Brand new Range Rover Sport - major gearbox/drivetrain fault?

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Conquistador

MB Enthusiast
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2012 S350L BlueTec
I did join a Land Rover forum a long time ago with a problem but have since forgotten my login details so thought I'd ask this here, plus everybody on here is a lot friendlier than the LR forum from what I remember! Also from what I've read there are a few RR Sport owners on here.

We've not long picked up a brand new Sport Autobiography at work. I was in it all day yesterday, parked in Tesco and while walking back up to the car I noticed a warning triangle button on the key fob:

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Out of curiosity I pressed it thinking it would just flash the hazards to make finding your car easier, but instead it flashed the lights and sounded 2 alarms and made everybody look, so it's obviously a panic button :wallbash:

I got in, started the car fine and in the driver's display around half a dozen fault messages appeared including "Gearbox fault" and "Hill Descent Control fault" along with others. The car then wouldn't let me shift out of Park, so the car was completely stuck. I turned it off and on... same thing. Off and on again... same faults again. On the next start, I pleaded with the car and lo and behold everything was back to normal again.

The display then comes up with a log of the exact time the button was pressed.

The last one we had was returned after a suspension fault message appeared and the O/S rear of the car sat right down on the tyre for no reason. They don't seem to be the most reliable cars!

Are these numerous fault messages (that haven't appeared since) a cause for concern and is it in any way linked to the panic alarm? Or is it just coincidence?
 
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No idea about the alarm and messages (although it could easily be a device that hinders someone nicking it - handbook may help), but spot on about the Land Rover forum Landyzone - one of the least helpful places I've ever been!
 
Had a Range Rover that was plagued by battery/electrical gremlins. This included being advised by RR not to park under electricity pylons or near mobile phone masts. Either of these things would render the central locking and ignition useless and require roadside assist to recode the alarm. Voltage drop would also put the car into limp mode. This resulted in the car sitting on its bump stops and not going above 25 mph. Interestingly RR diagnosed that as a gearbox fault (1st visit)

I gave up in the end. Great cars when they work. Way to complex when the fail.
 
I now this might sound a bit left field but have you tried the owners manual?
 
I'm not one for RTFM'ing but maybe I should in this case. The car does fairly high mileage each week so if any more problems arise then LR will probably be getting a call or visit.

I can see what the Top Gear boys mean about Range Rovers and reliability.
 
I can see what the Top Gear boys mean about Range Rovers and reliability.

Your first 'fault' looks self-inflicted, sounds like some sort of panic button and your second fault could be something as little as a height sensor.

I owned a Discovery 3 and RR Sport for a year and nothing, absolutely nothing, went wrong. The newer generation are said to have even better ratings, so I think it's very harsh to call them unreliable...
 
Your first 'fault' looks self-inflicted, sounds like some sort of panic button and your second fault could be something as little as a height sensor.

I owned a Discovery 3 and RR Sport for a year and nothing, absolutely nothing, went wrong. The newer generation are said to have even better ratings, so I think it's very harsh to call them unreliable...

Exactly, sounds like it threw a random electrical wobbly and self corrected, I wouldn't worry about it, I've had Mercs do similar.

Also Landyzone is a shocking forum, drive anything newer than a battered Discovery 1, old Defender or maybe a P38 and you might as well talk to a brick wall.
 
We had one of the first 405s and within a month a turbo pipe had blown off rendering the car undriveable. Now it has clonking front suspension, the sunroof blind is broken and the airbag light is on. It has done 12k miles. When they are working there is nothing like a Rangie this side of Bentley and RR.
 
Feel your pain conquistador , I had a sport for a few weeks , came back to it once , started it and had the gearbox fault come up , but turned it off for five minutes and vanished, very odd behaviour , as peeps on here say , take it back and get it sorted while you can lol .
 
Your first 'fault' looks self-inflicted, sounds like some sort of panic button and your second fault could be something as little as a height sensor.

I owned a Discovery 3 and RR Sport for a year and nothing, absolutely nothing, went wrong. The newer generation are said to have even better ratings, so I think it's very harsh to call them unreliable...


Hmmm, my neighbour 3 week old RR sport is still in the RR dealership with a misreading fuel sensor. This tells the car it has no fuel despite the tank being full. Sadly they day he took delivery it cut out with a battery issue. This was due to the fiber optic radio draining the battery. He is about to reject the car. Not a pop at RR just a fact.
 
Teething problems and dealers / techs with little or no experience of the vehicle...doesn't sound ideal for a seriously expensive motor.
 
Not a pop at RR just a fact.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I know of a few horror stories to do with LR, one of my friends wouldn't have one given such was his luck with a P38.

But then again, I know of a friends brand new CLS SB 350 CDi cutting out completely while he was sat on the motorway at 75mph...
 
Just take it back to the dealer and let them sort it out.

I have been thinking about a new Sport or the FFRR however I think I will wait until all the teething problems have been sorted out. I have to say my RRS has been totally reliable and has been a pleasure to own

Anyway I can recommend the RRSPORT forum, plenty of help and info on there.:thumb:
 
The reason they are called Off Road vehicles is because they spend more time off road in the dealers being fixed than they spend on road. :doh:
Says the man who lives a short drive away from the factory(known to locals as the lazy acre) :devil:
 
A friend runs RAC breakdown through his garage says most of his call outs are for freelanders evoques and rangerovers
 
You can take the Land Rover out of Britain...
 
Just met a mate I hadn't seen for ages. He showed me around his 3 month old Range Rover. "It's great, but it's been so unreliable". New fuel pump and two other explained breakdowns for a new car?

It did look very cool inside though. I suppose it's a nice place to sit and wait for the breakdown truck :)
 

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