The picture
72% pass rate at 115k miles tells its own story
72.32% first-time pass from 162,573 tests, with an average test mileage of 115,890 — the Freelander rolls into the MOT centre well-used and the numbers reflect it. Windscreen damage leads the failures (chipping seems endemic given the raised driving position), followed by steering ball joint wear and tyre tread. Owner reports add the sharper details: HB3 headlamp bulbs have a known tendency to fail catastrophically when uprated, to the point that Halfords refuses to fit them. A 2011 Freelander II needed a replacement nav module quoted at £3,300 plus VAT. A 2014 example threw simultaneous ABS, stability control, and HDC faults, leaving the car immobile. At 115,000 miles average, the Freelander needs a thorough mechanical inspection beyond what the MOT certificate confirms. Electronics and steering joints are the areas to press.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
5,372 occurrences · 3.3% of tests
- 02
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
4,958 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
- 03
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
3,985 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
- 04
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
3,718 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
- 05
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
3,666 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
- 06
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
3,594 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 07
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
3,588 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 08
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
3,471 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
- 09
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
3,435 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
- 10
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
3,213 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures
£180–£425
If every one of this Freelander's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Owner reports · Honest John
What owners actually report.
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
Recent owner-reported faults
- 16 Nov 2019
Report of HB3 9005 headlight bulbs exploding on a LandRover Freelander II after the owner tried fitting high intensity bulbs. He says this failure is so common that Halfords will not fit HB3 9005 bulbs to Freelander IIs.
- 31 Aug 2019
Report of failure of satnav, radio, bluetooth on 2011 LandRover Freelander II. LandRover dealer quoted £3,300 plus VAT for a new nav module.
- 7 Aug 2019
Report that 2014 LandRover Freelander would not move. Dash display variously showed "Stability control not available. Drive with Care", "ABS Fault", and "HDC not available. System Fault".
- 26 Feb 2019
Report of turbocharger actuator failure on 2013 LandRover Freelander II at 32,197 miles in September 2018, putting the engine into limp home mode.
- 19 Feb 2019
Report of Freelander 2 displaying "gearbox fault, Traction reduced".
- 12 Jan 2019
Report of judder from drivetrain of 2012 LandRover Freelander II TD4 manual at 60k miles.
- 19 Oct 2018
Report of crankshaft oil seal failure on 2013 LandRover Freelander II automatic.
- 4 Oct 2018
Report of 2010 Landrover Freelander II needing a new rear differential in 2015 at 38,000 miles and now another new diff at 72,000 miles.
- 14 Aug 2018
Report of Haldex clutch of 2013 Freelander II starting to give trouble at 73k miles.
- 2 Aug 2018
LandRover dealers quoted £1,450 to replace the EGR valve, cooler, hoses and gaskets on a 2013 Freelander II 2.2 diesel.
- 1 Aug 2018
Report of 2015 LandRover Freelander II going in for a service. On driving away afterwards, owner noticed a distinct lack of power due to mass airflow sensor bent by fitter replacing air filter.
- 13 Jan 2018
Report of "traction reduced" warning light coming up on 2010/60 LandRover Freelander 2 at 38,000 miles. Turned out to be the 4WD Haldex pump on the rear diff. Cost £800 to replace.
Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 30 reports indexed, top 12 shown
Buying or keeping a Freelander?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Freelander and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.