Problems · NHTSA complaints

1997 Land Rover Range Rover problems

Owners filed 21 complaints about the 1997 Land Rover Range Rover with NHTSA between Dec 1996 and Mar 2017. The most-cited component is engine and engine cooling (5).

Complaints
21
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
6
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Engine and engine cooling5
  2. Engine2
  3. Tires2
  4. Seat belts2
  5. Electrical system2
  6. Service brakes, hydraulic2
  7. Exterior lighting1
  8. Electronic stability control (esc)1
  9. Structure1
  10. Visibility1
  11. Power train1
  12. Fuel system, gasoline1
  13. Seats1
  14. Fuel system, other1

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 Oct 28, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
19962
19971
19983
19993
20002
20011
20022
20031
20041
20050
20060
20070
20080
20092
20100
20110
20120
20130
20141
20151
20160
20171

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.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Engine and engine cooling

5 reports2 fires3 related recalls
“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY ANOTHER MOTORIST THAT HIS VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER, OPENED THE DOOR, AND NOTICED FLAMES UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO HIS RESIDENCE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY NEEDED TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND HAS NOT YET BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 100,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 9, 2009Engine and engine coolingFire reportedODI 10264828

Engine

2 reports1 fire
“I HAVE THE LIGHT FOR THE CHECK ENGINE ON. THE MECHANIC CHANGE THE ENGINE AND STILL THE LIGHT ON. AND WHILE I DRIVE ON THE FREEWAY. IT'S STOP SUDDENLY AND CUT POWER. I CALL AAA TO PICK IT UP AND IT WAS THE DYNAMITIC AND I FIXED, BUT IT TURN IT AND STOP WHILE I DRIVE IT AGAIN. ALSO MANY TIME WHEN I START THE POWER IT'S NOT START FROM FIRST TIME. I HAVE TO TRY MANY TIME UNTIL IT CATCH POWER TO START THE ENGINE..”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 11, 2017Exterior lighting, Electronic stability control (esc), EngineODI 10960148

Tires

2 reports
“MICHELIN LATITUDETOUR HP 255/65R16 SIDEWALL FAILURE. INSIDE SIDEWALL PERFORATION CAUSE SUDDEN LOSS OF PRESSURE. SAME MODEL TIRE AS COVERED BY PREVIOUS RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13T006000 COMPONENT(S): TIRES NO DAMAGE TO TIRE OTHER THAN SIDEWALL FAILURE. FAILURE OCCURRED WHEN VEHICLE PARKED. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 11, 2015TiresODI 10682779

Seat belts

2 reports
“ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 18, I BEGAN PLACING MY BABY'S INFANT CARRIER SEAT INTO THE BASE ALREADY INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE'S REAR PASSENGER OUTBOARD SEAT. I NOTICED THAT IT SEEMED LOOSE AND REMOVED THE BASE FOR CLOSER INSPECTION. THE BASE HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN INSTALLED CORRECTLY WITH THE RETRACTOR SWITCHED TO ALR MODE (I AM A CPS TECHNICIAN). I FOUND THAT THE RETRACTOR WAS NO LONGER RATCHETING AND SIMPLY MADE A CLUNKING SOUND WHEN PULLED. I CANNOT VERIFY IF IT IS WORKING IN ELR MODE, AS IT STICKS MAKES STRANGE SOUNDS. I MOVED THE CAR SEAT TO THE OTHER REAR OUTBOARD POSITION IMMEDIATELY.*AK”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 22, 2004Seat beltsODI 10096244

Electrical system

2 reports1 fire
“TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR A RECALL, UPON PICKING UP THE VEHICLE, THE CONSUMER STATED" THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO JUMP UP AND DOWN, AS A RESULT THE DRIVER SUFFERED HEAD INJURIES. *AK THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE ONBOARD COMPUTER WHICH STARTED SIGNALING TO CHECK THE ENGINE ACCOMPANIED BY SEVERE SIREN TYPE NOISES. WHILE IN MOTION, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ALERTED THE PASSENGERS WITH A BEEPING NOISE AND THE ONBOARD COMPUTER DISPLAYED AN EAS (ELECTRONIC ACUATION SYSTEM) FAULT. A FEW SECONDS LATER THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY JOLTED. THE CONSUMERS WIFE WAS DRIVING AT THE TIME, SHE LOSS CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND THE CONSUMER REACHED FOR THE STEERING WHEEL TO AVOID HITTING THE MEDIAN, THEN THE COMPUTER SIGNALED TO REDUCE THE SPEED TO 35 MPH. *SCC *JB”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 1, 2003Electrical systemODI 10026515

Service brakes, hydraulic

2 reports1 crash1 fire
“DRIVING VEHICLE, WENT TO APPLY ABS BRAKES AND BRAKES WOULD NOT CATCH, VEHICLE WAS BY HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE AND FINALLY STOPPED. *AK”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 11, 1996Service brakes, hydraulicCrash reportedFire reportedODI 806180
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.