Land Rover Freelander Engine and Engine Cooling Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Dec 21, 2019 · 271 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 271 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the Land Rover Freelander across 5 model years. The 2002 model year has the most (121). The words owners use most often: “head gasket” (16% of reports).

What owners describe

Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.

  • Head gasket: mentioned in 44 of 271 complaints (16%)
  • Coolant leaking: mentioned in 18 of 271 complaints (7%)

How much does it cost to fix?

Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine and engine cooling repair on the Land Rover Freelander at $9,050, and half of them between $3,700 and $14,550.

Based on 39 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2005–2011), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.

At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?

Based on 239 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles12 · 5%
10k–25k miles10 · 4%
25k–50k miles48 · 20%
50k–75k miles103 · 43%
75k–100k miles51 · 21%
100k–150k miles12 · 5%
150k+ miles3 · 1%

How serious are the reports?

Of 271 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 8 a fire, 2 an injury.

Land Rover Freelander engine and engine cooling complaints by model year

Peak: 2002, with 121 complaints
2001: 1200112002: 12120021212003: 882003882004: 522004522005: 920059

n = 271 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Model yearEngine and Engine Cooling complaintsShare of that yearMedian miles
2005 Freelander956%52,400
2004 Freelander5275%57,561
2003 Freelander8863%63,659
2002 Freelander12154%61,034
2001 Freelander133%20,000

When owners reported it

Peak: 2008, with 92 complaints
2002: 2200222004: 7200472005: 8200582006: 152006152007: 372007372008: 922008922009: 542009542010: 282010282011: 212011212012: 6201262013: 120131

n = 271 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (0)

No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling for the Land Rover Freelander. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.

What owners report

Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.

I purchased this car less than a year ago. Time for inspection and car has many problems looked on line at complaints and i am sick to see what i am in for with this car. Its is sucking up coolant,(bad sign), head gasket ,oil in coolant, engine failure. Why was i allowed to buy this car? Do we have…

Received Mar 5, 2013 · NHTSA complaint 10501435

1.coolant system:strong antifreeze odor in vehicle cabin - replaced coolant reservoir;replaced coolant reservoir cap; thermostat housing failure; replaced all coolant lines and hoses as preventative measure; heater core failure - leaked anti freeze into heater chamber 2.transmission system (1 of…

Received May 12, 2012 · NHTSA complaint 10458178

F-4 flashing on the odometer, both check engine lights on, and the hill descent/traction control lights coming on. Vehicle quickly dropped power to no power. Service engine soon light and car lost power while driving, something with the throttle was repaired the first time. Then the harness was…

Received May 1, 2012 · NHTSA complaint 10457063

I bought this vehicle in april 2010 and have had nothing but problems ever since. It had 79,600 miles on it when i bought it and was told by the dealer that it had just recently had a transmission replaced. They didn't even know how to open the hood - passenger side. 2 months later and it dies on…

Received Apr 9, 2012 · NHTSA complaint 10454571

Bought car used in fall 09, had several what seemed like normal wear and tear repairs. There was no warranty on it as i bought it from another owner. Early may '11 the oil light came on but i didn't know what it was. I arrived at my destination. On the way home it came on again and as i was 2…

Received Mar 14, 2012 · NHTSA complaint 10451718
Land Rover Freelander
Land Rover Freelander L359 photographed in Shanghai , China.. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Navigator84, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently asked questions

Do all Land Rover Freelanders have engine and engine cooling problems?

No. NHTSA has 271 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the Land Rover Freelander. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.

Was there a recall on the Land Rover Freelander engine and engine cooling?

No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.

How much does it cost to fix engine and engine cooling problems on the Land Rover Freelander?

Owners report a typical cost of $9,050 (half paid between $3,700 and $14,550), from 39 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.

What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the Land Rover Freelander?

The most frequent phrase is “head gasket”, in 44 of 271 complaints, followed by “coolant leaking” (18).

Other Land Rover Freelander problems

See all Land Rover Freelander problems.