2002 Land Rover Freelander consumer reviews

This Suv is a good car but breaks down to easy. I have had trouble with the ac.Also the engin light has come on way to many times for the smallest things. I would buy a another car if I could.

The Freelander SE is a real nice looking SUV but the repairs are outrages. I wish i would of done a little homework on the car before I purchased it. I like the all wheel drive and it does great in the snow.

I bought this car during its first year being produced in America. I thought it was an attractive truck for the money, & was impressed when the salesman drove us up onto their on-site obstacle course. Being fairly petite, it fit my size well. I never felt overwhelmed by its size and it handled very well. My tall husband, though, could never adequately see out of the windshield. During the 2nd year I owned it, the windshield wipers started blowing out the fuses when used at anything but the lowest setting. Soon the power locks went out and the power windows failed. I drove around in my car with these annoying problems for years because I didn't want to pay hundreds or thousands to fix things I could work around. This year, the car began utterly falling apart. First the air intake had to be replaced for $1000. My car began overheating and leaking coolant, and even after LR service replace the thermostat, it continued to overheat and leak coolant and the engine started making a strange noise and completely died. My non-LR mechanic told me the intake manifold ($1600 part) was also dead so he couldn't even start the car to diagnose the engine problem, though he could clearly see fluid leaking from the main gasket. So my 6.5 y/o 70k mi car is an attractive-looking shell that's dead beyond any reasonably-priced fix besides a total engine replacement. I've fled far from British engineering and have purchased an 08 Toyota Sequoia (JD Powers class winner for dependability), while I figure out how to dump my Freelander parts. I'm sick reading the other reviews here detailing the same problems with main gaskets and engine failure. PLEASE be warned. Everything they say about Land Rovers IS true! Don't be fooled by their cool styling or rugged image. If you buy a Land Rover, you do so at your own risk.

I bought this SUV because I needed an AWD vehicle at a low price point. The freelander fits that description when compared to many other SUV's. I like the styling, performance and handling. I've had mine for about 2 years. During that time I've had cam shaft seals break(tow truck), needed a new thermostat and housing(tow truck), and had to have all the timing belts and other related parts replaced(tow truck). We're not talking a trivial amount of money here. You're biggest problem will also be finding a good foreign auto mechanic who can service you. Unless of course you want to pay dealer labor rates;). The parts are very expensive and regular oil changes anywhere can run around 70.00+. Synthetic oil and non-standard filters. All that being said I do enjoy it but do wish I had purchased something less expensive to maintain. Don't look for a bargain with this vehicle.

Beautiful car and handles great. I have loved this car though I will admit it was not as reliable as my Toyota.

I had this vehicle for 6+ years and drove it 90+K in the best and worst of weather and it never let me down. I enjoyed it so much I bought another one. I am a professional musician, therefore I drove the Freelander many miles in varied conditions, roads and weather. My advice is to buy this vehicle if you understand that it is an SUV and should be driven and maintained like one. There are many people who drive SUV like sport cars and wonder why they have problems.....

I bought this car used with 15k miles on it. At 20k the transmission blew. at 25k I had to replace all the brakes. Now I am at 35k and I feel this transmission is about to go too and now I am out of warrenty.

I was a big LR fan till the Freelander. The Freelander is a total lemon. Mine needs $12K+ to be road worthy again. All the horror stories are true. For those stating they haven't had problems, give it time. Window motors deficient, sunroof problems, coolant resivoir and thermostat leaks, transmission didn't last 75K miles. Those are all specific problems I have had with my Freelander. Futher, LR doesn't make any parts for repair. Didn't know about that one, huh? That means even the most minor defect or maintainence results in a huge repair bill. The sunroof doesn't seat and seal itself- LR dealer wants $1400 to replace. This, despite the fact that the sunroof is about 98% operational. I cannot warn you in strong enough terms to avoid this vehicle, regardless of date of manufacture. Don't be sucked into the LR brand like I was.

I thought I was making a good decision. I want to be safe in all kinds of weather and I have wanted a Land Rover since I started watching movies about Africa. They look as though they run forever. It was love at first site when I saw the little Freelander. It has been trouble since the start and I alwaye each repair will be the last. Now it is 200 miles away needing a new transmission for 7100 dollars. I have been reading on line and it looks as though if I fix the transmission, the engine will be next to go. I want my Toyota back!

I've always liked Land Rovers. My son was a finalist in the Land Rover Camel Trophy tour back in the '90's. Last year I decided to buy one. The best I could do on my budget was a 2nd hand 2002 Freelander. It looked good when I bought it. The foreshortened hood looked remarkably like my new Lab puppy. I liked the handling, much better than my previous all wheel drive, and the V6, while not peppy was at least perky. About one month into my ownership, things started to go downhill. The car (LR people like to call it a truck) developed a persistent, intermittent skip - a misfire of one or more cylinders. The warning light 'service your engine soon' came on. The skip would come and go, with no apparent reason. I have a reliable and intelligent mechanic who really enjoys a challenge. The Freelander has been at his garage for nearly 1/3 of the time I've owned it. So far he has not resolved the problem. I have great faith that it's not his fault. Attempts to contact Land Rover to get information have been unsatisfactory. Surely my car is not the only one with this problem, but LR is not about to admit this. There are other smaller deficiencies that bother me - power window controls that don't work, scary remote door lock controls, etc., but the main concern is the engine skip. I've heard horror stories about the Freelander regarding transmission problems, head gaskets, engine failure, and fear that I'm about to go down that slippery slope: owning a car that has no resale value, which will require unknown amounts of $$$ to make right. I'm hoping someone out there can give me some information about my car's problems. Thanks