Recalls are always due to an issue that can’t be ignored. However, this doesn’t mean that all recalls are as serious as others. For instance, last year Range Rovers had another recall for the rear spoiler coming off. Well, Land Rover is taking the plunge again and recalling more than 111,000 Range Rover Sports for leaking fuel tanks. Needless to say, leaking fuel is a bit more of an immediate issue than a spoiler coming off. 

111,000 older Range Rovers are getting recalled

According to Consumer Reports, 111,000 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SUVs are being recalled from the 2010 through 2013 model years and Land Rover LR4 SUVs from the 2010 through 2016 model years because their fuel tanks may crack. This cracking fuel tank can easily lead to leaking fuel. Not only is this terrible for the environment, but it’s also clearly a serious fire hazard. 

The models that are seeing the cracking gas tanks and fuel leaks are primarily the 3.0-liter V6 and V8 models. 

Land Rover is telling customers how to detect if their Range Rover’s fuel tank has cracked. This feels like an unnecessary thing to explain but Land Rover has to cover their bases. Affected Range Rover models may smell like gasoline, or even see a visible puddle of fuel unearth the SUV after sitting. There may also be an amber warning light that appears on the instrument cluster. 

Anything having to do with fuel leaking is a serious and dangerous cause for a recall. In some circumstances, Land Rover customers have even seen fires due to the fuel leak because the static charge that cars can build may spark the fuel. The other danger is the unlit fumes themselves. If these fumes are confined to a smaller space like a garage, they can be harmful to breathe. 

What caused the Range Rover recall?

When Land Rover Range Rover customers first started complaining about the fuel leaks on these models, Land Rover technicians found that, in many cases, the fuel flange for the fuel tank had cracked. Since this problem is on older models, many customers have likely already paid to have the recall issue fixed. Land Rover is telling those customers that they can be reimbursed for those charges via a payment plan. 

The new Land Rover Defender is paying for these older issues

Land Rover has been a popular brand for decades. People love them. However, these SUVs have been woefully unreliable for years and people are starting to care. 

In the case of the 2021 Land Rover Defender, Consumer Reports liked so many things about it, but it still isn’t recommended because of the Marque’s horrible history of reliability. This is truly a shame as so many journalists (including this one) have tested the new generation of Defenders and loved them. Hell, it won SUV of the year from MotorTrend. 

All that being said, it will be interesting to see how many customers buy them due to the lingering fear of horrible reliability that the brand has come to be known for. This recall is just another in a long string of recalls and bad press for the Land Rover Range Rover.