2002 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY II Steering Problems

TRAVELING SOUTH OF COLUMBUS, OH ON INTERSTATE, GOING BETWEEN 55-65 MPH. CAR BEGAN TO SHAKE, SUDDEN LOUD NOISE (AS IF TIRE BLEW OR WE HIT AN OBJECT) AND WE PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AS BLACK SMOKE BILLOWED UP AND INTO THE CAR. TURNED OFF VEHICLE AND EXITED. UPON INSPECTION THE TIRES WERE FINE. CALLED AAA AND HAD CAR TOWED TO NEAREST LAND ROVER DEALER IN DUBLIN, OH. NEXT DAY WE WERE TOLD THE DRIVE SHAFT "CAME APART" AND THEN DAMAGED THE TRANSMISION AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER PIPE, ALONG WITH DOING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE FLOOR BOARD. WE WERE ALSO TOLD THAT WE WERE "LUCKY" THE CAR CAME TO A SAFE STOP. OUR CAR WAS "TOTALED" AS THE DAMAGES QUOTED WERE AS MUCH AS THE CAR WAS WORTH, ACCORDING TO LAND ROVER DUBLIN. THEY SHOWED US THE KBB PRICE OF $10,000 AND THE DAMAGE QUOTE WAS $8,900. WE HAD...

I HAVE OWNED MY 2002 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SE FOR 2 YEARS. ABOUT 8-9 MONTHS AGO, I NOTICED THAT AT CERTAIN SPEEDS, MY STEERING WHEEL WILL SHAKE BACK AND FORTH, OR SHIMMY, SOMETIMES SOMEWHAT VIOLENTLY. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO ARISTOCRAT MOTORS, THE ONLY SERVICE CENTER IN MY AREA FOR LAND ROVERS, AND HAVE DESCRIBED THE PROBLEM THREE TIMES. THE FIRST TIME THEY SAID THEY CHECKED THE TIRES AND THEY WERE FINE. THAT WAS IT. THE SECOND TIME, I CALLED AND ASKED WHY IT WAS DOING IT, AND WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT THAT'S JUST WHAT LAND ROVERS DO AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT. THE THIRD TIME, I WAS TOLD THE WHEELS AREN'T UNBALANCED AND THAT'S THE LAST THEY SAID ABOUT IT. I HAVE A FOURTH APPOINTMENT TO TAKE IT IN FOR THE SAME PROBLEM AND EXPECT THEM TO FIX IT OR I FEEL...