NHTSA Complaint #10275276 — 2002 LAND ROVER FREELANDER

SINCE I PURCHASED MY 2002 LANDROVER FREELANDER IN AUG OF 2007 WITH 63456 MILES ON IT, I HAVE TAKEN IT IN FOR NUMEROUS COSTLY REPAIRS. THE FIRST BEING 12 DAYS AFTER THE PURCHASE IN ATTEMPT TO FIX WHAT I THOUGHT WAS CAUSING THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MY COOLANT, THE CRACKED COOLANT RESERVOIR WAS REPLACED, ONLY TO FIND OUT TO THE ENGINE WOULD CONTINUALLY OVERHEAT AND I WOULD BECOME STRANDED ON THE ROAD ON AT LEAST 3 OCCASIONS EVEN AFTER I HAD TAKEN IT IN BY THIS POINT AND HAD IT SUCTION TESTED TO SEE IF A LEAK COULD BE LOCATED WITH IN THE COOLANT SYSTEM AND WAS TOLD IT PASSED. SO I CONTINUED TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE SHUTTLING MYSELF TO AND FROM SCHOOL AND WORK, STOCKING MY VEHICLE WITH NECESSARY COOLANT TO MAINTAIN THE PROPER LEVEL. AFTER A TRAUMATIC INCIDENT ON THE FREEWAY IN I JUNE 2008, WHERE I WAS FORCED TO QUICKLY PULL TO THE SHOULDER GOING FORM 60 TO ZERO WHILE STILL IN TRAFFIC, I TOOK THE CAR IN TO HAVE IT SERVICED AGAIN WHERE I SOON FOUND OUT THE COOLANT CONTAMINATED THE OIL BECAUSE OF THE SEAL SLIPPING (THROUGH RESEARCH OF MY OWN I HAVE LEARNED THE MATERIAL THE SEAL IS MADE OF IS IN ADEQUATE TO HOLD HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR EVEN A REASONABLE LIFE OF THE CAR). UNABLE TO AFFORD THE COSTLY REPLACEMENT OF THE ENGINE WHICH WAS ADVISED AT THIS TIME, 6/08 (OVER THE WORTH OF THE VEHICLE AT $7,579 + TAXES NEW AND WITH MULTIPLE RESEARCH ATTEMPTS DONE TO FIND A USED ONE WITH NO SUCCESS BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE MODELS) I BOUGHT SOME TIME WITH AN ENGINE FLUSH ONLY TO HAVE THE INTERNAL DAMAGE THE SEAL FAILURE HAD CAUSED RESULT IN THE COMPLETE SEIZURE OF MY ENGINE AS OF 1/09. I HAVE BEEN PUT IN HARMS WAY IN NEAR MISSES OF CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AS I UNCONTROLLABLY COME TO A STOP AND SOON AFTER SIT HELPLESSLY ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THROUGH NO FAULT OF MY OWN, COUNTLESS TIMES DO TO THE MANUFACTURES NEGLIGENCE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE OPERATOR. EVEN AFTER THIS WHOLE ORDEAL, I STILL FIND MYSELF FORTUNATE TO ONLY BE OUT A COSTLY VEHICLE AND NOT THE LOSS OF MY LIFE. *TR