Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2003 Land Rover Freelander, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Engine and engine cooling88
- Fuel system, gasoline28
- Power train27
- Electrical system25
- Visibility12
- Exterior lighting10
- Service brakes, hydraulic9
- Structure5
- Engine3
- Vehicle speed control3
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
In the Netherlands
126 first registered in 2003 are on Dutch roads; 16% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €38,273.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde47
- Remleiding door corrosie aangetast39
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen35
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm31
- Stadslicht werkt niet (goed)27
- Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt26
- Band onvoldoende profiel25
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm22
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
1,773 cars built in 2003 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 3,447 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, 3,977 of these cars first registered in 2003 took their annual MOT test. 53% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2003 the figure was 57%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2003 |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 25.2% | 21.6% |
| Brakes | 19.0% | 13.9% |
| Suspension | 18.3% | 16.4% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 12.9% | 9.4% |
| Visibility | 7.5% | 7.7% |
| Steering | 6.1% | 4.3% |
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
42 2003 cars are on the New Zealand register; 17% arrived as used imports, 76% 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 14.2 L/100 km (about 17 mpg US), CO₂ 327 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freelander 3-Door 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 15.4 | 12.7 | 14.2 |
| Freelander 5-Door 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 15.4 | 12.7 | 14.2 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
3 Transport Canada recalls for the 2003 Land Rover Freelander.
| 2007031 7 Feb 2007 | Electrical On certain vehicles, the brake lamp switch may become maladjusted as a result of incorrect setting procedure during vehicle assembly or as a result of switch mo… |
| 2005193 29 Jun 2005 | Other On certain vehicles, the Child Safety Lever, incorporated into the rear door latch assembly fitted to the left rear door, when engaged, may permit the door to b… |
| 2004159 7 May 2004 | Other On certain vehicles, after extended use or repeated cycling of the left rear door latch with the child lock engaged, two interfacing components could jam, disen… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE BRAKE LIGHTS MAY REMAIN ILLUMINATED EVEN WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT DEPRESSED. HILL DESCENT CONTROL (HDC), TRACTION CONTROL (TC) AND CRUISE CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS MAY ALSO BE ILLUMINATED.
ON CERTAIN FIVE DOOR SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, IT IS POSSIBLE TO OPERATE THE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE TO OPEN THE DOOR WHEN THE CHILD SAFETY LEVER IS IN THE "ON" POSITION.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AN INCORRECT WELD NUT WAS INSTALLED. LACK OF THIS BOLT COULD EVENTUALLY CAUSE THE SUBFRAME TO CRACK OR BECOME DEFORMED.
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 201, "OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN INTERIOR IMPACT." DURING TESTING, THE FREE MOTION HEAD FORM REGISTERED A MEASUREMENT MARGINALLY ABOVE THE PERMITTED 1000 HEAD IMPACT CRITERIA. AT THE LEFT AND RIGHT HAND A-PILLAR TRIM AREA.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE CHILD DOOR LOCK ON THE LEFT HAND REAR DOOR CAN BECOME DISENGAGED.
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 2003 Land Rover Freelander: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10224567 | Technical Bulletin: Windshiefld Wiper Noise/Judder/Streak |
| 10224499 | Technical Bulletin: Wheel/Tire Balancing and Optimization |
| 10224498 | Technical Bulletin: Wheel/Tire Balancing and Optimization |
| 10214089 | Technical Bulletin: Windshiefld Wiper Noise/Judder/Streak |
| 10214021 | Technical Bulletin: Wheel/Tire Balancing and Optimization |
| 10214020 | Technical Bulletin: Wheel/Tire Balancing and Optimization |
| 10214018 | Technical Bulletin: Squeaks & Rattles Kit Availability |
| 10204862 | Service Action: Fuel Pump Module Operation |
| 10203425 | The in-line fuel filters in the fuel delivery modules of 2002 - 2005 model year Land Rover Freelander vehicles may be manufactured away from specification. The filters may cointain an uncontrolled amount of adhesive used to bond the filer paper to the filter casing; the adhesive may not have been adequate dimensional controls. In any of these cases, it is possible for these coinditions to prevent adequate fuel flow through eifther restrictions in the filter or cracking of the pump stub pipe. This may lead to increased fuel pump motors use to maintain the required engine demanded fulel and prem |
| 10186743 | RESCINDED - Windshield Wiper Noise / Judder / Streak - RESCINDED |
| 10134896 | The steering wheel may exhibit a vibration / shimmy while driving. |
| 10125267 | Presentation from Dealer Shop Foreman Conference Call |
| 10105723 | "SITUATION: THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS MAY MAKE A SQUEAK NOISE, JUDDER, OR STREAK THE WINDSHIELD. CAUSE: THIS MAY BE CAUSED BY A BUILD-UP OF DIRT AND GREASE ON THE SURFACE OF THE WINDSHIELD GLASS." |
| 10102683 | "ISSUE: REPORTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED OF ENGINE DAMAGE OCCURRING, WHICH IS CAUSED BY THE USE OF NON-APPROVED ENGINE INDUCTION / FUEL INJECTION CLEANING EQUIPMENT OR MATERIALS. THIS INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, ""VACU-FLUSH"" TYPE EQUIPMENT. CAUSE: THE USE OF NON-APPROVED EQUIPMENT CAN CAUSE THE ENGINES TO HYDRO-LOCK, OR CAUSE OTHER ENGINE DAMAGE, AND SOMETIMES THE ONLY POSSIBLE REPAIR IS TO REPLACE THE ENGINE." |
| 10101162 | SITUATION: THE STEERING WHEEL MAY EXHIBIT A VIBRATION / SHIMMY WHILE DRIVING. CAUSE: THIS MAY BE CAUSED BY A ROAD WHEEL/TIRE ASSEMBLY IMBALANCE AND/OR TEMPORARY TIRE FLAT-SPOTTING. |
| 10100968 | "ISSUE: THIS SSM HAS BEEN RELEASED TO ADDRESS THE HIGH NUMBER OF SPEAKER ASSEMBLIES RETURNED, MANY OF WHICH ARE DEEMED AS NO FAULT FOUND. CAUSE: INCORRECT DIAGNOSIS." |
| 10072814 | SUMMARY TO BE PROVIDED ON A FUTURE DATE. |
| 10072231 | SUMMARY TO BE PROVIDED ON A FUTURE DATE. |
| 10070679 | SUMMARY TO BE PROVIDED ON A FUTURE DATE. |
| 10041247 | LAND ROVER: FUEL FILTERS WERE MANUFACTURED INCORRECTLY AND MAY ALTER FUEL FLOW. THE VEHICLE MAY THEN RUN ROUGH, MALFUNCTION LIGHT MAY COME ON, AND THERE MAY BE OTHER ENGINE PROBLEMS. THERE WILL BE STORED TROUBLE CODES. *RM UPDATED 4/9/12. *PE UPDATED 7/1/13. *PE |
| 10030392 | LAND ROVER SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. FUEL PUMP MODULE OPERATION. IN LINE FUEL FILTERS FITTED TO FUEL DELIVERY MODULES IN VEHICLES MAY BE MANUFACTURED AWAY FROM SPECIFICATION. FUEL FILTERS MAY CONTAIN AN UNCONTROLLED AMOUNT OF ADHESIVE USED TO BOND FILTER PAPER TO FILTER CASING; ADHESIVE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ADEQUATELY CURED OR FUEL PUMP INLET STUB PIPE HOLE ON THE FUEL FILTER MAY HAVE INADEQUATE DIMENSIONAL CONTROLS. CSC LETTER WAS REC'D. *PE |
| 10028784 | LANDROVER SERVICE CAMPAIGN: SEE DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON FOR OWNER LETTER. IN LINE FUEL FILTERS IN FUEL DELIVERY MODULES OF VEHICLES MAY BE MANUFACTURED AWAY FROM SPECIFICATION. MAY CONTAIN AN UNCONTROLLED AMOUNT OF ADHESIVE USED TO BOND FILTER PAPER TO FILTER CASING. CSC LETTER WAS REC'D. *PE |
| 10028527 | LAND ROVER: FUEL PUMP MODULE OPERATION. IN LINE FUEL FILTERS FITTED TO FUEL DELIVERY MODULES IN GASOLINE VEHICLES MAY BE MANUFACTURERS WAY FROM SPECIFICATION. FUEL FILTERS MAY CONTAIN AN UNCONTROLLED AMOUNT OF ADHESIVE USED TO BOND FILTER PAPER TO FILTER CASING. ADHESIVE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ADEQUATELY CURED. *PE |
| 10023793 | CUSTOMERS OF FREELANDER VEHICLES ARE BEING ALERTED TO THE PRESENCE OF A PROBLEM BY ILLUMINATION OF THE M.I.L. OR FAILURE OF THE ENGINE TO START. THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN ISOLATED INCIDENTS OF STALLING. *NJ |
| 10019622 | FUEL GAUGE LEVEL TROUBLESHOOTING. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
FUEL PUMP FAILURE - STALL
FUEL PUMP FAILURE
BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILURE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation