— A Land Rover timing chain lawsuit settlement is final after three plaintiffs alleged 2012-2014 Land Rover LR4 and Range Rover Sport vehicles were defective from the time they were sold.
The original timing chain lawsuit included the Land Rover models and several Jaguar models, but the final timing chain settlement includes only the LR4 and Range Rover Sport.
According to the class action lawsuit, owners can pay tens of thousands of dollars to repair the timing chains, timing chain tensioners, tensioner levers and 5-liter direct injection engines.
The lawsuit alleges the Land Rover engines are damaged when the pistons and valves hit each other and the crankshafts and camshafts lose power. This shouldn't happen because the plaintiffs claim the timing chains should last at least 150,000 miles.
Land Rover denies all liability and denies the allegations in the class action lawsuit, but settled to avoid the additional expense of litigation that began in 2018.
Land Rover Timing Chain Settlement
Land Rover owners will have a lot of reading to do regarding the terms of the timing chain settlement, beginning with owners and lessees who don't qualify if the vehicle was purchased or leased more than nine years after the vehicle was first registered.
Also excluded is any vehicle on which a timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner was first replaced when the vehicle had been in service for more than eight years or driven for more than 100,000 miles.
Land Rover Timing Chain Extended Warranty
According to the class action lawsuit: “Every new Land Rover vehicle is covered by a New Vehicle Limited Warranty for 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first.“
But as part of the settlement, the automaker has agreed to extend the warranty on the 2012-2014 vehicles for up to eight years and 100,000 miles for the timing chains and timing chain tensioners.
However, these vehicles are eight to 10 years old and there are conditions which could stick owners with paying for repairs.
To qualify for 60% level of extended warranty coverage, the vehicle must both have been in service for six years or less and have been driven for 50,001 to 70,000 miles at the time the timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner failure was diagnosed or the timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner was repaired or replaced (whichever occurs first).
To qualify for the 50% level of extended warranty coverage, the vehicle must both have been in service for seven years or less and have been driven for 70,001 to 85,000 miles at the time of the timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner failure or the timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner was repaired or replaced (whichever occurs first).
To qualify for the 40% level of extended warranty coverage, the vehicle must both have been in service for eight years or less and have been driven for 85,001 to 100,000 miles at the time of the timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner failure or timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner was repaired or replaced (whichever occurs first).
Land Rover Engine Damage Warranty Extension
Land Rover will partially extend the new vehicle limited warranty to cover repairs or replacements of engines that are damaged due to timing chain or timing chain tensioner failures. The warranty will extend to eight years or 100,000 miles on the 2012-2014 models, but again, these models are eight to 10 years old.
In addition the warranty extension is subject to the following time and mileage conditions.
To qualify for the 30% level of extended warranty coverage, the vehicle must both have been in service for six years or less and driven for 50,001 to 70,000 miles at the time of the engine damage due to a timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner failure diagnosed by a Land Rover dealer.
To qualify for the 25% level of extended warranty coverage, the vehicle must both have been in service for seven years or less and driven for 70,001 to 85,000 miles at the time of the engine damage due to a timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner failure diagnosed by an authorized Land Rover dealership.
To qualify for the 20% level of extended warranty coverage, the vehicle must both have been in service for eight years or less and driven for 85,001 to 100,000 miles at the time of the engine damage due to a timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner failure diagnosed by a Land Rover dealer.
The timing chain settlement also says Land Rover may take possession of the vehicle and reimburse the customer "for the value of the Class Vehicle if the value of the Class Vehicle is less than the amount that JLRNA would otherwise pay as reimbursement...to repair or replace the engine under warranty."
Reimbursements for Timing Chain and Timing Chain Tensioners
To qualify for the 60% level of maximum reimbursement, the vehicle must both have been in service for six years or less and have been driven for 50,001 to 70,000 miles at the time the timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner failure was diagnosed by a Land Rover dealer.
To qualify for the 50% level of maximum reimbursement, the vehicle must both have been in service for seven years or less and have been driven for 70,001 to 85,000 miles or less at the time the timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner failure was diagnosed by an authorized Land Rover dealer.
To qualify for the 40% level of maximum reimbursement, the vehicle must both have been in service for eight years or less and driven for 85,001 to 100,000 miles at the time the timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner failure was diagnosed by a Land Rover dealer.
The reimbursement amounts will be capped and based on the above percentages if the Land Rover timing chain or timing chain tensioner repairs were performed by an independent repair shop.
Reimbursements for Land Rover Engines
Land Rover has agreed to partially reimburse customers for engine repairs or replacements for engines damaged by the timing chains or timing chain tensioners. However, these conditions apply.
To qualify for the 30% level of maximum reimbursement, the vehicle must both have been in service for six years or less and driven for 50,001 to 70,000 miles at the time the engine was repaired or replaced due to a timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner failure.
To qualify for the 25% level of maximum reimbursement, the vehicle must both have been in service for seven years or less and have been driven for 70,001 to 85,000 miles at the time the engine was repaired or replaced due to a timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner failure.
To qualify for the 20% level of maximum reimbursement, the vehicle must both have been in service for eight years or less and have been driven for 85,001 to 100,000 miles at the time the engine was repaired or replaced due to a timing chain and/or timing chain tensioner failure.
It's also possible Land Rover customers may receive reimbursement for past repairs or replacements, but there are caps to how much will be reimbursed and the caps can change based on if the work was performed by a dealer or an independent repair shop.
Customers will be asked to provide proof of the work with copies of repair orders, invoices or other service records.
The three plaintiffs who sued will receive $2,000 each, and the attorneys who represented those owners will receive $700,000.
The Land Rover timing chain class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey: Schmidt et al., v. Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC.
The plaintiffs are represented by Kantrowitz, Goldhamer & Graifman, P.C., and Thomas P Sobran PC.
