2002 Land Rover Defender Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Defender years
- Not enough data 8th of 12 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- None on file
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 3 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Land Rover Defender. That ranks 8th out of 12 Defender model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine and engine cooling (3 complaints, 100%), typically at around 54,000 miles. There are no safety recalls on file for this model year.
- 3owner complaints
- 0safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 0complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2002 Land Rover Defender problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 100% | 54,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 33% | 54,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2002 Land Rover Defender recalls (0)
No safety recalls are on file for the 2002 Land Rover Defender.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I own a 2002 freelander which leaked coolant and overheated because of a defective manifold gasket. Now i have engine problems. *tr
The engine in my 2002 land rover freelander overheated at about 65k miles and made it the 10 miles or so to the dealership service center only because i kept stopping, removing the coolant tank cap, and replacing the fluid every few miles. The dealership service center told me that the engine had…
In nov. 2005 my 2002 freelander ran hot. While checking under hood i noticed the water reservoir bottle was empty. I notified hilton head land rover and carried the vehicle to the them. They changed the reservoir bottle to correct the problem. The next month the vehicle ran hot again and the dealer…
Other Land Rover Defender years
← 2001 Defender · 2003 Defender →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Defender | 6 | 3 |
| 2025 Defender | 13 | 1 |
| 2024 Defender | 27 | 7 |
| 2023 Defender | 82 | 9 |
| 2022 Defender | 75 | 6 |
| 2021 Defender | 42 | 9 |
| 2020 Defender | 55 | 7 |
| 2003 Defender | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | 3 | 0 |
| 2001 Defender | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 Defender | 1 | 0 |
| 1995 Defender | 1 | 2 |
See all Land Rover Defender problems by year, every Land Rover model, or the Land Rover VIN decoder.
Similar Land Rover models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Land Rover Defender?
Owners most often report engine and engine cooling, power train problems. The top one, engine and engine cooling, accounts for 3 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Land Rover Defender?
No safety recalls are on file for this model year.
Was the 2002 Land Rover Defender a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Defender model years, the 2002 has too little data to compare. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.