2008 Land Rover Range Rover Recalls, Problems & Maintenance

The 2008 Land Rover Range Rover has no open NHTSA recalls. Owners report 6 recurring issue clusters, led by “Air suspension sag and compressor failure.” Land Rover schedules service annually: oil and inspection every 12 months or roughly 16,000 miles, whichever comes first, with the interval message shown in the instrument cluster. The published intervals assume on-road use — Land Rover halves oil and driveline intervals for sustained off-road driving, deep wading, or heavy towing. On air-suspension models (Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Discovery), have the compressor, struts, and ride-height sensors inspected at every service; it's far cheaper as a check than as a failure.

Save this car as:

No open recalls on file. NHTSA lists no unrepaired safety recalls for this year, make and model. A recall can be issued at any time, and a specific car can still have one open — check yours by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Known issues & problems for this vehicle

What drivers and federal regulators have officially reported about the 2008 Land Rover Range Rover.

Reported to NHTSA

Air suspension sag and compressor failure

SUSPENSION

5 NHTSA complaints · 2011-09 → 2026-04

“The Suspension system failed. I saw an car icon with two arrows on each side pointing down in orange color, indicating a problem with the Suspension, and then it felt like the car went down like a low-rider would. It was at night, my wife was driving and it was very scary since”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11681706
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE DRIVER SIDE SUSPENSION SUDDENLY LOWERED AND THE "FAULTY SUSPENSION" SENSOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE PASSENGER SIDE SUSPENSION ALSO SUDDENLY LOWERED. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH THE”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10704977
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER SPORT. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE HAD AN AUTOMATIC AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM WHICH MALFUNCTIONED AND AUTOMATICALLY LOWER THE VEHICLE CAUSING THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE TO DECREASE DRAMATICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN A DEALER WHO”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10423873

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Tire sidewall failure and wear

TIRES

3 NHTSA complaints · 2009-03 → 2012-06

“WE PURCHASED A USED 2008 LAND ROVER ON 3/12/12 FROM THE DEALERSHIP; ABOUT 1 MONTH LATER, THE TIRE LIGHT INDICATOR WENT ON; I TOOK IT FOR AIR AND IT WAS FINE; A FEW DAYS LATER IT CONTINUED AND THE MORE I PUT AIR, THE MORE I HAD TO GO BACK TO TIRE SHOP. I FINALLY ASKED THE”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10460888
“I LEASED CAR WITH CUSTOM WHEELS THE WHEELS DID NOT PROPERLY FIT THE CAR, THE WHEELS WERE NOT THE WEIGHT CLASSIFICATION FOR THE CAR AND THE DEALER DID NOT CHANGE DOOR PLACARD WHEN THEY CHANGED THE WHEELS AND ONE OF THE WHEELS CAME OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE DEALER DID NOT”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10286551
“I HAVE A 2008 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER SPORT SC WITH CONTINENTAL SPORTCONTACT TIRES 275/40ZR. I HAVE HAD THREE SIDEWALL FAILURES IN THREE MONTHS. THE LATEST WAS DRIVING AT 25 MPH FOR A DISTANCE UNDER ONE MILE TWO TIRES DISINTEGRATED. ONE SIDEWALL FAILED COMPLETELY AND THE SECOND”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10261814

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Takata air bag recall parts unavailable

AIR BAGS

10 NHTSA complaints · 2016-07 → 2018-12

“TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V374000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11118297
“TAKATA RECALL. THIS HAS BEEN IN EFFECT SINCE LAST SUMMER. RANGE ROVER HAS NOT MADE ANY ATTEMPT TO REMEDY PROBLEM AND I AM DRIVING AROUND EVERYDAY WITH AN EMINENT DANGER TO ME AND MY FAMILY. I HAVE MADE NUMEROUS CALLS TO DEALERSHIP AS WELL AS RANGE ROVER HEADQUARTERS IN NJ TO NO”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10946613
“TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V374000 (AIR BAGS), BUT THE PART WAS UNAVAILABLE FOR MONTHS. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED SEVERAL TIMES, BUT WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A REASONABLE TIME FRAME”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10925370

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Passenger dashboard splitting over air bag

AIR BAGS

6 NHTSA complaints · 2012-09 → 2017-03

“PASSENGER SIDE DASH IS SPLITTING ON TOP OVER THE AIR BAG BRACKET, 4 SEPARATE SPLITS. I AM CONCERNED AIR BAG WILL DEPLOY WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO FRONT PASSENGER”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10899568
“LEATHER OVER PASSENGER AIR BAG IS SPLITTING AND CONCERNED AIR BAG WILL DEPLOY”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10873484
“I HAVE LOOKED AT BLOGS ON THE INTERNET. THIS SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING PROBLEM. THE DASHBOARD IS NOW SPLIT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. IT CANNOT BE REPAIRED BECAUSE IT MIGHT AFFECT THE INTEGRITY OF THE AIRBAG. THIS FEELS UNSAFE TO ME SINCE I FEEL THAT THE AIR BAG COULD”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10810469

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Brake fluid leak causing brake failure

SERVICE BRAKES

5 NHTSA complaints · 2009-07 → 2020-12

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO LEAK BRAKE FLUID. THE FLUID CONTINUED TO LEAK OVER TIME AND WOULD NOT STOP. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO KNOXVILLE LAND ROVER (10215”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11152577
“THE FRONT RIGHT BRAKE LINE SPLIT AND ALL THE BREAK FLUID DRAINED OUT CAUSING THE BRAKES TO FAIL. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A LAND ROVER DEALER. IN SPEAKING WITH THE DEALER, THERE IS NO SERVICE DIRECTIVE BY LR TO REPLACE THE BRAKELINES AT SOME POINT. I SPOKE TO LR TODAY AND THEY TOLD”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10663294
“WHILE TURNING LEFT INTO MY DRIVEWAY ....TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE .....DEALERSHIP STATES .....NOTHING WRONG WITH BRAKES ...LATER PRESENTS ME WITH A BILL FOR 1600.00 BECAUSE BRAKE PADS , ROTORS AND SENSORS WERE NEEDED ON CAR WITH 13,000 MILES. *TR”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10275959

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Front differential and axle failure

POWER TRAIN

6 NHTSA complaints · 2008-05 → 2020-03

“MY WIFE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AT A STOP SIGN. WHEN SHE TRIED TO PULL OFF, THE VEHICLE REFUSED TO MOVE. TWO GOOD SAMARITANS PUSHED HER INTO A PARKING LOT. HAD THIS HAPPENED ON THE INTERSTATE, IT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. INSPECTION A FEW DAYS LATER REVEALED RUSTED AND”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11317433
“FRONT END DIFFERENTIAL LOCKED UP ON THE INTERSTATE WITHOUT WARNING. FRONT TIRES WILL NOT TURN AND ARE COMPLETELY LOCKED UP. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A WRECK IF THERE WERE OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD AT THE SAME TIME. HAD IT TOWED TO A SERVICE SHOP, AND A MECHANIC SAID THE FRONT END”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11091229
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON SEVEN DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #10417940

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Complaint data refreshed Sep 20, 2026. Investigation data refreshed Sep 20, 2026.

We display NHTSA's record with attribution; we don't editorialize on what these complaints mean for any specific vehicle.

Raw data + downloads for this vehicle →

Essential maintenance

Critical for safety and preventing major damage

Engine Oil & Filter (Annual Service)

Every 16,000 mi

Replace oil and filter every 12 months or about 16,000 miles, whichever comes first, using the JLR-spec oil grade for your engine. Off-road use, wading, or towing: halve the interval per Land Rover's own severe-service guidance.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$120–$160

Shop

~$85–$115

DIY

~$25–$55

Full synthetic costs more than conventional. 5-quart 0W-20 + filter is the typical bill.

Tire Rotation

Every 8,000 mi

Rotate every 8,000 miles. Full-time AWD punishes mismatched tread depth — replace tires in sets of four on Range Rover and Discovery models.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$85

Shop

~$60

DIY

Free

Often free at the shop where you bought the tires — worth asking before paying.

Brake Inspection

Every 16,000 mi

Inspect pads, rotors, and wear sensors at every annual service. Heavy curb weight means Range Rover Sport pads wear faster than sedan owners expect.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$85

Shop

~$60

DIY

Free

Most shops do this free as a courtesy with any service. Don't pay separately if you can avoid it.

Brake Fluid

Every 30,000 mi

Replace DOT 4 fluid every 2 years regardless of mileage — sooner if the vehicle wades regularly, since moisture ingress is the failure mode.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$180–$200

Shop

~$125–$140

DIY

~$10–$25

DOT 3 or 4 — match the cap. Vacuum bleeders make this a one-person DIY.

Important maintenance

Keeps your vehicle running smoothly and efficiently

Air Suspension & Underbody Inspection

Every 16,000 mi

At every annual service: check air springs for cracking, compressor operation, ride-height calibration, and underbody/driveline condition. Off-road-driven vehicles: also inspect skid plates and breather lines.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$85

Shop

~$60

DIY

Free

Most shops do this free with any paid service. A flashlight and 10 minutes covers the basics yourself.

Transfer Case Fluid

Every 60,000 mi

Replace transfer case fluid around 60,000 miles — sooner with regular towing or off-road use. The active transfer case on Range Rover Sport and Discovery is sensitive to degraded fluid.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$105–$140

Shop

~$75–$100

DIY

~$15–$40

AWD/4WD vehicles only. Easy drain-and-fill on most platforms.

Front & Rear Differential Fluid

Every 60,000 mi

Replace front and rear differential fluid around 60,000 miles; halve that for wading or towing. Models with the active rear locking differential use a specific fluid — no substitutes.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$150–$195

Shop

~$105–$135

DIY

~$20–$50

Drain plug + fill plug — straightforward DIY. AWD vehicles have two; budget for both.

Automatic Transmission Fluid (ZF 8HP)

Every 60,000 mi

The ZF 8-speed is marketed as lifetime fill; ZF itself recommends fluid and pan service around 60,000-100,000 miles. Independent JLR specialists lean toward 60,000 for towing and off-road vehicles.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$330–$500

Shop

~$235–$355

DIY

~$60–$180

Some sealed transmissions have no dipstick — fill is precise and best left to a shop. Many drivers can still DIY drain-and-fill.

Engine Air Filter

Every 30,000 mi

Replace every 30,000 miles on-road; inspect at every service if the vehicle sees dust, gravel, or trail use.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$60–$95

Shop

~$45–$70

DIY

~$15–$40

5-minute job on most cars; the airbox lid usually has clips, no tools needed.

Recommended maintenance

Extends the life of your vehicle and improves comfort

Cabin Air Filter

Every 16,000 mi

Replace at every annual service. Most JLR models locate it behind the glovebox; some Range Rover models have twin filters.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$60–$95

Shop

~$45–$70

DIY

~$15–$40

Usually behind the glovebox. Shops charge labor for a 10-minute job — easy DIY win.

Engine Coolant

On condition / lifetime

JLR long-life coolant is scheduled for roughly 10 years; independent specialists suggest refreshing around 100,000 miles, using only JLR-spec coolant.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$285–$330

Shop

~$200–$235

DIY

~$25–$60

Use the manufacturer-specified coolant — wrong color/chemistry can damage the cooling system.

Fatal crash history & reported problems

Occupant deaths in fatal crashes (FARS)

11 crashes 1990–2024

How the 11 occupant deaths break down

9

driver deaths

2

passenger deaths

11

occupant deaths

Crash years covered: 1990–2024 This model year first appears in 2009 crashes. Older models have had more years on the road to appear in these crashes, so a higher count here does not by itself mean a vehicle is less safe.

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road. How to read this number

FARS 2024 data is an annual report file. NHTSA revises these records when the final file is published, so this count can change.

Why we show driver deaths too

Every vehicle has exactly one driver seat, so driver deaths line up fairly when you compare one model to another. Occupant deaths include passengers, so a three row SUV can show a higher number than a two seat car simply because it carries more people.

Both figures are plain counts, not rates. A rate would need to know how many of each vehicle are on the road, and that registration data is not public, so we do not publish rates or scores of any kind.

IIHS publishes driver death rates using this same driver only idea, paired with a registered vehicle years denominator we do not have. Their rates and these counts answer different questions, so do not read either number here as a safety rating.

Owner-reported problem signals

Separate from the federal fatality data above: complaints owners filed with NHTSA about this year and model. These are reports of problems, unverified, and are counted here only as signals.

3

complaints mentioning a crash

0

complaints mentioning a fire

Reviewed known issues for this vehicle

Typical U.S. ranges. Actual quotes vary by shop, parts choice, and vehicle condition.

How we estimate: Dealer = OEM parts × 1.4 + labor × $165/hr. Shop = parts + labor × $115/hr. DIY = parts only.

This maintenance schedule for the 2008 Land Rover Range Rover reflects Land Rover's published service intervals and the Service Interval Indicator system. Your actual service needs may vary based on driving conditions, climate, and vehicle usage. Always consult your owner's manual for model-specific recommendations.