2004 Land Rover Discovery problems & reliability
29 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Land Rover Discovery. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Land Rover Discovery vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 0 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 5 | 17% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 14% |
| Structure | 4 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 10% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 10% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 7% |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 7% |
| Suspension | 2 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 3% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 14 reported components →Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 25 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 76,688 miles (middle 50% between 37,000 and 105,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2004 Land Rover Discovery. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. While driving approximately 35 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes failed to immediately stop the vehicle. The contact aggressively slammed on the brake pedal to stop the vehicle…”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Aug 15, 2025
“Seems as if either the brake booster or a part of the braking system is not providing ample stopping power. The vehicle has a difficult time stooping in a hard braking scenario either from highway speeds or from a complete stop at a stop sign when we realized a vehicle was coming and had to slam on the brakes the…”
Service Brakes · filed Feb 2, 2020
“Tl* the contact owns a 2006 (na) land rover discovery. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for a windshield replacement. Upon retrieving the vehicle, the contact noticed a crack in the dashboard. The dealer diagnosed that the damage was due to the sun. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified…”
Structure · filed Jan 10, 2017
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA05016 · opened Oct 14, 2005 · closed Feb 22, 2007 · led to recall 07V041000
Technical service bulletins
4 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Land Rover Discovery.
The 'Service Required' warning text will not appear on the Instrument Cluster (IC) if a vehicle has reached its service point.
SFCC_08MAR18_16 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 8, 2018
Presentation from Dealer Shop Foreman Conference Call
SFCC-14SEP17 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 14, 2017
Technical Bulletin: Squeaks & Rattles Kit Availability
LTB00389NAS3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 19, 2013
Land rover: vehicles were manufactured from specification for rear propshaft coupling, must not be used for repair due to being out of specification. *pe
PA-12GA-02-C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 15, 2012
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2004 Land Rover Discovery in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2004 Land Rover Discovery?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 76,688 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.