2008 Land Rover Range Rover Sport: common problems

Owners of the 2008 Land Rover Range Rover Sport filed 14 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and fuel/propulsion system. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 14
involving a crash: 2

Land Rover Range Rover Sport 2008: 3D model with the “Air bags” area highlighted — the most complained-about component — Yellow marks the “Air bags” area, the component owners complain about most for this year. Illustrative only. 3D model: Mona x Supercars, CC Attribution.

What fails most often

1 Air bags 29% of all complaints
2 Fuel/propulsion system 14% of all complaints
3 Suspension 14% of all complaints
4 Tires 14% of all complaints
5 Electronic stability control 7% of all complaints
6 Exterior lighting 7% of all complaints
7 Fuel system 7% of all complaints
8 Service brakes 7% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Air bags: 4 complaints (29% of all).
Fuel/propulsion system: 2 complaints (14% of all).
Suspension: 2 complaints (14% of all).
Tires: 2 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Electronic stability control: 1 complaints (7% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 14 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

brake failure1 · 7%
fuel system, fuel smell1 · 7%
overheating, coolant loss1 · 7%
rust, corrosion1 · 7%
warning lights, check engine1 · 7%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Air bags	4	0
Fuel/propulsion system	2	0
Suspension	2	0
Tires	2	1
Electronic stability control	1	0
Exterior lighting	1	0
Fuel system	1	0
Service brakes	1	1
Structure	1	0
Vehicle speed control	1	0
Wheels	1	1

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Called dealer about tpms light came one block after I drove off and dealer said just keep driving.
Tires · crash · 2009-10-06 · NHTSA complaint #10286551
While turning left into my driveway ....total brake failure .....dealership states .....nothing wrong with brakes ...later presents me with a bill for 1600.00 because brake pads , rotors and sensors were needed on car with 13,000 miles.
Service brakes · crash · 2009-07-07 · NHTSA complaint #10275959
The Suspension system failed. I saw an car icon with two arrows on each side pointing down in orange color, indicating a problem with the Suspension, and then it felt like the car went down like a low-rider would. It was at night, my wife was driving and it was very scary since we didn't know what had just happened.
Suspension · 2025-08-19 · NHTSA complaint #11681706
I saw the rusted hole on the Fuel Tank Shield when I got the Oil changed, looked up the part WFN500021 and checked the recalls pending ...I wanted to find out if the same type of Flange was used in earlier models and why they were not included in recall??
Fuel/propulsion system · 2023-11-02 · NHTSA complaint #11553279
The vehicle was taken to the dealer (jake kaplan landrover of warwick, rhode island) where it was diagnosed that the electrical connectors to the fuel pump were faulty and had overheated. The fuel pump harness was replaced, but the failures continued.
Fuel/propulsion system · 2017-07-25 · NHTSA complaint #11010594
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 land rover range rover sport. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag was exposed on the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure.
Air bags · 2017-03-02 · NHTSA complaint #10958286
Passenger side dash is splitting on top over the air bag bracket, 4 separate splits. I am concerned air bag will deploy while driving and cause serious injury or death to front passenger.
Air bags · 2016-08-30 · NHTSA complaint #10899568
I was stopped in traffic and as the traffic start moving I step on the gas and the car did not move. I had to once again move the gear back to d. It happened multiple times and range rover said there is no recall for it. So far it hasn't yet happened on the highway. Thanks god.
Vehicle speed control · 2014-06-06 · NHTSA complaint #10596597

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

20071
20081
20093
20111
20121
20141
20162
20172
20231
20251

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 9,551 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 26% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Range Rover Sport has 31 complaints (21 years in the data). This year has 14, below average.

What to check before buying

Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2008 Land Rover Range Rover Sport?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, fuel/propulsion system, suspension. Total complaints: 14. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (7%), fuel system, fuel smell (7%), overheating, coolant loss (7%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2008 Land Rover Range Rover Sport?

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 2008 Land Rover Range Rover Sport 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 2008 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.