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EnginePart report

2002 Land Rover Freelander Engine Problems

Complaints
9about this part
Share
4%of 226 total for the year
Median mileage
80,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the engine of the 2002 Land Rover Freelander, 4% of the 226 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 80,000 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“On november 1st my wife and I left la proper headed towards phoenix, az. With the mileage now at 49,807 and approximately 2 hours of driving on I 10 the car was losing power, so I did my best to safely pull over to the break down lane which was next to the on ramp (very scary). I had been driving at 65 miles per hour when the car would no longer accelerate. I had to call a tow truck because after I let it rest a minute or two it wouldn't turn over. …”

NHTSA complaint #10488947, filed 2012-12, 49,807 miles

“I began accelerating on a viadock (bridge) when I felt a snap underneath me, as I reached the peak of the brigde, the car stalled out and I began descending on the bridge with my 2 daughters in the car. It completely stopped before I was able to reach the bottom of the bridge, which put me in harms way of traffic coming over the hill. I immediately hit my hazards and prayed everyone would see me before rear ending me. I was able to get the car towed. Then I found out it my timing belt broke; causing my engine to shut down. Total cost to fix will be $4000. …”

NHTSA complaint #10466964, filed 2012-07, 103,000 miles

“I bought the car new and it operated well until aprox. 80,000 mi when I would go through a reservoir of coolant every 20 miles. I took it to the dealer several times and they would keep it for a week, charge me $2,000 each time and say they could find nothing wrong. I addressed the problems documented on the internet about this problem and they responded that I should stop believing everything I read on line. On april 4, 2010 I checked the oil and it was full of coolant. The dealer said they still could not find the problem but the engine was shot and they would give me $800 for the car. …”

NHTSA complaint #10465645, filed 2012-07, 114,000 miles

“The year is accurate,month and date are approximations started having problems with overheating and coolant leaks. Coolant wouldn't puddle under vehicle,though.but I could smell it sometimes with windows open. Then,one day it would not start. Towed it to Land Rover dealer and over the course of 3 days,they couldn't start it,either. Was told it needed a new engine.paid out $5800+.now,with 104,000 miles,it's losing coolant,again. They claimed the over flow container was leaking. Had it replaced. …”

NHTSA complaint #10502392, filed 2013-03, 70,000 miles

“What is to say that has not already been said about this nightmare! I have replaced everything on this car: power steering system, engine manifold, coolant reservoir, water pump, radiator, brakes 2x, camshaft and crankshaft sensor, crankshaft pulley, timing belt, and now I am lucky enough to have the same transmission failure happening that everyone else who owns this junk experiences. This is not to mention that the sunroof does not work, the passenger door lock, and 3 of the 5 power windows do not work either. …”

NHTSA complaint #10663023, filed 2014-12

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2005213%
200434%
200332%
200294%

Other parts of the 2002 Land Rover Freelander

Engine cooling
121 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
83 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
27 complaints
Electrical system
26 complaints
Brakes
25 complaints
Exterior lighting
13 complaints
Equipment
11 complaints
Latches, locks and linkages
11 complaints
Fuel system
10 complaints
Steering
9 complaints
Body and structure
8 complaints
Vehicle speed control
7 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2002 Land Rover Freelander

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology