Powertrain, engine and structure issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
Luxury SUVs are taking up a lot of the road these days with the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover leading the pack. The automaker claims it offers “connectivity and entertainment at the very highest level.” However, customers are loudly expressing their discontent with the powertrain, engine and suspension.
For the price paid for a Land Rover, customers are expecting a high level of precision and comfort. Yet, the defective powertrain is making that smooth ride hard to attain.
Here is one Edmunds review to consider. “Each shift is noticeable in lack of smoothness and is entirely unnecessary. At this speed, in moments you will be pressing the brake and then it will downshift 4 times, so 4 upshifts and 4 downshifts in 8 seconds, that makes for a miserable experience. Even if you were decelerating and then at 25mph press the gas pedal slightly, it will very abruptly downshift and delay applying acceleration and then almost seemingly to make up for the delay, really aggressively applies acceleration.”
Land Rover has talked about some powertrain worries. One such instance, Service Bulletin #SFCC_APR20_PG24, discusses a loud noise coming from the front of the SUV, while the Check Engine Light is on. Sure, this has nothing to do with the connectivity or entertainment, but it’s difficult to enjoy those features if the car isn’t shifting and running correctly. No one wants to sit in the garage enjoying the luxury features; they want to drive around town in complete comfort.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Engine | |
| Power Train | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Suspension | |
| Air Bags | |
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Steering |
Another example of what keeps this Land Rover running the way it should is found with the malfunctioning engine.
Here’s another comment left on Edmunds. “Auto engine off. The feature where the car shuts its engine off when you are stopped and have your foot on the brake, and automatically starts the engine back up when you take your foot off the brake pedal is not a smooth or luxurious experience. It is the opposite, the extra rumbling and shaking of the car as the engine goes from 0 rpm to 800 rpm and at the same time engages the transmission is very miserable.”
Again, there is a service bulletin worth noting. #SFCC Jul20_20 states there is another noise from the engine noted among the automaker. Customers must have missed the memo that talked about all the free “sounds” that come with their luxury SUV purchase.
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One final look made at the structure of the Range Rover. Again, the quality just doesn’t seem to be up to par.
Just look at this Edmunds review. “The Glove box won’t stay open, why the heck would it be designed that way? You have two use two hands to hold it open while you try to grab something out of it with your other hand. There is no visible accessible storage without having to open compartments which makes trying to put an item away or retrieve an item a real chore. Specifically people would have a phone and/or some other small item. Currently you have to put it in a cup holder, or open up compartments to put it somewhere and then you cannot easily access it. The center console storage is awkward to open and is mostly behind your body, making it incredibly awkward to fully open it and then to place items into it or retrieve items from it.”
It turns out that the manufacturer missed a lot of little details when constructing this vehicle. Service Bulletin #SFCC Jul20_38-39 talks about a strange noise coming from the dynamic suspension. Should that surprise anyone? Not really! This vehicle is filled with strange sounds, but the automaker would rather customers look at the connectivity and entertainment instead. Just don’t pay attention to the fact that the SUV sounds like it’s falling apart.
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Land Rover pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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