/7/2007vehicle stalled, won't start, intermittent startreplaced immobilizer 2 times8/20/2007 11/16/2007vehicle won't acceleratereplaced intake manifold, engine, heater core3/5/2008 5/16/2008vehicle won't acceleratewant to replace entire transmission5/19/2008 notes: Freelander was purchased on June 3, 2006. Freelander broke down 3 days after purchased.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #11

May 162008

Freelander

  • 29,717 miles

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

Date issuerepairs date returned 6/7/06vehicle stalled, won't startbattery replaced6/8/2006 6/16/2006vehicle stalled, won't startreplaced ignition switch, key reader7/17/2006 8/15/2006vehicle stalled, won't start, intermittent startreplaced fuel pump8/18/2006 6/5/2007vehicle stalled, won't startsecured started wire6/6/2007 6/7/2007vehicle stalled, won't start, intermittent startreplaced immobolizer 2 times8/20/2007 11/16/2007vehicle won't acceleratereplaced intake manifold, engine, heater core3/5/2008 5/16/2008vehicle won't acceleratewant to replace entire transmission.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #10

Dec 202007

Freelander

  • miles
Less than 50,000 miles landrover Freelander gives F4 fault, will not shift out of 2nd gear. Has overheating problem, sunroof died, dealer said needs new transmission, completely new wiring harness, new ECU, new door to fix window failure, and!!!!!!!!!!!! a new engine to fix the overheating problem that they tell me is a common thing, and they haven't seen any Freelander's get over 65,000 miles without an engine and transmission replacement. Luxury vehicle my [xxx]. dealership gave me an 18,000 dollar repair estimate. I guess luxury means it costs a lot to drive not you have the luxury of driving without worrying about sitting on the side of the road in a 30,000 dollar piece of crap. Read some forums online. All of these problems are happening everyday, and nothing is being done to make this luxury vehicle company make a better vehicle. I mean [xxx] I should have bought a Honda...... at least they have heated seats to keep my [xxx] warm when I wait on the side of the road. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Key West, FL, USA

problem #9

Dec 092007

Freelander 6-cyl

  • 45,000 miles
The engine/head gasket issue is the repair that is the most critical and terminal condition for the vehicle. The dealers mechanics will never fix the gasket, so they will only offer the engine replacement, but either repair will cost you more than the SUV is worth. And yes, the brake pads and then rotors wear out very quickly, because of the weight of the vehicle (the dealer says). I personally think it has more to do with the fact that there are 2 disc front brakes and 2 drum rear brakes on the vehicle, hence the wear and weight all goes to the front of the vehicle. Another poor design flaw issue, and I was told the drum brakes were there to better allow the off-roading. Yeah, who ever could off road these things, they fall apart on the driveway!

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #8

Aug 152007

Freelander 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,000 miles
Transmission failure at 75,000 miles. Excessive check engine light warnings. Bad sensors. Engine noise.

- Davenport, IA, USA

problem #7

Feb 232007

Freelander 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 76,000 miles

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

Land Rover Freelander hse 2002: At 70,000 miles, transmission halts, seizing, rapid RPM jumps; less than one month later, the transmission completely died. Inoperable car towed and transmission rebuilt at private shop. Five miles from shop after pickup, car seized and died. Now, an additional repair of the "transfer case, " which we were told caused the transmission failure. Now, service engine soon light on; battery keeps dying. Rapid depreciation, frequent repairs of brakes, brake pads, headlights, etc. Complained to manufacturer 2/23/2007. Car inoperable as of this date. Don't know what to do -- owe more than it's worth, cannot get full nada/kbb trade in value...frustrated and disappointed. And out of money.

- Mount Laurel, NJ, USA

problem #6

Oct 222006

Freelander

  • miles
The electrical power to the engine simply goes out; thus affecting the steering. I believe that it is an electrical problem; however, landrover rockville ran a diagnostic and found nothing. In October, the power went out while making a turn and I lost control of the car hitting a curb. Also, the sunroof has cost me over $2K. First, I was required to replace the tracks. Then the roof began to leak and I was required to replace the entire assembly. This car was a mistake from the beginning.

- Mclean, VA, USA

problem #5

Nov 172006

Freelander 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 44,237 miles
After the steering system failed completely a week ago (reported separately, ODI# 10173809), the Land Rover dealer in san francisco replaced the rack and pinion assembly. Within 2 hours after I got the car back, the electric system failed completely while I was driving and the car stopped in the middle of traffic.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #4

Oct 192005

Freelander

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,504 miles
I purchased a new 2002 Land Rover Freelander from Land Rover new orleans (paretti) on August 19, 2002. Since that time, the vehicle has had continuous problems. The power steering, transmission, transfer case (2), ird unit (2), front drive shaft, manifold chamber and other items have been replaced and the brake pads (2) have had to be changed. The vehicle only has 35,498 miles. After reviewing edmunds.com and other consumer resource sites, it appears that the problems that I encountered have also been encountered by others purchasing this vehicle. I have had 23 warranty claims on this vehicle and Land Rover North America, Inc., as of January 2005, has paid in excess of $11,994.55 for repairs on a vehicle that had a purchase price of $30,603.77. The aforementioned amount does not include the costs of replacing the transfer case, ird unit, front drive shaft and manifold chamber in April 2005 or the replacement of the sun roof assembly in June 2005. Neither the local Land Rover dealer nor Land Rover North America, Inc. Have been cooperative in dealing with me on this issue.

- New Iberia, LA, USA

problem #3

Nov 072002

Freelander 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 5,000 miles
While applying the brake pedal, the consumer heard a loud squeaking noise. Then, the vehicle vibrated uncontrollably. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and pulled over. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, who determined the brake rotors and pads needed to be replaced, and replaced them. However, the problem recurred. The consumer stated the coolant system failed and the vehicle had electrical problems.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #2

Jul 152003

Freelander

  • miles
2002 Land Rover Freelander experienced a vehicle fire. The consumer addressed dealership several times, Land Rover told him that the vehicle did not meet the Mexico lemon law guidelines and they were not in any position to repurchase the vehicle. The consumer also complained about other problems with the vehicle such as electrical problems, the rear passenger door did not unlock with the remote, drivers rear seat did not fold, the rear window did not go up when it was cold and the drivers seat was squeaky. The consumer had made numerous complaints to the dealership before the fire occurred.

- Tijeras, NM, USA

problem #1

Oct 032003

Freelander 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 35,000 miles
We own a 2002 Land Rover Freelander. It has been in the repair shop numerous times. While on a trip all of the warning lights on the dashboard lite up and the transmission became stuck in 4th gear. Because road side assistance could not direct us to an open dealership, we had to drive from buffalo NY to Chicago il. Once back in the city, the dealership took the car and replaced the computer, which took more than two weeks. On the way home, the same problem occurred. We brought the car back and the dealership has had the vehicle for the past 26 days to replace the transmission. We went in to try and trade it in for a discovery and they only offered 14,000. We have tried to get corporate to buy back the car at our pay off amount and they have refused. We are currently exploring our options under the ucc and the magnuson-moss act for breach of warranty.

- Chicago, IL, USA

Not what you are looking for?