2003 Land Rover Range Rover problems & reliability
97 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2003 Land Rover Range Rover, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 74 | 76% |
| Steering | 8 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 6 | 6% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 4% |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 4% |
| Suspension | 4 | 4% |
| Unknown OR Other | 3 | 3% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 1% |
| Engine | 1 | 1% |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 66,103 miles (middle 50% between 50,165 and 82,500 miles), based on 83 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2003 Land Rover Range Rover. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH on the highway, he felt a vibration and pulled over to inspect the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle then failed to exceed 35 MPH. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or…”
Power Train · filed Jun 6, 2022
“The first thing that happened was the ac stopped working and replaced the resistor in it twice, the same day it went out a second time the back driver side window fell. The next week I was driving home and was entering the freeway and as I accelerated the vehicle jerked hard and pulled back, and was making a squeaking…”
Power Train · filed Aug 16, 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 land rover range rover. The contact stated that the transmission and brake warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.”
Service Brakes · filed Feb 21, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FRONT DIFF. / PROPELLER SHAFT FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA07012 · opened Aug 14, 2007 · closed Dec 10, 2008 · led to recall 08V635000
- FRONT DIFFERENTIAL/DRIVESHAFT FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE07019 · opened Apr 4, 2007 · closed Aug 15, 2007
Technical service bulletins
63 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2003 Land Rover Range Rover. The 10 most recent:
The steering wheel may exhibit a vibration / shimmy while driving.
LTB00401NAS6 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 26, 2018
Issue: Powertrain Transmission Module Learn Adaption routine has been instated on SDD/Pathfinder.
SSM73409 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 21, 2018
The 'Service Required' warning text will not appear on the Instrument Cluster (IC) if a vehicle has reached its service point.
SFCC_08MAR18_16 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 8, 2018
Presentation from Dealer Shop Foreman Conference Call
SFCC-14SEP17 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 14, 2017
Situation: The steering wheel may exhibit a vibration / shimmy while driving.
LTB00401NAS5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 9, 2017
"issue the wrong component maybe replaced when troubleshooting bluetooth connectivity in car. Cause the front control display interface module(touchscreen) has no effect on bluetooth connectivity in the car and as such…
SSM72011 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2015
"situation: the windshield wipers may make a squeak noise, judder, or streak the windshield. Cause: this may be caused by a build-up of dirt and grease on the surface of the windshield glass."
LTB00552NAS2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 21, 2015
"issue: a customer may report a concern that when the vehicle is started there is no cabin audio at all from any sources. If the nav button is pressed a 2-5 second period of am/ fm radio can be heard and then returns…
SSM72323 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 23, 2015
"issue: customer complains of damage/marking on the surface of the vehicle s instrument pack lens. Cause: damage/marking caused by object impact against the lens. Staining/discoloration contamination caused by using any…
SSM71862 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 11, 2015
"issue over half of failed radio head units or separate cd players are found to have been loaded with incorrect media which is not compatible with land rover infotainment systems. Cause this is to make you aware of the…
SSM37861 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 4, 2015
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2003 Land Rover Range Rover has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2003 Land Rover Range Rover?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 66,103 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.