2009 Land Rover Range Rover: common problems

Owners of the 2009 Land Rover Range Rover filed 5 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 5

What fails most often

1 Powertrain 60% of all complaints
2 Air bags 20% of all complaints
3 Steering 20% of all complaints

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

Powertrain: 3 complaints (60% of all).
Air bags: 1 complaints (20% of all).
Steering: 1 complaints (20% of all).

Engines and transmissions

US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.

4.2 L · petrol · turbo · 8 cyl
4.4 L · petrol · 8 cyl
automatic, 6-speed

Drive: AWD

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 5 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

airbag warning light1 · 20%
warning lights, check engine1 · 20%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Powertrain	3	0	0
Air bags	1	0	0
Steering	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 automatic steering wheel tilt sometimes gets locked in the lowest down position. At that point the steering wheel can only be adjusted front to back and not up and down.
Steering · 2018-03-21 · NHTSA complaint #11080703
The truck has been jumping into 3 gear at high speeds and getting stuck there.
Powertrain · 2018-03-09 · NHTSA complaint #11078395
The truck will automatically drop into 3rd gear from high speeds, drastically reducing the speed, and will not shift into another gear, and seems to reset when the engine is turned off and back on, with the problem reoccurring with greater frequency the warmer the car gets.
Powertrain · 2018-02-21 · NHTSA complaint #11074066
While driving, the truck gets stuck in 3rd gear, warning message "transmission fault; limited gears" this happened a few times at low city driving speeds, and also occurred while driving on the highway at higher speeds.
Powertrain · 2017-10-30 · NHTSA complaint #11041374
The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The contact called land rover jaguar las vegas ([address], las vegas, [ZIP]; [phone]) and was informed that the part for the repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue/failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000.
Air bags · 2017-10-25 · NHTSA complaint #11039770

When owners complained

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

20172
20183

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 14,282 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 39% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Range Rover has 25 complaints (41 years in the data). This year has 5, below average.

What to check before buying

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.
Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2009 Land Rover Range Rover?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, air bags, steering. Total complaints: 5. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbag warning light (20%), warning lights, check engine (20%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 Land Rover 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 2009 Land Rover 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 2009 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.