NHTSA Complaint #10694203 — 2007 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER L322

ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO I STARTED THE SUV AND ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE TO A NEAR BY STORE. AFTER PULLING OUT OF MY SMALL SUBDIVISION, I NOTICED THE CAR WOULDN'T ACCELERATE AND WAS MAKING AN AWFUL METAL-TICKING TYPE SOUND (LIKE METAL-ON-METAL). I THEN NOTICED SMOKE POURING OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THE FRONT OF THE CAR. I COULD NOT SEE WHAT COLOR IT WAS SINCE IT WAS DARK OUT. I THEN IMMEDIATELY TURNED AROUND, DROVE HOME, AND TURNED THE CAR OF. TOTAL TRIP TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES, TOTAL DISTANCE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE. WHEN I GOT HOME AND GOT OUT OF THE CAR, I NOTICED A DARK LIQUID POURING OUT OF THE BOTTOM-CENTER PART OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I ALSO SAW A TRAIL OF DARK LIQUID FROM MY DRIVE HOME UPON RE-ENTERING MY SUBDIVISION. THE NEXT DAY, I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE LAST INDEPENDENT MECHANIC SHOP THAT WORKED ON THE CAR (IN CASE IT WAS THEIR FAULT), AND WHEN THE CAR WAS HOISTED ONTO THE FLAT-BED, TONS OF OIL POURED OUT FROM THAT SAME AREA, IN THE BOTTOM-CENTER REGION OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. WHEN THE MECHANICS GOT AROUND TO INSPECTING THE CAR, THEY SAID THAT A CONNECTING ROD HAD BROKEN INSIDE THE MOTOR AND PUNCHED A HOLE THROUGH THE BOTTOM-SIDE OF THE BLOCK, WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY I HEARD THAT METAL-TICKING NOISE AND ALSO WHY LIQUID, OR MOTOR OIL, BEGAN SPILLING OUT THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE. THE MECHANICS SAID THAT THIS TYPE OF ISSUE COULD BE CAUSE BY NOT HAVING ENOUGH OIL IN THE MOTOR AND CAN ALSO BE DUE TO THE ENGINE'S AGE. THEY INSISTED THAT, THOUGH IT'S VERY ODD THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED LESS THAN 800 MILES AFTER THEY CHANGED THE OIL, THEY WERE EXTREMELY THOROUGH AND CAREFUL, AND EXPLAINED TO ME THEIR OIL CHANGING PROCEDURES, WHICH WAS MORE COMPLEX THAN I WOULD HAVE IMAGINED (REMOVING OLD OIL AND FILTER, ADDING NEW OIL AND FILTER, STARTING CAR TO WARM UP, DRIVING CAR, CHECKING OIL LEVEL AGAIN, ETC.). *TR