Total Complaints
38 filings
LAND ROVER NEW RANGE ROVER · model year
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.
Total Complaints
38 filings
Crashes Reported
2 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | 20 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT | 5 |
| POWER TRAIN | 3 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE | 2 |
| SUSPENSION | 2 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE) | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
FRONT DIFFERENTIAL FAILURE. *TR
Mileage: 20,000
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Rear Seat Belt Stitching Failure and Detachment
2014-2017 Land Rover Range Rover Sport (L494) front steering knuckle fractures
High Voltage Coolant Heaters may fail to defrost windshield
Loss of Brake Power Assist
Spoiler Cover Detachment
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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.