There are 3 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2002 Land Rover Freelanderin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I BEGAN ACCELERATING ON A VIADOCK (BRIDGE) WHEN I FELT A SNAP UNDERNEATH ME, AS I REACHED THE PEAK OF THE BRIGDE, THE CAR STALLED OUT AND I BEGAN DESCENDING ON THE BRIDGE WITH MY 2 DAUGHTERS IN THE CAR. IT COMPLETELY STOPPED BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO REACH THE BOTTOM OF THE BRIDGE, WHICH PUT ME IN HARMS WAY OF TRAFFIC COMING OVER THE HILL. I IMMEDIATELY HIT MY HAZARDS AND PRAYED EVERYONE WOULD SEE ME BEFORE REAR ENDING ME. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TOWED. THEN I FOUND OUT IT MY TIMING BELT BROKE; CAUSING MY ENGINE TO SHUT DOWN. TOTAL COST TO FIX WILL BE $4000. I RESEARCHED THIS MAKE AND MODEL AND FOUND THAT HUNDREDS OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR ISSUES. THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF ISSUES WITH THIS PARTICULAR MAKE/MODEL/YEAR. THE REVIEWS ON HOW LAND ROVER HAS BEEN HANDLING THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE ARE MIXED WITH SOME SAYING THEY RECTIFIED THE PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY AND OTHERS SAYING THEY WOULD NOT EVEN RESPOND TO THEIR COMPLAINTS. I AM NERVOUS TO SEE HOW THEY HANDLE MINE. *TR
FOR NO APPARENT REASON, THE VEHICLE WILL SUDDENLY LUNGE FORWARD WHILE AT A STOP. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE OVER THE LAST 3 WEEKS. THE FIRST TIME, IT DID SO WHILE STOPPED, WAITING FOR ANOTHER VEHICLE TO PASS BEFORE ENTERING THE ROADWAY. SUDDENLY, WITHOUT WARNING, THE VEHICLE LUNGED IN FRONT OF THE ONCOMING CAR, AND I COULDN'T STOP IT, NOT MATTER HOW MUCH BRAKE PRESSURE I APPLIED. I ENDED UP HAVING TO RELEASE THE BRAKE AND DRIVE ACROSS THE ROAD TO AVOID IMPACT WITH THE OTHER VEHICLE, CRASHING MY VEHICLE INTO SOME BUSHES. I VERIFIED THERE WAS NO CONTACT BETWEEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND CARPET OR MAT. THE SECOND TIME, I SLOWED COMING INTO A ROUND ABOUT, WAITING FOR ANOTHER VEHICLE TO PASS. AS THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD, IT WAS ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH THE CAR RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME IN THE CIRCLE, BUT HAVING HAD THE FIRST ACCIDENT, I INSTINCTIVELY PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AS HARD AS I COULD, AND REACHED OVER AND DISENGAGED THE TRANSMISSION FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL, AVOIDING THE ACCIDENT. THE VEHICLE REVVED TO OVER 4000 RPM BEFORE TAPPING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO BRING IT BACK DOWN TO NORMAL SPEED. THIS HAPPENED ONE MORE TIME WITH NO OTHER VEHICLE AROUND. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. *TR
AT 2MPH APPROACHING PARKING SPACE CAR LURCHED FORWARD OVER CURB AND HEADED RIGHT AT BUILDING. MY FOOT WAS NOT IN CONTACT WITH THE ACCELERATOR WHEN THIS HAPPENED. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS ON THE SIDEWALK AND I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR TWO FEET IN FRONT OF. *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026