These points have been written so many times, I just want to put them in a thread by themselves so a link can be used rather than typing them out each time! This relates only to Freelander 1 vehicles.
Freelander like all cars can have many different faults. Lights can stop working, leaks can occur, engines can run rough etc etc - they just need to be fixed as with any car. Generally I've found my Freelander to have fantastic reliability and have suffered very few faults.
However, the way the Freelander transmission works is unlike most cars. If not cared for, it will often destroy the transmission with a good chance that it won't be economically viable to fix. However, there are some simple things that should be done to stop this happening...
1) Does your car still have its prop shafts installed? If you look under the car, you will see the exhaust running from the front to back, but you should also see 2 prop shafts separated by a 'device' supported by 2 bearings - this is the Viscous Coupling Unit (the VCU). Are these bits there?
These props run from the "IRD" at the front to the rear differential and provide the drive to the rear axle to make the car '4WD'. If they are missing, your car has been converted to 2WD and the following points do not apply.
2) Are all the tyres the exact same make and model and pumped to the same pressure? You do not necessarily need to know why, but it is vital that they are. If they are not, you need to change as many as needed to make sure they are. It is by far the best practice to replace all 4 tyres at the same time, but if 2 tyres have been replaced, they need to be on the back wheels - ie the tyres with the most tread should be on the back wheels. Essentially all the tyres need to be very near to exactly the same circumference. The only way to ensure this is to use tyres from the same manufacturer as different ones, although they may be the same (for example) 195/80R15 spec, will have different characteristics.
3) Is the VCU to tight? Over time the VCU (described above) will get to tight - it will not be as loose as it needs to be to allow for those slight difference in tyre wear and cornering differences between wheels. You can immediately detect if this has occurred if when turning corners the car feels like it is applying the brakes. However, problems can occur before you feel this sensation, so the VCU should be tested. This can be done using the "One Wheel Up Test". You jack 1 rear wheel up, put a 32mm socket on the hub nut in the middle, strap a bar tot he socket's ratchet and a weight to the end of the bar. You take the time it takes to turn 45 degrees from "1:30 to 3". To get accurate timings use a bar of 1.2m and a weight of 5kg. You are looking for a time under 1 minute. It has been said that LR recommend that the VCU be treated as a "service item" and replaced every 70,000 miles. However, there's no documentation to back this up plus some fail before this and others last much longer, so testing the VCU is the only sure way of knowing how it is performing. You can buy replacement new GKN VCUs or reconditioned ones. Only buy reconditioned ones from a reputable supplier as there have been many scams with recon VCUs over the years.
These are simple tests that all Freelander owners should be aware of and perform regularly. If your car is failing the tyre or VCU tests, you should resolve them as quickly as possible, or remove the prop shafts until you can.
There is lots of information on LandyZone, and the internet in general, about how the Freelander transmission works. If you read it, you will understand why these tests are important.