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The Check Engine Soon light comes on and off for a variety of reasons, but if your SUV is having the Head Gasket Failure issue (where coolant will get into your engine block, you or someone you know who knows about cars/trucks need only check under the oil cap where you will usually see some coagulated oil and coolant mixture and you should also notice your coolant overflow level dropping more often than usual as the problem progresses) that issue will cause your check engine light to come on and off periodically as the cylinders stick and motor slowly gets more and more damaged from that. You may get as long as a year with the head gasket failure problem, but it gets progressively worse.
If the Check Engine Light is for a different issue, such a Gas Fuel Pump Clogged or other engine issue, that light usually stays on continually. In my vehicles case, the Check Engine Light would go on and off more and more frequently as the coolant leak worsened, as that Light resets after the engine runs fine for like 10 miles without an engine fault.
There's nothing you can do to fix the problem if it is that. It requires a new engine and there is no replacement engines without the problem out there, that they discontinued the vehicle and the engine. And, most likely the previous owner new about the problem, you should ask whoever you bought it from what he was aware of, if he will even say.
Bottom line, trade it in if you dont owe too much or paid cash. Good Luck, I know how aggravating the whole thing is and feel like a damn car expert after my experience.
http://www1.autotrader.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/carshowroomstory?ReadForm&ID=744- 313B237CA9808CA2570280009D8B9
From what I've read, there's over a year wait for a refurbished engine, which are engines recovered in trade ins or from junk yards in the U.S., that no new replacement engine is available now. Carmax should really be calling LR and finding out the validity of what they are saying, including facts on what you've been told.
I've moved beyond this mess, but not before my credit rating has been damaged and the amount of aggravation it has caused me.
Putting the word out on forums like here is the best we can do for our fellow consumer. Whenever I see someone who owns one of these vehicles, I tell them my experience, it's the right thing to do, and everyone has a right to know the truth.
I have also been told that LR is suppose to be reconfiguring a new engine for these cars, but dummy me, I must be a little slow, but why would they reconfigure a new engine for a car that has been discontinued.
I had great news today though, Carmax and the extended warranty company are paying off our car and we are free. Let me make this clear to anyone that might be interested in a Land Rover, LR didn't lift a finger to help or offer any assistance with this matter. The Land Rover Company behaves as a bunch of thieves in the night and takes absolutely NO responsiblity in their mess they have heaped upon consumers.
The more chatter about this stuff, the better chance for some sort of resolution to every one of us consumers that have been ripped off as a result of Land Rovers design flaw resulting from them outsourcing the engines of these vehicles to China.
I didnt have the extended warranty, so the "come and get it" financing company was my only option. None of this has been easy, and I pray that someday Land Rover has to pay for it's mistakes Ford & Chevrolet never screwed over consumers this way, why should those manufacturers have to suffer, while Land Rover sits back and counts the money and caused us financial harm.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
The LandRover brand/line is produced in England, that these engines were subcontracted to Asia following Ford's purchase of LandRover from BMW in 1999-2000.
These engines all have a fundamental design flaw, and former Land Rover mechanics have commented in these and other forums about the problems, including the Head Gasket Failure as a result of the location of the thermostat too close to the engine block, position/design of the engine, and more.
Dont believe an import dealers quick answer, I doubt he has researched or is aware of the problem as much as you could do, or any of us can. Ford is useless at this point, it's Land Rover North America that knows about this problem.
The dealership that I purchased it from (Land Rover Bellevue) treated me very poorly throughout the entire experience. I won't go into full details here, but I had to pay $1,000 out of pocket for the engine replacement (yes, I had a full extended warranty through Primus -- they're great at finding loopholes). The sales staff treated me like garbage and wouldn't even consider a trade-in on the vehicle (but another non-Land Rover dealership in the area took it sight unseen!). Land Rover North America was no help either. All told, I estimated to have lost $20K on needless repairs and loan pay outs (for both vehicles) in order to get into a new vehicle.
I sent a letter that fully detailed my experiences to Land Rover North America (both to Tim Watson, VP Communications, Land Rover North America and as a general inquiry), Land Rover Bellevue, and the Washington State Attorney General. I did get a personal phone reply from Mr. Watson's office -- I got a shallow apology for my troubles and an offer to save $1,250 towards the purchase of a new or pre-owned Land Rover vehicle. I can't believe that they would think that I purchase a third piece of junk after the way I was treated! Land Rover is obviously out-of-touch with how to build quality vehicles and how to treat customers. There are many, many other brands on the market that far surpass the quality of a Land Rover, at far more reasonable prices.
My advice is that if you start losing coolant, dump the car. I feel so sorry for everyone else out there that had similar experiences. Be sure to contact Land Rover North America, your local Land Rover dealership, and your State Attorney's office and let them know how you feel.
I see fewer and fewer of these on the road and see lots of negative press. I hope that they go out of business soon! :lemon:
Freelander U.S. V6 Engine:
Manufactured by Rover Company in England. NOT Land Rover ...."MG/Rover". A completely separate company. The motor was originally designed in the 1980's for a front wheel drive car weighing much less. In the U.S. that car was known as the Sterling. Well, one day in 2005 to the surprise of Land Rover, Rover went bankrupt. The Freelander was canceled for the 2006 model year only because they suddenly had no engines for it. As part of Rover's Bankruptcy, the machinery and tooling of the Rover factory was sold to a company in China. After that, it is rumored that Land Rover contracted the company in China to re-build Freelander motors from the engine blocks of already failed motors.
Transmission:
Made in Japan by Jatco. The identical transmission is know to fail often in Freelanders, Jaguar X-types, a few Volkswagens and various Mazda cars. Most likely it fails more often in Freelanders because of the additional load of an AWD Truck.
What are the options Land Rover can offer for your engine? Nothing. There are no new motors coming from Japan or anywhere else. The cost for Land Rover to Federally certify a different motor for the Freelander in the U.S. would cost more than buying back the last running trucks still under warranty. Think about emissions, EPA mileage testing, saftey and everything else a car must go through.
Why does Land Rover and the dealers lie to you, stretch things out and make you wait? Because time softens the blow. It also gives them more time for the company to base it's reputation on newer models. All that Land Rover wants is for Freelanders and thier owners to quietly disappear.
Now for something really amusing: The little Mini that I bought to get around in when my Free Loader bit the dust has a recall on it. Seems some moron with no nerves in his legs and no brains in his head burned himself on the cute little tailpipes. They're recalling the tailpipes and replacing them with shorter (surely less cute) tailpipes with which presumably even a moron can't burn himself. Now, I ask you, how many people complaining of Land Rover engine and transmission failures does it take to get a recall on that load of crap if Mini has recalled her tailpipes?!
You can get a year or so driving with the Head Gasket Failure (coolant in the engine) issue. It requires alot of monitoring the coolant levels and progression of the failure, inevitably leading to weekly oil changes to remove the emulsified oil w/ coolant mixture from cloggin the pistons. Eventually, so much coolant gets into the engine you actually hear the sound of swishing coolant when you make a turn, to engine not starting easily, and finally, for me, engine oil completely filling up the coolant system & overflow (complete gasket failure).
The posts are correct, dont waste your money or time trying to figure out how to fix the engine, every cent is better spent towards a new vehicle. Maybe one day there will be some sort of legal remedy/resolution for us all, Land Rover didnt go out of business and they really do owe each and every one of us our money back!
I've also filed a complaint with the NHTSA on my 2002 Freelander. The engine failed at 70,000. I've also had sunroof motor failure and rear passenger window motor failure and now my transmission is acting like it might fail. It is slow to shift until the engine is warmed up. I have quit driving it for fear the transmission will fail because i can't afford to fix it. I want to be part of any class action lawsuit so, if anyone has information on that issue could you please pass it on here? I haven't ever been involved in a lawsuit and don't know how the process works. Any help ?
Boy, we got taken didn't we!
Best to all.
Kim
I also own a Freelander. I have been back to the dealership so many times to fix the car they all run when they see me coming. The latest is the engine overheating, now I know why. My service guy could not fix the problem so he told me that is how the car runs, everything is ok. If anyone gets anywhere with a lawsuite, please let us know. :sick: :lemon:
Leaking coolant? check Mystery 'check engine light'? Check Did I say leaking coolant?? Check Check
I had my car - 2003 Freelander at the dealership for the past almost 2 months at a cost of $1300.00 for a car rental while I 'patiently' waited for a replacement engine - $10,000 covered by my warranty which has now expired thanks to several overpriced repairs that exceed the value of the car which I still owe $11,000 on!
I received an engine after calling customer service at the prompting of the service manager who was getting no where with LR by himself.
I shudder to think where this engine magically appeared from when there is such a long back order. I shall be trading this car in ASAP even though I know I too will have a ridiculous negative equity.
Customer service at the corporate level is pathetic for a company selling cars with such a big price sticker. I was very disappointed and shall not be purchasing a LR again. oddly enough, I drove a VW Jetta as my rental - I used to own one - and it was the most relaxing time I've had behind the wheel since I bought my LR. I didn't realise how paranoid I'd become to running low on coolant and the engine overheating!
Please let me know when and if there is a lawsuit going. I'm in 100%!!!!!!
[email protected]
You may love your '04 Freelander now, but I will assure you it is the same piece of [non-permissible content removed] engine that we all own (barring that you put an non Series-K engine into the vehicle, which were installed into all Freelanders purchased between 2001 and 2005, when the model was discontinued for this very failure and resulting multitude of complaints).
When, and I seriously mean when, your vehicle experiences this failure, you will think very differently about your beloved vehicle. I don't mean to sound rude or condescending, but having spoken with several Land Rover and non-Land Rover mechanics, you will come to the realization that timing belts, failed gas-filter assembly, transmission failures and every other defect in this vehicle are minor once the head gasket failure happens and slowly destroys your vehicle.
You sound familiar with these vehicles, so I am surprised that you are not advocating as the rest of us are, to rid yourself of the vehicle while you still are able too. Even Land Rover mechanics advised to sell or trade in the vehicle as quickly as possible, as only replacing the engines that are no longer available can fix the head gasket issue. Get rid of your Freelander as soon as you possibly can!
I chose not to replace the engine that would have been required, not to mention no engines are or were available for replacement with the model discontinued and nor any rebuilt engines currently available. So, Mr. Gutman said without me spending the $7,000-$10,000 on a new engine, he could not help me.
Recent posts have given some speculation that he was considering class action, but after speaking with him, he was far from the money or resources to take on such an endeavor.
Each of us have to deal with the vehicle failures and our respective financing companies. I would highly recommend making the financing company aware of the head gasket failure as they occur, the warning signs are very clear and obvious, starting with a constantly slow to more rapidly draining coolant overflow. Land Rover is not being cooperative whatsoever, and anyone who indicates they are either is lying or avoiding the issue.
In your opinion, is there any value in replacing the head gasket as a preventative procedure? And that the thermostat could be replaced with a different one to help prevent overheating. Any thoughts on this? thank you for your time!
First, the head gasket failure is a result, not a cause. The head gasket fails when the piston sleeves start moving. (They are not supposed to move) The sleeves are iron inside an aluminum block, so many asumptions about the failure are made regarding overheating. Aluminum and iron expand at different rates at different temperatures.
However, many of these engine failures occur without reports of overheating. Also, many reliable engines have iron sleeves in aluminum blocks. BMW, Mercedes, etc.
Therefore the failure could simply be the sleeves were not properly designed to hold themselves in under any temperature.
Both of my engines failed in the middle of Winter in the Northeast.
Trade it. Immediately.
Dave
Trade it, sell it, do anything but try to keep it or fix it.