2018 Land rover Discovery sport problems

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The Land Rover Discovery Sport (internal code L550) is a compact luxury crossover SUV produced by British automotive company Jaguar Land Rover since 2014, under their Land Rover marque, and since 2017 their best-selling model.

Introduced in late 2014, it replaces the Freelander in a revised Land Rover range of vehicles, with Discovery joining Range Rover as a sub-brand. Contrary to its predecessor, the slightly larger car is also available in a seven seat layout.

The pre-facelift Discovery Sport is based on the JLR D8/LR-MS platform, customised for off-road applications, and is powered by a range of four cylinder petrol and diesel engines. It is the first Discovery introduced with a unibody structure.

Land Rover described the facelifted Discovery Sport as being based on the JLR PTA platform, a rebrand of the D8. It is also used by the Jaguar E-Pace and L551 version of Range Rover Evoque.

2018 Land rover Discovery sport

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Common 2018 Land rover Discovery sport problems

Based on complaints from owners of the Land Rover Discovery Sport 2018, common problems with this car include:

  • Insecure Locking Ring for the Fuel Pump:
    • Certain examples manufactured between 2-7 March 2017 may have a loose locking ring for the fuel pump, potentially leading to fuel vapour leaks or fuel spillage. It is crucial to have a technician check and tighten the ring to prevent future problems.
  • Electrical Issues:
    • Discovery Sport owners have reported various electrical problems. It is recommended to thoroughly check all electrical components, including warning lights on the dashboard and the infotainment system, as these issues can be challenging to diagnose and repair.
  • Bodywork Damage:
    • Due to the likelihood of being used for light off-road activities, Discovery Sports may exhibit scuffs, cracks, or other signs of damage on the lower bodywork. It is advisable to inspect the bodywork for any off-road-related damage.
  • Seatbelt Pretensioner Malfunction:
    • Vehicles produced between 12 July and 26 October 2016 might have issues with the seatbelt pretensioner, a crucial safety component. If affected, new pretensioners will need to be installed to ensure proper operation.
  • Electrical Short Circuit:
    • Some Discovery Sport models manufactured between 9 July and 16 October 2015 have experienced chafing of the electrical wiring harness, leading to potential short circuits. It is essential to have the vehicle inspected by a technician to address this issue.
  • Fuel Leaks:
    • There have been recalls related to fuel leaks in Discovery Sports. It is important to determine if your vehicle is affected, as fuel leaks can pose serious safety hazards. Inspection and repair by a qualified technician are necessary for affected vehicles.

These common problems highlight the importance of thorough inspections and maintenance to address potential issues with the Land Rover Discovery Sport 2018, ensuring the safety and reliability of the vehicle for its owners.

2018 Land rover Discovery sport engine

What is the most common problem with the Land Rover Discovery Sport?

The Land Rover Discovery Sport is known to suffer a problem with its stabiliser bar bushes, which can cause a creaking noise over rougher roads. The front brakes on the Discovery Sport are also known to cause a vibration, while the rear brakes can also generate a squeak.

How reliable is the Land Rover Discovery Sport?

Reliability and problems

Generally speaking, Land Rover does not perform well when it comes to reliability, but the Discovery Sport tends to buck that trend. As one of the more long-established cars in the Land Rover line-up, much of the bits under the skin are well-proven and solidly built.

Is a Land Rover Discovery Sport expensive to maintain?

Maintenance and repair costs for a Land Rover Discovery Sport will amount to $4,177 after 5 years. Expenses include scheduled maintenance, normal wear and tear items and expected repairs. These estimates exclude any free warranty work performed.

What engine is in the Land Rover Discovery Sport HSE 2018?

The 2018 Land Rover Discovery Sport is powered by a 2.0-liter turbo-four rated at 237 hp and 251 lb-ft of torque. A higher-output variant with 286 hp and 295 lb-ft is available on the HSE and HSE Luxury trims. A nine-speed automatic transmission is the only gearbox available.

2018 Land rover Discovery sport complaints

The NHTSA has received 0 complaints about various vehicle components related to the 2018 Land rover Discovery sport.

You can leave your car complaint via the special form below.

2018 Land rover Discovery sport recalls

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued 1 recalls for different components of the 2018 Land rover Discovery sport.

2018-02-01
  • Manufacturer: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC
  • Components: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL
  • Summary: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Velar, and Land Rover Discover Sport vehicles equipped with a 2.0L gasoline engine. The fuel rail end caps may leak, possibly resulting in fuel vapor or liquid fuel leaking into the engine bay.
  • Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components can increase the risk of a fire.
  • Remedy: Land Rover will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rail, free of charge. The recall began on March 8, 2018. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N138.

Negative 2018 Land rover Discovery sport car reviews

  1. Nico Wintheiser 2025-09-22

    I am sorry to hear about your experience with your Land Rover. It sounds like you have had a frustrating time with the gas mileage and electrical system. I understand how important it is to have a reliable car, and it must be disappointing to have a year left on your lease. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us, we will make sure to take it into consideration. If there is anything we can do to assist you, please do not hesitate to reach out.

  2. Domenic Gutkowski 2025-09-09

    I have experienced multiple issues with my car, including a coolant leak, failed water pump, and computer system failures. Despite taking it to the dealer several times, I was disappointed to find that not all the work was completed as promised, and the problems persisted. Unfortunately, one cylinder lost compression at only 58,000 miles, and it took three months of dealing with Jaguar Land Rover USA, LLC to have the engine replaced. However, even after multiple repairs, the engine continued to have issues, and the company refused to take any further action. This was a frustrating experience, and I was disappointed that Jaguar Land Rover did not offer any rebates or assistance in purchasing a new car. I ultimately had to take an $8,000 loss on the car. While the car itself was enjoyable to drive, I cannot recommend Jaguar Land Rover due to their poor customer service and lack of accountability.

  3. Toni Towne 2025-06-09

    Hi there! I wanted to share my experience with my Land Rover Discovery. I've taken it to the dealer twice now to address a shifting problem, but unfortunately, they couldn't find anything wrong. The problem is still there and they're blaming it on the software. As someone who has driven many different models from various manufacturers over the years, I don't think I can recommend owning a Land Rover Discovery.

  4. Nicolas Wilderman 2025-03-13

    I have owned this car for some time now and have put about 16,000 miles on it. I must say, I fell in love with the way the car looks, its road presence and general cache. However, I have noticed that the actual gas mileage is not as good as I expected, about 15mpg mixed driving. I believe an NA V6 would get better mileage on a car of this size. On the bright side, the engine does have good torque and get up when the transmission is not getting in its own way so that you can merge or fight to the death on the 405 in intermittent traffic. The interior is very clean and no fuss, which I like, but it is a bit annoying. Since most things are digital, you have to pull your eyes off of the road to get anything done on the screen. I realize this is a trend going forward, but it is making people worse drivers, including myself in this confounded thing. Although the interior quality is not up to par for a car of this price, it still has its own charm. Its on the level of older Korean cars, no joke. However, I must admit that EVERYTHING squeaks, rattles or bangs. The center console creaks every time I accelerate, the rear bench rattles and squeaks on everything but the absolute smoothest road and the tailgate creaks over every speed bump or small rock. Despite these issues, I still believe that it is by far the best looking small SUV on the road. Overall, it has its flaws, but it still has its own unique appeal.

  5. Jedediah Hand 2025-03-12

    I bought this car for my wife, hoping it would be a great vehicle, given that it's a Land Rover. Unfortunately, it hasn't lived up to our expectations. It's quite an expensive car for what it offers. We've had some issues with the air conditioner, which started presenting problems with just 2K miles on the odometer. We took it to the shop and it took 3 days to fix. Unfortunately, the same problem occurred again at 4K miles, and we had to take it back to the shop for another 3 days. The same thing happened again at 6K miles, which was very frustrating. However, we haven't had any problems since then, and the car has now reached 8K miles. The motor is a bit weak, and the gear change is slow. The entertainment interface could be improved, and the trunk space is quite small. The 3rd row seats are cramped, so we don't use them. The safety sensors surrounding the car go off all the time, even when there's nothing close to the car. Overall, we feel that this car needs a major makeover to be worth the money. There are much better options out there for this price range. We can't wait for the lease to end so that we can move on to something else.

Positive 2018 Land rover Discovery sport car reviews

  1. Junius Barton 2025-10-03

    Update 2021: I recently bought my wife a Jag iPace EV for her 60th birthday and it's been an amazing experience! Although, she wouldn't let me drive it, so I decided to sell my Discovery for $27,500 (private) and bought my own iPace. One interesting thing that happened during the sale was that the buyer of my Discovery wanted to purchase a warranty plan, but no company would offer them on LR. Eventually, he found one for $3700 for 3 years, so I had to adjust my sale price by $500. However, since I now own 2 Jags and plan to keep them for a long time, I'm concerned about going out of warranty on an EV. Update 2020: Edmunds asked me to update my review and I'm happy to say that I still love this car! I haven't had any complaints or issues since my last review. I did see the new version of the Discovery and I have to admit, I'm not a fan of the boot's design. It's just not as sleek as before. These 2016 models seem to be holding their value pretty well. I paid $41K off the lot w/tax in 2016 and it's worth $29.6K today (Private sale). Update 2018: After 2.5 years and 6K miles, my battery went up, but that's normal for Florida. Even though I only have 6K miles at 2.5 years, I had the 30K mile check-up which cost me $750. Original: We recently took delivery of a 2016 Discovery Sport and we couldn't be happier with our purchase! While waiting for 3 months for delivery, I was reading reviews and was quite worried by the bad press. We also test drove the full-size Sport before buying the Discovery and found the almost twice as expensive Sport to have clunky breaking, albeit a luxurious interior. I had a Mercedes GL450, which we found too hard to get in and out of and quite a sterile interior. Compared to the Discovery, it was not nearly as comfortable and the transmission was more cumbersome/computerized than the Discovery...by far. So, I don't understand the bad reviews. The Discovery Sport in sports mode is super smooth in acceleration and I haven't experienced any of the down-shifting issues mentioned in the many reviews.I live in a small town and I didn't choose the car based on its 0-60 rating. During my first test drive of the Discovery, I was a bit taken aback by the sparse interior, by Land Rover standards, but the dealer only had black. It's important to consider that this is a low-cost Land Rover product. However, I ordered an SE with a Glacier Brushed Aluminum interior and it was very nice. The steering wheel is much more comfortable than the $75K GL450 with the premium 2 upgrade package I had. On the SE, the two-tone roof option was only $350, which really sets it apart from the competition in terms of look and feel. We looked at every car in this price range and would highly recommend it to anyone in this market. I hope maintenance goes well, but my CPO GL450 had to have a leaking shock absorber replaced with only 28,000 miles and it was not covered by the Benz CPO and cost $900, so I don't think Mercedes offers any better in quality.

  2. Jules Lebsack 2025-08-17

    I am thoroughly pleased with my new SUV. It drives exceptionally well, looks stunning, and boasts an overall high quality. Although there was an issue with turbo lag, I have learned to adjust my driving to avoid any unwanted turbo surges. However, I was disappointed with Land Rover's Incontrol Apps and Hotspot. The Incontrol Apps are often glitchy and I experience difficulty connecting to my iPhone 6 about 50% of the time. The JustDrive app, which is supposed to be the ultimate in hands-free technology, only rates a 3 out of 10. The Discovery 2016 has built-in Hotspot, In-Control Apps, and navigation that require a data plan with AT&T, costing less than $10 per month. For all of this to work, the SUV has a built-in cell phone with a SIM card. Unfortunately, the cell phone is only 3G and not 4G LTE. This means that my 4G LTE iPhone connects to my SUV, which only has 3G service. As a result, the 3G service is significantly slower than 4G LTE, which is a huge step backwards. Other automakers are putting hotspots in their cars with 4G, which is something I never would have guessed was not included in my SUV.

  3. Guiseppe Lakin 2025-07-10

    After months of debating between this car, the Mercedes GLC, and the BMW X3, I ultimately chose this car and I am overall happy with it. The car has a unique style that catches people's attention, and the seats in the back recline, making them comfortable for adults to sit in for longer than 20 minutes. The interior is not cluttered with unnecessary touchpads or mouses, so you actually have a place to set something down that isn't the passenger seat. Although I have only had the car for about two weeks, there are three issues that I have noticed. Firstly, there is no compass, which can be inconvenient for off-the-beaten-path driving. Secondly, the Heads-Up display is not bright enough to be seen on a sunny day, but you will definitely see the reflection/glare of the screen that is generating it. Lastly, the left-right arrow buttons on the steering wheel do not choose between the 18 preset radio stations, instead, they act like a radio tuner. This undermines the idea of convenience that goes with preprogramming your radio stations or putting buttons on the wheel to control the radio. If I am wrong on this, please someone tell me how to change it.

  4. Irving Veum 2025-07-04

    I have owned my Discovery since December 2015, and although I adore its appearance and comfort, I am disappointed with its acceleration. Initially, I suspected a fault with the vehicle. In hindsight, I would have preferred a more extensive test drive before making the purchase.

  5. Erling Schuster 2025-05-07

    Your vehicle is surprisingly agile and unsurprisingly resilient. It performs great in the snow and sand, and I have never gotten stuck even when my friend's Jeep Cherokee did. In the 3 years and 3 months that I have owned it, I have never had an issue with it. I am not sure why consumer reports knock it down.

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Additional sources

More sources of information about 2018 Land rover Discovery sport problems:

Discovery Sport Common issues and Problems - YouTube
Discovery Sport Common issues and Problems - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV36b9jky7Y

Dec 6, 2023 ... Go to channel · Wireless CarPlay and AndroidAuto Land Rover Discovery Sport 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019. GTA Car Kits•7.4K views · 7:54 · Go to ...

Issues with my 2018 Discovery Sport's transmisson | Discovery Sport ...
Issues with my 2018 Discovery Sport's transmisson | Discovery Sport ...
https://www.discoverysport.net/threads/issues-with-my-2018-discovery-sports-transmisson.12510/

Aug 14, 2018 ... Hello everyone, I am new here and I am also a new first owner of a Land Rover. I leased a 2018 Discovery Sport HSE Luxury back in March with ...

Land Rover Discovery Sport: What It's REALLY Like To Live With ...
Land Rover Discovery Sport: What It's REALLY Like To Live With ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsKU5VFp0Mg

Nov 13, 2018 ... Subscribe for more Carfection videos: http://bit.ly/1V1yFYX We've covered 20000 miles over eight months in our Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Question: What's the story on reliability? Thinking about snagging a ...
Question: What's the story on reliability? Thinking about snagging a ...
https://www.reddit.com/r/LandRover/comments/sjs2yd/question_whats_the_story_on_reliability_thinking/

Feb 4, 2022 ... This doesn't have to be a major problem, but Land Rover ... Discovery Sport in 2015, but doesn't have this problem. ... The word Landrover & ...

3 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE BUYING MY LAND ROVER ...
3 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE BUYING MY LAND ROVER ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlnnQ_DPPz8

Apr 4, 2022 ... My top 3 things I would do differently if I was to buy my Land Rover discovery 5 HSE luxury!

Other years of Land rover Discovery sport

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Discovery sport 2019
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Discovery sport 2021
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