1997 Land Rover Discovery Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Discovery years
- More complaints than other years 7th of 22 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 35 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Land Rover Discovery. That ranks 7th out of 22 Discovery model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is service brakes, hydraulic (12 complaints, 34%). Complaints mention 9 crashes, 2 fires. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year.
- 35owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 9complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 Land Rover Discovery 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 12 | 34% | — | — | — |
| Air Bags | 6 | 17% | — | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 14% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 11% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 4 | 11% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 9% | — | — | — |
| Electrical System | 2 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 3% | 88,243 | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 3% | 51,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Land Rover Discovery recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Vehicle speed control; air bags:frontal
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. As a result of chaffing of a cruise control wire, the steering wheel rotary coupler can overheat and inadvertently deploy the driver's air bag.
Risk: Deployment of the air bag restraint system without warning can cause a driver to lose vehicle control.
Fix: Dealers will install a fusible link which will protect the rotary coupler from overheating.
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.
Right front abs sensor malfunction. Unable to stop due to abs engaging. Vibrated vehicle out into intersection. Lucky enough to avoid being t-boned by accelerating hard. Happened numerous times since. Upon researching problem found it to be common in 97 discovery. Also found most people have wound…
Two years ago i replaced a fuel tank on my land rover discovery 1997 at the dealership in san diego as a result of the safety recall action b156 - fuel tank cracking. The replacement tank is exhibiting the same problem as for the initial recall. It leaks when full and noticeable fuel odor can be…
Recently found out though nhtsa that land rover had a recall on my vehicle for fuel system , gasoline : storage (fuel tank) it seems a stress crack can develop in the plastic fuel tanks which may result in a fire . The remedy according to the report is fuel tank replacement. I contacted land rover…
1997 off-lease vehicle purchased from louisville land rover in march of 2000. Windshield was cracked and mgr stated i should accept vehicle and file claim with my insurance company for replacement. Refused delivery until dealer replaced windshield. First rain after taking delivery, vehicle…
I have a safety recall action b156 from land rover of north america for fuel tank cracking. I contacted them at the 800 number provided and was told that i would have to take the vehicle to either a dealership in portland oregon or reno nevada to have the tank changed. I told them that either one…
Other Land Rover Discovery years
← 1996 Discovery · 1998 Discovery →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Discovery | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 Discovery | 0 | 2 |
| 2024 Discovery | 8 | 5 |
| 2023 Discovery | 7 | 6 |
| 2022 Discovery | 11 | 6 |
| 2021 Discovery | 11 | 6 |
| 2020 Discovery | 19 | 6 |
| 2019 Discovery | 38 | 4 |
| 2018 Discovery | 37 | 4 |
| 2017 Discovery | 55 | 3 |
| 2016 Discovery | 5 | 0 |
| 2006 Discovery | 2 | 0 |
| 2004 Discovery | 29 | 0 |
| 2003 Discovery | 48 | 1 |
| 2002 Discovery | 17 | 0 |
| 2001 Discovery | 13 | 1 |
| 2000 Discovery | 30 | 1 |
| 1999 Discovery | 17 | 2 |
| 1998 Discovery | 33 | 1 |
| 1997 | 35 | 1 |
| 1996 Discovery | 65 | 2 |
| 1995 Discovery | 49 | 3 |
See all Land Rover Discovery problems by year, every Land Rover model, or the Land Rover VIN decoder.
Similar Land Rover models
Embed this 1997 Land Rover Discovery badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Land Rover Discovery?
Owners most often report service brakes, hydraulic, air bags, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, service brakes, hydraulic, accounts for 12 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Land Rover Discovery?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1997 Land Rover Discovery a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Discovery model years, the 1997 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.