2016 Land Rover Range Rover Fuel System Problems

The contact owns a 2016 Land Rover Range Rover. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for an unrelated repair, the mechanic discovered that the underbody shield located underneath the vehicle to protect the fuel tank had deteriorated severely, exposing the fuel tank. The shield was the original part and functioned as a skid plate for the undercarriage; however, due to the corrosion, the fuel tank was no longer protected. The dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 103,000.

After an inspection underneath the car, the fuel tank is at risk of falling off because the cover that holds it is completely rusted. It is very dangerous to drive like this after the tank is filled with fuel and the weight of the tank increases without knowing what can support it.

Fuel tank on both sides is rusted through, tracking this shield holds the actual plastic tank in place and prevents the tank from coming lose. Pieces of the metal are literally rotted and rusted.

This era of Land Rover products used an inferior metal for the fuel tank shield where they corrode prematurely. The shield has almost completely disintegrated where it no longer will support the fuel tank. If the fuel tank falls, it will come in direct contact with the driveshaft and destroy the tank leading to a massive fuel leak and subsequent fire. My tank is currently held up with ratchet straps to avoid this happening. With the exception of the fuel tank shield, every other undercarriage component is rust/corrosion free.

My Land Rover is experiencing rusted fuel tank shields. The reason this problem occurs is because of a process called galvanic corrosion. The fuel tank shield is bolted onto an aluminum heat shield, and the pairing of these two different metals accelerates the corrosion. Land Rover has acknowledged this problem.

Persistent recurring “Incorrect DEF quality, no restart in 250 miles” issues, the same problem has occurred six times since October of last year. Dealer could not completely solve this issue.

I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FILL THE GAS TANK COMPLETELY, AND THE PUMP SHUTS OFF MULTIPLE TIMES DURING THE REFUEL PROCESS EVERY TIME I PUMP GAS. I HAVE TRIED DIFFERENT ANGLES, DIFFERENT GAS STATIONS, TRIED TO REFUEL SLOWLY BUT IT STOPS MULTIPLE TIMES.

The fuel tank cradles have deteriorated exposing the fuel tanks, it is a known issue with these vehicles making the fuel tanks vulnerable to punctures and tears.