2009 Land Rover Range Rover Sport 2.7L Diesel · V77 VCK

A pattern of recurring electronic and brake-related defects defines the mechanical story of this 2009 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, with two failed MOT tests inside fourteen months pointing to issues that have not yet been conclusively resolved. The February 2026 test recorded four major defects: an inoperative nearside rear registration plate lamp, a non-functioning nearside rear stop lamp, an offside rear service brake binding excessively, an illuminated engine management warning lamp, and a rough nearside front wheel bearing. Following rectification work, the vehicle returned to the test station in April 2026 and passed without advisories, but the intervening failure means the most recent clean sheet only reflects a short post-repair window rather than sustained roadworthiness. The earlier February 2025 test also failed on the engine MIL and an offside rear fog lamp defect, and the same test carried forward advisories on a nearside rear tyre nail and a slight offside rear wheel bearing play. With two engine MIL failures in consecutive years and brake and bearing irregularities on both the nearside front and offside rear, the pattern suggests systemic electrical and undercarriage wear that warrants direct inspection rather than reliance on the clean April 2026 pass. With seventeen years of recorded use and 141,947 miles on the odometer, the vehicle is accumulating roughly 8,350 miles per year, which is broadly consistent with average mileage for its age. There are no extended gaps between test dates, indicating the vehicle has remained in continuous use without multi-year lay-ups that could introduce separate concerns around seized brakes, perished rubber, or deteriorated fluids. The annual mileage band does, however, place sustained demand on high-wear Range Rover Sport components such as air suspension struts and compressor units, transfer box and differential seals, front and rear wheel bearings, and the complex wiring loom that runs through the tailgate and rear light clusters. Given that the binding brake and wheel bearing defects have appeared on both sides across different test cycles, the cumulative mileage is likely amplifying deterioration in undercarriage hardware that has already reached its service limit. Before purchase, particular attention should be directed to the rear brake system given the recorded offside rear binding. On a test drive, listen for any dragging or uneven deceleration, particularly from light pedal application at low speed, and verify that the handbrake holds on an incline without creeping. Because the nearside front wheel bearing was found rough on rotation, a steady-speed road check on a smooth surface should be performed with windows down; any drone, humming, or cyclical rumble that changes with steering input indicates further bearing wear. The offside rear wheel bearing advisory from 2025 should also be revisited, as a progression from slight play to roughness can occur rapidly on these vehicles, and a workshop-based check of all four hubs is prudent. The recurring engine MIL illumination is the most significant unresolved concern, as the fault was sufficient to fail the test in both 2025 and 2026 but did not generate a specific component identification in the MOT record. A prospective buyer should obtain any diagnostic trouble codes stored in the ECU from the selling garage or an independent specialist, focusing on emissions, misfire, or sensor-related fault histories typical of the 3.6 TDV8 and 4.4 engines fitted at this period. Additionally, the rear lamp defects on both the stop lamp and fog lamp should prompt a physical inspection of the tailgate wiring loom for chafed insulation and corroded multi-plug connections, a known failure point on this generation. Finally, because front tyres have been flagged as worn close to the legal limit and on the edge in successive tests, an alignment check is advisable to determine whether the wear pattern is geometric, suspension-related, or simply a symptom of the vehicle's age and weight.