2002 Land Rover Discovery: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2002 Land Rover Discovery
On the 2002 Land Rover Discovery, the failure owners report most often is oil leak, with 2 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 105,000 miles. Overall it scores 62 out of 100, high risk for a 2002.
High risk for a 2002 — 266th riskiest of the 329 2002 vehicles we can rate. 21 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model.
What breaks on the 2002 Land Rover Discovery
Owners have reported 15 named failure modes on the 2002 Land Rover Discovery, and the three most-reported carry 29% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.
Oil leak leads with 2 reports and about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles.
CV axle or driveshaft failure follows with 2 reports, median 60,000 miles.
Other engine problem follows with 2 reports, median 50,000 miles. 1 of those report mention a fire.
By system, the reports fall mostly into engine (4), drivetrain (2) and transmission (2).
At what mileage it happens
17 of the reports on the 2002 Land Rover Discovery came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 105,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 18% by 50,000 miles, 47% by 100,000 miles and 76% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 130,000 and 140,000 miles, which alone holds 18% of the dated reports.
12% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 15. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Across the named modes, 3 mention a crash, 3 a fire and 3 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 6.90, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: oil leak at $250–$2,200, CV axle or driveshaft failure at $450–$2,200, other engine problem at $300–$4,000 and other powertrain problem at $400–$4,500. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
43% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil leak | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 161k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,200 | Moderate |
| CV axle or driveshaft failure | drivetrain | 2 | 2 | — | 59k | — | 0.1 | $450–$2,200 | High |
| Other engine problem | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 50k | — | 0.1 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 2 | 2 | — | 156k | — | 0.1 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 2 | 1 | — | 180k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Overheating | cooling | 1 | 1 | — | 147k | — | 0.1 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 1 | 1 | — | 43k | — | 0.1 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Steering rack, gear or tie rod failure | steering | 1 | 1 | — | 70k | — | 0.1 | $700–$2,600 | High |
| Sunroof failure or glass breakage | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $700–$4,500 | High |
| Catalytic converter failure | emissions | 1 | 1 | — | 106k | — | 0.1 | $900–$3,500 | Moderate |
| Exhaust leak or fumes in the cabin | emissions | 1 | 1 | — | 58k | — | 0.1 | $250–$2,000 | High |
| Wiper or washer failure | glass | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $120–$800 | Moderate |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 132k | — | 0.1 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 1 | 1 | — | 26k | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Unclassified problem | other | 1 | 1 | — | 132k | — | 0.1 | — | Moderate |
This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2002 Land Rover Discovery draws about 1.5 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 72nd percentile of complaint rates among 2002 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model.
The working figure is 13,936 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2002 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Oil leak
Oil leak on engine, oil pan leak, water pump leak, no power on engine it lost the power from over heating, mechanic wants to replace engine I was quoted 3700 dollars. How can I know if this engine was a defect. *tr
Oil leak on engine, oil pan leak, water pump leak, no power on engine it lost the power from over heating, mechanic wants to replace engine I was quoted 3700 dollars. How can I know if this engine was a defect. *tr
CV axle or driveshaft failure
I was traveling at approximately 45 MPH when my 2002 land rover discovery made a very loud grinding noise and stopped my car. I had vehicle towed and after inspection was told the drive shaft needs to be replaced. I have 55k miles and the repairs are over $1,000.00. Also I just had a mechanical inspection a few months ago and was told everything was fine. *tr
Driveshaft failed and had to be replaced at 60,000 miles. Fortunately, I was aware of the problem and did not proceed to drive the vehicle. This is a continuous problem that landrover continues to deny. *nm
Other engine problem
Of all the personal vehicles I've ever owned, I've never had one that causes me to drive like I was on "pins & needles". I was driving at highway speed when out of the blue the engine head gaskets let go, without warning. The engine shut down and I lost power steering and power brakes. After investigating with dealer inquiries and independent shops this is a common problem with land rover v8 aluminum engines.the dealership(s) I spoke with actually agreed with my concerns but said "talking to land rover is like talking to a dog, they hear you but won't do a thing about it". I could understand if this vehicle was high mileage or was really abused. Someone needs to address these people before someone gets killed. *tr
While driving the vehicle, the driver noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The consumer proceeded to drive the vehicle home where it caught fire. The consumer was able to put out the fire coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to the dealership. Please provide any further details. *ph
How it ranks in the 2002 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
How 2002 compares with the other years
High risk for a 2002 — 266th riskiest of the 329 2002 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.
Across the 14 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 1999 comes out best at 57 and 2018 worst at 78, with 2002 itself at 62.
If the model year is negotiable, 1999 and 2022 score lower than 2002 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.
Within the 2001–2004 generation specifically, 2004 is the strongest year at 61 and 2003 the weakest at 72.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 2001-2004 generation, 2004 Land Rover Discovery scores best at 61 and 2003 Land Rover Discovery worst at 72.
What this page cannot tell you
21 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 21 reports, 17 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 81% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Land Rover Discovery?
The most-reported failures are oil leak (2 reports, median 160,000 miles), cv axle or driveshaft failure (2 reports, median 60,000 miles) and other engine problem (2 reports, median 50,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2002 Land Rover Discovery reliable?
It scores 62 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 266th riskiest of the 329 2002 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2002 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Land Rover Discovery is best?
Within the 2001–2004 generation, 2004 scores best at 61 out of 100 and 2003 worst at 72. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed