AI Damage1999 Land Rover Discovery II: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Land Rover Discovery II filed 36 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 36
- involving a crash
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 42% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 22% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 14% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 8% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 6% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 3% of all complaints
- 7 Electronic stability control 3% of all complaints
- 8 Engine 3% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 15 complaints (42% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 8 complaints (22% of all).
- Air bags: 5 complaints (14% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 3 complaints (8% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (6% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 36 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The airbags did not deploy, resulting in injury to the passenger in the front seat. Since the car was totaled, there was nothing done to correct the lack of air bag deployment.
The air bags failed to deploy and the vehicle was destroyed. The passenger sprained her neck and back. A police report was filed. The current and failure mileages were 114,000.
In nov of 2007, brakes failed at slow speeds causing a low speed crash, still expensive damage. Abs and tc lights came on. Fixed was told that it was failure of brake booster. Less than three thousand miles later happened again and now abs, tc and downhill warning light is on. Is so common that it has a nickname.
The driver side front made impact with the pole, but the airbags did not deploy. The seatbelt was worn, but the contact sustained a fractured shoulder, hip, pelvis and 3 ribs. There was a police report taken at the scene. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss.
Major accident happened, but airbag didn't deploy. 2. Fortunately we survived, yes of course with some injuries, but what would have happened if we were not that fortunate. In other words there was no safety from that so called good named car. Called land rover. 3. Want to find out what was wrong in my car.
My 1999 land rover discovery 2 developed a fuel leak on the top of the fuel pump close to the outlet where the fuel flow makes a 90 degree turn before exiting the fuel pump. I noticed the smell of fuel (gasoline ) around the rear of the vehicle while parked.
While driving at speeds over 70 mph, the vehicle would constantly vibrate excessively. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The technician diagnosed that the front drive shaft would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred.
My 1999 land rover discovery ii made a grinding noise and then a loud explosion sound while driving at 70 mph on the interstate. The front drive shaft fell off, busted the catalytic converter and ripped a hole in the fire wall and transmission case.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 6,253 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 17% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Discovery II has 33 complaints (7 years in the data). This year has 36, about average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Land Rover Discovery II?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, powertrain, air bags. Total complaints: 36. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (22%), airbags did not deploy (11%), knocking, grinding or other noise (11%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Land Rover Discovery II?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1999 Land Rover Discovery II from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1999 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.