2004 Land Rover Freelander

Typical pattern

6.2% of complaints about the 2004 Land Rover Freelander came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2004 vehicle — around the middle of the 236 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.1 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine cooling (57 complaints), typically at 5.1 yr or about 59,000 miles.

Complaints: 112
Median age at failure: 5.1 yr
Median mileage: 54,000 n=101
Crash / fire / tow: 2.7% of reports
Safety recalls: 3

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

07V041000 2007-02-09

Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch

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.

FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE PROPER SIGNAL WHEN BRAKING COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

05V300000 2005-06-28

Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch

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.

THE OCCUPANT MAY OPEN THE DOOR INADVERTENTLY WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AND FALL OUT INTO THE TRAFFIC, PERSONAL INJURIES COULD OCCUR.

04V347000 2004-07-12

Structure:body:roof and pillars

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.

IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, PERSONAL INJURY TO OCCUPANTS MAY OCCUR.

In owners’ own words

Engine cooling 300 mi 5 mo in service

WHILE DRIVING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD, FOLLOWED BY THE VEHICLE STARTING TO DECELERATE AND STALL. VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO SERVICED THE VEHICLE 3 TIMES, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK *TC

Engine cooling 4,100 mi 8 mo in service

WHILE DRIVING ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL. CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK THIS INCIDENT ALSO OCCURED AS THE CONSUMER SLOWED TO STOP AT A LIGHT. THE ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON AND TH EENGINE DIED AT THE INTERSECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE STARTED 15 MINUTES LATER. THE VEHICLE WOULD ALSO SURGE. *SC

Engine cooling mileage not reported 1.1 yr in service

2002, LAND ROVER, FREELANDER, LEAKS MOTOR OIL THROUGH THE REAR MAIN ENGINE SEAL, COATING THE ENTIRE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. WHEN VEHICLE IS IN USE THE HEATED OIL EMITS A STRONG SMELL OF BURNING MOTOR OIL FROM THE EXHAUST SYSTEM HEAT. THE DEFECT WAS BLATANTLY IGNORED DURING MAINTENANCE AT DEALERSHIP OCTOBER 4, 2004.*AK

Other Freelander model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2004 Land Rover Freelander

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Freelander model years

How to read this