At a Glance
The Land Rover Freelander has 23 identified common problems across 2 generations, with the Freelander 1 (1997-2006) being the most affected generation and brakes the most common problem category. Based on 3.1M MOT tests from DVSA data.
Problems are patterns in the DVSA data that occur significantly more often on a specific model than the UK average — confirmed at 99% statistical confidence. Read our DVSA MOT data methodology →
Below: generation-by-generation comparison of Land Rover Freelander common problems, MOT failure types, and pass-rate data drawn from DVSA records. Click any generation to see fuel- and engine-specific fault patterns, mileage-banded repair guidance, and the most common MOT failures testers record.
MOT Tests & Failures by Generation
Land Rover Freelander generations by MOT tests, failures, and identified problems from DVSA data
Hover over each bar for a full breakdown. Tap any bar to view that generation's problems.
Showing total MOT tests, failures, and known problems per make. Hover over each bar for a full breakdown.
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Most Common Land Rover Freelander MOT Failures
Every reason Land Rover Freelander vehicles fail their MOT, ranked by frequency. Select an individual year to see only that year’s failures, or stay on ‘All time’ for the combined picture across our 20 years of DVSA data. Scroll inside the table for the full list.
| # | Failure | % of failures |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brake hydraulic component worn | 8.60% |
| 2 | Stop lamp not working | 7.76% |
| 3 | Wiper blades deteriorated | 7.47% |
| 4 | Tyre tread depth below limit | 7.36% |
| 5 | Suspension joint or bush worn | 6.94% |
| 6 | Track rod end worn | 5.98% |
| 7 | Number plate lamp not working | 5.04% |
| 8 | Exhaust system fault | 3.80% |
| 9 | Brake pads or linings worn | 3.39% |
| 10 | Catalytic converter efficiency low | 3.36% |
| 11 | Tyre condition | 3.35% |
| 12 | Front lamp not working | 3.20% |
| 13 | Brake performance below minimum | 3.15% |
| 14 | Headlamp aim defect | 2.58% |
| 15 | Position lamp not working | 1.88% |
| 16 | Ball joint dust cover split | 1.83% |
| 17 | Rigid brake pipe corroded or damaged | 1.82% |
| 18 | Windscreen washer not working | 1.78% |
| 19 | Headlamp fault | 1.69% |
| 20 | Driveshaft fault | 1.39% |
| 21 | ABS fault | 1.15% |
| 22 | Rear lamp not working | 1.04% |
| 23 | Brake disc or drum worn | 1.00% |
| 24 | Shock absorber worn or leaking | 0.85% |
| 25 | Windscreen damage affecting view | 0.80% |
| 26 | Seat belt condition | 0.69% |
| 27 | Indicator fault | 0.66% |
| 28 | Coil spring broken or corroded | 0.62% |
| 29 | Horn not working | 0.62% |
| 30 | Mirror damaged or missing | 0.57% |
| 31 | Airbag warning light on | 0.56% |
| 32 | Battery loose or leaking | 0.54% |
| 33 | Parking brake performance below minimum | 0.47% |
| 34 | Flexible brake hose damaged | 0.46% |
| 35 | Spark ignition emissions above threshold | 0.41% |
| 36 | Suspension arm worn or corroded | 0.40% |
| 37 | Parking brake condition | 0.35% |
| 38 | Fog lamp not working | 0.35% |
| 39 | Front suspension joint worn | 0.32% |
| 40 | Wheel bearing worn | 0.31% |
| 41 | Compression ignition emissions above threshold | 0.27% |
| 42 | Power steering pipe or hose leaking | 0.24% |
| 43 | Suspension linkage fault | 0.23% |
| 44 | Suspension mounting corroded | 0.22% |
| 45 | Rear fog lamp not working | 0.22% |
| 46 | Brake pedal movement restricted | 0.22% |
| 47 | Vehicle structure corrosion | 0.21% |
| 48 | Brake pedal fault | 0.21% |
| 49 | Chassis condition | 0.20% |
| 50 | Electronic stability control fault | 0.19% |
| 51 | Brake fluid leak | 0.18% |
| 52 | Steering rack fault | 0.17% |
| 53 | Subframe corrosion or damage | 0.15% |
| 54 | Body corrosion or damage | 0.14% |
| 55 | Rear suspension fault | 0.14% |
| 56 | Tyre valve stem damaged | 0.12% |
| 57 | Front suspension fault | 0.11% |
| 58 | Brake lever fault | 0.10% |
| 59 | Anti-roll bar worn or corroded | 0.09% |
| 60 | Propshaft fault | 0.09% |
| 61 | Tyre size or type not matched | 0.09% |
| 62 | Fuel cap damaged or missing | 0.08% |
| 63 | Rear reflector damaged or missing | 0.07% |
| 64 | Subframe mounting corroded | 0.06% |
| 65 | Brake caliper fault | 0.06% |
| 66 | MacPherson strut worn | 0.06% |
| 67 | Power steering pump fault | 0.05% |
| 68 | Bonnet catch or hinge fault | 0.05% |
| 69 | Bonded suspension condition | 0.05% |
| 70 | Brake wheel cylinder fault | 0.05% |
| 71 | Fuel tank corroded or leaking | 0.05% |
| 72 | Engine mounting worn or broken | 0.05% |
| 73 | Engine oil leak | 0.05% |
| 74 | Handbrake lever fault | 0.05% |
| 75 | Headlamp levelling device fault | 0.05% |
| 76 | Electrical switch fault | 0.05% |
| 77 | Fuel pipe corroded or damaged | 0.04% |
| 78 | Handbrake cable fault | 0.04% |
| 79 | Brake fluid level low or contaminated | 0.04% |
| 80 | Electrical wiring fault | 0.04% |
| 81 | Steering column fault | 0.04% |
| 82 | Towbar fault | 0.04% |
| 83 | Brake fluid warning light on | 0.04% |
| 84 | King pin or swivel pin worn | 0.04% |
| 85 | Steering operation fault | 0.04% |
| 86 | Dashboard warning lamp fault | 0.03% |
| 87 | Front passenger door fault | 0.03% |
| 88 | Body security fault | 0.03% |
| 89 | Axle beam corroded or cracked | 0.03% |
| 90 | Driver door fault | 0.03% |
| 91 | Brake air or vacuum system fault | 0.03% |
| 92 | Steering wheel damaged or insecure | 0.03% |
| 93 | Hydraulic brake cylinder fault | 0.02% |
| 94 | Passenger seat fault | 0.02% |
| 95 | Steering lock fault | 0.02% |
| 96 | Fuel hose damaged or leaking | 0.02% |
| 97 | Steering free play excessive | 0.02% |
| 98 | Exhaust leak | 0.02% |
| 99 | Brake back plate corroded or damaged | 0.02% |
| 100 | Brake cable, rod, lever or linkage fault | 0.02% |
| 101 | Drag link end worn | 0.02% |
| 102 | Bumper damaged or insecure | 0.01% |
| 103 | Headlamp washer not working | 0.01% |
| 104 | Driver seat fault | 0.01% |
| 105 | Steering arm worn | 0.01% |
| 106 | Tyre pressure monitoring system fault | 0.01% |
| 107 | Steering drive system fault | 0.01% |
| 108 | Undertray damaged or missing | 0.01% |
| 109 | Power steering ram fault | 0.01% |
| 110 | Tailgate damaged or insecure | 0.01% |
| 111 | Transmission oil leak | <0.01% |
| 112 | Driver airbag fault | <0.01% |
| 113 | Boot lid damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 114 | Brake fluid reservoir fault | <0.01% |
| 115 | Step damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 116 | Tie bar or rod worn or corroded | <0.01% |
| 117 | Exhaust emissions above threshold (non-catalyst) | <0.01% |
| 118 | Reversing lamp not working | <0.01% |
| 119 | Axle corroded or damaged | <0.01% |
| 120 | Window damaged or won't operate | <0.01% |
| 121 | Hydraulic fluid leak | <0.01% |
| 122 | Stub axle worn | <0.01% |
| 123 | Rear fog lamp warning light fault | <0.01% |
| 124 | Speedometer fault | <0.01% |
| 125 | Brake servo fault | <0.01% |
| 126 | Mirror or camera fault | <0.01% |
| 127 | Spring mounting corroded | <0.01% |
| 128 | Suspension retaining or locking device fault | <0.01% |
| 129 | Brake pressure or vacuum buildup insufficient | <0.01% |
| 130 | Electronic braking system fault | <0.01% |
| 131 | Electronic parking brake fault | <0.01% |
| 132 | Suspension linkage attachment bracket or mounting corroded | <0.01% |
| 133 | Suspension rod worn or corroded | <0.01% |
| 134 | Handbrake fails on gradient | <0.01% |
| 135 | Vehicle floor corroded | <0.01% |
| 136 | Brake valve fault | <0.01% |
| 137 | Steering coupling worn | <0.01% |
| 138 | CV joint worn | <0.01% |
| 139 | Brake master cylinder fault | <0.01% |
| 140 | Suspension unit fault | <0.01% |
| 141 | Halfshaft fault | <0.01% |
| 142 | Dip switch fault | <0.01% |
| 143 | Exhaust heat shield or sound insulation damaged | <0.01% |
| 144 | Steering box fault | <0.01% |
| 145 | Additional braking device fault | <0.01% |
| 146 | Body strengthening plate corroded | <0.01% |
| 147 | Steering shaft fault | <0.01% |
| 148 | Spare wheel fault | <0.01% |
| 149 | Outline marker lamp not working | <0.01% |
| 150 | Access panel damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 151 | Main beam warning light fault | <0.01% |
| 152 | Trailing arm worn or corroded | <0.01% |
| 153 | Seat belt or padding damaged | <0.01% |
| 154 | Front fog lamp not working | <0.01% |
| 155 | Full power hydraulic brake fault | <0.01% |
| 156 | Indicator warning light fault | <0.01% |
| 157 | Seat belt anchorage fault | <0.01% |
| 158 | Chain drive fault | <0.01% |
| 159 | Loading door damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 160 | Transmission drive belt fault | <0.01% |
| 161 | Radius arm worn or corroded | <0.01% |
| 162 | Universal joint worn | <0.01% |
| 163 | Passenger airbag fault | <0.01% |
| 164 | Seat belt pre-tensioner fault | <0.01% |
| 165 | Steering intermediate drop arm worn | <0.01% |
| 166 | Handbrake mechanism or mounting fault | <0.01% |
| 167 | Torsion bar worn or corroded | <0.01% |
| 168 | Hazard warning light fault | <0.01% |
| 169 | Semaphore indicator fault | <0.01% |
| 170 | Passenger compartment corrosion | <0.01% |
| 171 | Suspension coupling worn | <0.01% |
| 172 | Torque or reaction arm worn | <0.01% |
| 173 | Wheel hub fault | <0.01% |
| 174 | Steering damper fault | <0.01% |
| 175 | Brake pedal linkage fault | <0.01% |
| 176 | Electric power steering fault | <0.01% |
| 177 | Brake clevis joint worn | <0.01% |
| 178 | Brake master cylinder or servo mounting fault | <0.01% |
| 179 | Hand-operated brake valve condition | <0.01% |
| 180 | Panhard rod worn or corroded | <0.01% |
| 181 | Steering lock stop fault | <0.01% |
| 182 | Air brake cylinder or actuator fault | <0.01% |
| 183 | Brake slack adjuster fault | <0.01% |
| 184 | Daytime running lamp not working | <0.01% |
| 185 | Hinged tailboard damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 186 | Reversing lamp switch fault | <0.01% |
| 187 | Securing bolts missing or insecure | <0.01% |
| 188 | Brake relay lever fault | <0.01% |
| 189 | Dropside damaged or insecure | <0.01% |
| 190 | Footrest damaged or missing | <0.01% |
| 191 | Speed limiter fault | <0.01% |
| 192 | Anchor bracket corroded | <0.01% |
| 193 | Brake stationary pin worn | <0.01% |
| 194 | Leaf spring broken or corroded | <0.01% |
| 195 | Leaf spring shackle bracket corroded | <0.01% |
| 196 | Passenger hand grip fault | <0.01% |
| 197 | Seat belt load limiter fault | <0.01% |
Showing all 197 reasons — scroll inside the table for the full list.
Land Rover Freelander MOT Failures by Category
Total MOT failure occurrences for the Land Rover Freelander, grouped by category. Same data as the failures table above — just sliced by category instead of fault title. Hover a slice for the top failures in each category.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most common Land Rover Freelander problems?
Based on analysis of 3.1M Land Rover Freelander MOT tests from DVSA data, we have 23 identified common problems across 2 generations. The most frequently flagged issue is "Brake performance below minimum". Brakes is the most common problem category.
Which Land Rover Freelander generation has the most problems?
The Land Rover Freelander Freelander 1 (1997-2006) (1997–2006) has the highest number of identified common problems (27). Click the generation card above for the full breakdown.
How is this data calculated?
We analyse anonymised DVSA MOT test records under the Open Government Licence. An issue is classified as a "Common Problem" when it occurs significantly more often on a specific model than the UK average, confirmed at 99% statistical confidence. Read the full methodology page for details.
Can I report a problem with my Land Rover Freelander?
Yes — use the "Tell Us About Your Problem" form on this page. Your report helps other Land Rover Freelander owners spot problems early. All submissions are reviewed before being added to the public database.
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