NHTSA Complaint #11701275 — 2012 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER

In January 2025 I noticed light ticking/knocking at startup, idle, and while driving. On January 23, 2025 I searched online for how to check the oil level and for an L322 dipstick location (there is none). Only after finding a YouTube video with an undocumented override (double-pressing the “Cancel” button) was I able to see the oil level on January 31, 2025, and it showed zero. I added oil immediately, but the knocking gradually worsened over the following months until very loud clattering began on July 4, 2025. The electronic oil level monitoring and warning system failed. When I followed the owner’s manual procedure to check the oil, the display repeatedly showed “Oil Level Not Available” and never gave any low-oil or no-oil warning, even when the actual oil level was zero. Because this system is the only way to check oil level on this vehicle (there is no dipstick), it prevented me from knowing the engine had no oil. The engine then suffered progressive internal bearing/rod damage and now makes extremely loud clattering. The vehicle and components are still in my possession and are available for inspection upon request. The system’s failure meant I unknowingly drove the vehicle with zero oil, which can cause sudden engine failure, loss of power, and possible engine seizure while driving at highway speed. I used this vehicle on Los Angeles freeways, so a sudden loss of power could have led to an accident or left me stranded in a dangerous location. The vehicle now runs with severe clattering and is unsafe to drive, so I have parked it to avoid a complete failure in traffic. The vehicle has been parked since the severe failure on July 4, 2025 because I have not yet been able to afford towing and diagnostic work. There were no low-oil or oil-pressure warning lamps at any time. Prior to the failure, when I tried to check the oil level using the procedure in the owner’s manual, the display repeatedly showed the message “Oil Level Not Available.”