The 2004 Land Rover Freelander has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 66,237 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 112 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE BRAKE LIGHTS MAY REMAIN ILLUMINATED EVEN WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT DEPRESSED. HILL DESCENT CONTROL (HDC), TRACTION CONTROL (TC) AND CRUISE CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS MAY ALSO BE ILLUMINATED.
Consequence
FAILURE TO PROVIDE THE PROPER SIGNAL WHEN BRAKING COULD LEAD TO A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BRAKE LAMP OPERATION AND WHERE REQUIRED, ADJUST AND/OR REPLACE THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCHES WITH NEW SWITCHES OF THE SAME DESIGN UNTIL A NEWLY DESIGNED BRAKE LAMP SWITCH IS AVAILABLE IN MAY 2007. OWNERS WILL THEN BE RE-NOTIFIED TO BRING THEIR VEHICLES IN FOR THE NEW BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. AN…
ON CERTAIN FIVE DOOR SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, IT IS POSSIBLE TO OPERATE THE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE TO OPEN THE DOOR WHEN THE CHILD SAFETY LEVER IS IN THE "ON" POSITION.
Consequence
THE OCCUPANT MAY OPEN THE DOOR INADVERTENTLY WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AND FALL OUT INTO THE TRAFFIC, PERSONAL INJURIES COULD OCCUR.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE LATCH ASSEMBLY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT LAND ROVER AT 1-800-637-6837.
STRUCTURE04V3470002004-07-1231,049 affected
Defect
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 201, "OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN INTERIOR IMPACT." DURING TESTING, THE FREE MOTION HEAD FORM REGISTERED A MEASUREMENT MARGINALLY ABOVE THE PERMITTED 1000 HEAD IMPACT CRITERIA. AT THE LEFT AND RIGHT HAND…
Consequence
IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, PERSONAL INJURY TO OCCUPANTS MAY OCCUR.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE A-PILLAR TRIM WITH A REVISED COMPONENT THAT ENABLES THE VEHICLE TO FULLY MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS 201. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMBER 6, 2005. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT LAND ROVER AT 1-800-637-6837.
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
22
1crashes
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
18
1crashes1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
12
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
8
POWER TRAIN
5
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
4
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
4
ENGINE
3
VISIBILITY
3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
2
Total complaints112
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I have a land rover free lander 2004 I bought it with 30,000 miles on it, it ran fine for a while then the child safety locks mal- functioned. The people who sat in the back seat could not get out I had to open the rear doors from the outside.the sun roof stop working as did the rear windows on…”
“I have a land rover free lander 2004 I bought it with 30,000 miles on it, it ran fine for a while then the child safety locks mal- functioned. The people who sat in the back seat could not get out I had to open the rear doors from the outside.the sun roof stop working as did the rear windows on…”
“I have a land rover free lander 2004 I bought it with 30,000 miles on it, it ran fine for a while then the child safety locks mal- functioned. The people who sat in the back seat could not get out I had to open the rear doors from the outside.the sun roof stop working as did the rear windows on…”
“I have a land rover free lander 2004 I bought it with 30,000 miles on it, it ran fine for a while then the child safety locks mal- functioned. The people who sat in the back seat could not get out I had to open the rear doors from the outside.the sun roof stop working as did the rear windows on…”
“Vehicle had engine failure and transmission locked up during acceleration. After a diagnoses it was the result of a defective thermostat housing that released the coolant onto the top of the engine. At the current time the automobile has had 39 different problems diagnosed since the purchase date…”
“Vehicle had engine failure and transmission locked up during acceleration. After a diagnoses it was the result of a defective thermostat housing that released the coolant onto the top of the engine. At the current time the automobile has had 39 different problems diagnosed since the purchase date…”
“Vehicle had engine failure and transmission locked up during acceleration. After a diagnoses it was the result of a defective thermostat housing that released the coolant onto the top of the engine. At the current time the automobile has had 39 different problems diagnosed since the purchase date…”
“My son turned 16 on march 18, 2012. We wanted an suv that would be safe to drive. We wanted a car with lower mileage. We found a 2004 land rover freelander at a local dealer with only 56,000 miles. Car was in awesome shape inside and out. New tires, etc. Paid $9,500. A few days later took the car…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA05016 Opened 2005-10-14 · closed 2007-02-22
BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILURE
ON JUNE 16, 2005, THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE05-034) TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED STOP LAMP (BRAKE) SWITCH FAILURES IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2004 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SERIES II VEHICLES.ON OCTOBER 14, 2005, THE INVESTIGATION WAS UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AND THE…
InvestigationEA05016 Opened 2005-10-14 · closed 2007-02-22
BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILURE
ON JUNE 16, 2005, THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION (PE05-034) TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGED STOP LAMP (BRAKE) SWITCH FAILURES IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2004 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SERIES II VEHICLES.ON OCTOBER 14, 2005, THE INVESTIGATION WAS UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AND THE…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2004 Land Rover Freelander as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.