NHTSA Complaint #10252950 — 2002 LAND ROVER FREELANDER

I TOOK MY 2002 FREELANDER INTO BRITISH MOTORS IN SAN FRANCISCO IN MARCH OF 07 WITH 55,000 MILES ON IT AND ASKED FOR THE 60,000 MILE TUNE UP. THEY SAID NO - SOLD ME NEW BRAKES AND TIRES INSTEAD AND DID AN OIL CHANGE. I ONLY DRIVE 5,000 MILES A YEAR AND SO I KNEW IT WOULD BE A WHILE BEFORE I HIT 60K. I TOOL THE CAR IN WHEN I HAD 63,364 MILES ON IT AND THEY DID THE TUNE UP. THERE WERE MANY SLOPPY THINGS THAT HAPPENED DURING THIS TIME BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT AFTER THE TUNEUP THE TRANSMISSION FAILED - AND THEN THEY SAID I WAS OVER THE LIMIT FOR THE MILES AND VOIDED THE WARRANTY. I HAVE SINCE READ ABOUT HUNDREDS OF OTHER FREELANDER OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME OR SIMILAR PROBLEMS. WHEN THEY CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID THE TRANSMISSIONS SOMETIMES FAIL. I HAD A FRIEND WHO HAS THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPEN ONLY SHE DROVE A RANGE ROVER. BRITISH MOTORS BLAMED LAND ROVER AND LAND ROVER CUSTOMER COMPLAINT DEPT IS USELESS AND DOES NOTHING. THIS IS HAPPENING TO SO MANY LAND ROVER OWNERS THAT IT IS APPALLING AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE. THE FREELANDER SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED - AND THOSE OF US DRIVING IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN WARNED ABOUT ENGINE PROBLEMS AND WHAT COULD HAPPEN WHEN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID IS CHANGED IN ROUTINE TUNE UPS. I PAID $2,300 TO GET THE TRANSMISSION REPAIRED SO I COULD GET MY CAR OUT. I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE BUREAU OF AUTOMOTIVE REPAIRS IN CA. THIS WHOLE THING IS A SCAM AND HAS COST ME A LOT OF MONEY AND TIME. FROM GOOGLING: FREELANDER ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS -- II SEE THAT HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF OTHERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND THAT VERY LITTLE GETS DONE ABOUT IT! *TR 1