Vehicle Data Hub

2003 Land Rover Freelander engine problems

Owners reported engine problems in 77 complaints for the 2003 Land Rover Freelander, 31% of the complaints on file. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.

At a glance

Complaints
77 31% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
63,000 miles 70 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
0 and 4
Injuries and deaths
0 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When engine problems show up

Engine complaints by mileage, 2003 Land Rover Freelander Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 63,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 4 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 14 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 14 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 19 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 14 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 4 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 0 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 1 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 0 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 63,000 miles
Based on 70 complaints that include mileage. 46% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles4
20k to 40k miles14
40k to 60k miles14
60k to 80k miles19
80k to 100k miles14
100k to 120k miles4
120k to 140k miles0
140k to 160k miles1
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Of the 70 engine complaints that report mileage, the median is about 63,000 miles, and 46% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 4 fires.

What owners wrote

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 land rover freelander. After driving 25 MPH, the contact noticed smoke under the passenger side of the hood. She allowed the vehicle to cool down and drove to purchase antifreeze to replace what leaked out. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the vehicle was fine. When she returned to the dealer, they stated that a new engine would be needed. When the heat is activated, toxic fumes of burning antifreeze enter into the vehicle.

Reported at 58,594 miles, February 2006 Fire

Own a 2003 land rover freelander se, vehicle looses coolant into engine then over heats. Had head gaskets replaced at a cost of $1,700.00. Vehicle still leaking coolant into engine. I did some investigation into this matter found a chat room on edmunds.com it seems it is a common problem with this vehicle, the cause of the coolant leak is a poor design of the engine. It seems that the cylinder sleeve shifts inside the engine and the coolant burns internally.

Reported at 71,674 miles, November 2007

Other problems reported for the 2003 Land Rover Freelander

Engine problems in other years

Engine problems across all Land Rover models