Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
04V006000LAND ROVERfrom 12/13/1999 to 06/17/2003V (Vehicle)526406/02/2004MFRLAND ROVER01/06/200401/14/2004
Defect SummaryOn certain sport utility vehicles, the active cornering enhancement (ace) pump banjo bolt looses torque and allows fluid to leak past the joint.
Consequence SummaryThe fluid from the pump joint can ignite, resulting in an under hood fire.
Corrective SummaryDealers will inspect the vehicles for leakage. if no leakage is evident, the banjo bolt will be re-tightened. if leakage is evident, the banjo bolt and dowty washers will be replaced. owner notification is expected to begin during may 2004. owners should contact land rover at 1-800-637-6837.
NotesLand rover recall no. b149.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration

Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE
03120103/12/200310002315Oil pump failures. *tt08/20/2003

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
03/01/200986000
 I have experienced what appears to be the same oil pump symptoms others have complained of. despite reading full, my truck seems to have difficulty adequately lubricating. so, some days it's sounded like a tank!!
03/26/2010610001
 I purchased a 2003 land rover discovery series ii hse with 44k miles. in february 2008, i brought the vehicle to land rover dealer to have a full inspection of the vehicle. the inspection report noted that vehicle was in great condition with no issues needing to be addressed. but along with the evaluation paper work provided by the land rover dealer was a land rover technical alert. the technical alert stated the following;
12/12/2009990001
 2003 land rover discovery oil pump failure. land rover is aware of this problem and does not want to do a recall. *tr
03/10/2009850001
 I have a 2003 landrover discovery 85,000 miles on the vehicle when the oil light came on. the repair shop states i need a new oil pump. there is a landrover service bulletin out that states they are aware that some discovery's between a set of serial numbers are defective but they will not help the owners of these vehicles to repair the problem it will cost me $1,300 dollars at the least to fix this problem. this should be covered by landrover. *tr
11/15/2008940001
 Bolt on oil pump lost torque that caused oil loss and engine overheating and head gasket failure. occurred one time and had oil pump repaired. expansion reservoir tank replaced. plenum lines replaced. head gasket replaced. according to design flaw indicated by land rover america, this issue is highly likely to occur again. *tr
08/01/20071
 Land rover needs to recall all affected discovery vehicles with oil pump problems. i have had a ticking noise coming from the engine which my mechanic says is caused form lack of oil. after researching the problem, i have found several occasions where this has happened due to a production error. and the only fix is replacing the entire engine? i'm amazed this problem has not gotten more attention! *tr
10/12/2008625501
 Land rover technical alert ta03-1201 oil pump failures on 2003 discovery ii vehicles may be the result of a manufacturing error. vins 3a771801 - 3a808362 are the affected vehicles. the alert states the only effective repair is engine replacement. i've been told land rover will not pay for this repair. why? *tr
08/15/2008478001
 We have a 2003 land rover discovery w/ 47k miles on it. on friday night, august 15th 2008, we started to drive down our street when all of a sudden the engine sounded like a diesel truck. it was horrible. we also had a red oil light. the car felt sluggish, sounded horrible & had an oil light on so we turned around and parked the land rover before the engine seized up. we have been trying to figure out what it could be & determined that our oil pump has failed. i am understanding that there is a technical defect that was issued on march 14, 2003, but no recall. this is quite disturbing since the manufacturing is admitting to fault, but is not setting up a recall for this item. with the prices of gas, food, utilities and the general state of our economy, i don't have the resources to fix this rig at this time. i am hoping that the dealership will fix this issue since it is a manufacturer's (self admitted) defect. we tried calling the dealer on saturday, august 16th 2008 but the service department is closed. we don't know where else to turn for help but to the dealer. and, from reading other forum posts from other individuals such as myself it appears that the dealerships are less than helpful in resolving this defect. good business is good business -- and... bad business is bad business. please help!!!!! *tr
02/07/2006430001
 I had an oil pump failure on my 03 land rover discovery. it was under warranty, so it was towed to the dealership. however, even before they got back to me with a diagnosis, i had researched and found out what the issue was, as it is a common issue with this year, and within a certain vin range. land rover even issued a tsb about the issue, and by the time they called me back, i had that tsb in hand. the dealership stated that my car would be ready to pick up the next day, that the oil pump had, basically exploded that they had cleaned all the metal out of the engine, and that it would be fine. i protested this based on the tsb, published by land rover, that stated that the only way to fix this problem would be to replace the entire engine! the dealership said that this tsb did not apply anymore. i asked for the documentation to show that the tsb had been overridden. they said that there was none, but that they had fixed it in the, new way. i contacted the land rover north america corporate hq and they told me that there was nothing that they could do, that the dealership could decide what it wanted to do with the issue. since then, i have got several first hand accounts of people who have had this same issue and who had a new engine put into their car within a month. i also have first hand accounts of people who had the issue, did not know about the tsb, and never got a new engine. land rover's own documentations say that i need a new engine in my car, independent mechanics say i need a new engine, and even mechanics at other land rover dealers have told me that i need a new engine. i have all these on record, willing to vouch for my side of this argument. *jb
04/15/200758000108/12/2006
 I encountered a fairly well documented problem with 2003 land rover discoveries. there was a manufacturers defect in the oil pump that ultimately causes the entire engine to fail. land rover has issued a technical service bulletin acknowledging the problem yet is not standing behind their product when the discoveries breakdown. they have told me that it was a faulty part that caused the engine failure in my vehicle yet they are trying to charge me to put in the new engine. *jb
01/28/200752000111/17/2006
 My husband bought me the 2003 land rover discovery as a 2006 christmas gift. the car had approximately 46,000 miles on it. we were driving it and heard a pop & the car just died. i had the car a little over a month. there was oil & chunks of metal under the car. we had it towed home as the dealership was hours away. my husband looked through the parts book & found that it was possibly the front engine cover/oil pump. i did some research on the internet & found land rover issued a technical alert entitled 2003 discovery series ii oil pump failures, #t03 1201, on march 14, 2003 to its dealers. it advised that the dowel pins on the block did not align correctly with the oil pump. this caused oil starvation , which in turn, caused engine failure. it clearly stated the defect was the result of a manufacturing error. my husband pulled off the front engine cover to discover the engine needed to be replaced. the crankshaft destroyed. i called land rover customer relations & she advised me there was no recall & to call the dealership to see if there was anything they would do. i am still pending to hear back from their service department. land rover needs to address the defect issue as this is not an isolated incident . *ak
02/07/200635665107/24/2004
 I accelerated to pass and heard a muffled pop but initially had no other indication of a problem. after driving cautiously for about 1.5 miles the oil pressure light illuminated. at this point i pulled over to check on the car. no anomalies were found, seemed normal. so i drove on for another .5 miles when i began hearing random, but distinct clanking and rattles. at this point i detoured to a known safe spot at no more than 10-15 mph for approx. 1 mile before the vehicle began acting as if it would stall. i shut down and had it towed. due to my connections in the lr owners community, and in talking with a well known independent lr mechanic, within hours of the incident i had lrna's ta03 1201 in my hands with several people telling me that it sounded as if my symptoms were exactly what they themselves had encountered. the tech advisory in question states that, ...the only effective repair currently available is replacement of the complete engine... so, i was surprised when lr contacted me within a few hours to tell me that my vehicle would be ready for pick up the next day. i had no choice but to retrieve the car under protest (they did not initially provide a loaner, and only provided a rental after more than 24 hours) and even when i presented the ta to them, they refused to, or were unable to, show me that the repairs they made superseded those indicated in lrna's own documentation on this issue. i contacted the owner of the franchise -- they did not return my calls. i wrote a letter to them. i wrote a letter to lrna and called the corporate hq several times. their statement was that it was up to the dealer. i even had an insurance and warranty lawyer tell me that i had an extremely strong case -- if it happens again. our warranty is now expired, and we await the day when the oil pump will fail again because lrna did not repair the actual problem, they merely replaced the parts that were broken because of the problem. *jb
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE
06/20/201157000
 I own a 2003 land rover discovery se. this vehicle only has 57,000 miles and has been very well maintained. recently i noticed a tap coming from the engine. i immediately took it over to the local land rover dealer. after a couple of days, i was informed that it needed a new engine in order to fix this problem, at a cost of $14,000. what a joke! there is a widespread problem with these trucks maintaining adequate oil pressure in order to keep them running properly. once again the consumer gets the shaft. i am now stuck, along with a lot of other lr owners, faced with a huge repair bill. this matter should have been looked into as a possible recall.
04/28/2009580001
 I have a 2003 land rover discovery. i just paid to replace the oil pump only to find out that land rover published a technical alert that states the only way to fix the issue is to replace the entire engine. dowel pins on the block are misaligned due to a manufacturer error per the alert. the vehicle only has 58k miles and has been meticulously maintained. land rover is not offering to cover any of the repair costs even though it was a manufacturer error from the start. *tr
02/20/2009537151
 I have a 2003 land rover that just passed 50 k and started ticking from the engine. i took it to the dealer and they told me that i had a oil pump failure and i need a new engine. that will cost 8000$. why do we have to pay that amount of money when the manufacturer has hundreds of these failures. *tr
10/16/2008620001
 2003 land rover discovery ii experienced sudden oil pump failure which will require an entire engine replacement. this problem was recognized as a manufacturing error per a land rover technical alert ta03 1201 issued in 2003 but was not divulged to the public and has not generated a recall. the manufacturer refuses to significantly assist with replacement despite their previous identified error and clear consumer expectation that oil pump malfunctions and/or engine replacements are not expected after 5 years/60k miles of use with a normally maintained engine. *tr
10/22/2008880001
 I was driving my '03 land rover discovery ii home from work and it suddenly died. it restarted about an hour later so i drove it to the auto shop. they, after talking with land rover directly, said the engine wasn't getting enough oil and we would need a new engine!!! we get our land rover serviced very regularly so there shouldn't be any issues like this especially for an '03 with 70,000 miles. with the way the economy is, this is ridiculous! now they're telling us we have to pay $5,000 for a used engine with 40,000 miles. i noticed a ton of other people had this same problem with the oil pump from the '03 land rovers. help!!! *tr
09/15/2007800001
 In the fall of 2007, at approx. 75,000 miles i began to notice a periodic rhythmic tapping from the engine of my 2003 land rover discovery 2. my mechanic suggested using a thicker grade oil. the noise quieted briefly then returned more consistently, beginning as soon as the vehicle would warm up. in december, after consulting with local land rover dealer service, my mechanic removed the cylinder heads, de-coked the valves, replaced gaskets, bolts, lifters, spark plugs, plug wires and drive belt at a cost of $2340. the noise continued. in may of 2008, after more research and consulting, my mechanic disassembled the engine , replaced lifters, checked the camshaft, end float and push rods, substituted the rocker arm assemblies -- unable to find a clear link, the engine was reassembled. this time the bill was $903.26. my mechanic, who known for 10 years and trust completely was baffled. sensing a underlying oil pressure issue, he once again consulted a local land rover dealer service department -- they then mentioned a problem land rover had been having with a badly machined oil pump housing. we researched the problem and in fact found (posted on the internet by another 2003 discovery owner) an internal technical alert detailing a manufacturing error in the oil pump housing that may lead to failure. replacement of the complete engine was the only recommended resolution. the cost of which is approx. $10,000. worried that my vehicle would shut down at any minute, i returned to the dealer where i purchased it - they offered me $1,000 as a trade in for a new vehicle. and then told me i shouldn't be driving it in that condition. my vehicle is now worthless due to the damage caused by a critical part that was discovered to be faulty by the manufacturer while i was just 7 months into my 5 yr./50,000 mile warranty. i believe that the manufacturer should be held accountable for repairing the damage. 8tr
05/27/20081020001
 Oil pump failure resulting in complete engine replacement....noticed car oil leak coming from car and about 2 days later check engine light & oil pressure light came on, took to dealership...dealership discovered oil pump failure and of course only remedy is a complete engine replacement. advised dealership about technical alert issued on 3/14/03 in reference to manufacturer defect which causes the oil pump failure and all i was told was sorry, we cannot cover this...your warranty has expired and the new engine will cost $11,000.00....gave no offer of help, advised that i come get car..i guess i will have to get car from dealership with a tow truck! *tr
03/14/2003103/14/2003
 Land rover has issued a technical alert dated march 14, 2003 coded ta03 1201 to the attention of service managers, service advisors, and technicians. the alert states that oil pump failures on 2003 discovery series ii vehicles may be the result of a manufacturing error. locating dowel pins may be slightly misaligned permitting assembly of the oil pump to the engine block, but placing stress on the pump housing which can ultimately lead to leakage or failure. they go on to say this could cause complete engine failure! the resolution proposed by land rover is ...the only effective repair currently available is replacement of the complete engine assembly... in short the engine could suddenly and completely fail. i have not seen any recall issued related to this matter. i do not want to be driving on the highway and have a complete engine failure. what is going to be done about this situation? *tr
03/11/200878000109/02/2004
 Upon seeing the low oil pressure light illuminate, i researched online to see what may be the cause. i then discovered that land rover had issued a technical alert (ta03-1201) on march 14, 2003 stating the following issue and resolution: 2003 discovery series ii oil pump failures vehicles affected discovery series ii (lt) 3a771801 ? 3a808362 situation oil pump failures on 2003 discovery series ii vehicles may be the result of a manufacturing error. locating dowel pins may be slightly misaligned permitting assembly of the oil pump to the engine block, but placing stress on the pump housing which can ultimately lead to leakage or failure. resolution whenever an oil pump failure is encountered on vehicles within the above vin range the only effective repair currently available is replacement of the complete engine assembly including the front cover/oil pump manufactured to the latest tolerances. use the following components to affect a repair: ? lbb112301 4.6 engine assembly lev ? lbb111461 4.6 engine assembly non-lev i checked my vin number and found it to be within the effected vehicles. i delivered the car to the dealership land rover of the gulfcoast, mobile, al)where i was informed by the service manager that my vehicle oil pump failure was due to the exact reason as stated in the technical alert and that i should contact the national headquarters of land rover to seek a resolution to this matter. the technical alert states that this problem is due to a manufacturer's design flaw and also gives the redesigned required replacement parts (which is the replacement of the entire engine assembly). land rover refused to make good in this matter. i then contacted the dealership and the service manager then contacted the headquarters on my behalf to get the same refusal. as i previously stated, this was due to manufacturer's defect as per their admission in the technical alert and not normal wear and tear. *tr
01/28/200744724112/30/2003
 We bought a new 2003 land rover discovery ii from land rover of milford, ct in 12/03. we have changed the oil faithfully every 3,000 miles and had the necessary services done and were at 44,724 miles. we were driving home from vt a month ago and the oil light went on. i immediately stopped and checked the oil, which was full. i turned on the car and the engine immediately started making a strange sound. i called land rover roadside assistance and our warranty had expired 28 days prior to this. we had it flat bedded home to connecticut immediately. then we had it flat bedded to the dealership. the oil pump had blown and the engine had seized. at first they said they would not pay for it as it was no longer under warranty. i did extensive research on the internet regarding this problem and found out there was a problem with the oil pumps on the 03 discovery models and in fact there was a technical recall for that year. when we asked the service manager about that, he said that if it was a faulty oil pump it would have blown by 20,000 miles and not gone to 44,000 miles. we sent them documentation of all the services we have had done on the car and they agreed to pay for half of the cost of the engine. we still don't have a car, as they have still not received an engine. (and they did not offer us a loaner car for the interim). now today i was doing further research and found on the edmunds website 3 other 03 discovery it's with 40,000, 57,000 and 60,000 miles on the engines that had the exact same thing happen. so obviously it is a manufacturing defect if it is happening to so many cars. and that is just the ones we know about on the edmunds website forum. *jb
12/05/200646005108/02/2006
 As i was driving down the road, the oil light came on and the engine began to make loud clanging noise. as i began to pull over, the car stalled. i called land rover customer service and was informed that although i was still under the mileage,that my warranty had expired 5 days earlier. i had the car towed to local land rover dealer and was informed that land rover would not cover the vehicle. the dealer concluded that vehicle needs a new motor. an independent land rover repair facility has concluded that engine failure was the result of oil pump failure. land rover issued a technical bulletin on march 14, 2003 stating that engine failures on '03 and '04 discovery are the result of manufacturing error on the oil pump. vehicle still needs a new motor, land rover has been very uncooperative even when presented with the tech alert (ta03 1201). i am 2 months with out a vehicle. car is available for inspection. *nm
01/26/200765000111/10/2003
 My 2003 land rover discovery received its scheduled 60k service then at 65k the oil pump failed and caused a catastrophic failure of the engine. although there are several documented cases similar to mine land rover does not accept responsibility or plan to recall. the consumer is left with a potential danger and considerable financial burden. i have tried to resolve this with land rover who at this time is not willing to help or take responsibility. at this time i can not recommend the land rover line of vehicles to anyone after owning one my self for the last 12 years. *nm
10/22/200660500101/15/2005
 Oil pump failure at 60k miles. *nm
01/13/20043500112/05/2003
 After owning my brand new 2003 land rover discovery for about 5 weeks, i was driving on a highway when the oil light came on. within seconds the vehicle began making and odd noise. i pulled off to the side of the highway and by the time i got out of the vehicle, it was on fire. the entire front end of the vehicle burnt off. land rover has refused to take responsibility for their defective vehicle and will do nothing about this situation. in addition, everyone that i have dealt with at land rover has been rude, inconsiderate and evasive. they have also refused to pay for the personal items that were in the vehicle and damaged because of the fire. *jb