Land Rover has recalled a single 2023 Range Rover model due to an engine fire risk. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued the recall in coordination with the automaker.
The vehicle in question was assembled on 9 November 2022 at the Solihull Vehicle Assembly Plant in the UK, and it was later revealed from engine build records that the 4.4-litre V8 in The SUV in question has a gasket that was missing or incorrectly installed. There is a legitimate concern that the oil that leaked out could come into contact with the exhaust manifold, which could cause an engine fire. Jaguar Land Rover says it was notified by its engine supplier (BMW) that five engines went through the production line without this gasket.
NHTSA documents indicate that Jaguar Land Rover received reports in February from the engine supplier that three of the V8s were suspected of having a turbo oil drain pipe missing the gasket or installed incorrectly. These engines were then inspected by JLR and repaired. However, on March 3, the automaker was notified by the supplier that two other engines were suffering from the same condition. This time, both engines had already been installed in vehicles that had already left the factory.
A total of 2,300 previous-generation 2019-2022 PHEV Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports are also being recalled due to cooling system issues. All feature the four-cylinder Ingenium engine, tied to a battery-powered plug-in hybrid system. The water pump belts can break on these vehicles, causing the vehicle to overheat and rupture a coolant elbow, causing a fire if the coolant reaches the turbocharger heat shield. These vehicles will have new engine coolant elbows and new water pump belts.
