Problems with 2003 Land Rover Freelander ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

F-4 flashing on the odometer, both check engine lights on, and the hill descent/traction control lights coming on. vehicle quickly dropped power to no power. service engine soon light and car lost power while driving, something with the throttle was repaired the first time. then the harness was repaired and two weeks later the vehicle is doing the same thing again. mechanical problems continue now going on the 4th trip to the auto mechanic shop. there is no warranty left. maybe there is something to be done. it is obvious that i am not the only one having the same problem and yet nothing has been done to correct any situation. i will never purchase another landrover in any model and will let anyone that is interested in purchasing a landrover of any model that they are not worth buying due to all the mechanical problems that knowingly seem to occur over and over. where landrover is making no attempt to make it right or even notify such situations in their vehicle. i would rather drive a ford at this point then to be stuck with this high maintenance problem of a high end vehicle. landrover might not care about their consumers because they are selling the vehicle and who cares what happens after words we have our money. thank you for taking time to read all reports of your worthless vehicles. not impressed! *tr *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 land rover freelander. the contact stated that the engine coolant mixed with the oil and the engine seized as a result. the contact also stated that prior to the failure, the oil was changed and there were no signs of any failure. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, where the contact was informed that the engine could not be repaired and would need to be replaced. the failure and current mileages were 70,000.

At 88,000 miles, my 2003 land rover freelander lost ~80% of power while going up a hill on a major high way and started to billow smoke. after steering the vehicle out of traffic, i popped the hood to find the material on the lower side of the hood on fire. upon putting this fire out, i realized there was still a large amount of smoke coming from the underside of the engine cover and my anti-freeze was empty, when served only a couple weeks prior. after letting the vehicle cool, i took off the engine cover to find it had a mixture of coolant and oil resting on top of it; a dark-milky colored liquid. upon having it towed and further inspected by a professional, not only is my head gasket gone, a fitting on the a radiator line had melted above the engine, and a catalytic converter is as well. i got it back to my house in this condition because i still owe $7500 and have only had it for 1 year. mechanically totaled in my driveway, it now only sometimes will shift and when it does, only happens with force. prior to this almost fatal disaster, i had three window assemblies brake; ruining the motors and causing them to fall while driving, and my brake lights do not function. i replaced the brake light switch, problem with brake lights still persists. i've given up hope on this suv and have got not one reply from land rover costumer service. i am stuck making payments, and even if i could afford to fix it, would never put my wife and daughter in it again. please get these vehicles off the road, before someone is even less lucky then i. *tr

Bought car used in fall 09, had several what seemed like normal wear and tear repairs. there was no warranty on it as i bought it from another owner. early may '11 the oil light came on but i didn't know what it was. i arrived at my destination. on the way home it came on again and as i was 2 blocks away from home the car just slowed and came to a stop. this turned into a 2+ month stinch in the shop, with the engine needing to be rebuilt. this was done by my mechanic. i wished i had read the info listed here prior to the purchase or even a year ago. last winter the coolant constantly needed to be replaced like every few days and the car was over heating. my mechanic said the hoses needed to be replaced. between then and this winter both were replaced and now i'm experiencing the car over heating when its full with coolant, having problems with it starting, there not being enough power to get it up a hill etc. *tr

I paid $2,700.00 for an extended warranty throughlandrover/easycare my (2003 freelander ) in june of 2007. the warranty is for 60months and up to 100,000miles. my vehicle has not been operable for over 2 months largely due to the difficulties of conducting what should be normal business with easycare. easycare has been so difficult to deal with that the first car repair shop i took the vehicle to 'advanced auto service' chose to give up after getting nowhere with easycare. 'advanced auto service' stated 'they are just too difficult to deal with' and requested i pick-up/tow the vehicle to a land rover dealership, this was 3 weeks after i had dropped off the vehicle. i then had my vehicle towed to '[xxx]' and the vehicle is still at [xxx]and has been there for 2.5 weeks and counting. [xxx] has expressed to me that major repairs need to be performed on to the engine. they have also expressed to me this engine repair was not due to 'lack of maintenance' and that the appearance of 'sludge' is not in excess. [xxx] has relayed to me that easycare informed them engine repairs will not be covered, and have only given the reason of 'lack of maintenance' ' due to 'sludge'. on two separate occasions i have asked three of easycare's staff (unknown name, [xxx]) to provide me with the reason for the denial of the engine repair claim. both times they have refused to provide this documentation and/or the evidence for decision made. to date there has been no communication to me from easycare other than the 2 times i called. the requested information has never been provided to me, nor has easycare provided me with any documentation as to why they have denied, the required engine repair. since i bought my warranty at [xxx] and through easycare, i expect them to work together to resolve these issues without me having to constantly waste my time. this car is truely a lemon. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

2003 land rover freeland - began to experience a mysterious loss of coolant. made multiple trips to local garage - they were unable to locate leak. checked web site - it's a well-known engine flaw with the freeland that leads to engine failure. i bought this car in 2003 from lr dealer. technical bulletins were issued back in 2005. went to dealership yesterday - $8000-$10000 to replace engine if they could get one. evidently, it's difficult to get engines. service department knows the problem well - told me my car was junk and lr was well aware. asked what was done for owners since it was a well known documented design flaw. nothing! told me i was lucky it did not happen sooner. lr is just preying on the innocent public by refusing to deal with what is clearly of their own making. *tr

03 freelander, purchased used with 74,000 miles. engine had knocking noise, was told by dealer that was "normal", not even ninety days later fuel pump failed. ok, no big deal. towed car 90 miles to lr dealer for covered part. was determined at lr dealer that there were serious issues with engine and vehicle was not safe to drive. coolant mixing with oil, etc. have read all of the issues i am experiencing in forums online. this is a defective vehicle and lr needs to be held responsible before someone gets hurt. *tr

I have a landrover freelander 2003. the car needed a new engine at 41,000 miles and right after that transmission seals had to be repaired right after that air. heating units were replaced now the car is at 73,000 miles and the dealer is telling me that i need a new engine again for the same problem coolant and oil mixing ,which was the problem i had in 2007 when they replaced the engine. the car is at the dealer for the past two weeks and they are refusing to give me a loaner because i have contacted land rover to see what they are going to do about the garbage of a car and they are taking their time resolving the issue. *tr

2003 landrover freeland - began to experience a mysterious loss of coolant. made multiple trips to local garage - they were unable to locate leak. local garage contacted landrover. turns out not so mysterious leak. it's a well know engine flaw with the freeland that leads to engine failure. i bought this car in 2007 from lr dealer. technical bulletins were issued back in 2005. went to dealership yesterday - $8000-$10000 to replace engine if they could get one. evidently, it's difficult to get engines. i paid $11600 for the care 2.5 yrs ago. service department was knows the problem well - told me my car was junk and lr was well aware. asked what was done for owners since it was a well known documented design flaw. nothing! told me i was lucky it did not happen sooner. heck - there is event a youtube video posted by another lr dealership which shows exactly what the problem is, and what needs to be done to fix it. lr is just preying on the innocent public by refusing to deal with what is clearly of their own making. landrover is a -0- integrity corp!!!

Tl*the contact owns 2003 land rover freelander. while driving approximately 10 mph he noticed that the temperature gauge displayed that the vehicle was hot. he pulled over, inspected the vehicle and noticed that the fan was running at a very high rate. the contact had to add anti freeze every other time fuel was added to the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who advised him to replace the engine because of a well know coolant failure. the local mechanic advised him to continue adding coolant and that if the failure continued to occur the seal could break, mix with the coolant and ruin the engine. the vehicle was purchased used in june 2010. the engine was destroyed when the complaint was filed. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was 58,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.

Coolant is leaking visibly in coolant bowl. i add coolant on a monthly basis and dealer tells me to replace thermostat ($1,000). coolant still leaking visibly so they replace bowl. coolant still leaking visibly. i have foggy windows and the dealer tells me this is vapor from the coolant leakage. so now i am inhaling coolant (glycol) which is probably a toxic chemical. now i have to replace a heating sensor where the coolant is leaking still. cost is $1100, dealer tells me at least i don't have the big problem. i say, what is that? he says the coolant can leak in about 1/3 of the freelanders and it can ruin the engine. the cost of a rebuilt engine is $7,000. this is the same engine and will most likely have the same problems! *tr

2003 freelander land rover - transmission died at 40000 miles and coolant system failed 2 weeks later. dealer will not repair, car is incredibly unreliable and hence unsafe. *tr

I am having problem with the entire engine system. i spent $1000 repairing the timing belt, yet the timing belt persist with engine failure. mass airflow meter keep blowing up, i am bought 3 at $325 so far. i have spent another $2000 to get the engine fixed still no solutions. highlight keeps coming on every time i press the brake light. the car won't speed up check engine lights come on, srs light is on everything in this car is bad as a result make it real unsafe. please people try to do something for the people that drive this and hopefully get it off the market. *tr

When i purchase my car jan 2009 it had roughly 56,000 miles on it. i did notice that when i started it in the morning it had a funny sound. i tried to bring back to the dealership several times to have it looked at, either no one was there to help me or the noise was gone since the car was warm. i notice some smoke a week ago and filled the antifreeze fluid back to max line, then i notice the antifreeze was down past the min line again, with no antifreeze on the ground??? took it in the shop and he gave a list of this wrong, intake manifold valves always open, bank 1 & 2 lean, he replace my "t" connector, just to name some.. oh yeah and noise coming from three different places.. valve tran, water pump/timing belt and the alternator. no he told me it will cost thousand of dollars to fix it. *tr

Coolant leaks into the engine in the 2003 land rover freelander. problem started at 25,000 miles and was dismissed by the land rover dealer (frankel land rover- hunt valley) who i bought the car from. i bought it brand new. eventually at about 60,000 miles they told me i would need a new engine after the warranty expired. i continued to fill the coolant chamber daily and drove it until it completely failed at 103,000 miles while i was driving on the baltimore beltway (695) at 60 mph. freelander k-series engines have been known to drop the cylinder liners into the block. because the liners are steel and the block is alloy, the liners being harder, work their way into the block. this is due to the engine block and cylinder head being composed of different materials that expand at different rates with heat generated during running of the vehicle. this can cause the head gasket to fail. the head gasket/cylinder liner design fault has not been classified as a recall. *tr

The 2003 landrover freelander stalled on 2 seperate ocassions,once in an active intersection with barely missing being struck by another vehicle. the 2nd time ocurred about 4 minutes before the previous instance. additionally,the vehicle as a whole shouldn't be on the highway. to my knowledge this vehicle has never been in an accident and it's uncertain if it may be refurbished from a area where damage was such that some work and relocation presented it for sale elsewhere. the vehicle purchased at a little over 73,000 miles has been in the shop 14 times in 27 months totalling well over $10,000 in repairs. i paid $12,288 for the vehicle. intake maniifold gaskets,cylinder head gaskets, head bolts,cam bolts, the famed "coolant leak" that has coolant leaking into the engine causing it to cease up. that's the only thing that hasn't happened mechanically with this vehicle. i ride around, when it's not in the shop,with coolant in the back in case its starts to steam again. lock assemblys (2x), torque converter motor,themostat and several other issues that make it non-highway worthy. this is just mine, at the emunds.com automotive forum among the many others i visited there are hundreds of others with the same problems and are left with either, broken down sitting in the driveway, in the driveway after its last repair so miles are kept low for resale or forced to procure another vehicle or mode of transportation, or forced to continue driving it as its their only source of transportation and low resources while still paying a loan on it and an extended warranty company that you hope doesn't dance around the responsibility of paying for repairs that are obvious covered items in the warranty. finally, if it weren't bad enough to be stuck with this vehicle and not know if it will remain operable for the length of the loan,currently 48 months, i can't even rely on the vehicle to safely transport my wife and daugther. landrover mechanics can't keep these vehicles on the road. *tr

Coolant has been leaking into the engine ever since i purchased about 18 months ago. landrover finally acknowledge the problem but now there is not enough funds on my extended warranty to cover a new engine. for the past 18 months my vehicle has been at the dealership at least half the time. it just seems like a big cover up. *tr

After knowing about the coolant problems of this car we took care, had an coolant flush and regularly control that there was enough coolant. when we noticed that the coolant was running low, we topped it off, but this happened again and again without any obvious leaking. the repair facility saw some cracks in the coolant tank so we changed it, a few days later the car did not work at all and hand to be towed. the whole engine had to be change; the explanation was coolant was leaking and mixing with oil. now, with the new engine there are again warning lights blinking and repair facility told us we could need a new intake manifold. meanwhile the coolant was low again and we had to change the thermostat because they found a leaking there. there are so many complaints with the coolant and engine to find in the internet and even on this page, so when do they recall the coolant system and engine?? *tr

Known defective metal used in engine with this model... causes engine to overheat and engine failure, coolant loss... etc. first overheating in my ownership of the car... busted thermostat 1500.00 repair estimate. *tr

Well i have had several problems with the landrover. its a horrible car, i have already replaced the engine twice, along with a faulty brake light that was later recalled. this summer, my car began to smoke and overheat i immediately took it to the shop i was told there had been a crack and the coolant was leaking into my engine. they fixed the vehicle, a week later the crack came back but this time my sixteen year old daughter was driving and it began to smoke leaving her stranded on the freeway. i again took it to the shop and it was fixed they replaced the pipe and fixed the crack. 2 days later the same thing happened she was again stranded on the freeway, and it was taken back to the shop. we were told by our mechanic that i now needed to replace my engine for the third time and it was a complete lemon. i called landrover and they were very rude, and said they could do nothing. i began to read reviews about the vehicle and this apparently has happened to about 85 % of the vehicles. please recall this car so people know the dangers of this vehicle , and me and the rest of the landrover owners can get justice! *tr

We were driving our 2003 land rover freelander down freeway in portland, or and all the sudden the thermometer began to bounce around, then the car decided not to go anymore and the engine died on freeway !! someone could have been seriously injured for a defect in the motor that land rover has known about. once three transients helped us we got it to a safe place and lifted the hood while clouds of something was billowing out. car would start but not stay running and all fluids would run right through it.. land rover portland told me that it would need a new motor. this car only has approx. 65k miles on it. are you serious!!! land rover what a cop out... their should be a recall on this motor before someone get seriously injured or killed. so far nothing can be done to correct the failure because land rover no longer carries this motor, what are we supposed to do!!!! *tr

I am driving an suv - freelander se3 of the land rover, and have a defect that is getting worse as the car get into highs miles. i can be driving over 50 miles per hour and the service engine light came up, followed by t/c and decent hill lights, them the car have a strong jump and the d (drive mode) change to a flashing "f" "4"- them suddenly the engine shotoff. i drive with the fear that one day i will not be able to pull over and i will be crashing. another problem is that the vehicle loss total power and stop moving, no matter how hard i press down the gas pedal. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 land rover freelander. the contact stated that while driving various speeds, the vehicle over heated. a local mechanic performed a diagnostic test. the timing belt and the water pump were replaced. two weeks later the vehicle over heated again and it was taken back to the mechanic who then replaced the over flow reservoir and hoses. when the vehicle over heated the third time it was taken to an authorized dealer. the dealer replaced the thermostat but the failure recurred. the dealer stated that there was air in the engine, which was removed; yet, the failure persisted. the vehicle was towed back to the dealer. the manufacturer was notified and advised the contact that they were willing to buy back the vehicle for less than the purchase price. the contact refused and was advised that they would investigate the failure and notify her of the results. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 51,483 and the current mileage was approximately 55,900.

1. the head gasket fails allowing coolant to leak into the crank case, which at highway speeds the motor locks up., which can cause a serious accident 2. when the failure occurs the motor is destroyed, and there are thousands of people with these vehicles with defective motors and land rover refuses to do anything if out of warranty. but they are aware of the problem because the new freelander has a completely different motor design which shows that they were aware of this defect. we need your assistance im making this safety issue a national recall. 3. land rover totally refuses to do anything, they say take it to a land rover dealership, but it will be all at your expense. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 land rover freelander. the contact stated that the engine was warm and the vehicle failed to start after several attempts. the engine was overheating prior to the failure. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was inspected by a certified mechanic, who stated that the failure was contributed to the head gasket. the mechanic further stated that the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 55,000. updated 8/10/09 *cn updated 08/13/09.*jb

Engine needed to be replaced. mechanic said that the coolant was going into engine and mixing with the oil causing oil pressure to drop. also pistons were cracked because engine was running to hot (possible cause). i have numerous problems with this car windows, left passenger door jams up, thermostat needed to be replaced, fuel pump needed to be replaced after car stalled while i was driving, brake lights were malfunctioning dealership said i had replaced wrong bulb on one brake light and that caused malfunction. i found out after shelling out 400 dollars that there was a recall on brakes. i have also had to replace battery the battery twice in the five years i have owned this car. all window motors had to be worked on front right twice. *tr

2003 landrover freelander with 35000 when problems started. check engine light came on soon after purchase. car wouldn't hold coolant and constantly overheated. we drove it as little as possible. engine blew on highway. certified mechanic said it was because of the head gasket and that engine needed replaced for approx $6500. *tr

Car lost power on highway after driving 10 miles at speed of 65-70 mph, exiting the highway. temperature gauge showed high temperature only when decreasing speed. coolant was smelled in the engine compartment. car was towed to repair shop. repair shop did not have proper equipment. land rover of st.louis was called. repair dept. told me that the repair would total more than the vehicle was worth, the engine had known problems for that model year. nothing has been done, due to lack of funds and the advice of the repair shop. *tr

Poor mechanical design on 2003 freelander land rover with 75,000 miles leading to numerous mechanical failures. low mileage (40,000 to 70,000) failure of vehicle components including: brakes (twice), fuel pump, and water pump. over $5,000 in repairs. engine now leaking coolant indicating head gasket and eventual engine failure. *tr

In july 2004 i purchased a 2003 land rover freelander hse with 25k miles. in the four and a half years of owning the vehicle we have had numerous problems. the sunroof failed twice and repaired under warranty and has since broke again. three of the four window regulators have failed (2 fixed under warranty). i have just replaced the fuel pump @ 95k miles. had to repair myself because the nearest dealer is 120 miles away and nobody else would work on it. now it seems the head gasket or who knows what else has failed. we have to put a gallon of water in per week. land rover has discontinued the sale of the freelander in the us. this does not surprise me because of all the complaints due to the overall poor quality of a "luxury suv". *tr

I am the original owner of a 2003 land rover freelander. i have always followed all of the factory service maintenance intervals and have all of the service records for this well-maintained vehicle. although the vehicle has only 63,000 miles on it, i recently had to take it in twice for service at the land rover of fort lauderdale dealership where i purchased it in december, 2004. i was shocked to learn from my service advisor, jesse robinson, that the vehicle needed a "head gasket and possibly a new engine." he explained to me that coolant was leaking into the engine's cylinders, and that it was only a matter of time before the engine would stop working and be worthless. he told me that changing the head gasket would not solve the problem anyway, that it is the result of a severe engineering flaw that the land rover corporation has been aware of for several years. it seems that the engine block, while made of aluminum, has cylinder sleeves that are made of steel. since metals expand with heat and different metals have major differences in their metallurgic properties, what eventually happens is that the sleeves disjoin from the engine block and begin to slip and slide in place, something no engine should do regardless of the mileage on it. once the sleeves move, they bend and soon after break the head gasket, which allows coolant to enter the cylinders, which causes the engine to run very erratically until it stops running altogether. changing the head gasket, therefore, doesn't fix the problem, and even replacing the engine isn't possible. the manufacturer that once built and supplied them for land rover went out of business, and what few engines are available are only released to those who bought the factory extended warranty. i have since discovered that there are thousands of very similar cases out there, that anyone with the 2002 to 2005 model experiences the same problems once their vehicles reach 40,000 to 70,000 miles (please see edmunds.com). *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 land rover freelander. while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle began overheating. there was no fire or smoke, but the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was hot. the contact took the vehicle to a toyota dealer, but they could not find any failure or a leak. the contact had to continuously place coolant in the vehicle to prevent it from overheating. six months after the failure began, the engine shut off while driving 5 mph in the driveway. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that there was engine damage, which could have possibly been the water pump leaking coolant due to overheating. the only solution would be to replace the entire engine. the failure mileage was 62,000 and current mileage was 65,000.

2003 freelander with 76k miles began having cooling system leaks immed. after new fuel pump and air conditioning fan. i filled the system, ran the car for 30 minutes in the driveway without incident, and told my wife the car needed to r/t to the dealer.(ventura) my wife and 2 kids were abruptly greeted with an explosion of the cooling system leaving them in heavy traffic in a left-hand turn lane. the car shut down immediately. after a tow to the dealer on a sunday afternoon they were invited to look at new models while they waited for a taxi to take them for a rental. my first report from the dealer rep. was that we probably needed a new engine at a cost of 12k so we might consider trading it in for a new model. i must add that after the fuel pump and fan repair i found the air intake disconnected and told the rep. about this during my visit to him regarding this new issue and his response was "i don't see how because they don't even have to lift the hood to make those repairs." after three days of investigation we were told our thermostat and housing were replaced for $600 but we needed timing belts because they could now be heard slapping. i am fairly mechanically knowledgeable, and all of these events point straight to poor product and inept service. coincidentally, i also found a rubber tube about 4" long sitting on top of my engine after just coming from the mechanic's bay. i have since traded the car in for another brand and will never buy another land rover anything ever again! *tr

Head gasket and engine problem. car started off having coolant leak and progressively got worse and is now inoperable. it has been inoperable since september 2008. there are a number of forums that describe this same issue so it is well known within the lr organization. i do not have $3500 to replace my engine nor cover the additional $3k for labor to have it installed. since lr knowingly manufactured this defective engine (made out of aluminum and iron cast which are not compatible), they should be liable for replacing this engine. *tr

Car is constantly over heating with only 68,000 miles. two days ago while driving down the street it loses all power. turns out there's a fuel pump issue. *tr

Incident: engine failure/engine block leak in 2003 land rover freelander se3. *tr

Purchased pre-owned 2003 landrover freelander may 07 and two weeks later check engine soon light came on intermittently. car was taken to dealership and they said computer showed up nothing. two weeks later light came on for several days. was taken back to dealership and they replaced coil wire. two weeks later happened again and they replaced coil pack. happened again two months later and local mechanic changed head under the coil pack and car ran good. one month later the car ran hot, was towed to dealership once again and they replaced "something" (the guy i purchased the car from took care of the bill) fast forward ahead 5 months and the valves started clicking. oil was changed and lucas oil added. car ran fine for approximately two weeks and then my 16 year old daughter (whom the car was purchased for) got in it from her summer job from the local ball stadium and it would not crank. the car was towed to a garage and he tells me that one of the timing belts broke and warped the cams and a new engine was needed. he said he had all kinds of reports stated that this was a defective engine and should have been recalled. they tell me it will cost 3-7 thousand to repair and i will still be getting a used "defective" engine and will be facing the same potential problem. thank you in advance for your help. *tr 2/21/10 2003 updated 04/14/10.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 land rover freelander. while driving at any speed, the vehicle completely shut down on at least four occasions. the vehicle was towed to the dealer each time. the dealer has never repaired the failure; therefore, the vehicle continues to shut off and get towed. the vehicle has been to the dealer at least seventeen times for the heating and cooling system. the passenger compartment smelled as if something were burning. a couple of times after shutting the vehicle down, the contact could hear the reservoir boiling. on several occasions, he noticed smoke coming from beneath the engine like steam. the vehicle has been taken to the dealer at least nine times regarding the thermostat and heating core. the vehicle has been to the dealer at least eleven times for the window motors. the vehicle is currently with the dealer after shutting off again. the contact has the repair invoices. the current mileage was 65,000 and failure mileage was 24,379.

Driving on freeway 65 miles an hour in the left lane attempting to pass a car. while accelerating, the car continued to lose speed. had to maneuver my way to the right side of the freeway crossing 3 lanes of traffic in order to get to a safe place. had the car towed to the dealership. we have been told that the engine blew up and it had to be replaced the cost of replacing the engine was more the replacement of the vehicle. the car only has a little over 60,000 miles on it and has been maintained on a regular basis. there was no warning that this might occur. *tr

I got a land rover freelander with 51,996 miles on it. i had it in the shop over 25 time in 10 months! all for the same reason. the engine stopped on me going 30mph and i found out the engine had blown for the same reason i had it fixed for the last 25 times. *tr

My lr freelander 2003, has an overheating problem, the head gasket is blown and is in need of repair. there are now mechanics that will fix the problem except for the land rover dealer and they can not guarantee the work. there is a design defect with the heads in this vehicle know by the manufacturer but they refuse to make this a recall to the consumers and they have stopped making this engine. i need this repair done so i may at least trade the vehicle in for a new vehicle. *tr

My 2003 land rover freelander broke down on the highway. took it to scott motors of reno (the land rover dealer in reno), found out that it needs a new engine. i have an extended warranty through fidelity warranty, they are refusing to pay for it, saying that there is sludge in the engine. i have given them my maintenance records, the car was maintained regularly. land rover of reno has had my car for 5 months while i have been trying to get someone to honor my warranty. i bought the car from internet auto of reno they are willing to reimburse me for my warranty of $2540. the cost to fix replace the engine is $7250, for the same engine. i have been told that there is no way to prevent this from happening again. i have been making payments on this car and still owe more on it than it is worth. so far no one is willing to pay for the repairs, the cost to replace the engine is as much as the car is worth, land rove knows of this problem, and fidelity warranty is not honoring their contract. *tr

Land rover freelander: the vehicle is a time bomb, at some point early in the vehicles life it will die on you while driving....you then have a very short time to get of the road before it locks up. it then becomes a money pit!!! *tr

Like all other 2003 land rover freelanders it seems, mine has a blown head gasket, piston sleeve problems, and a potentially cracked head block, among other problems. this vehicle and its engine in particular has been a problem for almost everyone who has owned one. *tr

03 land rover free lander. 85k miles engine died with no explanation. towed to land rover dealer and they said that there is nothing they could do except put me on a waiting list for a new engine that would cost over $8000 to fix and could not guarantee that i would even get an engine at all. the truck is a total loss and i still have a loan to pay off. i am in shock over the fact that i no longer have a vehicle and land rover could not care less! after reading on and on about this same problem with every other owner it appears to me that land rover should be punished for selling such a vehicle! we as the consumers should also be compensated or justified for such a loss after putting faith into a well known "high end" company. i am willing to be a part of a class action lawsuit and i know there are many others willing to bring land rover to justice. *tr

I took my car to tuffy service center on 02/16/2008 to have my car serviced for a timing belt. after they changed the belt and put everything back . the odometer switched from mileage to kilometers. when talking to dealerships, they mention that they have seen this before and it is common. if it is common why they do not recall the vehicles and fix them. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 land rover freelander. the contact stated that the vehicle began smoking heavily underneath the hood. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and completely shut off. the dealer stated that the coolant was mixing with the engine oil and the engine needed to be replaced. the engine model in the contact's vehicle has been discontinued. the dealer stated that they could order the engine, but there is a long waiting list and they do not know when it would arrive. the failure and current mileages were 37,000. updated 05/19/08. *lj updated 05/19/08

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 apparently 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. land rover said the engine was shot and would need a new one. our freelander sat for 9 months with no new engine in sight. although, warranty money was waiting to pay for it. land rover took no responsibility in this and kept telling us and carmax that an engine was being reconfigured and would arrive in march, no july, then don't know when. finally carmax paid the freelander off for us and we bought something else. land rover had also taken the old engine or the complete guts of the vehicle and laid the back seats down and threw the guts in the passenger part of the vehicle and left the car sitting unlocked on their lot for i don't know how long. we found it this way on a very hot summer day. land rover doesn't care about their customers and doesn't do anything to help this situation. my understanding is that this is the fate for all freelanders not just mine. *tr

2003 land rover freelander hse, head gasket failure diagnosed by auto technician at dealership service department after reported smell of burnt coolant and visible radiator coolant in the engine-oil. technician advised me this is problem is engine defect in head gasket stress bolts and location of thermostat. engine overheats and oil in radiator system due to head gasket failure. vehicle no longer functional, overheated due to no head gasket/cannot be fixed. mechanic just advised me to try and trade it in when i purchase a new vehicle, as manufacturer discontinued model and also engine, not under warranty nor is product repairable (engine & vehicle discontinued , manufacturer has refused to help in any way). *tr

'03 land rover freelander s - fall '07 - losing coolant and vehicle was not running properly. took it to mechanic and the heater core had to be replaced and check engine light turned off. $600 w/ parts and labor. winter '07 -took to rover dealer to check it out b/c it just wasn't running well. it wouldn't accelerate properly and would often not start on first few tries. dealer ran diagnostic and said it needed a new intake manifold, a few connector components and a new timing belt - total of over $2000 with parts and labor. elected to have my father do the work and he ordered the parts online and installed himself taking many hours to figure it out. his cost was about $900 and he opted not to change the timing belt. *tr