2016 LAND ROVER LR4 Engine Problems

am writing to formally request reimbursement in the amount of $18,397.76 for engine damage sustained by my 2016 Land Rover LR4 HSE LUX (VIN: [XXX] ), caused by a known defect in the factory-installed plastic outlet pipe. This defect directly led to catastrophic engine failure, leaving me stranded on the highway and incurring substantial repair costs. I purchased this LR4 as a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicle with an extended warranty in July 2019 from Land Rover Richmond, VA. From that time until the failure in October 2023, I drove the vehicle only 18,670 miles, the majority of which were accumulated during highway commutes from Virginia to Maryland for culinary classes between August and October 2023.The issue stems from a design flaw in the plastic outlet pipe used in many Land Rover and Jaguar models from 2013 through at least 2017. This pipe is prone to leaking and breaking at the seam due to its inability to withstand engine heat and pressure. As a result, it leads to coolant loss, engine overheating, and ultimately, engine failure. In my case, initial repairs to replace the pipe cost $4,228.54, but subsequent diagnosis revealed damaged cylinders and a failed engine, requiring full engine replacement at a cost of $14,169.22. I retained the damaged parts removed during the repair, including the failed plastic outlet pipe, and I have taken detailed photographs clearly showing the break at the seam where the leak occurred. These parts and images serve as physical evidence of the defect and support my claim that this failure was due to poor material design and not owner negligence. What is particularly troubling is that Land Rover North America was aware of this defect. A Technical Bulletin (JTB00566NAS4) was issued on May 23, 2018, detailing this exact problem—but only for Jaguar vehicles, despite the issue being identical in affected Land Rover models. Remaining letter attached as I ran out of characters. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I took my 2016 LR4 (55k miles) in to the dealer in San Antonio a few days ago. As part of the review of my vehicle, they suggested that I should replace the cylinder block coolant outlet pipe, even though there is no current issue with or damage to it, for a cost of $2,042.13. They said that this part is "known for catastrophic failure around this mileage." That statement (about being known for catastrophic failure) is made not only in the repair estimate option selector portal but also somewhat emphatically by the technician in the walk-around video of my vehicle, and it was reiterated by the service representative ("We try to give people the option to replace the parts with the updated design since we see them fail so often."). If there is a part in the LR4 that, at 55k miles - on a well maintained vehicle with no apparent issue associated the part - is expected by the dealer to break and cause "catastrophic damage," that seems pretty clearly a safety defect that Land Rover should address, not me. I did not have the work done because, as stated, there is nothing presently wrong with the part other than that the dealer believes based on what they have seen that it is likely to break and cause catastrophic damage. But I am nonetheless very concerned that this part is going to break in the near future, presumably rupturing and releasing all of the engine's coolant, and cause some sort of serious incident and/or accident. I am attaching the estimate - let me know if you would also like the walk around video by the technician (it is very helpful but I am having a hard time getting it off my iphone, because of the size, even after editing the clip).

I found out that vehicles from 2013-2017 and beyond were equipped with faulty plastic outlet pipes and risks engine damage and failures. This pipe was because of a design flaw that Land Rover was aware of. The plastic coolant pipe will leak and break at the seam in the pipe as it is not strong enough to withstand the heat and pressure. The Land Rover vehicle owners will see low coolant and engine warning lights when the plastic outlet pipes leak coolant. In this case the Land Rover LR4 suffered engine failure and left me on the side of the highway and will cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair. The initial cost was $4,228.54 to fix the coolant pipe but was then told that 2 of my cylinders were bad and that I will need a new engine at a cost of approximately $20,000. What makes this problematic is that Land Rover North America and the dealership knew about the outlet pipe problems that caused coolant leaks. This pipe was reengineered to eliminate the seam in the pipe and then reengineered it again from plastic to metal. The bottom line is that Land Rover makes more profit by concealing the outlet pipe problems to avoid paying for engine repairs, replacements, and recalls. Land Rover North America put out a Technical Bulletin, JTB00566NAS4 - Coolant Leak From The Engine Compartment on 23 May 2018 with the same exact problem but it was for the Jaguar vehicle and not any of the Land Rover Vehicles even though it was the exact same problem. The technical bulletin states that an an 'engine overheat' message may be displayed on the Instrument Cluster and that coolant may be leaking from engine compartment area. This may be caused by weakness in the plastic weld process of the coolant pipes. It states that the coolant pipe along with other parts need to be replaced. Land Rover knew about this issue with the Jaguar but did not put out any technical bulletins for the Land Rover even though it was the exact same issue. I was not able to write everything.

• Ask the customer (and document verbatim) what occurred or what the alleged defect is? I attempted multiple times to have Land Rover complete Safety Recall N623 – NHTSA Recall Number 21V-635 on my 2016 Land Rover LR4 -Gasoline Fuel Tank Flange Assembly Crack. A number of the Land Rover dealerships stated that no recall existed. After multiple attempts to confirm this recall was required for my vehicle, I was able to schedule the repair at Land Rover Cary. I reduced driving the vehicle to only minimal driving requirements while I was awaiting the recall requirement. The recall repair was canceled twice after I drove to Cary from Pinehurst, NC due to a lack of service technicians. I was driving to the dealership this third time for the repair when the fire occurred in the vehicle. I was driving to the dealership, for this recall repair, when a number of warnings flashed on the driving display. Smoke began to bellow out of the vehicle. I put on my hazards and pulled off the main highway and onto the shoulder. I turned the ignition off, exited the vehicle, and opened the hood to observe the engine bay. There were flames shooting out of the engine compartment. I went to grab my extinguisher and called 911. The flames died down rapidly. I could see that the fire melted a number of components on the bottom of the engine causing oil to spray all over. I would like to add that the driveway to my home sits at about a 30-degree incline and I typically park with the vehicle pointing down towards the nose. I wonder if the slow gas leak traveled down the vehicle towards the engine and saturated the parts with gasoline causing this issue.

The diagnosis on the LR4 was found to have jumped time. When this happened it also damaged the cylinder heads as this is an interference engine.

I had done a safety recall repair 'RECALL N623 FUEL TANK' on my 2016 Land Rover LR4 Landmark edition (32,051 miles) on 6-19-2022 at LAND ROVER PASADENA, 3485 East Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107. Few days after they did the free recall fix I got the below error code 'P0442, Evaporative Emission system leak' that the dealership claims is not related to the recall fix that they did and wants to charge me $250 just to evaluate the issue. But I'm 100% certain this leak is some thing they didn't seal properly at the time of the recall. I'm very unhappy of the outcome and hope I can get this issue fixed without spending any money as before the recall I had no errors what so ever in this car and all started after the free recall fix.

Driving on the belt line in Madison and car muffled and just shut down in gear. No warning, nothing. Could have caused a major accident. Coasted down the nearest exit and tried to restart. Would not turn . Timing chain malfunction according to Land Rover Madison wi. I need a whole new engine. I paid for a new engine, but now they put it on indefinite back order. I can’t get an engine because it’s on back order.

Driving on the belt line in Madison, Wisconsin on Mother’s Day and the engine just completely lost power and shut off. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR, no warning lights, nothing. Had to coast down an off ramp where a cop sat behind us and just waited for the tow truck to arrive. Engine was locked in gear and would not even try to start, we are lucky we were close to an exit or we would have caused an accident for sure. The car could not be placed in neutral. Attached is a recall that is exactly what happened to my vehicle.

I exited the highway and the vehicle was smoking. I traveled another 100 feet and the vehicle completely shut off. Smoke was pouring out of the engine compartment. I exited the vehicle and about a minute later the vehicle caught fire.

MY 16 YEAR OLD SON WAS DRIVING THE 2016 LR4 THAT WE PURCHASED "PRE-CERTIFIED" LESS THAN 3 WEEKS AGO FROM FIELD'S LR IN NORTHBROOK ILLINOIS. GOING 68 ON THE HIGHWAY, THE WHEEL STARTED TO LOCK UP, THE GAS PEDDLE FAILED, AND SMOKE STARTED COMING THROUGH THE VENTS. HE WAS ABLE TO KEEP A COOL HEAD FOR A NEW DRIVER AND GET TO SIDE OF ROAD BY SHEER LUCK THAT THE ROAD VEERED TO THE LEFT. ONCE IN PARK MORE SMOKE CAME THROUGH VENTS AND HE AND HIS FRIEND JUMPED OUT AND RAN, WHILE THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO CATCH FIRE AND EVENTUALLY BLOW UP, AS SHOWN IN THE VIDEO BELOW. POST EXPLOSION PICTURES ATTACHED TOO.

Mileage: 33,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 LAND ROVER LR4. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF. MOMENTS LATER, THE ENGINE WAS RESTARTED AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LAND ROVER PASADENA (3485 EAST COLORADO BLVD, PASADENA, CA) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED AND NO MECHANICAL FAILURE CODES WERE DISPLAYED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.

Mileage: 35,000

CAR WENT COMPLETELY DEAD WHILE DRIVING, TOTAL LOSS OF ALL POWER, THEN WOULD NOT START. HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES THEN WAS TOWED TO A DEALER, THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG. CAR WAS 2 DAYS OLD, 1200 MILES

Mileage: 1,221

SEE ATTACHED

Mileage: 900