AI Damage2003 Land Rover NEW Range Rover: common problems
Owners of the 2003 Land Rover NEW Range Rover filed 31 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and suspension. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 31
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 87% of all complaints
- 2 Suspension 10% of all complaints
- 3 Equipment 3% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 3% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 3% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 3% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 27 complaints (87% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 3 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Equipment: 1 complaints (3% of all).
- Service brakes: 1 complaints (3% of all).
- Structure: 1 complaints (3% 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 27 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 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.
Excessive inner tire wear, causing the vehicle to lose control when it rains. Unsafe slippery feeling, and vehicle sliding off the road on the highway. Vehicle has been to repair shop 4 times, and could not correct the problem. 3 sets of tires for every 7 -10,000 miles, and dealer rotated them.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
When my husband stopped at the corner to take a right turn, there was a horrible metal-on-metal grinding sound. The car was inoperable and had to be towed.
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 NEW Range Rover has 16 complaints (4 years in the data). This year has 31, above average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Land Rover NEW Range Rover?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, suspension, equipment. Total complaints: 31. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: knocking, grinding or other noise (32%), loss of power / limp mode (10%), rollaway, parking brake (3%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2003 Land Rover NEW Range Rover?
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 NEW Range Rover 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.