AI Damage2001 Land Rover Discovery II: common problems
Owners of the 2001 Land Rover Discovery II filed 31 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 31
- involving a crash
- 12
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 26% of all complaints
- 2 Vehicle speed control 19% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 16% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 13% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 13% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 6% of all complaints
- 7 Visibility 6% of all complaints
- 8 Air bags 3% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 8 complaints (26% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 6 complaints (19% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 5 complaints (16% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 4 complaints (13% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 4 complaints (13% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 31 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 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
I was dismayed to see the number of land rover sudden acceleration incidents when I googled it. It certainly appears there is a design flaw which has not been successfully resolved thru any recall efforts by land rover. I intend to pursue legal recourse.
Consumer writes in regards to possible unintended acceleration the consumer stated he took his vehicle to the car wash. As the vehicle was exiting the automatic car wash tunnel, a young man entered the vehicle, started the engine and according to him, it suddenly accelerated and rear ended another customer's vehicle.
While driving at 50-55 mph, the vehicle began to shake abnormally. The contact applied the brakes and the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact attempted to stop the vehicle by applying the brakes but to no avail. The vehicle crashed into a cement barrier.
I pulled car into a parking place, turned off the car, removed the key from the ignition without realizing the car was in "drive." when I returned, the car had rolled across the parking lot hitting another vehicle.
The last incident the vehicle knocked the contact over and hit two vehicles. All incidents happened on flat ground. The last time this occurred injuries were sustained. There was damage to the two vehicles. The contact's vehicle insurance company was notified.
Owner was driving at approximately 5 mph and vehicle surged forward and began accelerating. Vehicle went across a ditch, and landed up side down. Vehicle was totaled. There were no injuries. Also, upon impact, air bags failed to deploy.
The vehicle rolled down a hill and crashed a retaining wall without anyone being in the vehicle. The dealership replaced the enter transmission shift lock system. Ph
I was told to use my parking brake at all times. The dealers lot show none with their parking brake on. I could slide coins under the gear mount of some vehicles that were left open. I went on line to speak to mechanics. Others have seen this flaw. Lr should act quicker to investigate.
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 6,740 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 18% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Discovery II has 33 complaints (7 years in the data). This year has 31, about average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2001 Land Rover Discovery II?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, vehicle speed control, powertrain. Total complaints: 31. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: unintended acceleration (13%), warning lights, check engine (10%), door locks, latches, handles (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2001 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 2001 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 2001 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.