Hi guys I am new to this forum so HELLO! I hope someone can help.

I have a 2011 Freelander 2 HSE, with roughly 28,000 on the clock. It has always been serviced by LR and is less than 2 months out of warranty.

There has been some noise from the front end since my last service in Oct 2013. Firstly, I thought it was the road noise as I had new tyres. It wasn’t loud so I just put it down to the tyres. However, as the noise didn’t go away, I called LR in Jan 14 and booked it in at the earliest opportunity. A couple of days ago they told me that
the front diff has gone and will cost over £1400 to fix!

It doesn’t seem reasonable that the car should have failed when it is only 3 years old, has low mileage and is well-cared for.

In fact, this isn’t the first thing that has gone wrong with it. The diff oil pump went Sep 2013 but fortunately this was covered under the warranty. They told me this was the rear diff oil pump, but would that have had any effect on the front diff?

Has anyone else had or known of issues on the Freelander with the front diff? Also does anyone know why the front diff would fail, especially at low mileage? There are hardly any examples of front diff failures on these forums. (Is the front diff the same as the IRD?)

LR have offered half the cost, but are we being unreasonable to expect LR to foot the whole bill? If something like this can go wrong so soon, what else is waiting to go wrong? I had thought we’d be lifelong LR drivers – my hubby wanted us to have a British built car and we were looking at a brand new Evoque or even Sport later this year. This has left a very bitter taste, and I’m falling out of love with my LR!

Any help, advice or feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks

Front diff problems seem to be rare on the FL2, fortunately, but I do recall a couple being mentioned on the forum. Any car can have issues, and the FL2s complex 4x4 drivetrain inevitably makes it more susceptible to drivetrain problems than a 2WD. (Although it sometimes seems a bit too susceptible!)

The IRD is a component on the old Freelander 1 - the FL2 is different. It has front and rear diffs and, in place of a centre diff, something LR call the Active On-Demand Coupling (aka the Haldex). This isn't actually a diff, but a clutch, and it is this which has the oil pump, not actually the rear diff. (The Haldex is mounted on the front of the rear diff, but is actually a separate component.)

None of which, unfortunately, helps with your immediate problem. But I wouldn't lose faith in the FL2 just yet - when they're working they're great cars, particularly when you find yourself in need of their 4x4 capabilities which are second to none in the class.

Thanks pab. It's just so disappointing and more than a bit frustrating - especially since it was failing during the warranty period but I thought it was just road noise from new tyres.

In August, I got a traction warning light while halfway through a 150 mile journey. I called LR and they said it would be fine to carry on driving. When I got home, I booked in as soon as I could so they got it in September. That was when they replaced what they called the 'diff oil pump'. If there is no rear diff oil pump, and the pump is actually for this Haldex thing, does that mean the front diff might have got damaged while driving it around with the traction warning light on and a faulty pump?

Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I sometimes feel they're not being wholly transparent. If I ask a question, they'll answer, but no information is being volunteered. The description 'REAR' diff oil pump appeared when I asked if the pump could have contributed to the front diff failure. It was as if they were trying to distract me from anything up front, yet from what you're saying, there is no rear diff oil pump.

If the Haldex was not lubricated properly, would that not have affected the whole drive train? Am I going to fix this front diff problem now and the rear diff goes in a couple of months' time?

As it was starting to fail during the warranty period I suggest you contact Mike via the site and see if he can do anything for you. (Mike works for LR Customer Relations and you can contact him via Personal Message once you have three posts, or via the customer relations forum here http://www.freel2.com/forum/land-rover-cus...-vf31.html.)

A failure of the Haldex oil pump shouldn't affect other components - it's more likely to mean that you don't have 4WD when you need it. The oil pump is used to engage the Haldex clutch (and thus increase the drive to the rear wheels) when the system detects that additional traction is needed. If the pump fails you simply won't get the increased rear drive.

I doubt, therefore, that the front diff problem is related to the Haldex issue. From your description it sounds like a bearing, rather than an actual failure of the diff.

As for the dealer referring to the diff oil pump, I wouldn't read too much into that. The Haldex is mounted on the front of the diff, so whilst it's actually a separate component it appears to be part of the rear diff. I suppose referring to is as the diff avoids lengthy explanations!

Hi MissusF,

I have a MY 2010 with a failure in the front transfer box. I'm not sure if that's the same thing.
But as your car is newer and so close to the end of warranty I would expect more of an effort from
Land Rover or the dealer. Try Mike as Pab suggested. He helped me out.

Stuart

Thank you very much for taking the time to get back to me. I'll try to message Mike and see if he can help. Thanks again.

Thanks again to everyone for their help and advice. Mike at LRCC has worked his magic and I am very happy!