Problems · NHTSA complaints
1997 Land Rover Discovery problems
Owners filed 37 complaints about the 1997 Land Rover Discovery with NHTSA between Jul 1997 and May 2012. The most-cited component is service brakes, hydraulic (12).
Complaints
37
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
9
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Service brakes, hydraulic12
- Air bags6
- Fuel system, gasoline5
- Power train5
- Engine and engine cooling4
- Vehicle speed control3
- Electrical system2
- Service brakes1
- Structure1
- Tires1
- Visibility1
- Seat belts1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 7, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
3
2
4
6
5
5
2
2
1
1
3
2
0
0
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 3 |
| 1998 | 2 |
| 1999 | 4 |
| 2000 | 6 |
| 2001 | 5 |
| 2002 | 5 |
| 2003 | 2 |
| 2004 | 2 |
| 2005 | 1 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 3 |
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Service brakes, hydraulic
12 reports3 crashes
“SURGING AT FULLY CLOSED THROTTLE ACCOMPANIED BY ABS FAILURE IS A REAL ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE MANUFACTURER. PRM CHIP REPLACEMENT TO FIX THE SURGE PROBLEM SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL. MY 1997 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY WOULD NOT STOP AT A STOP LIGHT WHEN LETTING OFF THE ACCELERATOR BECAUSE THE RPMS SURGED ON THE VEHICLE. UPON ATTEMPTING TO DEPRESS THE BRAKES THE ABS MALFUNCTIONED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE DUE TO LACK OF BRAKES AND AN ELEVATED RPM LEVEL. THIS IS AN ELECTRONIC DEFECT THAT NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION DUE TO THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES WHICH EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM AND THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT RPM SURGING AT FULLY CLOSED THROTTLE REQUIRES THE REPLACEMENT OF A REVISED CHIP TO REMEDY THIS. THIS VEHICLE IS OF NO USE TO ME BECAUSE IT IS UNSAFE TO OPERATE AND THUS UNSUITABLE FOR ROAD USE. I AM SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING CONTACTING OTHER SOURCES/MEDIA OUTLETS TO INVESTIGATE THIS COMMON PROBLEM. *LA”
Air bags
6 reports6 crashes1 related recall
“WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH THE BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE BRAKING SYSTEM TO BE INOPERATIVE WHICH CAUSED A FRONTAL IMPACT. BOTH AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. NO PRIOR PROBLEMS WITH BRAKING SYSTEM. *AK”
Fuel system, gasoline
5 reports1 related recall
“TWO YEARS AGO I REPLACED A FUEL TANK ON MY LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 1997 AT THE DEALERSHIP IN SAN DIEGO AS A RESULT OF THE SAFETY RECALL ACTION B156 - FUEL TANK CRACKING. THE REPLACEMENT TANK IS EXHIBITING THE SAME PROBLEM AS FOR THE INITIAL RECALL. IT LEAKS WHEN FULL AND NOTICEABLE FUEL ODOR CAN BE SMELLED. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME AFTER I NOTIFIED THEM WITH THE RECENT PROBLEM, THAT THE REPLACEMENT TANK HAS ONLY ONE YEAR WARRANTY. I TOLD THEM THE PROBLEM IS THE SAME AS WAS RECALLED AND THEY SHOULD REPLACE THE TANK AT THEIR COST. WHAT DO YOU ADVICE I TELL THEM NEXT FRIDAY WHEN I TAKE THE VEHICLE IN. *TR”
Power train
5 reports1 related recall
“DRIVING AT THE SPEED LIMIT ON THE NEW JERSEY TURNPIKE, MY 1997 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC DRIVE SHAFT FAILURE. THE EXPLOSION CAUSED THE CRASH SENSORS TO ACTIVATE (BLINKERS, FUEL CUT). THE DRIVE SHAFT WENT THROUGH THE PASSENGER FLOOR RIPPING OUT WIRES. THANKFULLY, NOBODY WAS INJURED HOWEVER THERE WAS A REAL POSSIBILITY THAT THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS INJURY FROM THIS. THE DEALER REPORTS THAT THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS DUE TO THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE DRIVE SHAFT FAILURE. *JB”
Engine and engine cooling
4 reports
“LEFT EXHAUST MANIFOLD CRACKED, RIGHT EXHAUST MANIFOLD BROKEN IN 2! CAST IRON EXHAUST MANIFOLD BOTH DIAGNOSED AS CRACKED - I REPLACED WORSE OF 2 THEN BETTER ONE BROKE. ENGINE BLOCK ALUMINUM - CREEP/FATIGUE FAILURE DUE TO THERMAL EXPANSION RATES OF MANIFOLD VERSUS BLOCK SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. I BELIEVE WARRANTS A RECALL - ESPECIALLY IN CA WITH TIGHT SMOG LIMITS.*AK”
Vehicle speed control
3 reports1 crash
“ABS BRAKES BEGAN TO SYSTEMATRICALLY ENGAGE ON SMOOTH SURFACES, ABS SYSTEM ENGAGED, INSTEAD OF STOPPING THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SURGE FORWARD, TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH OTHER VEHICLES CONSUMER DROVE ONTO THE CEMENT BARRIER UNTIL VEHICLE STOPPED. POSSIBLY RELATED TO THE FUEL, THROTTLE, LINKAGES AND CONTROL AS WELL AS THE ABS SYSTEM. *SLC”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 7, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.