LAND ROVER NEW RANGE ROVER · model year

2003 LAND ROVER NEW RANGE ROVER

38 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2003LAND ROVERNEW RANGE ROVER carries 38 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2003 NEW RANGE ROVER is power train:driveline:differential unit with 20 filings, followed by power train:driveline:driveshaft (5) and power train (3). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 12 investigation files overlapping the 2003 NEW RANGE ROVER, and 3 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

38
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

38 filings

Crashes Reported

2 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT20
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT5
POWER TRAIN3
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE2
SUSPENSION2
SUSPENSION:FRONT1
POWER TRAIN:TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC1
EQUIPMENT1
STRUCTURE:BODY1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1

Recent Complaints

20181021POWER TRAIN

WHILE DRIVING ON THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE TRAVELING AT A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 65-70 MILES AN HOUR MY TRUCK SUDDENLY MADE A LOUD NOISE AND IT FELT LIKE THE BRAKES LOCKED UP AND MELT GRINDING SOUNDS. I HAD IT TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND WAS TOLD IT WAS FRONT DIFFERENTIAL FAILURE.

Mileage: 179,000

20150701POWER TRAIN

DRIVING UP A HILL AND STARTED TO LOSE POWER. EVENTUALLY LOST ALL POWER ON HIGHWAY AND HAD TO PULL OVER AND WAIT FOR A TOW TRUCK TO COME.

Mileage: 64,000

20150701VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

DRIVING UP A HILL AND STARTED TO LOSE POWER. EVENTUALLY LOST ALL POWER ON HIGHWAY AND HAD TO PULL OVER AND WAIT FOR A TOW TRUCK TO COME.

Mileage: 64,000

20140313STRUCTURE:BODY

IN OCTOBER 2013 WHILE I TOOK MY CAR TO A PRIVATE GARAGE FOR OIL CHANGE. THE MECHANIC NOTICED THAT THE FRAME ON MY VEHICLE WAS ROTTED OUT . HE CALLED ME INTO THE GARAGE AND SHOWED ME THE PROBLEM. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE LAND ROVER DEALERSHIP WERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW AND THEY HAVE BEEN DOING THE SERVICE ON THE VEHICLE SINCE IT WAS NEW . I INFORMED THE SERVICE MANAGER OF THE ISSUE AND I QUESTIONED THE FACT THAT NO ONE AT THE DEALERSHIP EVER MENTIONED THE RUST ISSUE ON MY VEHICLE. THE SERVICE MANAGER ASKED ME TO DRIVE UP TO THE DEALERSHIP SO THEY CAN TAKE A LOOK AT IT. ONCE AT THE DEALERSHIP THE SERVICE MANAGER PUT UP THE CAR ON THE LIFT AND WAS SHOCKED TO SEE HOW BAD THINGS WERE. HE TOOK PICTURES OF THE FRAME AND CONTACTED LAND ROVER MAIN OFFICE AND SENT THEM THE PICTURES. LAND ROVER MAIN OFFICE CONTACTED ME AND TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE BUT THEY MADE THE DECISION NOT TO COVER FIXING THE PROBLEM ALTHOUGH IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE . MY CONCERN IS THAT

Mileage: 127,000

20140313SUSPENSION

IN OCTOBER 2013 WHILE I TOOK MY CAR TO A PRIVATE GARAGE FOR OIL CHANGE. THE MECHANIC NOTICED THAT THE FRAME ON MY VEHICLE WAS ROTTED OUT . HE CALLED ME INTO THE GARAGE AND SHOWED ME THE PROBLEM. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE LAND ROVER DEALERSHIP WERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW AND THEY HAVE BEEN DOING THE SERVICE ON THE VEHICLE SINCE IT WAS NEW . I INFORMED THE SERVICE MANAGER OF THE ISSUE AND I QUESTIONED THE FACT THAT NO ONE AT THE DEALERSHIP EVER MENTIONED THE RUST ISSUE ON MY VEHICLE. THE SERVICE MANAGER ASKED ME TO DRIVE UP TO THE DEALERSHIP SO THEY CAN TAKE A LOOK AT IT. ONCE AT THE DEALERSHIP THE SERVICE MANAGER PUT UP THE CAR ON THE LIFT AND WAS SHOCKED TO SEE HOW BAD THINGS WERE. HE TOOK PICTURES OF THE FRAME AND CONTACTED LAND ROVER MAIN OFFICE AND SENT THEM THE PICTURES. LAND ROVER MAIN OFFICE CONTACTED ME AND TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE BUT THEY MADE THE DECISION NOT TO COVER FIXING THE PROBLEM ALTHOUGH IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE . MY CONCERN IS THAT

Mileage: 127,000

20130609SUSPENSION

THE RANGE ROVER IS EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRONIC CROSS LINKED AIR SUSPENSION (WITH VARIABLE RIDE HEIGHT). VARIABLE HEIGHT SUSPENSION SYSTEM SWITCHES FROM LOW TO HIGH ON ITS OWN AND CREATES A GREATER RISK FOR ROLL OVER. WHEN THE CAR IS OPERATING ON THE HIGH MODE, WITHOUT THE DRIVER BEING AWARE BECAUSE IT SWITCHES ON IT'S OWN, IT MEANS THAT THE CAR IS IN GEAR FOR OFF ROAD AND PUTS ROAD TURNS MORE DANGEROUS, WITH HIGH POSSIBILITY OF A ROLL OVER. THE VEHICLE ON A NORMAL TURN AROUND 20 MILES AN HOUR SPEED ALMOST LOST CONTROL DUE TO SYSTEM SWITCHING TO HIGHER SUSPENSION SETTING ON ITS OWN WITHOUT MY CONTROL. *TR

Mileage: 123,000

20080612POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE

MY 2003 RANGE ROVER HSE SUFFERED A FAILURE OF THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL AND DRIVESHAFT. A COMMON AND KNOWN ISSUE TO LAND ROVER. I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AND SUDDENLY LOST ALL FORWARD MOMENTUM. I HAD TO IMMEDIATELY FIND A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER AND PUT ON THE HAND BRAKE TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM ROLLING. IT WOULD NOT MOVE. IT WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR FACILITY AND THE BROKEN PARTS WERE REPLACED. IT WAS FIXED WITH NEW PARTS, BUT THEY ARE THE SAME DESIGN OF THE ONES THAT FAILED. I WAS TOLD THERE IS NOT PERMANENT FIX PROVIDED BY LAND ROVER AND THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

Mileage: 75,965

20080420POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

MY 2003 RANGE ROVER HSE DIFFERENTIAL DIED WITHOUT WARNING. I HAD TO BE TOWED HOME ($200) + $1500 TO FIX IT WITH AN AFTER MARKET DIFFERENTIAL. *TR

20080414POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

BOUGHT CAR JULY 2007 WITH 35,000 MILES; 3 DAYS AFTER I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH MY LITTLE GIRL IN THE CAR AND THE BRAKES LOCKED THEN THERE WAS A GRINNING NOISE, HAD TO CHANGE 4 LANES TO GET TO THE SHOULDER, NEARLY GOT RUN OVER BY A TRUCK..CAR WOULD NOT STOP WHEN I PUT IT ONTO PARK..IT WAS ROLLING DOWN THE SHOULDER HAD TO PULL UP HAND BRAKE. NEARLY DIED. CAR TOWED FOUND OUT IT WAS FRONT DIFF..PAID $4000 FROM MY POCKET. EIGHT MONTHS LATER SAME THING..FRONT DIFF WENT..COMPLAINED TO DEALER..THEY WERE RUDE AND ARROGANT..CALLED ROVER HEAD OFFICE..COMPLAINED TO THEM..THEY TOLD ME THEY WOULD GET BACK TO ME..THEY NEVER DID..WILL NEVER BUY A ROVER AGAIN..THE WORST CAR, THE WORST SERVICE EVER. *TR

Mileage: 35,000

20080320POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK LATE AT NIGHT MY 2003 RANGE ROVER STOP AND THE INDICATOR DIRECTED ME TO PUT MY CAR IN NEUTRAL. WHEN I STEPPED ON THE GAS I HEARD A LOUD GRINDING SOUND. I WAS STRANDED AT 1AM ON A WEEK NIGHT WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK RANGE ROVER SHOULD RECALL THIS PROBLEM WITH THE DIFFERENTIAL ESPECIALLY IF SO MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE AND WE PAID OVER 80,000 FOR OUR CARS. *TR

Mileage: 80,200

20080129POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

WHILE DRIVING MY 2003 RANGE ROVER ON THE FREEWAY, THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL SUDDENLY FAILED WITH NO ADVANCE WARNING. LOST ALL PROPULSION. WAS BARELY ABLE TO GLIDE ONTO THE SHOULDER. THIS IS A KNOWN, SIGNIFICANT SAFETY DEFECT THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED ALREADY. ONLY HAVE 50,000 MILES ON THE CAR. IT IS WELL MAINTAINED. REQUIRES TOTAL REPLACEMENT OF THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL BY THE DEALER. THERE IS A 2 WEEK DELAY IN GETTING REPLACEMENT PARTS; THIS IS A WELL KNOWN, TOO-COMMONLY-OCCURRING DEFECT. RANGE ROVER SHOULD BE PROTECTING THEIR REPUTATION BETTER. *TR

Mileage: 49,900

20071001POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

FRONT DIFFERENTIAL FAILURE. *TR

Mileage: 20,000

20070928POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

WHILE DRIVING ON THE EXPRESSWAY THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL WENT OUT ON MY 2003 RANGE ROVER WITH ONLY 52,000 MILES. I WAS DRIVING 60MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE LOST POWER FROM THE TRANSMISSION AND I ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE IN TRAFFIC. I WAS ALMOST REAR-ENDED AND WAS UNABLE TO STEER VEHICLE TO SIDE OF THE ROAD. *TR

Mileage: 52,000

20070830POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

2-9-05-DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. VEICHLE SHUT DOWN ON MOTORWAY, VEHICLE MAKING LOUD GRINDING NOISE WILL NOT MOVE IN ANY GEAR. HAD TO WAIT TO BE TOWED BACK TO DEALERSHIP. IT WAS A FAULTY FRONT FIF ASSEMBY.REPLACE FRONT FIFF AND ALIGN. REPLACE DRIVE SHAFT. 8-23-07-DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY. VEICLE MAKING GRINDING NOISE WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. HAD TO PULL OVER THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. CAR WAS TOWED INTO SHOP AFTER 4 HOURS OF WAITING ON THE HIGHWAY AND BEING TOWED. FRONT DIFF AND DRIVE SHAFT SPLINES STRIPPED. REPLCED FRONT DIFF AND DRIVESHAFT

Mileage: 77,470

20070830POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

2-9-05-DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. VEICHLE SHUT DOWN ON MOTORWAY, VEHICLE MAKING LOUD GRINDING NOISE WILL NOT MOVE IN ANY GEAR. HAD TO WAIT TO BE TOWED BACK TO DEALERSHIP. IT WAS A FAULTY FRONT FIF ASSEMBY.REPLACE FRONT FIFF AND ALIGN. REPLACE DRIVE SHAFT. 8-23-07-DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY. VEICLE MAKING GRINDING NOISE WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. HAD TO PULL OVER THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. CAR WAS TOWED INTO SHOP AFTER 4 HOURS OF WAITING ON THE HIGHWAY AND BEING TOWED. FRONT DIFF AND DRIVE SHAFT SPLINES STRIPPED. REPLCED FRONT DIFF AND DRIVESHAFT

Mileage: 77,470

20070830EQUIPMENT

2-9-05-DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. VEICHLE SHUT DOWN ON MOTORWAY, VEHICLE MAKING LOUD GRINDING NOISE WILL NOT MOVE IN ANY GEAR. HAD TO WAIT TO BE TOWED BACK TO DEALERSHIP. IT WAS A FAULTY FRONT FIF ASSEMBY.REPLACE FRONT FIFF AND ALIGN. REPLACE DRIVE SHAFT. 8-23-07-DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY. VEICLE MAKING GRINDING NOISE WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. HAD TO PULL OVER THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. CAR WAS TOWED INTO SHOP AFTER 4 HOURS OF WAITING ON THE HIGHWAY AND BEING TOWED. FRONT DIFF AND DRIVE SHAFT SPLINES STRIPPED. REPLCED FRONT DIFF AND DRIVESHAFT

Mileage: 77,470

20070715POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

DIFFERENTIAL FAILURE ON MY 2003 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER. ALMOST GOT KILLED WHILE TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY AT 65 MPH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. STOPPED AND PUT IN PARK AND VEHICLE STILL MOVED!! FINALLY USED HANDBRAKE TO STABILIZE AND CALLED A TOW TRUCK. *TR

Mileage: 84,082

20070711POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

2003 RANGE ROVER, I WAS DRIVING AT 50 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING THE CAR MADE A VERY LOUD METALLIC GRINDING NOISE. A WARNING MESSAGE TOLD ME TO IMMEDIATELY PUT INTO NEUTRAL, I WAS DOING 50 MPH IN MORNING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THE CAR LOST DRIVETRAIN POWER, AND I WAS LUCKILY ABLE TO CHANGE LANES AND COAST INTO THE BREAKDOWN LANE, NARROWLY MISSING A PILE UP ACCIDENT. THE CAR WAS FLAT BEDDED TO A LAND ROVER DEALERSHIP. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL/DRIVESHAFT WAS BURNED OUT. I ASKED IF THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS VEHICLE. THEY SAID YES! SEEMINGLY IT COULD HAPPEN ANYWHERE BETWEEN 30000 AND 100000 MILES . THIS CAR HASD 7500. MILES ON IT) I ASKED IF RANGE ROVER KNEW ABOUT IT AND HAD RECALLED THE CAR. THEY SAID THAT RANGE ROVER HAD BULLITINS SINCE 2003 AFTER THE CAR WAS INTRODUCED, BUT HAD NOT ACCEPTED THIS AS A FAULT OR ISSUED ANY SAFETY RECALLS. THIS WAS A DISGRACE, AND THE NHTSA NEEDED TO ADDRESS THIS. THE PROBLEM WA S WELL DOCUMENTED ON THE RANG

Mileage: 75,000

20070711POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT

FAILURE OF FRONT DIFFERENTIAL/DRIVESHAFT ON A 2003 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER WITH 48,000 MILES. NO ACCIDENT INVOLVED, EXCESSIVE WEAR IDENTIFIED BY DEALER DURING ROUTINE SERVICE AND CLANKING"NOISE IDENTIFIED BY OWNER UPON SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. PROBLEM WAS CONSISTENT WITH OTHER REPORTED FAILURES IN SAME MODEL WITH BMW DRIVE TRAIN. DIFFERENTIAL/DRIVESHAFT WAS SERVICED TWICE IN 2004- ONCE DUE TO AN OWNER COMPLAINT OF A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL ,AND ONCE DUE TO A SERVICE BULLETIN FROM LAND ROVER. DIFFERENTIAL WAS REPLACED ON 11 JULY 2007 AT A COST OF $2300.00 TO VEHICLE OWNER. LAND ROVER CONTINUED TO LACK ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PROBLEM AND FAILURE TO ISSUE A FORMAL RECALL WAS CREATING A SAFETY HAZARD FOR OWNERS OF PRE JAGUAR DRIVE TRAIN RANGE ROVER . *AK

20070711POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

FAILURE OF FRONT DIFFERENTIAL/DRIVESHAFT ON A 2003 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER WITH 48,000 MILES. NO ACCIDENT INVOLVED, EXCESSIVE WEAR IDENTIFIED BY DEALER DURING ROUTINE SERVICE AND CLANKING"NOISE IDENTIFIED BY OWNER UPON SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. PROBLEM WAS CONSISTENT WITH OTHER REPORTED FAILURES IN SAME MODEL WITH BMW DRIVE TRAIN. DIFFERENTIAL/DRIVESHAFT WAS SERVICED TWICE IN 2004- ONCE DUE TO AN OWNER COMPLAINT OF A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL ,AND ONCE DUE TO A SERVICE BULLETIN FROM LAND ROVER. DIFFERENTIAL WAS REPLACED ON 11 JULY 2007 AT A COST OF $2300.00 TO VEHICLE OWNER. LAND ROVER CONTINUED TO LACK ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PROBLEM AND FAILURE TO ISSUE A FORMAL RECALL WAS CREATING A SAFETY HAZARD FOR OWNERS OF PRE JAGUAR DRIVE TRAIN RANGE ROVER . *AK

Compare 2003LAND ROVERNEW RANGE ROVER to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 3 Open

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2003 LAND ROVER NEW RANGE ROVER have?
The 2003 LAND ROVER NEW RANGE ROVER has 38 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2003 LAND ROVER NEW RANGE ROVER?
The most-complained component for the 2003 LAND ROVER NEW RANGE ROVER is POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT with 20 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2003 LAND ROVER NEW RANGE ROVER safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.