1999 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY II Complaints

NORMAL DRIVING IN SUMMER WHEN MY 1999 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY II'S ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND STAYED ON. TWO DAYS LATER THOSE LIGHTS WERE JOINED BY THE HILL DECENT WARNING LIGHT AS WELL. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC WHO DID NOT HAVE THE PROPER TOOL TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM - BRAKE SYSTEM WAS BLED BUT THE LIGHTS STILL REMAIN. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT W/THE DEALER NEXT MONTH BUT UNTIL THEN I HAVE NO USE OF THE ABS SYSTEM WHICH CONTROLS SEVERAL FUNCTIONS ON THE VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD THE ABS RECALL WORK PERFORMED ON MY LAND ROVER DURING THE SUMMER OF 1993, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS RELATED TO THAT RECALL OR NOT.

UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS ALL THREE LIGHTS (TRACTION CONTROL, ABS, DOWNHILL) LIGHTS UP. IT HAPPENS EVEN WITH SUVS WITH VERY LOW MILES. BLEEDING THE BRAKES AND CLEANING THE CONNECTOR OR REPLACING THE SENSORS DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. THERE IS FAULT IN THE ABS MODULATOR DESIGN AND THERE SHOULD BE RECALL ON THIS ITEM.

BEGINNING AT 50,100 MILES, ABS, HILL DESCENT AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNINGS WENT OFF. VEHICLE WAS STOPPED IN REGULAR TRAFFIC, NO UNUSUAL WEATHER OR DRIVING CONDITIONS. DEALER REPLACED 3 ABS SENSORS AND RESET ECU CODES. 200 YARDS AFTER LEAVING SHOP, WARNING LIGHTS AND CHIMES RETURNED. DEALER ATTEMPTED REMEDIAL WORK - ERROR INDICATED STUCK VALVE IN ABS PUMP - TO NO AVAIL. CODES WERE RE-SET, TWO DAYS LATER TURNING LEFT, WARNINGS AND CHIMES RETURNED. LAND ROVER INDICATED THAT ABS PUMP NEEDS REPLACING IS THE ONLY REMEDY (PARTS ~$2,000). WEB SEARCH INDICATED THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH 99 DISCOVERY OWNERS. ORIGINAL RECALL WORK WAS DONE YEARS AGO TO STRENGTHEN ABS HOUSING. SHOULD ABS FAIL AT ONLY 50,000 MILES? BEEN DRIVING WITHOUT ABS SINCE FOURTH TIME. *JB

VEHICLE WITH UNDER 54,000 MILES WAS MAKING LOUD NOISES AND VIBRATING WHEN DRIVING BECOMING DIFFICULT TO HANDLE. MAJOR FAILURE IN THE DRIVETRAIN RENDERED THE VEHICLE NON DRIVABLE. PART THAT FAILED WAS TRANSFER BOX PAID DEALER AROUND $2,500 TO HAVE THE BOX REPLACED AND HAVE THE VEHICLE MADE DRIVABLE. I HAVE THE OLD PART.*AK

1. MAJOR ACCIDENT HAPPENED, BUT AIRBAG DIDN'T DEPLOY. 2. FORTUNATELY WE SURVIVED, YES OF COURSE WITH SOME INJURIES, BUT WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF WE WERE NOT THAT FORTUNATE. IN OTHER WORDS THERE WAS NO SAFETY FROM THAT SO CALLED GOOD NAMED CAR. CALLED LAND ROVER. 3. WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG IN MY CAR. *NM

LTR FM STEVEN JOHNSON (OK) OWNER OF A 1999 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY REPORTING MECHANICAL FAILURE OF THE DRIVELINE AND THE UNIVERSAL JOINT, DEFECTIVE VEHICLE REPLY TO THE TULSA DISTRICT OFC.*MR THE DRIVELINE FAILED PREMATURELY BECAUSE OF A NON SERVICEABLE UNIVERSAL JOINT. *NM

DURING MY COMMUTE I NOTICED A RATTLE COMING FROM THE REAR OF MY VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION I FOUND THAT THE SHOCK MOUNT ON THE REAR RIGHT SIDE HAD SEPERATED FROM THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE. THERE IS A HOLE IN THE FRAME WHERE THE SHOCK MOUNT WAS WELDED. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO LAND ROVER ALEXANDRIA. THE SERVICE MANAGER AND A WHOLE GROUP OF TECHNICIANS EXPRESSED COMPLETE AMAZEMENT WHEN THEY SAW THE DAMAGE. NOBODY COULD FIGURE OUT HOW THIS HAPPENED. THIS IS AN ACCIDENT FREE VEHICLE WITH A GOOD SERVICE HISTORY THROUGH LAND ROVER. THE ORIGINAL EXPLANATION I WAS GIVEN SAID THAT THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A BAD WELD OR DEFECT IN MANUFACTURING. I WAS INSURED THAT MY FRAME IS INCREDIBLY STRONG AND THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. A FIELD TECHNICIAN AND REGIONAL REP WERE BROUGHT OUT. LAND ROVER HAS INFORMED ME THAT MY VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN SERVICED PROPERLY AND THEY CAN NOT FIX THIS PROBLEM FOR ME. THEY HAVE NOT RECORD OF THE VEHICLE BEING REGULARLY SERVICED. I OFFERED TO FAX DETAILS FROM LAND ROVER DENVER EAST, LAND ROVER RICHMOND, AND LAND ROVER ALEXANDRIA. THESE WERE THE SERVICING FACILITIES. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE BEEN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. LAND ROVER HAS INFORMED ALSO THAT I MUST REPLACE MY FRAME. *AK

ON THE EVENING OF MARCH 16TH, MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCED AN EPISODE OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION. THE EVENT OCCURRED LEAVING A SKI AREA (APPROX 9,000 FEET ELEVATION)ON A TWO LANE ROAD WITH AN AVERAGE 6% GRADE. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE LATE AFTERNOON WITH TEMPERATURES APPROXIMATELY 50 DEGREES AND WAS PARKED UNTIL 7:30 THAT EVENING WHEN THE AIR TEMPERATURE HAD DROPPED TO ABOUT 34 DEGREES. I STARTED THE VEHICLE AS NORMAL AND PROCEEDED TO LEAVE THE RESORT PARKING LOT. AS I CRESTED THE HILL TO THE MAIN ROAD, THE ENGINE BEGAN ACCELERATING (RPM ABOVE 4,000). I LIFTED MY FOOT TO MAKE SURE THAT I WAS NOT INADVERTENTLY STEPPING ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD. I HAD GREAT DIFFICULTY TRYING TO SLOW THE VEHICLE USING THE BRAKES. I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE CAR ENOUGH TO JOLT THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE ENGINE REVS CLIMBED ABOVE 5,000 AS I SHUT THE MOTOR OFF. I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE IN A FEW MOMENTS AND IT BEHAVED NORMALLY IN THE RATHER NERVOUS 12 MILE TRIP DOWN THE CANYON. SINCE THE SINGLE EPISODE, IT HAS BEHAVED NORMALLY. HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT TO THE SERVICE CENTER AS OF MARCH 17TH. ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR. *NM

PERIODICALLY THE ABS, TRACTION CONTROL & HILL DESCENT LIGHTS COME ON. DEALERSHIP INDICATES DIAGNOSTIC CODES REVEAL THE SHUTTLE VALVE INSIDE THE ABS MODULATOR IS FAULTY AND SHOULD BE REPLACED.*AK

WHILE DRIVING DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT HEATER BURNT A HOLE INTO THE SEAT. DRIVER SUSTAINED MINOR BURN INJURIES. *AK