Model year record

2004 Land Rover Freelander recalls & problems

The 2004 Land Rover Freelander has 3 safety recalls and 69 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is engine and engine cooling (57 complaints).

Recalls3safety recalls

Complaints69filed by owners

Crashes · fires2 · 1reported in complaints

Injuries · deaths0 · 0reported in complaints

Safety recalls

Exterior lightingFeb 9, 2007

Brake lights › Switch

Recall 07V04100033,247 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (ODI)

Problem: ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE BRAKE LIGHTS MAY REMAIN ILLUMINATED EVEN WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT DEPRESSED. HILL DESCENT CONTROL (HDC), TRACTION CONTROL (TC) AND CRUISE CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS MAY ALSO BE ILLUMINATED.
Risk: FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE PROPER SIGNAL WHEN BRAKING COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BRAKE LAMP OPERATION AND WHERE REQUIRED, ADJUST AND/OR REPLACE THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCHES WITH NEW SWITCHES OF THE SAME DESIGN UNTIL A NEWLY DESIGNED BRAKE LAMP SWITCH IS AVAILABLE IN MAY 2007. OWNERS WILL THEN BE RE-NOTIFIED TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES IN FOR THE NEW BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. AN INTERIM LETTER FOR THE INITIAL INSPECTION WAS MAILED ON MARCH 26, 2007. THE SECOND LETTER FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE SWITCHES WAS MAILED BEGINNING JULY 30, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT LAND ROVER AT 1-80-637-6837.

Latches/locks/linkagesJun 28, 2005

Doors › Latch

Recall 05V3000001,941 vehicles

Problem: ON CERTAIN FIVE DOOR SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, IT IS POSSIBLE TO OPERATE THE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE TO OPEN THE DOOR WHEN THE CHILD SAFETY LEVER IS IN THE "ON" POSITION.
Risk: THE OCCUPANT MAY OPEN THE DOOR INADVERTENTLY WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AND FALL OUT INTO THE TRAFFIC, PERSONAL INJURIES COULD OCCUR.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE LATCH ASSEMBLY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT LAND ROVER AT 1-800-637-6837.

StructureJul 12, 2004

Body › Roof and pillars

Recall 04V34700031,049 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (OVSC)

Problem: CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 201, "OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN INTERIOR IMPACT." DURING TESTING, THE FREE MOTION HEAD FORM REGISTERED A MEASUREMENT MARGINALLY ABOVE THE PERMITTED 1000 HEAD IMPACT CRITERIA. AT THE LEFT AND RIGHT HAND A-PILLAR TRIM AREA.
Risk: IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, PERSONAL INJURY TO OCCUPANTS MAY OCCUR.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE A-PILLAR TRIM WITH A REVISED COMPONENT THAT ENABLES THE VEHICLE TO FULLY MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS 201. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT LAND ROVER AT 1-800-637-6837.

Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.

Crash test ratings

2004 Land Rover Freelander

OverallNot Rated

Frontal crash	Not Rated
Side crash	Not Rated
Rollover	Not Rated

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.

Fuel economy

Freelander

17mpg combined

City / highway	16 / 19 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

2.5 L · 6 cyl · Automatic 5-spd · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive · about $3,950/year to fuel

EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.

What owners report

Problem area	Complaints	Crashes	Fires	Typical mileage*
Engine and engine coolingEngine; Cooling system	57	2	1	59,000 mi
VisibilityPower window devices and controls; Windshield wiper/washer › Switch/wiring	9	0	0	52,500 mi
Power trainAutomatic transmission	9	0	0	50,739 mi
Electrical system	8	0	0	25,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulicAntilock/traction control/electronic limited slip; Foundation components › Disc › Rotor	6	0	0	24,800 mi
Vehicle speed controlAccelerator pedal	3	0	0	4,100 mi
StructureBody › Door	3	0	0	15,000 mi
Fuel system, gasolineDelivery › Fuel pump	3	0	0	—
Engine	3	0	0	86,000 mi
Exterior lightingBrake lights › Switch	2	0	0	—
Latches/locks/linkages	2	0	0	—
Tires	1	0	0	—

*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.

Recent owner complaints

Engine
I HAVE A LAND ROVER FREE LANDER 2004 I BOUGHT IT WITH 30,000 MILES ON IT, IT RAN FINE FOR A WHILE THEN THE CHILD SAFETY LOCKS MAL- FUNCTIONED. THE PEOPLE WHO SAT IN THE BACK SEAT COULD NOT GET OUT I HAD TO OPEN THE REAR DOORS FROM THE OUTSIDE.THE SUN ROOF STOP WORKING AS DID THE REAR WINDOWS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE TRUCK. I TRIED TO START IT THREE WEEKS AGO NO LUCK IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD ME I NEEDED TWO SENSORS $800 THEN THEY TESTED THE ENGINE THE LEFT SIDE NO LONGER WORKED $5800 TO REPAIR THE TRUCK THAT NOW HAS 87,000 MILES. I THOUGHT THESE TRUCKS WERE BUILT TO LAST.I LOVED THE SAFETY OF THESE TRUCKS BUT WHAT GOOD IS SAFETY IT THEY DO NOT LAST ?!?!? *TR
Jan 14, 2013 · 86,000 miles
Electrical system
REAR TAIL LAMP HOUSINGS FAILED NUMEROUS TIMES CAUSING THE BULBS NOT TO WORK. THIS CREATED A SITUATION WHERE ONLY ONE OR NONE OF THE LAMPS WERE WORKING. I REPLACED THEM AND LATER FOUND OUT THAT A RECALL OR INVESTIGATION WAS ISSUED BUT I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED. INTERIOR DOME LIGHT HAS FAILED TWICE. HEADLAMP FAILURE HAS OCCURRED IN LOW BEAM SIX TIMES AND IN HIGH BEAMS THREE TIMES. THE VEHICLE HAS STALLED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WHEN THE HEATED SEATS, HEATED WINDSHIELD AND HEADLAMPS WERE ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. *TR
Jul 5, 2011 · 94,501 miles
Engine
VEHICLE HAD ENGINE FAILURE AND TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP DURING ACCELERATION. AFTER A DIAGNOSES IT WAS THE RESULT OF A DEFECTIVE THERMOSTAT HOUSING THAT RELEASED THE COOLANT ONTO THE TOP OF THE ENGINE. AT THE CURRENT TIME THE AUTOMOBILE HAS HAD 39 DIFFERENT PROBLEMS DIAGNOSED SINCE THE PURCHASE DATE IN 2004. *TR
Dec 29, 2012 · 97,200 miles
Engine
MY SON TURNED 16 ON MARCH 18, 2012. WE WANTED AN SUV THAT WOULD BE SAFE TO DRIVE. WE WANTED A CAR WITH LOWER MILEAGE. WE FOUND A 2004 LAND ROVER FREELANDER AT A LOCAL DEALER WITH ONLY 56,000 MILES. CAR WAS IN AWESOME SHAPE INSIDE AND OUT. NEW TIRES, ETC. PAID $9,500. A FEW DAYS LATER TOOK THE CAR TO MY LOCAL LAND ROVER DEALER IN PORTLAND OREGON TO HAVE THE CAR LOOKED OVER. YOU KNOW THE NORMAL OIL CHANGE, OR WHATEVER ELSE THEY DO ON A CAR AT 55K MILES. AFTER THEY LOOKED IT OVER THEY TOLD ME THE COILS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AND ALSO THE PLUGS. I SAID SURE WHATEVER. $1,200 LATER I HAD MY SON'S CAR BACK. A FEW WEEKS LATER IT HAD A ODOR TO IT, AND IT WAS HAVING PROBLEMS GOING UP HILLS AND THE…
Apr 30, 2012 · 57,000 miles
Engine and engine cooling
I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE IN APRIL 2010 AND HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS EVER SINCE. IT HAD 79,600 MILES ON IT WHEN I BOUGHT IT AND WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT IT HAD JUST RECENTLY HAD A TRANSMISSION REPLACED. THEY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO OPEN THE HOOD - PASSENGER SIDE. 2 MONTHS LATER AND IT DIES ON ME GOING DOWN THE STREET. I PULL OVER AND ANTIFREEZE IS RUNNING EVERYWHERE. THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING HAD SEPARATED IN TWO AND CAUSED THE CAR TO OVERHEAT. I CALLED THE CLOSEST LAND ROVER DEALER AND HE QUOTED ME $800 TO FIX IT. I SEARCHED ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND THE PARTS TO FIX IT FOR $80. I REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT AND HOUSING (1 PIECE) AND GOT IT RUNNING AGAIN. SINCE THEN, THE SUNROOF HAS QUIT,…
Jun 4, 2010 · 81,000 miles
Power train
TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO HAVE A ROUGH 2ND TO 3RD SHIFT AROUND 60,000 MI. COMPLETE 3RD GEAR FAILURE BY 69,000. CAR WILL ACCELERATE TO ABOUT 25 MPH AND THEN SHIFT INTO 3RD AND ITS LIKE BEING IN N CAR WILL COAST AND ENGINE WILL REV. HAVE TO INSTALL NEW TRANSMISSION. SHOP SAID IT WAS CLEAR FROM THE CONDITION OF THE CAR THAT IT HAD NOT BEEN ABUSED, AND THAT A TRANSMISSION SHOULD LAST TO ABOUT 150,000 MILES. *TR
Jan 2, 2012 · 60,000 miles
Engine and engine cooling
LIKE THE MYRIAD OF OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS VEHICLE, (HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/WEBX?14@@.F142477/93#MSG93, HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.EEA90DB, HTTP://WWW.BUSINESSWEEK.COM/THE_THREAD/BLOGSPOTTING/ARCHIVES/2005/07/BLOGGER_TAKES_O.HTML FOR A TINY EXAMPLE) I TOO BEGAN EXPERIENCING THE EXACT SAME OVERHEATING PROBLEMS NOT TOO FAR PAST THE WARRANTY EXPIRATION. IT IS VERY, VERY WELL DOCUMENTED THAT THERE IS A COMPLETE FAILURE IN THE COOLING SYSTEM IN THE FREELANDERS. CAN YOU PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT? I HAVE ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE AUTOMATIC WINDOWS, INCLUDING ONE ACTUALLY STUCK PARTIALLY DOWN CURRENTLY BECAUSE I'M PAST WARRANTY. BUT THAT'S SMALL…
Oct 1, 2010 · 62,000 miles
Engine and engine cooling
MY 2004 FREELANDER WAS PURCHASED FROM ROYALTY AUTO SALES IN LITTLE FERRY NJ ON APRIL 19, 2010 WITH 52,000 MILES. WE ALSO PURCHASED FROM SAME DEALER A 1-YEAR WARRANTY FROM A WARRANTY COMPANY REPRESENTED BY THE DEALER MIDATLANTIC WARRANTY COMPANY. WE PUT A $6,500 DOWNPAYMENT ON THE VEHICLE, AND FINANCED $7,000. THE PROBLEM STARTED WITHIN 24 HOURS AFTER DRIVING OFF THE LOT WITH AN OVERHEATING ISSUE WE RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO SAID THERE WAS PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH ANTIFREEZE IN IT AND OFFERED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE FOR A FEW DAYS TO MAKE SURE IT WAS O.K. DEALER MAINTAINED ISSUE NEVER HAPPENED AGAIN AND RETURNED THE CAR TO US. THE CAR OVER THE NEXT MONTH AND ONE-HALF CONTINUED TO…
Apr 19, 2010 · 53,000 miles

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.

NHTSA defect investigations

BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILUREClosedLed to recall 07V041000
ON JUNE 16, 2005, THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE05-034) TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED STOP LAMP (BRAKE) SWITCH FAILURES IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2004 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SERIES II VEHICLES.ON OCTOBER 14, 2005, THE INVESTIGATION WAS UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AND THE SCOPE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE CERTAIN MY 2002 THROUGH 2005 FREELANDER VEHICLES THAT USE A SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR SELF-ADJUSTING STOP LAMP SWITCH FURNISHED BY THE SAME SUPPLIER, METHODE ELECTRONICS MALTA, LTD. (METHODE).IN SEPTEMBER 2003, METHODE MOVED THE PRODUCTION OF AN INTERNAL SWITCH COMPONENT, KNOWN AS THE SLIDER MECHANISM, FROM A VALIDATED PLASTIC INJECTION-MOLDING TOOL (?CAVITY 1?) TO ANOTHER TOOL (?CAVITY 2?) THAT HAD NOT BEEN USED BEFORE TO PRODUCE PARTS FOR LAND ROVER.SLIDERS FROM CAVITY 2 MAY BE CHARACTERIZED BY POOR FILL, LACK OF DEFINITION IN THE SLIDER TEETH AND…
EA05016 · opened Oct 14, 2005 · closed Feb 22, 2007