RecallRadar

Home → Land Rover → Discovery → 2003

2003 Land Rover Discovery Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

69 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.75 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious03V133000

Vehicle Speed Control:Cables

IN THE CASE WHERE A THROTTLE FAILS TO RETURN TO IDLE, PARTICULARLY AFTER A HIGH DEGREE OF ENGINE THROTTLE APPLICATION, THE DRIVER WILL EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTY IN BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO REST, raises the risk of A CRASH.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT LAND ROVER AT 1-201-818-8500.

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE THROTTLE CAN STICK INTERMITTENTLY DURING ITS OPERATION. THE EXACT POINT OF STICKING IS NOT PREDICTABLE AND CAN RESULT IN A HIGHER ENGINE SPEED THAN EXPECTED.

Complaint volume

69 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

12Crashes
4Fires
4Injuries
0Deaths

Across 69 complaints. Severity Index 0.75.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine11 · 16%Power Train5 · 7%Service Brakes, Hydraulic4 · 6%Vehicle Speed Control4 · 6%Electrical System4 · 6%Engine And Engine Cooling…4 · 6%Suspension3 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling3 · 4%
  1. Engine — 11 reports
  2. Power Train — 5 reports
  3. Service Brakes, Hydraulic — 4 reports
  4. Vehicle Speed Control — 4 reports
  5. Electrical System — 4 reports
  6. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 4 reports
  7. Suspension — 3 reports
  8. Engine And Engine Cooling — 3 reports
  9. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Pedals And Linkages — 2 reports
  10. Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal — 2 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (4) · 1996 (3) · 1997 (2) · 1998 (2) · 1999 (3) · 2000 (1) · 2001 (1) · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2006 · 2016 · 2017 (3) · 2018 (4) · 2019 (4) · 2020 (6) · 2021 (5) · 2022 (5) · 2023 (5) · 2024 (4) · 2026 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

From the same data desk

Independent sites, same maintainer, same open-data standards.

TireFit
Is that tyre actually right for your car?
2,808 fitment guides
FuelFacts
What that trip really costs in fuel
Live consumption data
CostCompare
What things cost, city by city
2,123 comparisons