NHTSA Complaint #11302287 — 2017 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER EVOQUE

WE LEASED FROM ROSENTHAL JAGUAR/LAND ROVER IN VIENNA, VA ON JANUARY 7, 2018 A 2017 LAND ROVER RR EVOQUE. WE LEASED THE VEHICLE FOR USE BY OUR SON, WHO IS A PH.D. STUDENT. DURING THE PAST YEAR, OUR SON HAS HAD TWO POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING INCIDENTS WITH THE VEHICLE. ON FEBRUARY 16, 2019 WHILE DRIVING THE RANGE ROVER ON HWY 476 NEAR PHILADELPHIA, WHEN HE ACCELERATED, THE ENGINE CUT OUT, LEAVING HIM TRAVELING AT A SUBSTANTIAL RATE OF SPEED ON A HIGHWAY WITHOUT POWER. A LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD READING "GEAR BOX FAULT". MY SON WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY (BUT ONLY AT A PLACE WHERE IT WAS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO BE). JAGUAR RANGE ROVER ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS CONTACTED. IT TOOK APPROXIMATELY FOUR HOURS FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TO COME. ALL THE WHILE MY SON WAS STANDING OUTSIDE THE CAR IN FREEZING WEATHER IN A SITUATION THAT EXPOSED HIM TO CONSIDERABLE DANGER. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO ALLENTOWN RANGE ROVER WHERE THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A FAULT FROM A CELENOID IN THE TRANSMISSION. REPAIR WORK WAS DONE AND THE PROBLEM, WE WERE TOLD, WAS CORRECTED. HOWEVER, THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN ON DECEMBER 14, 2019, WHILE MY SON WAS DRIVING ON HWY I-95 NORTH OF RICHMOND, VA. MY SON STEPPED ON THE GAS, AND THE ENGINE STOPPED RESPONDING, "GEAR BOX FAULT" APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. MY SON, FORTUNATELY, WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE HE CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. THIS TIME HE WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR BEFORE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE ARRIVED. WE THEN PROMPTLY REPORTED THE MATTER TO ROSENTHAL JAGUAR/LAND ROVER, SPEAKING TO A MR. MOHAMMAD NORESTANI. NEITHER MY SON, MY WIFE, NOR I FEEL COMFORTABLE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. TWICE THE ENGINE CUT OUT WHILE THE CAR WAS TRAVELING ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY AND IN BOTH INSTANCES, MY SON'S LIFE WAS POTENTIALLY PUT AT RISK BY THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE SEE OUR REMAINING NOTES IN PDF ATTACHED. MPH AND MILEAGE IS APPROXIMATE.