NHTSA Complaint #11480138 — 2012 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER

The contact owns a 2012 Land Rover Range Rover. The contact stated while driving 70-75 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and surging. Additionally, the contact heard abnormally loud sounds coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred intermittently. The contact stated while driving approximately 5-10 MPH in her brother's driveway, the vehicle went into restricted driving mode, jerked forward continuously until she reached the end of the driveway. An unknown message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the Variable Timing Activator (VTA) had failed, the engine jumped timing, there was an internal engine damage, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance due to the mileage and age of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 140,693.