What 32 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Land Rover Lr4 (7 Seat)

Driving on interstate 69 in indiana and car caught on fire

NHTSA ODI 11723866

am writing to formally request reimbursement in the amount of $18,397.76 for engine damage sustained by my 2016 Land Rover LR4 HSE LUX (VIN: [XXX] ), caused by a known defect in the factory-installed plastic outlet pipe. This defect directly led to catastrophic engine failure, leaving me stranded on the highway and incurring substantial repair costs. I purchased this LR4 as a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicle with an extended warranty in July 2019 from Land Rover Richmond, VA. From that time until the failure in October 2023, I drove the vehicle only 18,670 miles, the majority of which were accumulated during highway commutes from Virginia to Maryland for culinary classes between August and October 2023.The issue stems from a design flaw in the plastic outlet pipe used in many Land Rover and Jaguar models from 2013 through at least 2017. This pipe is prone to leaking and breaking at the seam due to its inability to withstand engine heat and pressure. As a result, it leads to coolant loss, engine overheating, and ultimately, engine failure. In my case, initial repairs to replace the pipe cost $4,228.54, but subsequent diagnosis revealed damaged cylinders and a failed engine, requiring full engine replacement at a cost of $14,169.22. I retained the damaged parts removed during the repair, including the failed plastic outlet pipe, and I have taken detailed photographs clearly showing the break at the seam where the leak occurred. These parts and images serve as physical evidence of the defect and support my claim that this failure was due to poor material design and not owner negligence. What is particularly troubling is that Land Rover North America was aware of this defect. A Technical Bulletin (JTB00566NAS4) was issued on May 23, 2018, detailing this exact problem—but only for Jaguar vehicles, despite the issue being identical in affected Land Rover models. Remaining letter attached as I ran out of characters. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11663083

The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover LR4. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low brake fluid warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the brakes had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

NHTSA ODI 11655481

The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover LR4. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH the low coolant warning light was illuminated, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard without stopping the vehicle. The vehicle was shifted to neutral, and the start/stop button was depressed in order to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with cracks in the coolant and fuel systems that caused a leak and needed replacement. The coolant reservoir tank and fuel flange was replaced however the low coolant warning light and other lights were still on. The vehicle was then taken to a certified Land Rover repair facilities were the mechanic informed her that the coolant tank was not replaced but sealant was placed on the cracks. The independent mechanic replaced the coolant reservoir along with the brakes that the dealer that the dealer had install backwards. The contact stated that the low coolant warning light was still illuminated and that neither facilities could remedy the issue. The contact state that she received a notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V635000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The dealer was contacted and informed her that there was no recall for her vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer was notified and informed her to contact the dealer to schedule a recall repair appointment. The contact stated that while waiting for the dealer to verify the recall, she was driving at 75 MPH, when the power steering and braking capability was lost with smoke and fire coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated she pulled over and her and her child exited the vehicle without injury. The fire and police department were contacted. The fire department extinguished the flames. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it sat for several months without repairs. The failure cause was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was still at the dealer . The insurance company was contacted and stated that the manufacturer was responsible to repair the vehicle. A case was opened with the manufacturer. The approximate failure was 73, 000.

NHTSA ODI 11605899

The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover LR4. The contact had recently taken the vehicle to a dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V635000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact stated that while attempting to refuel the vehicle, he observed that fuel was puddling underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that he had not refueled the vehicle prior to the recall repair. The contact had the vehicle towed back to the residence. The contact called the dealer and was advised to bring the vehicle back to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the repair performed on NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V635000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11590180

I took my 2016 LR4 (55k miles) in to the dealer in San Antonio a few days ago. As part of the review of my vehicle, they suggested that I should replace the cylinder block coolant outlet pipe, even though there is no current issue with or damage to it, for a cost of $2,042.13. They said that this part is "known for catastrophic failure around this mileage." That statement (about being known for catastrophic failure) is made not only in the repair estimate option selector portal but also somewhat emphatically by the technician in the walk-around video of my vehicle, and it was reiterated by the service representative ("We try to give people the option to replace the parts with the updated design since we see them fail so often."). If there is a part in the LR4 that, at 55k miles - on a well maintained vehicle with no apparent issue associated the part - is expected by the dealer to break and cause "catastrophic damage," that seems pretty clearly a safety defect that Land Rover should address, not me. I did not have the work done because, as stated, there is nothing presently wrong with the part other than that the dealer believes based on what they have seen that it is likely to break and cause catastrophic damage. But I am nonetheless very concerned that this part is going to break in the near future, presumably rupturing and releasing all of the engine's coolant, and cause some sort of serious incident and/or accident. I am attaching the estimate - let me know if you would also like the walk around video by the technician (it is very helpful but I am having a hard time getting it off my iphone, because of the size, even after editing the clip).

NHTSA ODI 11578419

I found out that vehicles from 2013-2017 and beyond were equipped with faulty plastic outlet pipes and risks engine damage and failures. This pipe was because of a design flaw that Land Rover was aware of. The plastic coolant pipe will leak and break at the seam in the pipe as it is not strong enough to withstand the heat and pressure. The Land Rover vehicle owners will see low coolant and engine warning lights when the plastic outlet pipes leak coolant. In this case the Land Rover LR4 suffered engine failure and left me on the side of the highway and will cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair. The initial cost was $4,228.54 to fix the coolant pipe but was then told that 2 of my cylinders were bad and that I will need a new engine at a cost of approximately $20,000. What makes this problematic is that Land Rover North America and the dealership knew about the outlet pipe problems that caused coolant leaks. This pipe was reengineered to eliminate the seam in the pipe and then reengineered it again from plastic to metal. The bottom line is that Land Rover makes more profit by concealing the outlet pipe problems to avoid paying for engine repairs, replacements, and recalls. Land Rover North America put out a Technical Bulletin, JTB00566NAS4 - Coolant Leak From The Engine Compartment on 23 May 2018 with the same exact problem but it was for the Jaguar vehicle and not any of the Land Rover Vehicles even though it was the exact same problem. The technical bulletin states that an an 'engine overheat' message may be displayed on the Instrument Cluster and that coolant may be leaking from engine compartment area. This may be caused by weakness in the plastic weld process of the coolant pipes. It states that the coolant pipe along with other parts need to be replaced. Land Rover knew about this issue with the Jaguar but did not put out any technical bulletins for the Land Rover even though it was the exact same issue. I was not able to write everything.

NHTSA ODI 11562153

The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover LR4. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the low coolant warning light illuminated, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed coolant covering the entire engine compartment. The check engine warning light was also illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure; however, the engine and peripherals were replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that a failure with the cooling fan wiring harness caused the viscous fan clutch to seize, resulting in the viscous fan clutch puncturing the radiator. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 61,000.

NHTSA ODI 11559161

• Ask the customer (and document verbatim) what occurred or what the alleged defect is? I attempted multiple times to have Land Rover complete Safety Recall N623 – NHTSA Recall Number 21V-635 on my 2016 Land Rover LR4 -Gasoline Fuel Tank Flange Assembly Crack. A number of the Land Rover dealerships stated that no recall existed. After multiple attempts to confirm this recall was required for my vehicle, I was able to schedule the repair at Land Rover Cary. I reduced driving the vehicle to only minimal driving requirements while I was awaiting the recall requirement. The recall repair was canceled twice after I drove to Cary from Pinehurst, NC due to a lack of service technicians. I was driving to the dealership this third time for the repair when the fire occurred in the vehicle. I was driving to the dealership, for this recall repair, when a number of warnings flashed on the driving display. Smoke began to bellow out of the vehicle. I put on my hazards and pulled off the main highway and onto the shoulder. I turned the ignition off, exited the vehicle, and opened the hood to observe the engine bay. There were flames shooting out of the engine compartment. I went to grab my extinguisher and called 911. The flames died down rapidly. I could see that the fire melted a number of components on the bottom of the engine causing oil to spray all over. I would like to add that the driveway to my home sits at about a 30-degree incline and I typically park with the vehicle pointing down towards the nose. I wonder if the slow gas leak traveled down the vehicle towards the engine and saturated the parts with gasoline causing this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11555274

Engine MIL Illuminated With DTC P0089-64 Stored [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11553764

Excessive tire wear under normal conditions. Tires evaluated by service dept of local auto dealer as defective. Pirelli refused to honor implied warrantee as expressed by tire dealer after a two year delay in responding to request for a pro rated adjustment. Tires were unsafe early in their life cycle.

NHTSA ODI 11539304

The diagnosis on the LR4 was found to have jumped time. When this happened it also damaged the cylinder heads as this is an interference engine.

NHTSA ODI 11537421

I had done a safety recall repair 'RECALL N623 FUEL TANK' on my 2016 Land Rover LR4 Landmark edition (32,051 miles) on 6-19-2022 at LAND ROVER PASADENA, 3485 East Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107. Few days after they did the free recall fix I got the below error code 'P0442, Evaporative Emission system leak' that the dealership claims is not related to the recall fix that they did and wants to charge me $250 just to evaluate the issue. But I'm 100% certain this leak is some thing they didn't seal properly at the time of the recall. I'm very unhappy of the outcome and hope I can get this issue fixed without spending any money as before the recall I had no errors what so ever in this car and all started after the free recall fix.

NHTSA ODI 11534663

The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover LR4. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V635000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and the contact was informed that a temporary repair was available and to notify the dealer of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11505446

The upper dash board of the LR4 is made out of I believe leather. But it's shrinking and distorting so badly that I worry about the passenger side airbag deploying properly. It could affect it potentially 2 ways, first, doesn't deploy because it cant, or it deploys incorrectly. Either could have devastating consequences to the front passenger. I have done research on this and Land Rover knows this to be an issue, yet they want the customer to pay for the repair. I've read multiple accounts of other customers with this issue, sometimes Land Rover fixed it, others they did not. I have not been in an accident where this has been an issue, I'm concerned it will be an issue based on research. You are more than welcome to take a look and verify the issue. If need be, I can reach out to others that may have been impacted by this issue. As you can see in the images it's shrinking so badly that it's tearing the stitching out. Which then could put a bind on on the deployment of the airbag.

NHTSA ODI 11490778

Driving on the belt line in Madison and car muffled and just shut down in gear. No warning, nothing. Could have caused a major accident. Coasted down the nearest exit and tried to restart. Would not turn . Timing chain malfunction according to Land Rover Madison wi. I need a whole new engine. I paid for a new engine, but now they put it on indefinite back order. I can’t get an engine because it’s on back order.

NHTSA ODI 11479977

i have not been able to have the recall component replaced because the parts have not been available. I have tried 2 different land rover dealerships since Oct 2021 and the part has yet to be available due to low supply. the engine light is now on on my dashboard as part of this recall.

NHTSA ODI 11477103

Complete failure of the electronic parking braking system which locked the wheels and could not be unlocked. Diagnosed by repair shop as requiring a replacement of the electronic parking brake module. Vehicle mileage is about 50,000. Part is about $1,000. I have a 2011 Land Rover LR4 which suffered from the same issue. VIN for that one is SALAG2D49BA569119.

NHTSA ODI 11465742

Driving on the belt line in Madison, Wisconsin on Mother’s Day and the engine just completely lost power and shut off. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR, no warning lights, nothing. Had to coast down an off ramp where a cop sat behind us and just waited for the tow truck to arrive. Engine was locked in gear and would not even try to start, we are lucky we were close to an exit or we would have caused an accident for sure. The car could not be placed in neutral. Attached is a recall that is exactly what happened to my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11465641

The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover LR4. The contact stated after reversing, he attempted to shift into drive(D) however, the gear shifter would not move and remained seized in reverse(R). There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle. The contact could not restart the vehicle as the gear shifter would not move into park(P). Upon investigating the issue online, the towing agent who arrived at the scene detached half of the console to reach the emergency release cable to move the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the electronic switch needed to be replaced; however, the part was not available. The contact contacted several unknown dealers who confirmed that the part was not available. The vehicle was diagnosed but not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11460138

I exited the highway and the vehicle was smoking. I traveled another 100 feet and the vehicle completely shut off. Smoke was pouring out of the engine compartment. I exited the vehicle and about a minute later the vehicle caught fire.

NHTSA ODI 11435852

GAS TANK DUST COVER CRACKED, LEAKING FRANK FUEL OVER THE TANK, ONTO VEHICLE COMPONENTS AND ONTO THE FLOOR WITH ASSOCIATED FUMES. VEHICLE LEAKED FUEL WHILE STATIONARY IN THE GARAGE, LEAKING FUMES INTO THE HOUSE. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LAND ROVER FOR REPAIRS. REPAIR TEAM NOTED THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND THE COVER WAS RE-DESIGNED. I WAS CHARGED APPROXIMATELY $800 FOR THE PART AND LABOR. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL.

NHTSA ODI 11255062

MY 16 YEAR OLD SON WAS DRIVING THE 2016 LR4 THAT WE PURCHASED "PRE-CERTIFIED" LESS THAN 3 WEEKS AGO FROM FIELD'S LR IN NORTHBROOK ILLINOIS. GOING 68 ON THE HIGHWAY, THE WHEEL STARTED TO LOCK UP, THE GAS PEDDLE FAILED, AND SMOKE STARTED COMING THROUGH THE VENTS. HE WAS ABLE TO KEEP A COOL HEAD FOR A NEW DRIVER AND GET TO SIDE OF ROAD BY SHEER LUCK THAT THE ROAD VEERED TO THE LEFT. ONCE IN PARK MORE SMOKE CAME THROUGH VENTS AND HE AND HIS FRIEND JUMPED OUT AND RAN, WHILE THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO CATCH FIRE AND EVENTUALLY BLOW UP, AS SHOWN IN THE VIDEO BELOW. POST EXPLOSION PICTURES ATTACHED TOO.

NHTSA ODI 11222702

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 LAND ROVER LR4. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. MOMENTS LATER, THE ENGINE WAS RESTARTED AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LAND ROVER PASADENA (3485 EAST COLORADO BLVD, PASADENA, CA) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED AND NO MECHANICAL FAILURE CODES WERE DISPLAYED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ODI 11208737

WHILE DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY ON THE HIGHWAY, THE FOLLOWING ALERTS STARTED TO DISPLAY: CHARGING SYATEM FAULT; ABS FAULT; STABILITY CONTROL NOT AVAILABLE; EMERGENCY BRAKE ASSIST NOT AVAILABLE; TRANSMISSION FAULT. THE CAR THEN SUDDENLY DROP THE SPEED FROM ABOUT 45 MPH TO ABOUT 10 MPH, CAUSING A NEAR MISS WITH THE CARS BEHING US.THE ENGINE STARTED TO SHAKE AND VIBRATE AND SOUND ROUGH. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER BEFORE THE ENGINE QUIT AT ALL, AND THEN THE MESSAGE "LOW BATTERY, PLEASE START ENGINE" APPEARED. TRIED TO RE-START BUT THERE WAS NO REACTION ON THE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 11111340