For decades, Land Rover SUVs, particularly the Range Rover models, was synonymous with practical and luxury, highly reliable vehicles.
But, in recent years, that has changed for the worse, and Range Rover P400e issues are an example of it.
The problems on LR Range Rover P400e range from the batteries refusing to be fully charged to doors being misaligned from the factory and infotainment system software being very problematic.
The majority of these issues are not user repairable.
The company has failed to fix them after several software updates, while some Land Rover has pushed under the carpet by changing the vehicle specifications.
So, let’s get on with the details about them.
Range Rover P400e’s Most Common Problems
Many different problems appear to exist with the plug-in hybrid version of the Range Rover L405 generation.
At least according to many complaints and reports by the owners of these vehicles, both the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models. It can be said that it suffers from serious reliability issues.
According to the Which.co.uk reliability report, the average fault rate in the whole car industry is 23% in the first 3 years of ownership, while the complete breakdown rate is 3.3%.
For Land Rover cars, 4 in 10 owners will see a fault warning message flashing on their dashboard over the first three years after the purchase, while 5.5% will have a complete breakdown.
When it comes to the most common problems with Land Rover vehicles are associated with the software, engine control unit, battery management, exhaust system, and so on.
But on P400e, many problems are also related to poor build quality, which you wouldn’t expect to find on an SUV that costs six figures.
Stuck Charging at 99% or Less
One of the most common issues that are bound to happen to practically every P400e owner eventually is the batteries being stuck while charging at some percentage and refusing to charge to 100%.
Most commonly, it gets stuck at 99% of charge, with a message that the batteries are 11 minutes of charging from being fully charged.
Some owners report that it can happen even when the battery is 20 or more minutes from a full charge.
If left connected to a charger, it will start charging every three minutes again for a few seconds.
That is most likely because the onboard computer which monitors the charging consumes enough of the electric charge from batteries to trigger the charging.
The only potential fix for this Range Rover p400e battery charging problem is a complete replacement of the battery management system for the electric motor and also several updates to the vehicle’s software.
Brakes Not Engaging
This problem has raised concern among the many Range Rover P400e owners and vague feeling of the brakes, particularly for the first few miles after the car has sat turned off for a few hours.
Some people describe the problem as the brake pedal’s sponginess followed by a very strong engagement of them.
It can happen that when you push the brake pedal, nothing happens until you almost floor it when the brakes engage very suddenly.
While Land Rover mechanics tell many people that this is normal behavior, it is anything but that. If it was a user error of not recognizing regenerative braking, the vehicle would be slowing down when the pedal is pressed.
So, one can safely presume that there is a problem with the regenerative braking system not engaging.
Only the physical brakes are engaging at a certain threshold when they are supposed to do so.
Complete Power Loss While Driving
There are reports by P400e owners of the engine completely shutting down in the middle of the road and refusing to start again. With no warning or fault message, nor the check engine light coming on.
At the same time, the electric motor would refuse to engage, and the only option a driver has is to park on the shoulder and call the tow vehicle.
The cause of this problem is tough to determine in the absence of any official information.
But, there is a temporary fix for it. All you have to do is turn everything off in the vehicle, exit from it, lock it, and leave it alone for at least 20 minutes.
After you have waited it out, you can continue driving as if nothing has happened.
The most likely cause, though Land Rover never acknowledged this, is a software problem with the stop-start function, as this problem seems to have disappeared entirely after the version 18 update of the car’s software.
Gas Particulate Filter Failed Regeneration Cycles
The most common problem on P400e, which is caused by user error, is the failure of the gas particulate filter to complete a regeneration cycle, leading to its malfunction.
Just like practically all diesel engines have a diesel particulate filter, newer European cars come with an equivalent system for decreasing emissions.
It has the same function and works in the same way. But many owners of PHEVs, such as P400e, are unaware of this fact.
Both DPF and GPF should occur around every 300 miles. But, if the P400e is driven mostly in electric mode, it will fail.
There needs to be sufficient heat in the exhaust system for regeneration to occur, which can only come from combustion.
Eventually, the GPF will become so dirty and clogged that it will practically choke the engine and lead to a significant loss of power.
Incorrect Range Estimate Advertisement
When the P400e debuted, it came with a promise of 31 miles range on electric power only. A number that was somewhat average for a vehicle of its size equipped with a battery with 11kWh of usable capacity.
The battery’s maximum capacity is 13.1kWh, but the extra capacity is set aside to increase the number of charging cycles.
Many people have noticed that their vehicle, on a full charge, doesn’t make anywhere near the stated range.
While it is completely normal and expected to experience a range drop on purely electric mode when driving at high speeds, many owners have complained that such a drop is surprisingly high.
Some owners have reported making trips as short as just 7 or 12 miles, while the car software showed them an estimated 25 miles available range, based on their driving speed.
Both of these figures are pretty far off from the stated range. Land Rover responded to the reports of this problem by decreasing the estimated range of their PHEV vehicle to just 19 miles.
No one knows whether the original 31 miles range was an overly optimistic estimate by the marketing department or if there is some issue with battery management software on P400e.
Conclusion
Range Rover Sport P400e was the first plug-in hybrid SUV that Land Rover has launched in their product range.
And in the era of ever continuing the efforts to decrease car emissions, this was a step in a good direction.
But, the execution from LR has left a lot to be desired, which is evident from the number of Range Rover P400e problems.
Sources
https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/land-rover/range-rover-sport/range-rover-sport-phev/owner-reviews
https://www.carbuyer.co.uk/land-rover/range-rover/range-rover-phev/owner-reviews
https://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/extended-tests/2020-range-rover-sport-phev-review/#jan28
https://www.landroverusa.com/vehicles/phev/phev-vehicles/range-rover.html#:~:text=The%20PHEV%20P400e%20is%20fully,a%20range%20of%2019%20miles.
