NHTSA — Power Train: Driveline: Differential Unit Problems

3.0

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
47,191 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Land Rover Range Rover drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2003 Land Rover Range Rover Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #27

Nov 182007

Range Rover 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving on the highway the car with no previous indication just started making a grinding noise hardly allowing me to pull off to the right. The dealer stated I had to replace the front differential and driveshaft.

- Fair Lawn, NJ, USA

problem #26

Nov 092007

Range Rover 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 47,000 miles
I have a 2003 Range rover. The front differential completely failed and broke causing the vehicle to be immobilized. I cannot drive or use reverse. This is a known technical service bulletin 540103 and NHTSA item 10000919, however it continues to happen again after being fixed according to some customers. The original owner had it fixed once and I am the second owner, it happened again. My vehicle was bought used last month with 44.8K miles. It now has 47K miles. This is a very important safety issue and should be considered a recall. My vehicle is sitting at the dealership. It is out of the 4 year/50K mile warranty so Land Rover may or may not fix it. Here is a link with more detail on this issue: www.rangerovers.net/rrmkiiiremedies.html#diff

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #25

Sep 222007

Range Rover 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 51,240 miles
The differential assembly on my 2003 Range rover went out on me on the highway about 80 miles from Chicago on our trip back from scottsdale AZ. It was towed back to Chicago by Range rover 24hr. Road service (it was out of warranty but they paid to have it towed to my front door).

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #24

Sep 292006

Range Rover

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2003 Range rover with engine problems including stalling. Customer states that one day while driving the vehicle lurched forward made a grinding noise and then lost all power. The mechanic informed the consumer there was a defect with the front differential. According to the dealership, the problem was with the design of the front driveshaft which had no flexible coupling at the front end, so any minor misalignment placed severe stress on the front differential input splines, leading to failure and immobilization of the vehicle.

- Panama City, FL, USA

problem #23

Oct 122007

Range Rover 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 62,190 miles
Differential, drive shaft total failure. This has happen to me twice in June of 2007 and Oct of 2007.

- Federal Way, WA, USA

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problem #22

Sep 262007

Range Rover 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 67,767 miles
My 2003 Land Rover Range rover hse had a failure of the front differential spilnes, axle shaft, differential unit and drive shaft which caused total loss of vehicle propulsion at 60 miles per hour on a busy highway during rush hour traffic. The vehicle had to be towed to Land Rover North scottsdale where it still sits because neither the extended warranty company nor the Land Rover dealership will claim responsibility for the repairs which are in excess of $4,000. I also had a failure of the retractable steering wheel which resulted in a diagnosis of having to replace the entire steering column.

- Scottsdale, AZ, USA

problem #21

Sep 202007

Range Rover

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving my 2003 Land Rover Range rover hse approx. 45 mph and the car immediately became inoperable in the middle of the street. Dealership says the front differential has worn down and it is not due to my driving habits or anything related to me. This is definitely a defect and all forums say this vehicle has this problem very frequently. This is a very serious and potentially deadly defect in design and function. Must be recalled. I could've easily been in a major accident. No throttle control is possible when this problem occurs, and the car will not park while in "P." therefore, if I was on an incline, vehicle would have rolled with nothing that could be done. A major issue. Thank you for this service to the public. Something must be done to protect consumers from the lack of responsibility and accountability from these major auto corporations.

- Laguna Niguel, CA, USA

problem #20

Sep 052007

Range Rover

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,000 miles
2003 Range rover hse, loud knocking noise when going from reverse to drive, 5 minutes later a grinding noise happened that was very loud. The car responded with a loud grinding sound when trying to apply gas. I was lucky that I was not on a highway and could pull the car over. The check engine light illuminated, there was a radiator leak and the left rear tire had a slow leak. Updated 10/11/07.

- Fairview, NC, USA

problem #19

May 022007

Range Rover 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Land Rover Range rover. While driving 65 mph, the vehicle lost power, but the engine was still running. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to move. The vehicle was pulled over and towed to the dealer. The front differential in the drivetrain failed and was replaced. While driving 10 mph, the contact heard a loud clunk coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle. This failure occurred before and after the previous failure. There is an open investigation number PE07019. The current mileage was 66,000 and failure mileage was 65,000.

- Easton , PA, USA

problem #18

Jul 122007

Range Rover

  • miles
The front driveshaft generates a loud grinding noise. The vehicle will not accelerate -- putting your foot on the gas is accompanied by more loud grinding noises. There is a total disabling of the drivetrain.

- Fishers, IN, USA

problem #17

Jul 222007

Range Rover 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 61,250 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving 35 mph on busy city street / heard and felt loud clunking followed by horrible grinding noise and loss of power. Managed to coast into a nearby parking lot. Towed to dealer and diagnosed with front differential failure.

- Shiloh, IL, USA

problem #16

Jun 252007

Range Rover 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 58,000 miles
I suffered a loss of drive while traveling approx. 40 mph on a busy city street. The digital display stated "place in neutral" and I was able to coast to a turn lane. Placing the car back in drive resulted in a grinding noise with no transmission of power to the wheels. The car had to be pushed off the road into a nearby gas station. There was no warning to this sudden failure. The car was towed to the Land Rover dealer and the carrier diff (tbb000043E) and shaft assy (tvb500290) were replaced. Extended warranty covered 80% of the repair cost and I paid the rest. The car has 58K miles on it.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #15

Mar 092006

Range Rover

  • 59,102 miles
Read diff and driveshaft.

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #14

Jun 102005

Range Rover

  • Automatic transmission
  • 37,638 miles
Front diff assembly replaced.

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #13

Feb 082006

Range Rover

  • miles
I have a Range rover. I was in New Jersey on the approach highway to the Lincoln tunnel traveling around 50 miles per hour when I noticed a bumping noise and rhythmic pulling sensation as if I had a flat tire or had picked up something that was dragging against the wheel. Then the car slowed and an "engage neutral" signal flashed on the display. I managed to pull onto the shoulder and when I tried to engage drive again I got a whining noise and the car tried to do a nose dive. Because of the volume and speed of the traffic, I was lucky not to cause, and be in the middle of, a major pile-up. The car was towed to the manhattan Land Rover dealership. I was told the next day that they were replacing the differential and the drive shaft. There was no charge because the car was still under warranty.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #12

Nov 012006

Range Rover

  • miles
I was driving and all of a sudden the car stops running. My safety was not jeopardized because I was driving slowly but if it would have happened on a highway very bad things would have surely occurred. I am in the processed of fixing the problem. Problem is the differential and driveshaft problems on 2003 Range rover.

- Roanoke, VA, USA

problem #11

Oct 172006

Range Rover 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 73,000 miles
: the contact stated while traveling 70 mph, there was a loud noise and the vehicle rolled to a stop. After being towed to the dealership, it was determined the front differential failed and the differential was replaced. This occurred a second time four months later and the vehicle was again towed to the dealership. The dealership determined the front differential failed.

- Mayflower, AR, USA

problem #10

Sep 042006

Range Rover 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 55,478 miles
There were no events leading up to this failure. I was driving in los angeles on the very busy 405 fwy during the labor day holiday weekend. I was going almost 70 mph when all of a sudden the car lost its power and began to make a metal to metal grinding noise. Fortunately I was able to exit the fwy without causing an accident. Once safe from traffic, I called my roadside assistance which dispatched a tow truck. The truck was towed to my mechanic who directed the problem to be the front differential. He notified me that this was a common occurrence on this vehicle and that this part was recalled. Although my truck has 55K miles and the warranty has just expired, I called Land Rover usa and spoke with a customer care rep. Named dennis @ ext. 2127 who said that there was nothing the Land Rover can do once the car is out of warranty. Thanks Range rover for caring sooo much about my safety!!!

- West Hollywood, CA, USA

problem #9

Sep 082006

Range Rover 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 55,478 miles
: the contact stated while traveling 70 mph, the front end made a grinding noise and the vehicle would not accelerate. After coasting at an idle off the road, the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop who determined the front differential was stripped causing the failure. There was a recall for this, landrover #B121F, regarding the differential, prior to ownership. The manufacturer stated the vehicle was oiled and aligned, but the differential was not replaced.

- West Hollywood, CA, USA

problem #8

Jul 172006

Range Rover 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 61,000 miles
Vehicle shut off while driving and the front wheels locked causing me to come to a full stop. Had to take the key out of the ignition, put it in park and then try to restart. It seems that Range rovers 03' and above have a problem with the differentials that fail and cut off the vehicle's computer. I was fortunate that I was traveling at a low speed. Dealer in houston, tx finally acknowledged the problem and I have scheduled an appointment to get it fixed.

- Houston, TX, USA

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