[County]

Have it replaced FOC like I did on my first DS which failed the same day as I agreed it’s sale and was out of warranty.🫢

 

[SailorDoc]

Another apparent steering rack failure, this time in a 2018 MY so not covered by the recall referred to above, as they had started fitting the steel bolts by then. My 2018 Discovery Sport was taken off-road in Anglesey, and went eveywhere the other cars did in very soggy muddy fields (And did better than a Discovery 5!). However, on the drive back to the hotel that night it started showing the check engine light. After getting back to the hotel I turned engine off and on again and then the power steering had stopped working with the "power steering reduced" warning on the dash. By the time the AA arrived a few hours later there were 7 different warnings, which the AA think relate to the communication with the CANBUS rather than failures of the modules themself. They included things as diverse as power steering reduced, AEB not available, Forward Alert not available, parking brake fault etc. The car was recovered to Jardine Land Rover Wolverhampton (The nearest dealer to me that would take a recovery!) and they have said that following a diagnostic check the steering rack is not communicating and that this is the cause of all the issues, as it causes problems with the CANBUS. They haven't mentioned a mechanical failure of the steering rack and as I say it drove normally whilst check engine light was on until I restarted the car. They have said it is all one unit so a new unit at just over £2600 is the only solution. They have not mentioned getting Land Rover to attempt a goodwill payment, but will ask whether Land Rover will authorise a courtesy car as "The steering racks are on back order".

Firstly, is a failure of the control module a known problem, and should I approach Land Rover directly about a goodwill payment (In which case does anyone have the contact details) or should I be presseing Jardine Land Rover Wolverhampton to do so?

 

[David989]

Driving into town this morning on a country road when a bang and a shudder of the steering wheel ended in a real fight to stop the vehicle going through a dry stone wall. I was traveling at about 30mph after the bang and shudder the steering wheel was pulling very hard to the left, it took all my strength to pull to the right and stop. Called JLR main dealer who informed me there is a safety recall to do with bolt corrosion where the motor bolts to the rack, he couldn't commit until diagnosis but said it was likely the bolts had snapped. The DS is a 2015 manual Black edition with just over 40k. We have owned it for the last five years, very happy with it and up to now it has been totally reliable. Unfortunately this fault is so dangerous I can't understand why we didn't get a call or letter inviting us to take the car for a safety inspection. I genuinely think if I was traveling at speed when this happened the outcome would have been much worse.

 

[RafflesNH]

Driving into town this morning on a country road when a bang and a shudder of the steering wheel ended in a real fight to stop the vehicle going through a dry stone wall. I was traveling at about 30mph after the bang and shudder the steering wheel was pulling very hard to the left, it took all my strength to pull to the right and stop. Called JLR main dealer who informed me there is a safety recall to do with bolt corrosion where the motor bolts to the rack, he couldn't commit until diagnosis but said it was likely the bolts had snapped. The DS is a 2015 manual Black edition with just over 40k. We have owned it for the last five years, very happy with it and up to now it has been totally reliable. Unfortunately this fault is so dangerous I can't understand why we didn't get a call or letter inviting us to take the car for a safety inspection. I genuinely think if I was traveling at speed when this happened the outcome would have been much worse.

Not a safety issue according to the UK DVSA, but JLR have agreed to carry out remedial work on a "fix on fail" basis. This from another forum:

"Got this today from DVSA: in the UK

With regards to this case. The manufacturer has determined that the three aluminium retaining bolts, securing the EPAS motor to the steering rack, have failed due to inter-crystalline corrosion. This has been caused by salt water ingress between the EPAS motor and the mounting flange on the steering rack.

In order to understand the effects of power steering loss when driving a Range Rover Evoque or a discovery sport, DVSA carried out a test drive examination of a Land Rover Discovery Sport vehicle. The conclusions from the test drive are summarised below:
1. There is no evidence to suggest the vehicle does not comply with the original approval requirement.
2. The amount of effort required to control the vehicle with the EPS disconnected is greatest for manoeuvring and at lower speeds.
3. The amount of effort required with the EPS disconnected continues through the whole speed range.
4. The likely point of failure for the steering assistance motor to detach is at low speed or stationary as this is when the greatest torque is applied by the motor. At the point of maximum torque from the motor greater tensile loadings are applied to the bolts. As the load decreases the likelihood of detachment also decreases. This conclusion is based on engineering principles and experience.
5. The Driver has full braking available through the whole speed range.

It is not possible to conclude the failure of the Steering Assistance on the Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport due to corrosion of the retaining bolts, leading to the EPS motor detachment, meets the definition of an unsafe product, set out in the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) 2005 Regulation 2.
However, it is clear that drivers of these vehicles are concerned this is a safety issue and have raised this point with DVSA. It is also clear that unless remedial action is taken, steering motor bolts will continue to fail, leading to a loss of steering assistance. DVSA have recommended that that Land Rover conduct a voluntary recall to rectify those vehicles with aluminium bolts which could potentially fail.
The manufacturer has recognised the fault with steering motor bolts breaking on Range Rover Evoque (and Discovery Sport) vehicles. They have explained they are carrying out remedial work on a ‘fix on fail’ basis. However, they have chosen not to instigate a recall as they consider the vehicles meet the Type Approval requirements for a vehicle with failed power steering.
DVSA have also recommended that the manufacturer should continue to monitor the situation and provide DVSA with information on the number of cases reported. The manufacturer should also provide DVSA with any new information, which may arise and could lead to DVSA reconsidering the current conclusions or recommendations.

This concludes DVSA’s current investigations into this matter."

"steering rack failure

Also still not listed as an official recall according to LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT Recalls - Vehicle Recall UK

 

[bxzx16v]

My wife's 2015 Ds previously lived in Scotland so not a good start. It is still on the original rack so i guess its a matter of time.

 

[GraemeP]

I have just inherited the same problem with my 2016MY Diso Sport. Power steering failed on the drive, so thankful for small mericies, its removed now and looking for options to replace, this thread referenced companies that will refurbish you existing unit saving so not upsetting the ECU. Does anybody have details of any firms that might undertake this work?

 

[County]

If it’s the steering rack bolt failure Landrover should pick up the bill for the replacement 👍

 

[Ian_S]

What the DVSA assessment seems to ignore is that the sheared bolts can wedge themselves where you do not expect, one of mine was tightly wedged between the rack and the chassis, and this is more likely to prevent you from being able to steer the vehicle than simply losing the EPS assistance. My second snapped bolt was just loose in the general vicinity of the rack and could have gone who knows where. Likewise if the motor actually detaches then it could jam something vital as well. Dealer was quite clear that mine was unsafe to drive for those reasons which is contrary to the 'advice' above... and to be fair, the dealer was very good in getting it sorted for me.

 

[Kestrel_S]

So.... I have the same issue on my October 2015 DS HSE - power steering failure involving very heavy steering and a very loud crunching noise if attempting to turn the wheel to the right. Occurred when I started the vehicle to get it out of the garage - if the bolts have sheered, then it must have happened as I was reversing into quite a tight garage space when I parked up last week. Vehicle is very new to me bought in December 22 with 75k mileage. Car is back in the garage now but need to know if I should approach the (non-Land Rover) dealer who sold me the car and/or Land Rover dealership.

Any advice would be hugely useful.

 

[Ian_S]

It is a safety recall now, so in theory Land Rover will pick up the bill. What I don't know if they will be able to do though is provide you with a loan car. I would give them a call on Monday and see what they say. I'd get the garage you bought from to cover the recovery cost to the dealer. While it's at the dealer I'd also ask them to check if the timing chain sounds like it needs doing. This is a very common issue on the early Ingenium diesels, and is about £2.5k to replace. If it does need doing the supplying garage should foot the bill if there's any kind of warranty.

 

[Kestrel_S]

It is a safety recall now, so in theory Land Rover will pick up the bill.

Ian - thank you. I have reported the issue to JLR Customer Services as advised asking them to repair the car asap and provide me with a loan car while mine is off the road - wish me luck! I have also informed the non-JLR dealership that sold me the car 6 weeks ago to see what they say/offer. Finally I have submitted a VSDR to DVSA.

I'll report back idc.

 

[Ian_S]

Check here too to see if your car falls under the recall, which may help you out if needed...

https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/

 

[Kestrel_S]

It is a safety recall now, so in theory Land Rover will pick up the bill.

Well - this all ended with an excellent outcome as far as I am concerned. Bolts to electric motor for power steering broke last Saturday. Phoned my local LR dealership on Monday morning, put through to JLR Customer Services who, having taken my VRN and chassis number, acknowledged the failure and booked my car into local LR dealers for Friday. Called my breakdown service to recover the vehicle. Vehicle repaired on Friday - washed and polished and picked up today 7 days after breakdown - all at no cost to me - or to JLR so I understand. The supplier of the bolts is footing the bill so JLR tell me.

I can and have complained that JLR should issue a general recall for these vulnerable cars and get them fixed before they breakdown on the motorway, roundabout, home wherever and cause an accident with all the associated inconvenience to the driver but I can't fault JLR when the inevitable happens.

Thanks to Ian and all who chipped in with advice.

 

[County]

The correct outcome 🙂

 

[SailorDoc]

Another apparent steering rack failure, this time in a 2018 MY so not covered by the recall referred to above, as they had started fitting the steel bolts by then. My 2018 Discovery Sport was taken off-road in Anglesey, and went eveywhere the other cars did in very soggy muddy fields (And did better than a Discovery 5!). However, on the drive back to the hotel that night it started showing the check engine light. After getting back to the hotel I turned engine off and on again and then the power steering had stopped working with the "power steering reduced" warning on the dash. By the time the AA arrived a few hours later there were 7 different warnings, which the AA think relate to the communication with the CANBUS rather than failures of the modules themself. They included things as diverse as power steering reduced, AEB not available, Forward Alert not available, parking brake fault etc. The car was recovered to Jardine Land Rover Wolverhampton (The nearest dealer to me that would take a recovery!) and they have said that following a diagnostic check the steering rack is not communicating and that this is the cause of all the issues, as it causes problems with the CANBUS. They haven't mentioned a mechanical failure of the steering rack and as I say it drove normally whilst check engine light was on until I restarted the car. They have said it is all one unit so a new unit at just over £2600 is the only solution. They have not mentioned getting Land Rover to attempt a goodwill payment, but will ask whether Land Rover will authorise a courtesy car as "The steering racks are on back order".

Firstly, is a failure of the control module a known problem, and should I approach Land Rover directly about a goodwill payment (In which case does anyone have the contact details) or should I be presseing Jardine Land Rover Wolverhampton to do so?

In case it helps anyone to know, as there was no reply on this thread, I pressed Jardine Land Rover to approach Land Rover for a goodwill payment and they are going to cover 80% of the cost. Still no sign of a steering rack being delivered yet though…..

 

[Biker]

I am sure there will be a part 3 after coming back for JLR.

 

[LRover16]

Hello. I also have an issue with my 2016 Land Rover Discovey. Luckily the failure happened before I had set off. I called RAC to check the issue, but I managed to find that the noise and issue I was facing seemed to point to this steering rack issue. RAC also confirmed this when inspecting the car and also they had the recall issue on their system. I gave Land Rover a call and booked the car in, as it wasn't driveable RAC towed it to the garage. Land Rover have provided a courtesy car while it is being repaired. I have now been waiting 3 months as they have mentioned they don't have an eta for the particular part they need to fix the car. I have been chasing regularly but no luck on an eta. Its very worrying that there could be people with this issue still driving around and could cause a major accident. I am planning to contact driving standards agency to see what should I be expecting from Land rover in terms of timlines of the fix and if there should have been more clarity about the recall

 

[Kestrel_S]

Hello. I also have an issue with my 2016 Land Rover Discovey. I have now been waiting 3 months I am planning to contact driving standards agency to see what should I be expecting from Land rover in terms of timlines of the fix and if there should have been more clarity about the recall

That's unlucky but not sure why there should be a long wait. I had exactly the same issue 3 weeks ago and Land Rover fixed it FOC within 4 days of being notified of the fault with a complete new steering rack. But at least you have had use of a curtesy car. My fault occurred a week before LR issued the general recall.

I reported my issue to DVSA asking them to pressure LR into a recall but LR have now introduced the recall. I can give you a name and DVSA email address if that would help.

 

[LRover16]

That's unlucky but not sure why there should be a long wait. I had exactly the same issue 3 weeks ago and Land Rover fixed it FOC within 4 days of being notified of the fault with a complete new steering rack. But at least you have had use of a curtesy car. My fault occurred a week before LR issued the general recall.

I reported my issue to DVSA asking them to pressure LR into a recall but LR have now introduced the recall. I can give you a name and DVSA email address if that would help.

Hi. That would be great if you could share the details. Glad you got your car sorted.
It would have been extremely difficult for me not to have a courtesy car. Unfortunately it isn't a like for like car so I not able to do some things that I used to with the discovery but better than nothing at all.

 

[franmartinezperez8]

I had the same issue with mi LRDS 2015 2.2 SD4 190hp and after checking with the diagnosis we find out that it was time to replace the battery, it was ent giving the 12V so after replacing it. The problem never shows up again, in this type of cars with a lot of electronic a non proper function of the battery can be nightmare, just always be aware that the battery is another item of the car that needs attention and maintenance. And please never use Star/Stop it just reduce the life of very important componentes of your engines.