Your Land Rover Freelander 2 is a pretty reliable car and it most likely gives you a lot of pleasure when you drive it. But a lot of Freelander owners report the strange issue: the “Transmission Fault, Traction Reduced” error message shows up on the dash under certain circumstances but the car behaves more or less well. What’s wrong?
If your Freelander 2 says “Transmission Fault”, it may be because of the Haldex unit, low 12V battery, connections, and wiring issues, or software problems. Usually, it’s not about the transmission itself and should be diagnosed starting with less complicated units. Unfortunately, locating the problem may be pretty challenging.
Here’s what I will cover in this article:
- What happens with your Freelander when you see this message?
- What can cause the “Transmission Fault” message to show up?
- What can you do before you go to the garage or dealer?
- Can you prevent this problem from happening?
Registering symptoms of your Freelander 2 transmission fault
Before you go to the dealer and start spending your money, you should perfectly understand what’s happening with your car and what functions don’t work when you see the “Transmission Fault” error message. It’s important and can save you quite a lot of money and time.
So, here are the questions you should answer before you go further:
- Does the AWD work in your car and does it work as expected?
- Does your HDC system work? This is Hill Decent Control and it may malfunction when some of the transmission parts are thought to be faulty.
- Is there a sign of damage to your Haldex unit and rear diff? This can actually be the key to success, in your case.
- When does this error message pop up and is it then cleared on its own?
- What are the error codes that sit behind this message? You can use a cheap OBD2 scanner to read the codes easily and without paying for inspection.
- Have you serviced the transmission when needed?
- What was the last time you replaced the 12V battery in your Freelander 2?
Registering the symptoms that accompany the “Transmission Fault” error message in your vehicle will help you get the best understanding of what is happening with the vehicle. So, maybe you will need to drive a little more in various conditions including off-roading, and find out everything about the behavior of the car.
But can you drive when you see “Transmission Fault” in the Freelander?
The Freelander 2 was made between 2006 and 2015. All vehicles had two transmission options: Getrag manual gearbox which is as durable as a rock and also Aisin 6-speed automatic transmission with outstanding quality and longevity.
So, I doubt if the “Transmission Fault” message actually hints that your transmission is dying. The only possible thing is that the fluid level is low, but even with the low level you can drive and this transmission will not die immediately.
So, yes, you can drive with this error message. But it doesn’t mean that you can ignore it. If the problem is with the gearbox fluid or Haldex, it will escalate quickly and lead to serious damage that will be extremely hard and expensive to repair.
My advice – you should immediately inspect the vehicle or show it to a professional mechanic to avoid more expensive problems. But you shouldn’t call a tow truck, your Land Rover may easily get to the garage on its own.
The most common reasons for the “Transmission Fault” in the Freelander 2
Now you know that the transmission itself is most likely OK and doesn’t need your help even if the dash is yelling at you and showing this annoying message. But what can cause it? And how to deal with those problems?
Let’s see the most obvious reasons for this error message to pop up:
1. Low battery
I believe in about half of the cases, it’s exactly the battery that is in charge of the problem. When your battery becomes low, the control units don’t get the proper voltage when the vehicle is started. It means that they may have a glitch or even lose some part of their functions. Given the electronic controls of the transmission and differential system in the Freelander is pretty complicated, it’s not a surprise that the “Transmission Fault, Traction Reduced” message appears.
If your battery is more than 4 years old or you are driving a lot in the city with short trips, the battery may be drained.
2. Alternator issues
When the battery starts the engine, it immediately switches to the alternator in terms of electricity supply. But if the alternator is faulty, it will provide the system with fluctuating voltage. It means that the system will just not be able to work properly.
Of course, this may affect the transmission control system and the AWD system, so the transmission fault message will pop up on the dash. You should check the alternator after checking your battery.
3. Haldex unit
I think the Haldex problems will take about a third of the issues with the “Transmission Fault” error message. This is not the most durable unit and its pump may easily fail. If you experience problems with the AWD and see this error message on the dash, most likely, the culprit is the Haldex unit.
Unfortunately, there are no good DIY ways to check or repair it, so the best thing you can do when you locate this problem is to go to a good garage or to the LR dealer.
4. Wiring and connections
This problem is very widely reported in older Freelander 2 models – 2006-2010. It means that their wiring may be affected by water, road debris, or just by age. Corroded connections, broken wires, or worn-out clips are just normal things for a 13-15-year-old car.
You can’t check the entire wiring without professional equipment and experience. But you can check the Haldex clip which is one of the most obvious possible culprits. This clip is not eternal and may be damaged in older vehicles with high mileage. Replacing it will sort out the problem. But if it’s not this clip, you will need to diagnose the car properly.
5. Low transmission level
In pretty rare situations, the problem may occur when there is a problem with the transmission. In manual transmissions, you will not see this because the transmission is mechanically controlled and has no electronic units in it. But the automatic transmission may tell you that something is wrong.
Usually, the problem may be with the level of fluid. But also, this error message may pop up if the torque converter is broken or the transmission needs overall repair or even replacement.
What are your DIY options to check?
It’s not that much you can do to check the possible problems in your Freelander 2. And registering the behavior of your SUV is the best help for your mechanic to diagnose the vehicle and find the problem faster.
But still, depending on the level of your experience, you can try the following:
- look at the Haldex unit – it shouldn’t be covered in oil or be visually damaged, also have a look at the differential itself;
- check the battery – you may even buy a new one without checking if your battery is more than 4 years old;
- check the trouble codes – you may get a cheap scanner and see which codes are stored in the ECU, this may help a lot.
If you can’t find the problem, you should go to a reputable garage and have the vehicle inspected. Even professional mechanics are sometimes lost when they see this error message and they may come up with the wrong repair.
For example, the LR dealer may take 200 euros from you for the new software that doesn’t solve the issue. The software update comes from Land Rover’s try to address this “Transmission Fault” problem but it will only work in a small number of cases.
Can you prevent this problem from happening?
The “Transmission Fault” message may appear unexpectedly and may be triggered by many different units and parts, so it’s hard to prevent it from popping up.
But if you maintain the car in good condition, change all the fluids on time, and have the vehicle thoroughly inspected at least once a year, chances are you will never see any serious error message on the dash of your car.
But the crazy stone that may jump from your wheel and hit the clip of the Haldex unit connection can never be prevented. So, you should just know what to do if you are in this situation.
To wrap up
The “Transmission Fault” error message in the Freelander 2 is not as serious a problem as it may seem at first. Usually, the problem is not with the gorgeous Freelander transmission but with the differential, Haldex unit, or even with some electrical connection. Also, the battery is worth checking or even replacing if it’s old enough.
I hope now you can manage this problem or at least go to the dealership prepared and informed. If you still have any questions or want to share your experience, please write in the comments below!