The 2002 Land Rover Freelander has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 66,237 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 404 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
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.
Consequence
FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE PROPER SIGNAL WHEN BRAKING COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BRAKE LAMP OPERATION AND WHERE REQUIRED, ADJUST AND/OR REPLACE THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCHES WITH NEW SWITCHES OF THE SAME DESIGN UNTIL A NEWLY DESIGNED BRAKE LAMP SWITCH IS AVAILABLE IN MAY 2007. OWNERS WILL THEN BE RE-NOTIFIED TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES IN FOR THE NEW BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. AN…
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.
Consequence
THE OCCUPANT MAY OPEN THE DOOR INADVERTENTLY WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AND FALL OUT INTO THE TRAFFIC, PERSONAL INJURIES COULD OCCUR.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE LATCH ASSEMBLY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT LAND ROVER AT 1-800-637-6837.
STRUCTURE04V3470002004-07-1231,049 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, PERSONAL INJURY TO OCCUPANTS MAY OCCUR.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE A-PILLAR TRIM WITH A REVISED COMPONENT THAT ENABLES THE VEHICLE TO FULLY MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS 201. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT LAND ROVER AT 1-800-637-6837.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
72
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
52
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
35
2injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
32
1fires1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
17
1crashes2fires1injuries
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
15
1fires
POWER TRAIN
11
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
11
1fires
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
10
ENGINE
9
Total complaints404
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I just purchased the vehicle from a gentleman. He had purchased the vehicle two years ago at 88,000 miles, and started having trouble with the transmission about two months ago. About three weeks ago the gentleman had the vehicle towed to his service center who then notified him that his…”
“What is to say that has not already been said about this nightmare! I have replaced everything on this car: power steering system, engine manifold, coolant reservoir, water pump, radiator, brakes 2x, camshaft and crankshaft sensor, crankshaft pulley, timing belt, and now I am lucky enough to have…”
“What is to say that has not already been said about this nightmare! I have replaced everything on this car: power steering system, engine manifold, coolant reservoir, water pump, radiator, brakes 2x, camshaft and crankshaft sensor, crankshaft pulley, timing belt, and now I am lucky enough to have…”
“What is to say that has not already been said about this nightmare! I have replaced everything on this car: power steering system, engine manifold, coolant reservoir, water pump, radiator, brakes 2x, camshaft and crankshaft sensor, crankshaft pulley, timing belt, and now I am lucky enough to have…”
“The brake lights sometimes work and sometimes do not work (cited in 2 incidents by the police). All parts are fine (by check-up of a repair workshop), and no repair can be possibly done. Probably, the height of the brake lights above the ground is too low, so that it is sometimes too damp or wet…”
“The brake lights sometimes work and sometimes do not work (cited in 2 incidents by the police). All parts are fine (by check-up of a repair workshop), and no repair can be possibly done. Probably, the height of the brake lights above the ground is too low, so that it is sometimes too damp or wet…”
“The brake lights sometimes work and sometimes do not work (cited in 2 incidents by the police). All parts are fine (by check-up of a repair workshop), and no repair can be possibly done. Probably, the height of the brake lights above the ground is too low, so that it is sometimes too damp or wet…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 land rover freelander. The contact stated that the engine overheated when the vehicle was turned on. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic for inspection who confirmed that the engine coolant was consuming prematurely and there was no evidence of a leak. The mechanic…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA05016 Opened 2005-10-14 · closed 2007-02-22
BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILURE
ON JUNE 16, 2005, THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE05-034) TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED STOP LAMP (BRAKE) SWITCH FAILURES IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2004 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SERIES II VEHICLES.ON OCTOBER 14, 2005, THE INVESTIGATION WAS UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AND THE…
InvestigationEA05016 Opened 2005-10-14 · closed 2007-02-22
BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILURE
ON JUNE 16, 2005, THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE05-034) TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED STOP LAMP (BRAKE) SWITCH FAILURES IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2004 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SERIES II VEHICLES.ON OCTOBER 14, 2005, THE INVESTIGATION WAS UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AND THE…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2002 Land Rover Freelander as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.