NHTSA Complaint #10422315 — 2002 LAND ROVER FREELANDER

WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL INCIDENTS WITH MY 2002 LAND ROVER FREELANDER TYPE S OVERHEATING AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOING ON, WE HAVE REGULARLY TAKEN IT TO OUR LOCAL LAND ROVER DEALER TO FIND OUT THE PROBLEM. THE LATEST, NOW AUGUST 2011, THE COOLANT WAS FOUND TO BE LOW, AND A DISCUSSION WITH THE MECHANIC AND THE SHOP PERSON INDICATED THAT THEIR IS NO EXTERNAL LEAKS, AND THAT THE COOLANT MAY BE LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE CYLINDERS/HEADS ARE MADE OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS, AND THAT A GAP MAY HAVE FORMED THERE CAUSING THE COOLANT TO LEAK INTO THE ENGINE. I WAS TOLD THAT IF THE COOLANT CONTINUES TO LEAK WITHOUT ANY VISIBLE SIGNS OF EXTERNAL PROBLEMS, THE ENGINE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. WE HAVE DONE ALL OF THE ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AS WELL AS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF REPAIRS FOR THE COOLING - INCLUDING MULTIPLE THERMOSTATS(I BELIEVE WE ARE ON OUR FOURTH ONE, INCLUDING THE ONES UNDER WARRANTY, ETC. THE LATEST DIAGNOSIS IS COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE AND FOULING A CYLINDER. I REPEATED ASKED, SINCE WE WERE UNDER WARRANTY, IF WE HAD A LEMON AND HAVE NOW SEEN THOUSANDS OF POSTINGS ON THE INTERNET RELATING TO THIS PROBLEM, WITH MODELS FROM 2000 TO 2005, THE YEARS THE CAR WAS AVAILABLE IN THE US. IT APPEARS THAT THERE ARE NO VIABLE REPLACEMENT ENGINES AVAILABLE THAT DO NOT HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM SINCE, THE VEHICLE WAS DISCONTINUED IN 2005. BASED ON THE INFORMATION I HAVE GATHERED, IT APPEARS THAT THE ENGINE USED IN THIS VEHICLE WAS OF A FAULTY DESIGN, GIVEN THE FACT THAT A REPLACEMENT WITH OUT THIS PROBLEM IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECORD, MY VEHICLE INFO IS AS FOLLOWS: MAKE: LAND ROVER MODEL: FREELANDER TYPE S YEAR: 2002 PURCHASE DATE: 07/2002 I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER, AND I PURCHASED THIS FROM LAND ROVER PORTLAND, PORTLAND OREGON. *TT