Land Rover Freelander Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 451 consumer complaints across the 4 model years of the Land Rover Freelander (2002–2005) that have at least 5 complaints. 2002 has the most, with 226. Across all years, the part named most often is engine cooling (270 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Freelander years →
All Freelander model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 16 | 56,384 | 3 | 31 | — | Stable |
| 2004 | 69 | 54,733 | 3 | 33 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2003 | 140 | 62,500 | 5 | 33 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2002 | 226 | 60,000 | 3 | 30 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine cooling270 42%
- Transmission and drivetrain122 19%
- Electrical system61 9.6%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)48 7.5%
- Fuel system47 7.4%
- Brakes47 7.4%
- Exterior lighting26 4.1%
- Engine17 2.7%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2005: “My brake lights don't come on took my car to the landrover dealer and they told me they where not going to check my car I explained that their was a recall on brake lights and tom was very nasty telling it was not for my car but. I have read the recall and I tried to get him too look it up and he just refuse told me it would be 150 to look at the truck. …”
NHTSA complaint #10554348, filed 2013-12, 134,000 miles2003: “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.”
NHTSA complaint #10318166, filed 2010-03, 79,000 miles2002: “2002 landrover Freelander. Bought with 4,000 miles from landrover of asheville, nc. Today at 67,000 miles they said the transmission needs to be replaced for 5k. I have had other problems with this vehicle but the sends me over the edge. I have been reading bloggs from other owners who stated having the same problem. What can be done.”
NHTSA complaint #10275059, filed 2009-06, 67,000 milesOther Land Rover models
960 complaintsLand Rover Range Rover Sport
640 complaintsLand Rover Discovery
543 complaintsLand Rover Range Rover Evoque
393 complaintsLand Rover Defender
309 complaintsLand Rover Discovery II
226 complaintsLand Rover LR2
181 complaintsLand Rover LR3
172 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology