There are 12 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2003 Land Rover Freelanderin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I JUST PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE FOR MY DAUGHTER 16TH BIRTHDAY. NIGHTMARE. THE REAR WINDOW PASSENGERS REGULATOR WENT OUT COST TO BE OVER $300. THE TRANSMISSION HAS A HARD SHIFT BANG FROM 2ND TO THIRD GEAR. I TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP. THEY WANT TO REBUILD IT AT A COST OF $4000. ESTIMATE WAS TO REPLACE CRACKED HIGH CLUTCH PISTON & OR VALVE BODY LEAKS. LABOR WOULD BE OVER 20 HOURS WORTH OF WORK. I AM STUCK WITH NO VEHICLE FOR MY DAUGHTER WHO IS UPSET THAT SHE CAN'T ENJOY HER FIRST CAR. WHAT A SHAME. VERY DISAPPOINTED. I THOUGHT LANDROVER WAS RELIABLE LIKE BMW. APPARENTLY NOT. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 LAND ROVER FREELANDER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH WHEN THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO JERK VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE SHIFT SOLENOID SENSOR WAS REPLACED. THE MECHANIC ALSO DETECTED THE TRANSMISSION INTAKE VALVES WERE DAMAGED. IN ADDITION, THE REAR PASSENGER AUTOMATIC WINDOW REGULATOR FAILED TO OPERATE AND THE SUN ROOF MOTOR EXHIBITED FAULTY WIRING. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED FOR THE ADDITIONAL DEFECTS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.
CAR JUST LOSES POWER AND STOPS WHILE DRIVING AT 60MPH ON HIGHWAY. I TOOK IT IN TO MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD THAT THE FUEL PUMP SHUT OFF. AFTER GETTING FUEL PUMP REPLACED, THE CAR CONTINUES TO LOSE POWER AT RANDOM TIMES WHILE ACCELERATING. VERY DANGEROUS! *TR
I WAS DRIVING 70MPH, OUT OF NO WHERE, THE CAR DOWN SHIFTED, "THE HILL DECENT! LIGHT CAME ON, F4 BEGAN FLASHING. I LOST CONTROL BRIEFLY BUT REGAINED IT. *TR
I HAVE LAND ROVER FREELANDER 2003 TRAVELING SLIGHT DOWNHILL THE TRANSMISSION DISENGAGE. THE CAR HAVE 54,000ML ON CONSEQUENTLY HAVE HAD ROUGH RUN AND COMPLETE REAR GEAR LOSS. *TR
I PURCHASED MY 2003 FREELANDER LANDROVER 11/05/08. I HAVE HAD ISSUES EVER SINCE BOTH PASSENGER SIDE WINDOWS DO NOT WORK TAILLIGHTS NO LONGER WORKING EVEN AFTER CHANGING BULBS, FUEL PUMP WENT LR DID REPLACE PER RECALL, TRANSMISSION HAS GONE, INSTRUMENTS LIGHTS WITH IN DASH HAVE GONE OUT , TIRES ARE BALDING QUICKLY AFTER REPLACEMENT. *TR
I HAVE A 2003 LANDROVER I HAVE HAD TO MAKE REPAIRS TO THIS AUTO DUE TO THE DRIVE SHAFT. I HAVE TO PUT DRIVE SHAFT BEARING ON BOTH SIDES OF CAR THIS IS VERY EXPENSIVE. I HAVE ALSO CALLED LAND ROVER THEY SAY THEY CANNOT HELP SINCE I DON'T TAKE MY CAR TO THEIR DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE SUV WORKED ON I HAVE KEPT MY CAR IN TIP TOP SHAPE I GET. *TR
I HAVE A LANDROVER FREELANDER 2003 SE, THE TRANSMISSION ON THIS CAR IS VERY HARSH, SHIFTING FROM ONE SPEED TO ANOTHER MAKES VERY BIG NOISE ESPECIALLY WHEN IT HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR LONG TIME. TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP , THEY SAID NOTHING IS WRONG IN THE OUTSIDE AND ALL LOOK GOOD, BUT AFTER READING IN THE INTERNET I FOUND OUT THAT THIS TYPE OF CAR HAS AN ISSUE WITH THEIR TRANSMISSION. *TR
I HAVE 78K ON MY '03 LAND ROVER FREELANDER AND THE TRANSMISSION JUST WENT OUT WITH THE F-4 FLASHING ON THE ODOMETER, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, AND THE HILL DESCENT/TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS COMING ON. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHICH I HAVE THE WARRANTY THROUGH, AND THEY SAID IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED FOR $3300, AND THE WARRANTY COMPANY WON'T COVER IT. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP SINCE THE END OF FEB '08 AND I STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT BACK, NOR DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFO ON IT. AS FAR AS EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE INCIDENT, THERE WAS NO WARNINGS. IT WAS RUNNING FINE ON THE DAY PRIOR, BUT THEN THE NEXT DAY IT STARTED SHIFTING HARD AND THE ALL THE LIGHTS AND CODES OCCURRED. *TR
FLAPPING SOUND CONSTANTLY COMING FROM ENGINE THAT REQUIRES COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF THE INTAKE MANIFOLD TO REPAIR. TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING ,SHIFTING HARD AND VIBRATING HEAVILY UNDER ACCELERATION. TAIL LIGHT WENT OUT AND TURN SIGNAL SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WINDOW REGULATORS HAVE GONE OUT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED IN PASSENGER , BEHIND DRIVER'S DOOR AND REAR CARGO AREAS. *TR
TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN 2002 LANDROVER FREELANDER (PURCHASED IN FEBRUARY 2003) AT 56K. TWO FAULTY VIS MOTORS FOUND, BLOWN LEFT SPEAKER CONE, FAILED FUEL SENDER, FAULTY HEATER FAN, BROKEN WINDOW DRIVE BRACKET. TOTAL REPAIR COST $6000. NO HELP FROM DEALER, NO HELP FROM LANDROVER. CAR FINALLY UNLOADED IN PART EXCHANGE FOR $1,250 JUST TO GET RID OF IT AFTER READING OTHER POSTS ON THIS SITE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 LAND ROVER FREE LANDER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IN JANUARY 2011, THE COOLING SYSTEM BEGAN TO LEAK ABNORMALLY, THE RADIATOR HOSE FRACTURED FROM THE VEHICLE AND THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FOLLOWING MONTH, THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO OVERHEAT, THE ABS AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY REPAIRED THE COOLING THERMOSTAT, HOSES AND POWER STEERING PUMP. THE FAILURE PERSISTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE THE INTAKE VALVES, THERMOSTAT AND POWER STEERING PUMP WERE REPLACED. THE ABS FAILURE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK VIOLENTLY AND EXHIBIT AN ABNORMALLY LOUD NOISE. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 46, 854 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,414 UPDATED 5/2/11 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED HE NO LONGER WANTS TO PURSUE THE COMPLAINT. UPDATED 05/11/11
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026