2025 MOT results
Land Rover Freelander common problems
The most common reason a Land Rover Freelander fails its MOT is a worn steering or suspension joint, on 10.9% of its 38,565 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 4 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a worn steering or suspension joint at 10.9% of failures against 4.5% expected; a weak handbrake at 9.6% of failures against 5.4% expected; structural corrosion at 5.2% of failures against 3.1% expected.
- Tests in 2025 110,162 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 35.0% 38,565 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 8.4% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 62.0% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Land Rover Freelander MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Land Rover Freelander tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering | 10.9% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 10.4% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.6% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 9.6% |
| Linkage ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 6.9% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 6.6% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 6.5% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.3% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.0% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 5.9% |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.3% |
| Component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | 5.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
10.9% of failures 4.5% expected 2.4 times as often
Play in a steering or suspension joint, where a worn ball and socket lets the wheel move where it should not.
A knock at low speed over rough ground, or vague steering, is the usual warning.
-
Sidelight out
10.4% of failures 12.3% expected somewhat less often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Brake light out
9.6% of failures 8.6% expected about as expected
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
-
Weak handbrake
9.6% of failures 5.4% expected 1.8 times as often
The handbrake cannot hold the car to the efficiency the test requires, usually from a stretched cable or seized rear callipers.
On a hill, the handbrake should hold the car with a couple of clicks left in the lever.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
6.9% of failures 3.2% expected 2.2 times as often
Play in a steering or suspension joint, where a worn ball and socket lets the wheel move where it should not.
A knock at low speed over rough ground, or vague steering, is the usual warning.
-
Broken coil spring
6.6% of failures 9.7% expected somewhat less often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Land Rover Freelander, on 43.5% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is steering, on 17.6% against 8.1% expected.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 43.5% |
| Suspension | 40.8% |
| Brakes | 30.3% |
| Steering | 17.6% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 13.0% |
| Tyres | 12.8% |
| Visibility | 10.4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
62.0% of Land Rover Freelander tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Land Rover Freelanders, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 18.6% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 10.7% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 10.2% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 8.3% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.5% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 7.1% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 7.1% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 4.8% |
| Linkage ball joint has slight play Suspension | 4.5% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 4.3% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has slight play Steering | 4.1% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 3.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Land Rover Freelander gets older
A 2014 Land Rover Freelander failed 22.6% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2003 one failed 46.0%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2014 Land Rover Freelander 22.6% failed, from 11,532 tests
- Headlamp out 14.1%
- Worn brake pads 13.5%
- Worn steering or suspension joint 9.2%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 7.7%
- Number plate lamp out 7.3%
- Headlamp aim set too low 6.0%
2003 Land Rover Freelander 46.0% failed, from 2,233 tests
- Brake light out 14.7%
- Sidelight out 13.7%
- Number plate lamp out 13.3%
- Corroded brake pipes 10.6%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 10.4%
- Structural corrosion 9.7%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Land Rover Freelander problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Land Rover Freelander?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play” is the most common: it appears on 10.9% of failed Land Rover Freelander tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 43.5% of failed tests.
How often does a Land Rover Freelander fail its MOT?
35.0% of Land Rover Freelander tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 110,162 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 57 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Land Rover Freelander than on other cars?
Yes. “Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play” appears on 10.9% of its failures against 4.5% for cars of the same age, and “Parking brake efficiency below requirements” appears on 9.6% of its failures against 5.4% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Land Rover Freelander aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 110,162 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.