1998 Land Rover Discovery Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Discovery years
- More complaints than other years 8th of 22 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 33 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Land Rover Discovery. That ranks 8th out of 22 Discovery model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (5 complaints, 15%), typically at around 102,000 miles. Complaints mention 7 crashes, 4 fires, 9 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year.
- 33owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 7complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1998 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 5 | 15% | 102,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 5 | 15% | 98,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 4 | 12% | 66,747 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 12% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 12% | 98,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 2 | 6% | 88,350 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 6% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 3% | 124,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 3% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 3% | 72,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 3% | 98,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1998 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.
Tl* the contact owned a 1998 land rover discovery. While driving and depressing the brake pedal, flames appeared under the dashboard. A fire report was filed. A police report was not filed. The local fire department extinguished the fire. The contact sustained bruises to the left shoulder and left…
I began to back out of a parking space. As my car cleared the parking space, i was turning my steering wheel as i backed out, i heard a click at the steering wheel and suddenly had no steering whatsoever. My steering wheel just spins free, easily, and the steering wheel no longer controls the front…
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 land rover discovery. The contact stated that the vehicle was involved in a crash and the air bags deployed. As a result, there was an explosive spark which caused the driver's clothing to ignite. The driver sustained burns to the right hand and the left arm became…
1998 landrover. Consumer requests reimbursement for defective vehicle*tgw see odi # 10328525 consumer has another complaint referencing a problem with his 2007 chevrolet impala. Updated 06/04/10.*jb the consumer would like for someone to contact him to schedule an inspection of the vehicle. Updated…
Our land rover discovery lost steering and brake control while on highway 99 nb south of the toulumne rd exit. We were traveling at low highway speed (50-60mph) when we noticed the vehicle to begin swerving left and right causing the body to pitch dramatically with no response from steering, when…
Other Land Rover Discovery years
← 1997 Discovery · 1999 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 | 33 | 1 |
| 1997 Discovery | 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
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Land Rover Discovery?
Owners most often report electrical system, steering, air bags problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 5 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1998 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 1998 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 1998 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.