Land Rover Range Rover Reliability — Best and Worst Years by the Data

Quick answer

The 2003 draws 3.15 complaints per run and the 2012 1.1, a 2.9-fold gap within the same model. Half of all complaints arrive by 5 years of age, so 66.6% land after the 4-year basic warranty ends. The system owners report most is Power Train, with 151 complaints, typically at 4.8 years.

Land Rover Range Rover years to avoid — and the best ones

FIG.01·Land Rover Range Rover — complaint rate by model year
Model year	Per run	Complaints	Runs	Enough history?
2024	1.25	10	8	too new
2023	1.05	20	19	too new
2019	1.15	15	13	yes
2013	1.41	24	17	yes
2012	1.1	22	20	yes
2011	1.21	17	14	yes
2010	1.1	11	10	yes
2009	1.67	5	3	yes
2008	1.3	26	20	yes
2007	1.42	17	12	yes
2006	1.31	46	35	yes
2005	1.55	31	20	yes
2004	2.41	41	17	yes
2003	3.15	82	26	yes
2002	1.29	9	7	yes
2001	1.2	6	5	yes
2000	1.25	20	16	yes
1999	1.5	21	14	yes
1998	1.43	20	14	yes
1997	1.1	11	10	yes
1996	1.38	29	21	yes
1995	1.17	21	18	yes

ROWS 22·SOURCE NHTSA complaints, grouped by VIN production run

Among the 8 Land Rover Range Rover years with enough history, the three to walk away from are 2003, 2004, 2005; the three worth hunting are 2012, 2000, 2008.

When it starts to break

FIG.02·Land Rover Range Rover — age at failure
Age at failure	Complaints	Running total	Warranty
0 years	39	8.3%	covered
1 year	37	16.2%	covered
2 years	41	24.9%	covered
3 years	40	33.4%	covered
4 years	47	43.4%	you pay
5 years	54	54.9%	you pay
6 years	35	62.3%	you pay
7 years	34	69.6%	you pay
8 years	36	77.2%	you pay
9 years	32	84%	you pay
10 years	29	90.2%	you pay
11 years	18	94%	you pay
12 years	11	96.4%	you pay
13 years	8	98.1%	you pay
14 years	7	99.6%	you pay
15 years	2	100%	you pay

ROWS 16·SOURCE NHTSA complaints with incident dates

Basic warranty on this car is 4 years / 50,000 miles. Only 33.4% of reported failures happen inside it — the remaining 66.6% come out of the owner's pocket. Powertrain cover (4 years / 50,000 miles) reaches further, but it only covers the engine and transmission, which account for about 46% of the complaints here.

What actually fails — and at what age

What waits further out is Power Train at 4.8 years — past every basic warranty, and the bill lands on whoever owns the car then.

FIG.03·Land Rover Range Rover — what fails and when
System	Complaints	Typical age	Crash	Fire
Power Train	151	4.8 yrs	7	1
Air Bags	59	6.8 yrs	6	—
Electrical System	54	6.1 yrs	—	11
Service Brakes	49	6 yrs	4	—
Suspension	47	5.7 yrs	—	—
Engine And Engine Cooling	46	5 yrs	—	7
Steering	43	6.6 yrs	2	—
Engine	34	7.4 yrs	3	1

ROWS 8·SOURCE NHTSA complaints

What else in this class

6 models share the Range Rover's vehicle class. Per production run, the Toyota Highlander draws 2.92, the Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.35 and the Ford Explorer 5.03, against 1.5 for the Range Rover. That is the fewest complaints of the group.

FIG.05·Land Rover Range Rover — rivals in the same class
Same class as the Range Rover	Complaints on record	Recall campaigns	Years built
Toyota Highlander	5,831	128	2001–2026
Jeep Grand Cherokee	34,130	335	1993–2026
Ford Explorer	37,445	390	1991–2026
BMW X5	2,982	198	2000–2026
Cadillac Escalade	2,020	129	1999–2026
Hyundai Palisade	2,347	33	2020–2026

ROWS 6·SOURCE NHTSA complaints and recall campaigns

The table shows totals on record; the rates per production run are in the sentence above.

Upgrade to Pro

Good year or bad year — the VIN settles it.

Check any VIN against complaints for its exact build year and plant
Exact value for that car, adjusted for its mileage
Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
Alerts if a recall lands on a car in your garage
No ads, on every page
No ads, no tracking — and much more

See plans → Start free →

Free plan available — no credit card needed

Everything on the Land Rover Range Rover

Recalls131 campaigns Fuel economy25 mpg best Common problems686 complaints Check a VINAgainst this exact build DimensionsSize, weight, generations Used prices1,366 listings What yours is worthValue by year & mileage Insurance costEstimated per year Window stickerOriginal Monroney label Decode a VINWhat each character means About this car2003–2026

Frequently asked questions

Is the Land Rover Range Rover reliable?

By complaints per production run it is better than typical: 1.5 against 3.73 for the average car, and fewer than each of the 3 class rivals we compared.

Which Range Rover years should you avoid?

By complaints per production run, 2003, 2004, 2005. The cleanest years old enough to judge are 2012, 2000, 2008. Years newer than 6 are left out: complaints keep arriving for years after a car is sold.

When do Range Rover problems usually start?

Half of all complaints arrive by 5 years of age. The most reported system is Power Train, typically at 4.8 years, followed by Air Bags.

Will the warranty cover Range Rover problems?

Mostly not: basic cover is 4 years / 50,000 miles, and only 33.4% of reported failures fall inside it. Powertrain cover lasts longer, but engine and transmission make up about 46% of the complaints here.

Is the Range Rover more reliable than the Toyota Highlander?

Yes: 1.5 complaints per production run for the Range Rover against 2.92 for the Toyota Highlander.

Complaint records from NHTSA, grouped by VIN production run (characters 1–11). Rates, age-at-failure and warranty coverage computed by ForCar. Model years newer than 6 years are excluded from rankings — complaints accumulate for a decade (how we measure). Last updated Nov 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.

Found this useful?

Mark ForCar as a preferred source and our data shows up first in your Google results. One click, no account.

Prefer ForCar →