1997 Land Rover Discovery

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1997 Land Rover Discovery, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

• Service brakes, hydraulic12
• Air bags6
• Engine and engine cooling5
• Power train4
• Fuel system, gasoline4
• Vehicle speed control3
• Electrical system2
• Visibility1
• Seat belts1
• Service brakes1

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported

Compared with other years

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

New York safety inspections

At its first New York inspection the 1997 Land Rover Discovery failed the safety check 2.68% of the time — 67% more often than the average 1997 passenger car (1.60%). Median odometer at inspection: 117,783 miles.

NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count

In the Netherlands

28 first registered in 1997 are on Dutch roads; 21% arrived later as imports.

Most common APK defects

• Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen4
• Roestschade dorpel3
• Dim-, grootlicht ondeugdelijk bevestigd2
• Onderdeel veersysteem ondeugdelijk (bevestigd)2
• CO meer dan wettelijk toegestaan2
• Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect2
• Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld2
• Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde2

Colours

RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording

In the United Kingdom

714 cars built in 1997 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 4,649 more were declared off the road (SORN).

Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0

MOT test results in Great Britain

In 2023, 1,224 of these cars first registered in 1997 took their annual MOT test. 70% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 1997 the figure was 64%.

DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail

In New Zealand

229 1997 cars are on the New Zealand register; 71% arrived as used imports, 24% were sold new in New Zealand.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0

Fuel consumption

Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 17.1–17.6 L/100 km (about 13–14 mpg US), CO₂ 393–405 g/km.

Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls in Canada

2 Transport Canada recalls for the 1997 Land Rover Discovery.

Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls

Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words

Service bulletins

What Land Rover told its dealers about the 1997 Land Rover Discovery: known faults, fixes and updates.

NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)