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Land Rover Freelander

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Comments

  • rgunnrgunn Member Posts: 17
    I have a 2002 Freelander. I purchased a warrenty with mine also. I had a new head gasket put on a few months ago. The shop said that Landrover recomended a new engine instead of just puting the gasket on. The warrenty company said they would not cover a new motor. My Landrover has been running since the head gasket was put on, But I dont know for how long. I dont go far in it because Im afraid the motor will heat up to much. I noticed to that if I do have to drive it alot It is starting to vibrate and losing power again. That was my first sing something was wrong with it. We are trying to hang on to it a little longer so we can get it paid down some so we can maybe trade it in. I did contact a lawer when it first started acting up. He said he could only help us if the warrenty company didnt cover the repair. Well they covered the gasket which was only a temporary fix of course. So for right now I am s**t out of luck. oh and also our warrenty comp. does not cover LR any more.
  • unbelievable1unbelievable1 Member Posts: 13
    Our LR first started overheating, taking about 10 to 15 minutes to cool down and when checked the coolant would be empty. I was then constantly having to fill it with coolant. I had it in to the shop 3 times for this same problem when after the second time they apparantly fixed it so well they caused the coolant to leak into the engine and that caused the traction control to go out and then they said that was because the engine was now gone. Although we did actually drive it into Carmax who then drove it to Land Rover. I would dump it now! Ours has been sitting for over 8 months with no new engine in sight. Although, warranty money is waiting to pay for it. Land Rover takes no responsibility in this.
  • rgunnrgunn Member Posts: 17
    I just talked to a mechanic that is from the U.K. He said that U.K. had a recall on the Landrover motors. Does anyone know anything about this?
  • hanslrhanslr Member Posts: 1
    :confuse: So i bought my freelander seven months ago and i have had no problems except the engine light goes off and on it has don this about three times, curently its off but why does it keep going off and on? the orginal owner only put about fifty thousand miles on it and it has never had any problems...... yet....this forum scares me i think im going to sell it
  • trburtontrburton Member Posts: 22
    I believe the UK engine was a 4 Cylinder Gas. The V6 in US Freelanders I think was only sold in the US. The same engine ( but probably made in Korea, some have said China) is/was put in Kia Sorento's & the Kia van. Remember, the Freelander transmission is just as bad as the engine. In fact my transmission failed at 45,000 miles and the engine lasted an incredable 55,000 miles.
  • trburtontrburton Member Posts: 22
    Sell it! Now!
  • trburtontrburton Member Posts: 22
    Just found this on the net: "Interesting comment on this is a related bit of information from aus.cars. In a post there it is revealed that the Australian distributors have replaced (under warranty) the engines in 40% of the now superseded Kia Carnivals sold in Australia. They were fitted with Rover K series V6 engines............."
    __________________
  • sripleysripley Member Posts: 39
    I agree you should sell or trade the vehicle in as soon as you can, I had an '03 that started with the check engine light at around that mileage.

    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.
  • trburtontrburton Member Posts: 22
    40% of Freelander engines installed in Australia's Kia Carnival failed as of 2005:
    http://www1.autotrader.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/carshowroomstory?ReadForm&ID=744- 313B237CA9808CA2570280009D8B9
  • unbelievable1unbelievable1 Member Posts: 13
    We have been told that LR is now trying to produce a new engine out of Japan. What have you heard? Is my information a lie? We have been waiting since Dec.2007. We have an extended warranty through Carmax. :confuse:
  • sripleysripley Member Posts: 39
    I couldn't say whether that was true, I've heard no such thing. All I know is what a LR mechanic advised me about a year ago, that replacement engines were no longer available for this discontinued vehicle. He just told me to trade in or get rid of the vehicle.

    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.
  • moe71moe71 Member Posts: 11
    I have not heard that either. However, I have heard that there is a class action lawsuit pending. Every person that I meet that has this vehicle has had nothing but nightmares with it. I did file a complaine with the FTSA and I think others should as well...this vehicle is the biggest piece of junk made to mankind!
  • unbelievable1unbelievable1 Member Posts: 13
    I urge each of you to call you local LR dealer and inquire about the Freelanders that they may have for sale. I called our local LR dealer and asked if these are reliable cars. I was told "oh, yes". When I asked if there had been any problems with the engines I was told after the salesman stumbled around a bit that "two of the engines out of 4 cars had been replaced so there wouldn't be any problems with those and that they had been checked over thoroughly". The other car has a warranty but the engine has not been replaced. I then asked if I bought that car with the warranty and something went wrong with the engine would they be able to fix it. I was told that "if there is a warranty then LR has to fix it". Funny my car has been at this same dealership waiting for an engine for nine months and I have been told that there are not any engines available, but they are suppose to be making new designed engines in Japan. These vehicles only went up for sale in June and July. After I got off the phone I checked the website for this dealership and looked at the carfax report for these freelanders and there was no mention of an engine being replaced, only coolant system checked. This dealership or the carfax reports is lying to potential customers. I really think I know who the liar is though. I am just wondering if others across the US would get the same kind of response from there local dealership :( .
  • trburtontrburton Member Posts: 22
    I too checked Carfax on my Freelander. Neither transmission or engine replacement was on the report. It is apparent that Land Rover dealers do not report problems to Carfax. Carfax has a disclaimer, but I would never trust Carfax for any purchase.
  • sripleysripley Member Posts: 39
    I wouldnt be surprised if Land Rover told customer's to go invest in Lehman Brothers. And Carfax should be scrutinized for not doing more to identify the failures in how they verify & obtain information on vehicles that they say they are helping protect the consumer.

    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.
  • unbelievable1unbelievable1 Member Posts: 13
    I don't know about Carfax. My point was that the Land Rover salesman and the rest of Land Rover is lying about replacing these engines. My car has been at their dealership since Dec. 2007 (9 months) and there aren't any engines so how would they have replaced those two that the salesman told me about. They are lying just to get them off their lot and into some poor suckers hands. (like all of us)

    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.
  • rgunnrgunn Member Posts: 17
    I still owe 6000,00 on my 2002 Freelander. I recently had a gasket replaced but it is now leaking coolant again. It will need a new motor this time. I cant afford to keep making car payments on a car I cant drive. I was thinking about letting the finance comp. come and get it. I did buy an extra warrenty with the car, but its not going to help if there is not a motor for the car. If I let them repo the car will this come back to bite me later. I really dont know what to do. How did you get the warrenty comp. to pay off your car? Mine said they would not cover a new motor.
  • moe71moe71 Member Posts: 11
    I am in the same boat. I already had my engine rebuilt right after I bought...I no longer have an extended warrantly. My coolant is continually leaking...and I am thinking of trading...just not sure what to do. I did file a consumer complaint and the more that file the more action the federal goverment will take. Why should you ruin your credit because LR made a crappy car!
  • sripleysripley Member Posts: 39
    That's good news that Carmax and extended warranty company are paying off your car, that is really the only way out of this debacle. Replacing gaskets, engine rebuilds, and salvaged engines dont work for long.

    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.
  • ritadanielsritadaniels Member Posts: 15
    I gave up on this car, everytime there is something else going wrong on it... I will just let the repo folks have it... Yes, this will have an effect on my credit and I will repair it, however, I can't deal with this LR anymore... Mine happens to be a 2002 Freelander as well. I have another car already and I can't afford 2 car payments. Enough is enough.... They can sell it at an auction, I doubt if any takers... so the amount they sell it for will be jacked.... No more headaches - I want it out of my driveway so I don't have to look at it..... no more!!!
  • unbelievable1unbelievable1 Member Posts: 13
    Everything started escalating after Labor Day when we found the car sitting on LR lot unlocked with the engine inside the passenger compartment. We took pictures and took them to Carmax (where we bought the car and the extended warranty). Carmax was not happy about the condition of our car. They made a visit over to LR the next day and then took this situation to their (Carmax's) corporate offices and they also talked to LR Corporate (that got them nowhere). The fact that the warranty co. had already agreed to pay for the motor and the length of time we had been waiting (9months) and Carmax had been providing us loaners all this time helped them come to this decision. Did you buy your car from LR or from someone else? If someone else go back to them and see what they will do. If it is LR try them too but I doubt they will do anything. I also call LR Corporate and spoke to a person named Andrea, she wasn't any help, in fact quite rude, but it was someone to complain to. She needs to hear the complaints because she said that she had only heard about this from me and one other person. When I needed to complain about Andrea, I spoke to Kathleen, Andrea's supervisor, 1-800-637-6837. She was suppose to get back with me, but in the meantime Carmax came through. Carmax has been great to work with. Don't spend anymore money on it, it won't make a difference in the end. LR still says that new motors are coming but I don't believe a word they say. I would never buy any type of LR again. Land Rover doesn't do anything to indicate that they care about the people who buy their cars. Good Luck, I know what you are going through. It is so unbelieveable that any business would not take care of those who are doing the advertising for them. My advertising from now on will be Negative for LR.
  • unbelievable1unbelievable1 Member Posts: 13
    Carmax plans to sell mine wholesale. They said someone would buy it. Maybe you can try that route before ruining your credit. Call around or even call Carmax maybe they would buy it as is for something.
  • kasseykassey Member Posts: 1
    After 3 years of complaining about the coolant smell in my car LR finally figured out that I needed a new engine because the coolant was getting into the engine. They replaced the engine. I picked up my car and 20 min later had a tow truck take it back to the dealer because I lost all power. LR told me that the new engine had the exact same problem as the first engine so now they are going to replace this engine. I live in Vancouver Canada and am wondering where they are getting these engines from? As far as I can tell people seem to be waiting for engines that are not available. My second issue is how reliable this next engine will be? I constantly drive children around and do not feel safe with this kind of unreliability. I have never spent this much time at the shop with a car. I think LR should step up to the plate and either buy back the car or replace it with something reliable and SAFE. When I lost power I was on a very busy road with fast moving traffic. Im very lucky that my child wasnt in the car and even luckier that I didnt have an accident!!!
  • ritadanielsritadaniels Member Posts: 15
    If the car is sold by Carmax at wholesale, what happens to the balance owed on the car to the finance company? Also, is this consigment? Carmax doesn't pay the car off if there is still a balance owed unless you are buying another car where the balance is just added to the cost of the new car. Has anyone heard of the "Lexington Law Credit Repair?" They are worth looking into because they clean up your credit report and has been able to remove repossessions, bankruptcies, charge-off's etc.., I know this is an extreme measure but I am looking at all avenues. A lawsuit can still be utilized, but the car has to go one way or another....
  • trburtontrburton Member Posts: 22
    "Lexington Law Credit Repair?" I question they can do any more than you can do yourself. If you have a repossession it is best to declare bankruptcy as soon as possible. You must pay the balance owed unless you are able to do a Chapter 7 bankrupcy. If you do decide to declare bankruptcy, be careful, a lot of unscrupulus firms exist. The attorneys can charge you more if you do a Chapter 13 & will steer you that direction, so they make more $.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Some of you may find the tales in Repossession Stories and Questions to be interesting.

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • ritadanielsritadaniels Member Posts: 15
    I talked to a person today who informed me that the engines on the 02 Landrover Freelander are really made by Ford- they are either the Ford Taurus V-6 engine or the Mazda Tribute.... I am not sure if this is true, however, the person sells import engines out of California... Anybody want to look into this- they should check with their dealers or mechanics.... Just an FYI
  • trburtontrburton Member Posts: 22
    ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE
  • rgunnrgunn Member Posts: 17
    If my Landrover had a Mazda Tribute motor. I dout it would of broke down at 80000 miles. I wish It were that easy. I should of bought a tribute instead of the LR.
  • sripleysripley Member Posts: 39
    You've been absolutely lied to, in no way did Ford produce the engines on the 02-05 Freelander. I have done extensive research on the matter and you will find that these K-series engines were produced in China/Asia.

    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.
  • ihatelandroverihatelandrover Member Posts: 7
    I'm trying to put some closure on my experience with Land Rover, and thought I'd share some details. I had a used 1999 Discovery II that died within two years of ownership. I then traded it in for a 2004 Freelander, which died at 50K miles last April due to the all-too-common coolant leak issue.

    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:
  • dbfinlaydbfinlay Member Posts: 13
    It's been a while since the history of the engine and transmission was posted in here, and since there's so much fresh but incorrect speculation, I thought I should post.

    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.
  • ritadanielsritadaniels Member Posts: 15
    I just want to thank everyone for the detailed information you gave. I have been deeply depressed with the fact that I have been lied to on so many occasions, my credit is ruined because I can no longer afford to pay the monthly payments on two cars. The Land Rover sits in front of my home unable to run due to major mechanical issues, now I can't get it started because after sitting for 5 months the battery is now dead. I just swiched the insurance on the car to only liability as I had full coverage including collision. I already mentioned that I am $5,000 upside down on this car so I have to let it go. I am finally going to call the finance company and tell them to come and get it.... I need to move on and let this thing go... my credit is now to be ruined..... anyway, so much for Land Rover - the only thing I can say that is good about the car is that it is made of aluminum..... i guess... and the bodyof the car is in excellent shape.... any takers!!!
  • nomolandrovernomolandrover Member Posts: 11
    Sorry to hear about your (and everyone else's bad experiences). In addition to co-miserating with one another, have each and every one of you filed your complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration? If not, why not? The NHTSA initiates investigations and orders recalls based on the volume and seriousness of failures for a given vehicle. Help yourself and all of us out by filing your complaint where it actually can make a difference: go to http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov and click on "file a complaint" in the upper left hand side of the window. Once you've done the free, painless, easy filing, entertain yourself by looking at the complaints already filed by clicking on "search complaints" and inputting the make, model and year of your crappy Land Rover (don't bother with the component selection, just click "retrieve complaints"). You'll find that we're in good company with others who've filed complaints already.
    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?!
  • itsoverroveritsoverrover Member Posts: 2
    Hi all, it's incredible to me that we are all going through the same thing, yet no one has stepped forward on our behalf to help. Has anyone heard whether a class action was filed? I can't find a link to it, if so, anywhere on the web. I've filed a complaint with the NHTSA as well and, to date, there have been 100's of complaints filed by consumers. That should be enough to warrant an investigation. I am a legal assistant who practices in individual personal injury matters, so I'm not very familiar with class action suits. However, I know enough "legalese" that if anyone knows the name of an attorney who is considering filing a claim for us, please let me know and I will contact him to try to get more info. I can be reached at immojopinyahoo.com. Oh, btw, I am the (formerly proud) owner of a 2004 Freelander, bought in '07... now has 66,000 miles on it, engine overheating regularly, engine coolant leaking, coolant in the oil, sounds like an airplane most days when first started up. My local LR dealer basically told me to "get rid of it immediately" after I freaked out when he told me that it would need an engine replacement at a cost of $10,000.00. Gee, thanks, buddy, I still owe $13,000 on this thing!
  • sripleysripley Member Posts: 39
    I have filed my NHTSA complaint already, the more of them the better, even if anything ever gets done. Land Rover should be prohibited from doing business inside the United States for selling faulty products like this. We get on China for tainted toothpaste, why is this not as important?

    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!
  • rgunnrgunn Member Posts: 17
    Well I just called my finance comp. and told them to come and get the POS. My credit is shot, and I am out 6000.00 in a little over a year. I just cant afford to keep a car I cant drive. I have to get to work somehow. I sold a 98 saab 900 to a friend of mine and bought the LR. I am now going to by the car back. It has almost 140,000 on it but it runs like a dream. To bad the LR didnt make it past 80,000. Saab is born from jets and LR is born from s**t. I hope everyone eles can get rid of theirs before they go through What I have been through. Good luck to you all.
  • kpencekpence Member Posts: 11
    Hi All,
    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
  • lrjunk2lrjunk2 Member Posts: 1
    Hi all,
    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:
  • 04freelander04freelander Member Posts: 5
    Thank you all for your advice. I've been following this board for awhile but have never posted. I bought a Freelander new in Sept '04. About a month later the service engine soon light came on for the first time. 3 years and 38,000 miles later, I had been in the shop 17 times. Often I wouldn't even make it home before the problem re-occurred. I replaced brakes and rotors at 18,000. Rear window regulator. Several oxygen sensors. Several VIS motors. The entire intake manifold, etc. I had planned to wait it out and pay the car down before trading it in, but this forum convinced me otherwise. The service engine light was becoming a monthly occurrence, usually after a long drive. It was also starting to burn coolant. From all the stories I've read, I knew this was a sign of impending engine failure. I decided to take the $4,000 loss, even though it was still under warranty, and trade it in on a new Toyota Tacoma. Let me tell you, I couldn't be happier. I love Land Rovers. I never saw myself driving anything else. But the way I've been treated has changed my mind. We'll see what Tata does with them, but at this point I don't see myself ever buying another one. And all of my friends and family who have known of my car trouble will never buy one. I can't imagine how many customers LR is losing over this. The head salesperson at my local dealer even confided that he was sick over it. He said that they have lost countless customers over the freelander debacle. Maybe LR will eventually make it right, but I doubt it. All I can say is, I'm happy I'm out. I've filed complaints with the NHTSA, BBB and LR North America...for what it's worth. I suggest you all do the same. Good luck.
  • maburkemaburke Member Posts: 1
    No sense repeating what has already been said in many of the above posts.
    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]
  • fferikfferik Member Posts: 3
    Well guys I hate to be the one to bust anyones bubble,but these engine in these vehicles are called " interference" motors. Which means exactly what it says. the pistons interfere with the valvles and if you have them go out of alignment" i.e broken timing belt" you will damage the valve assemblies. This is a costly repair as I just did this with my eclipse. The repair of a broken timing belt with an interference motor is not cheap, Now in your Land Rover Free Lander repair manual it states that the timing belts MUST be replaced at 60k intervals. As the timing belts are made of rubber and not of achain material as most US domestic cars are. If you do the proper maintenance on your vehicle you will save money. Timing belts are only about $150.00 and to have them installed if you can't do so is a few hundred bucks extra. That is a bnig savings compaired to a 2k head job. Instead of giving this lawyer a few hundred bucks out your pocket to sue, take that money and put it towards your maintenance. I too have a 04 land rover freelander and love it, so don't think I am not talking from experiance.
  • sripleysripley Member Posts: 39
    Fferik, That is helpful information on the timing belts, however the head gasket failure is an issue that is unavoidable and every Freelander owner should take heed on. These gasket failures are not supposed to happen on these vehicles, and are generally occuring anywhere at between 30,000 and 50,000 miles on many of the reports I am reading in various forums.

    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!
  • rgunnrgunn Member Posts: 17
    I had the belts replaced on my Freelander at the cost of 600.00. It had nothing to do with the car leaking coolant into the engine. My Freelander is now undrivable at 80,000 miles. I hope you have better luck than the rest of us. If I were you I would do some more research and get rid of it. I also loved my Freelander when it was drivable, but now after a year and thousands of dollars lost it has been nothing but a nightmare. All that car did was add stress on me and my finances. Get rid of it before something bad happens. I wish I would of known all this info before hand. Maybe I wouldnt of had to go though what I went through.
  • moe71moe71 Member Posts: 11
    I called LR the other day and they quoted me $1800 dollars to change the timing belts. I have spoke to Howard Gutman the individual who is handing the class action lawsuit (he can be reached at 19735981980) he said unfotunately lately they LR has been so willing to deal with the issue, probably because there is so many issues to deal with. I don't know what to do...unfortunately I am not in the situation to get a new vehicle, but on the other hand I don't think I have a choice.
  • rgunnrgunn Member Posts: 17
    Is this Howard Gutman taking on the lawsuit or is he just looking into the issue? Does he think he can do anything for us ?
  • sripleysripley Member Posts: 39
    I spoke with Howard Gutman (phone 973-598-1980) a few months ago and he stated he was not going to take on any class action lawsuit, but was looking into individual lawsuits or claims against Land Rover Dealers for reclaming money lost/spent on our repairs.

    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.
  • mysonscar1mysonscar1 Member Posts: 5
    My second post to this forum.....I'm the 'new' owner of an 03 I bought for my son's first car - and horrified that I didn't do more research beforehand. I know I need to trade it in or get rid of it, but so far we've had no problems (70K on it now).
    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!
  • dbfinlaydbfinlay Member Posts: 13
    No, and no.

    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
  • sripleysripley Member Posts: 39
    Dave is 100% correct. If this problem happens to your vehicle, and eventually it will, you will be inevitably stuck with a 2000 or so pound paperweight.

    Trade it, sell it, do anything but try to keep it or fix it.
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