2002 Land Rover Freelander Steering Problems

WE WERE TRAVELING ABOUT 35 MPH WHEN WE HAD TO MAKE A SUDDEN AND HARD STOP AS A CAR ALMOST PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF US. THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE MOVED BACK ABOUT THREE INCHES AND WAS RUBBING AGAINST THE TIRE WELL. THE BRAKES WERE MAKING A HORRENDOUS NOISE. WE HAD TO BE TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. THE RIGHT FRONT CONTROL ARM THAT SUPPORTS THE TIRE WAS CORRODED AND RUSTED OUT TO THE POINT IT COLLAPSED AND BENT. WE WERE LUCKY WE WEREN'T IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. IF WE HAD BEEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. IT COST $426.00 TO BE REPAIRED. THE REPAIR SHOP GAVE ME THE DEFECTIVE PART SO I COULD CONTACT LAND ROVER AS THEY SAID THIS NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED. I CONTACTED LAND ROVER AND EMAILED THEM PICTURES OF THE PART. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T INVESTIGATE FURTHER WITHOUT HAVING THE CAR SHIPPED TO THE UNITED KINGDOM. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT! I HAVE THE PART AND WOULD BE HAPPY TO SEND IT TO THE NHTSA. I AM SURE THERE ARE OTHER FREELANDERS OUT THERE BEING DRIVEN WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM AND THEY ARE SERIOUS ACCIDENTS JUST WAITING TO HAPPEN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10524637

Incident

Jun 22, 2013

Mileage

93,400 mi

TO BEGIN, PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW IN 2002 AND CONSISTENT MAINTENANCE AT LAND ROVER DEALERSHIP SINCE PURCHASED. FIRST ISSUE IS THE ENGINE, SEEMS TO MAKE NOISE LIKE A DIESEL LOUD AND VIBRATES. TOLD THAT THE ENGINE WAS OK FOR OVER 2 YEARS THEN NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN THE ENGINE HAS A LEAK, LEAKS WATER INTO THE ENGINE OIL AREA AND THAT THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. ONLY AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. STILL AN ISSUE. SECONDLY, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO HAVE ISSUES AFTER THE 2ND YEAR OF OWNERSHIP AND AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS THE WAY THE CAR HANDLES. THIRD AND MOST IMPORTANT, THIS CAR HAS BEEN MAINTENANCED AT DEALERSHIP, NO ACCIDENTS. THE STEERING BEGAN TO WOBBLE AND WHEEL BEGAN TO MOVE AROUND QUITE SUDDENLY. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE BOLTS WITHIN THE STEERING PACK HAD SHEARED OFF AND WERE BROKEN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I STATED THAT THIS WAS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE COVERED, EVEN THOUGH THE WARRANTY HAS SINCE EXPIRED. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THAT LAND ROVER KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEMS HOWEVER IT IS NOT THEIR ISSUE TO ASSIST CUSTOMERS. I WANT THESE PROBLEMS FIXED. I CARRY MY GRANDCHILDREN IN THIS CAR, HAVE KEPT IT MAINTENENCED CONSISTENTLY AND ALWAYS AT THE DEALERSHIP . THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS WITH THIS CAR AND I WANT IT FIXED. I AM GETTING THE RUN AROUND FROM LAND ROVER THAT IT IS MY ISSUE AND NOT THEIRS, WHEN IT IS CLEARLY A DESIGN DEFECT ALL AROUND FOR BOTH THE STEERING PACK AND THE ENGINE ISSUES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10511785

Incident

Jan 1, 2010

MANY PROBLEMS. 1ST. THERMOSTAT FAILURE BEFORE 200 MILE MARK. REPLACED. COOLANT LEAKS. HEATER REPLACED, LEAKING COOLANT. ENGINE SOUND LIKE A DIESEL TRUCK, NEVER TOLD WHAT IT WAS. SUNROOF BROKE 3 TIMES. TRANSMISSION REPLACED TWICE. STEERING COLUMN WAS NOT BOLTED CORRECTLY, STEERING WHEEL ALWAYS OFF CENTER. COOLANT STILL LEAKS... *TR

NHTSA ID

10250562

Incident

Jan 2, 2003

Mileage

10,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LAND ROVER FREELANDER. WHILE SLOWING DOWN AND TURNING AT 10 MPH, THE STEERING RACK MADE A LOUD CRUNCHING SOUND AND THE CONTACT LOST TOTAL STEERING CONTROL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE RACK AND PINION FAILED. THE RACK HAD BEEN REPLACED THE PREVIOUS YEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 82,558. UPDATED 01/09/08. *LJ THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN RETURNING TO LAND ROVER DEALER IN KNOXVILLE THEY STATED THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT, HOWEVER THE CONSUMER BODY SHOP CONFIRMED INFACT IT HAD NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT BUT THE RACK AND PINION FAILED. UPDATED 12/12/07 *TR

NHTSA ID

10202539

Incident

Sep 10, 2007

Mileage

82,558 mi

AFTER THE STEERING SYSTEM FAILED COMPLETELY A WEEK AGO (REPORTED SEPARATELY, ODI# 10173809), THE LAND ROVER DEALER IN SAN FRANCISCO REPLACED THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY. WITHIN 2 HOURS AFTER I GOT THE CAR BACK, THE ELECTRIC SYSTEM FAILED COMPLETELY WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND THE CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. *JB

NHTSA ID

10173810

Incident

Nov 17, 2006

Mileage

44,237 mi

THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM IN MY 2002 LAND ROVER FREELANDER FAILED COMPLETELY A WEEK AGO WITHOUT ANY WARNING WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE STREET. *JB

NHTSA ID

10173809

Incident

Nov 10, 2006

Mileage

44,235 mi

I PURCHASED A NEW 2002 LAND ROVER FREELANDER FROM LAND ROVER NEW ORLEANS (PARETTI) ON AUGUST 19, 2002. SINCE THAT TIME, THE VEHICLE HAS HAD CONTINUOUS PROBLEMS. THE POWER STEERING, TRANSMISSION, TRANSFER CASE (2), IRD UNIT (2), FRONT DRIVE SHAFT, MANIFOLD CHAMBER AND OTHER ITEMS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND THE BRAKE PADS (2) HAVE HAD TO BE CHANGED. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 35,498 MILES. AFTER REVIEWING EDMUNDS.COM AND OTHER CONSUMER RESOURCE SITES, IT APPEARS THAT THE PROBLEMS THAT I ENCOUNTERED HAVE ALSO BEEN ENCOUNTERED BY OTHERS PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD 23 WARRANTY CLAIMS ON THIS VEHICLE AND LAND ROVER NORTH AMERICA, INC., AS OF JANUARY 2005, HAS PAID IN EXCESS OF $11,994.55 FOR REPAIRS ON A VEHICLE THAT HAD A PURCHASE PRICE OF $30,603.77. THE AFOREMENTIONED AMOUNT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE COSTS OF REPLACING THE TRANSFER CASE, IRD UNIT, FRONT DRIVE SHAFT AND MANIFOLD CHAMBER IN APRIL 2005 OR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SUN ROOF ASSEMBLY IN JUNE 2005. NEITHER THE LOCAL LAND ROVER DEALER NOR LAND ROVER NORTH AMERICA, INC. HAVE BEEN COOPERATIVE IN DEALING WITH ME ON THIS ISSUE. *JB

NHTSA ID

10140266

Incident

Oct 19, 2005

Mileage

3,504 mi

MAY 26, 2005 WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET IN ORLANDO FLORIDA, THE STEERING ON MY 2002 FREELANDER S FAILED. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER IN ORLANDO. ON MAY 27, 2005 I WAS INFORMED BY THE CHIEF LANDROVER TECHNICIAN THAT THE BOLTS HOLDING THE STEERING COLUMN ON THE LEFT SIDE HAD SHEERED OFF. IN LATER DISCUSSION I WAS INFORMED THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE. ON JUNE 7 I WAS INFORMED BY THE SENIOR TECHNICIAN THAT HE COULD NOT SAFELY REPAIR THE VEHICLE. ON JUNE 9 I WAS INFORMED BY THE SUPERVISOR AT CUSTOMER SERVICE LAND ROVER AMERICA THAT A REGIONAL TECHINICAL DIRECTOR WOULD HAVE TO DETERMINE IF IT COULD BE REPAIRED. I HAD NO CONTROL ON THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. I HAD BEEN ON THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE LESS THAN THREE HOURS PRIOR TO THAT IN A RAIN STORM AVOIDING SEMI TRACTOR TRAILERS. HAD THIS OCCURED AT THAT TIME I WOULD NOT BE FILING THIS REPORT.

NHTSA ID

10124930

Incident

May 26, 2005

Mileage

28,945 mi

2002 FREELANDER. USED 1 QUART OF OIL PER 1000 MI. AT 12000. NEW ENGINE WAS PUT IN. BACK WINDOW WOULD NOT ROLL UP. SUNROOF LEAKS. COOLANT BLEW EVERYWHERE. AND THE WORST, WHILE DRIVING ON A RIGHT CURVE, STEERING WENT OUT AND WAS NEARLY A 3 CAR ACCIDENT. DEALERSHIP WANTS ME TO DRIVE IT WITHOUT KNOWING WHY IT'S HAPPENING. *AK

NHTSA ID

10108406

Incident

Jan 25, 2005

Mileage

12,000 mi