Problems · NHTSA complaints
1999 Land Rover Discovery problems
Owners filed 53 complaints about the 1999 Land Rover Discovery with NHTSA between Apr 1999 and Oct 2016. The most-cited component is service brakes, hydraulic (15).
Complaints
53
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
9
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
8
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Service brakes, hydraulic15
- Power train9
- Air bags6
- Vehicle speed control4
- Engine and engine cooling4
- Steering3
- Service brakes2
- Seats2
- Service brakes, air2
- Structure2
- Fuel system, gasoline2
- Fuel/propulsion system1
- Electrical system1
- Electronic stability control (esc)1
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 6, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
4
4
2
5
5
7
6
5
0
4
2
4
0
1
1
0
1
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 4 |
| 2000 | 4 |
| 2001 | 2 |
| 2002 | 5 |
| 2003 | 5 |
| 2004 | 7 |
| 2005 | 6 |
| 2006 | 5 |
| 2007 | 0 |
| 2008 | 4 |
| 2009 | 2 |
| 2010 | 4 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2016 | 2 |
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
15 reports5 crashes3 related recalls
“I HAVE A 1999 DISCOVERY II. THE ABS WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ON; NICKNAMED AS YOU MIGHT ALREADY KNOW "THE THREE AMIGOS" BY THOUSANDS OF LAND ROVER OWNERS. THE THREE AMIGOS REFERS TO THE THREE WARNING LIGHTS ON DASHBOARD: ABS, TC-TRACTION CONTROL, DOWNHILL DESCENT. I WAS TOLD BY THE LOCAL DEALER IN ENCINO, CA IT WAS THE ABS MODULATOR. THEY DIDN'T PUT IT ON PAPER, BUT THEY SAID VERBALLY IF YOU DON'T GET THE "ABS MODULATOR REPLACED, YOU WILL HAVE BRAKE FAILURE. YET, LAND ROVER WON'T RECALL IT. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE "THREE AMIGOS", CAUSED BY THE ABS MODULATOR. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED CASE. NEXT TIME YOU DRIVE BY A 1999 LAND ROVER, LOOK ON THEIR DASHBOARD, AND YOU WILL SEE 3 WARNING LIGHTS ON. LAND ROVER, NEEDS TO RECALL THIS, AND REPLACE THE ABS MODULATOR. *TR”
Power train
9 reports2 related recalls
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY II. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OVER 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD CONSTANTLY VIBRATE EXCESSIVELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT DRIVE SHAFT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MECHANIC REFERRED THE CONTACT TO A DRIVE SHAFT TECHNICIAN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12E010000 (POWER TRAIN). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 127,300.”
Air bags
6 reports5 crashes
“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY II. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE THE SAFETY RESTRAINT LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 54,772 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS AT 20,421.”
Vehicle speed control
4 reports1 related recall
“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”
Engine and engine cooling
4 reports1 fire1 related recall
“BELT BROKE LEAVING ME STRANDED, HAD IT REPLACED THEN 2 WEEKS LATER THE NEW BELT BROKE. HAD IT REPLACED AND AGAIN WITHIN A COUPLE OF WEEKS IT BROKE AGAIN. ORDERED A NEW BELT FROM LAND ROVER AND ASKED A LOCAL MECHANIC TO INSTALL IT (BECAUSE I LIVE AN HOUR AWAY FROM LAND ROVER). THE MECHANIC FOUND THAT ONE OF THE PULLEY WAS NOT WORKING CORRETLY SO HE CALLED LAND ROVER AND WAS INFORMED IT WAS A RECALL. CAR WAS AT LAND ROVER FOR 6 DAYS BEFORE REPAIRS COMPLETE. *AK”
Steering
3 reports
“WHILE DRIVING ON THE I-10 EXPRESSWAY IN NEW ORLEANS, THE STEERING MECHANISM STOPPED WORKING, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, I DID NOT CRASH INTO OTHER VEHICLES. I IMMEDIATELY GOT OFF THE I-10 HEADING TOWARDS MY BROTHER'S HOME TO TELL HIM ABOUT MY SITUATION. HE WASN'T HOME. I CALLED HIM ON THE CELL PHONE. HE TOLD ME TO PARK THE VEHICLE AND CALL TRIPLE A. AS I WAS BACKING OUT OF HIS DRIVEWAY TO PARK THE LAND ROVER, THE STEERING WHEEL SPUN LIKE A TOP WITH NO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. TRIPLE A ARRIVED AND DISCOVERED A STEERING BOLT SEPARATION. THEY TIGHTENED THE BOLT AND TOWED THE VEHICLE TO MY RESIDENCE BECAUSE IT WAS THE JULY 4TH WEEKEND, I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO MY HOME, NOT THE DEALERSHIP. (I MAILED YOU A LETTER ON JUNE 12, 2006 WITH THE REST OF THE DETAILS). *NM”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 6, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.