Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Land Rover Range Rover owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2004 Land Rover Range Rover. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle independently downshifted without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle resumed normal operation after the failure and returned moments later. The contact had notified the dealer of the failure but was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V635000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.
Driving 75mph on interstate, while passing semi trailer, suddenly a loud thump and loss of drive to wheels, lost of power and sudden lost up hill I lost control of vehicle. Semi avoided me, and I was barely able to control body roll but safely brought vehicle to stop of the side of road. Towed to my mechanic, he reported that differential along with prop shaft had failed. He believed this was a recall issue. Dealer in santa fe, nm says no active recall. I have read otherwise and that the issue can occur even after initial recall work done.
It started about 2 months ago after I brought my car in for a recall issue I received in the mail regarding the differentials and front drive shaft. I figure it was a good idea to have it fixed as a preventable measure. Shortly after (about 2 weeks) I started noticing "trans prog error" appear on my dashboard display but it would disappear and reappear and figure if the light does not stay on it should not be an issue. Than my car one day while driving on the fast lane of the highway just lost power and displayed to put car in neutral. I had to get the car towed to a repair shop. They told me that it was a sensor and that I should try a transmission fluid change first. That did not help, I continued driving for another 2 weeks with getting stuck in the middle of the highway several times at very dangerous times (ie. …
We have a 2004 Land Rover Range Rover and going home one night it kept down shifting during rush hour causing the engine to rev up so we figured it was some sort of limp home mode. The next morning it started fine, we backed out of the driveway and when we shifted to drive a transmission failsafe came on and we could not even move forward. We had to back own the street to park and then call a tow truck. When it got to the dealership the transmission had to be completely replaced. I asked the dealership if there was a recall and was told no. I went online and found there was one that would cause loss of drive if it wasn't fixed. I then called Land Rover and even though they were trying to be helpful, informing there was a recall and that our vehicle had already been repaired, they were completely unable to help me out at all. …
Vehicle looses all forward drive when drive shaft and differential spines sheer off. This has been reported on the internet by a large population of owners of this vehicle. I was traveling in heavy traffic on I-75 north at the I-75 and I-10 interchange when without any warning the shaft failed leaving me without the abiliy to do anything other than stop. I was nearly hit by a tractor trailor as I was on an up hill grade and was not able to get completely off the express way before the vehicle came to a stop. The vehicle's park selector on the shifter was inoperative and the vehicle could only be held in place using the parking brake. The dealer said this was a common problem and that a retorfit was in the works and would be available within 30 days. The dealer had to install an original part which according to him does not contain the re-engineered fix. …
My husband, son 10 yrs old, myself , and two pugs were driving on highway 31 at appx 65 MPH when suddenly our car made a loud crack noise and suddenly stopped accelerating telling us to put the car in neutral. We were on our way on vacation appx 90 miles out of town. Fortunately the Land Rover dealer was open at 630 pm and when we described what had happened he knew exactly what the problem was. We had to wait 3 hours on barely what would be considered the shoulder of the road in the snow and wait for someone to tow our car to the nearest Land Rover dealer. The car has 54,000 miles on it and we paid 63,000 dollars for the vehicle. It was completely incompacitated and left us stranded in a very dangerous place with absoutely no recourse other than towing. Thank god we made it safely however this situation could have resulted in a very different outcome. …
A stop light was turning "green" so I step on the gas peddle, the vehicle at that time stopped abruptly and was making a grinding noise. When I step on the gas, it doesn't do anything but making a louder grinding sound. At that time, I see an error message that reads "remove gear of neutral". I did not receive any warning message or any funny noise leading to this . This has never happen before. I had my car towed to a independent garage, since the landrover does not take any responsibility or accountability on the false design of this vehicle. I found out later it was an on going issue with the front differential, which the dealership trying to say it was an "wear and tear" issue and they were going to charge me $1,800.00 to fix. I will never purchase anything from landrover or whoever the parent company is.
I was traveling in my 2004 Range Rover with 47K miles on I-h201 in hawaii at 55 MPH with cruise control on when the engine suddenly revved up, the warning sign came on and said to put the car in neutral and it stopped accelerating. I put the car in neutral and rolled to the side of the highway. The car could not longer get into gear, made horrible grinding noises, and only could only stop with the emergency brake engaged (putting the car in park did nothing). The car had to be towed into the Land Rover dealership. They said that the front differential was completely gone and needed to be replaced, along with the drive shaft. This is an incredibly dangerous fault and should be addressed by Land Rover.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Land Rover, Range Rover. While the contact was driving approximately 25 MPH, the transmission exhibited a jerk and surged forward unexpectedly. The rpms began to increase rapidly. When the accelerator pedal was engaged the vehicle rolled backwards. The brakes were applied and the vehicle came to a complete stop. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where they stated that the transmission failed due to an internal problem. The technician stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,025. Updated 06/02/11 updated 06/06/11
I was traveling home on I-h201 when there was a loud gear cranking sound and the vehicle could no longer accelerate. The warning came on and said to put the vehicle in neutral. The vehicle rolled to the side of the road and needed the emergency brake to stop because it couldn't shift into park. It was towed in and the dealer said that it was a front differential failure which was common with this year. It's lucky that it happened in the middle of the night when there wasn't any traffic. There weren't any mechanical warnings prior to this incident.
Related recalls
Power train › Driveline › Driveshaft
Land Rover is recalling 19,168 my 2003-2005 range Rover vehicles. The front differential coupling sleeve and the propeller shaft May be misaligned, resulting in spline wear over a period of time. As the wear between the propeller shaft and the differential spline coupling progresses, noise and vibration are expected.
Remedy: Dealers will install a revised design of the propeller shaft, the flange kit and heat shield kit. The recall began on January 6, 2009. Owners May contact Land Rover at 1-800- 637-6837.
Transmission complaints in other Range Rover years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2004 Land Rover Range Rover?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2004 Land Rover Range Rover, 49% of the model year's 51 complaints. The component named most often is driveline › differential unit (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Land Rover Range Rover transmission problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 08V-635 (driveshaft, Dec 3, 2008). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2004 Land Rover Range Rover transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 65,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.