Door Latch Recall Being Investigated
- Doors aren't properly latching in Land Rovers equipped with the Unilatch Keyless Vehicle system
- Land Rover believes an electrical short-circuit is turning the keyless entry motor into a brake
- A 2015 recall of the problem was put under investigation after "fixed" vehicles still had problems.
Land Rover started equipping some of its vehicles with a Unilatch Keyless Vehicle entry system in 2015. The system either has control logic or short circuiting issues when controlling the release levers, never allowing the doors to latch even though they appear to be properly closed.
Door Latch Recall and Follow-Up Investigation ∞
Through an internal investigation, Land Rover found problems in the electrical function of the keyless entry system. Short-circuits were turning the keyless entry motor into a brake, stopping (or slowing down) the keyless lever from returning to its "home" position. When this happens, the door may appear to be closed but it's not properly latched shut.
Land Rover's Initial Recall ∞
In July of 2015, Land Rover recalled 65,000 SUVs because the doors were failing to latch in the primary or secondary closed positions.
To repair the problem, Land Rover dealers updated the keyless system software in certain vehicles manufactured up until March 9, 2015. This included the 2013-2016 Range Rover and 2014-2016 Range Rover Sport.
Investigation Into the Recall ∞
Two years after the recall, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation into the recall's effectiveness. The investigation was upgraded in 2018 as more complaints rolled in.
NHTSA received complaints from both owners with the upgraded software and owners left out of the orignal recall. Meanwhile, Land Rover discovered at least 43 additional complaints related to the door latches with 14 of those saying the doors opening while the car was in motion.
Photo by Joel Peel on Unsplash
Generations Where This Problem Has Been Reported
This problem has popped up in the following Land Rover generations.
Most years within a generation share the same parts and manufacturing process. You can also expect them to share the same problems. So while it may not be a problem in every year yet, it's worth looking out for.
4th Generation Range Rover
- Years
- 2013–2021
- Reliability
- 2nd out of 5
- PainRank™
- 0.12
- Complaints
- 1
2nd Generation Range Rover Sport
- Years
- 2014–2021
- Reliability
- 2nd out of 5
- PainRank™
- N/A
- Complaints
- 0
Further Reading
A timeline of stories related to this problem. We try to boil these stories down to the most important bits so you can quickly see where things stand. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts for your vehicle over at CarComplaints.com.
It's been nearly a year since the feds opened an investigation into Land Rover's door latch recall and in that time plenty of new complaints have come in.
NHTSA has received five unique reports alleging incidents of doors opening with the SUVs in motion, then repaired by replacing the latch assemblies. One Range Rover customer was allegedly injured by a door that inadvertently opened.
In response to NHTSA's original investigation of the 2015 recall, Land Rover discovered 43 additional complaints related to faulty door latches, with 14 of those reports alleging doors opened while driving.
The investigation has now been upgraded which is great. You know what else would be great? Not taking a year to do something about the problem.
keep reading article "Door Latch Investigation Upgraded As More Complaints Come In"Two years ago Land Rover recalled 66,000 SUVs because their doors could fly open while driving.
But the feds are now questioning if the recall included enough vehicles and if the software update was an adequate repair.
keep reading article "Feds Want to Look At Effectiveness of Door Latch Recall"To repair the problem, Land Rover dealers updated the keyless system software, but NHTSA says owners have complained about their doors opening after the recall repairs were made. Other owners report their doors opened, but their SUVs were never repaired because Land Rover didn't include all the affected vehicles in the recall.
Land Rover has issued a recall that should hopefully stop doors from opening unintentionally.
Land Rover says an investigation determined there were problems with the electrical function of the keyless entry system. A short-circuit can turn the keyless entry motor into a brake and slow or stop the keyless lever from returning to its "home" position.
This can cause a standard door closure procedure to make the latch appear to work with the striker, and the door can look to be closed but it won't be latched.
The recall covers the 2013-2016 Range Rover and 2014-2016 Range Rover Sport manufactured before March 10, 2015.
keep reading article "Recall to Stop Range Rover Doors From Flying Open Unintentionally"