AI Damage2003 Land Rover Discovery II: common problems
Owners of the 2003 Land Rover Discovery II filed 63 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 63
- involving a crash
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 43% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 22% of all complaints
- 3 Engine 8% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 8% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 6% of all complaints
- 6 Latches, locks, linkages 5% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 3% of all complaints
- 8 Child seat 2% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 27 complaints (43% of all).
- Service brakes: 14 complaints (22% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine: 5 complaints (8% of all).
- Powertrain: 5 complaints (8% of all).
- Air bags: 4 complaints (6% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 63 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 14 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Child seat | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Seats | 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.
It was not a heavy collision and the air bags did not deploy. Almost immediately, I was struck from behind by an 18 wheeler. Upon impact, my discovery burst into flames in the back. The impact again drove my vehicle in to the truck ahead.
Accident occurred on 4/10/03 while driving my 2003 land rover discovery on a slick sleet covered road where the airbag did not deploy and seat belt over my chest loosened and allowed me to fly forward and crunch the center of my chest on the steering wheel.
Gas and brake pedals are so close to each other that you can both step on them at the same time or slips from brake to gas that causes a sudden forward surge.
The brake and gas pedals can be hit at the same very easily causing the car to surge forward. The dealer knows it but will not stand by the car when I wanted to return it. Dt
The steering air bag blowout for nothing, the vehicle was stationary the motor was working I'm whasing the land rover and that happened, I'm confuse.
My engine started making a knocking sound and then a sound similar to metal scratching metal. I had a master mechanic look at the engine and had several part replaced 1500.00 worth to be exact and still the sound occurs.
The contact stated while driving the vehicle would suddenly stall. The failure was diagnosed by the dealer who confirmed that the engine oil pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.
"2003 discovery series ii oil pump failure" I have a load knocking noise coming from my engine, the vehicle is still running, and oil changes, treatments etc cannot stop the knock. Not getting any warning lights of low pressure however it is at the land rover dealership of fort worth now and they confirmed the same.
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 4,699 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Discovery II has 33 complaints (7 years in the data). This year has 63, above average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Land Rover Discovery II?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, service brakes, engine. Total complaints: 63. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: engine failure or replacement (13%), knocking, grinding or other noise (13%), warning lights, check engine (11%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2003 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 2003 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 2003 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.