Range Rover detatchable tow bar recall

I had a 2005 and then a 2007 Disco 3 but I never recieved any communication on the matter from LR.

I however in late 2014, after years of complaining to my servicing/supplying dealer about the progressive clonking, read of the "test" and got it done by another dealer. It failed, but not too bad and they fitted FOC the fixed assembly.

So, in my case LR could have ticked mine off as done so could be why I never received notification. However they had been failing, and many more clonking years before the issue was officially accepted. In the early years I got "they all do that" in response
to my expressed concerns.

Recall letter from LR came to me eighteen months ago.

I have a 2010 Discovery 4 which had LR detachable tow hitch. I noticed that there was quite a lot of play and then saw on CT that LR were replacing them free of charge. When I contacted my local dealer I was asked to bring the vehicle in and watched as the mechanic measured the amount of play with a purpose built device. Mine was deemed to have excess play and a fixed multi height tow bar was fitted free of charge. I complained that I really wanted another detachable as I thought the replacement was a cheaper alternative. I was advised that the detachable was not designed for heavy trailers such as my twin axle caravan and that the replacement was heavy duty and more expensive. I bought the Discovery at 18 months old in 2011 and the previous owner had the original detachable fitted. I was not informed by LR that there was a recall but it is possible he was advised. I was puzzled that a Discovery, like your Range Rover, both of which are rated to tow up to 3.5 tons could be fitted by LR with a towbar not designed to tow heavy trailers.

Is this only on the sport we  have a l322 and have not had a leter we got detachable tow bar but I never take it off 

Have been in the vehicle recovery industry, and Range Rovers snap detachable swan necks all the time!

This doesn't help you now, but at the time, it was deemed it better to fit a flange type for towing anything of reasonable weight.

Is this only on the sport we  have a l322 and have not had a leter we got detachable tow bar but I never take it off 

Write your comments here... It also applies to Discoveries so presumably various full sized RRs and LRs using this particular assembly.

Be aware that if your car has already been to a dealer to have the detachable towbar checked, JLR will not look at it again. I have a Range Rover Sport which was a used purchase and it  came with a detachable towbar. Since buying the car I learnt of the
recall issued last year and contacted my local dealer who informed me the recall was carried out on the car by the previous owner. Judging by the condition of the towbar that came with the car, it was never used by the previous owner. I've towed a Buccaneer
Caravel (not a small or light van) 6 times this year and each time I've unhooked, the towbar was loose in the socket. If you refit it, it is tight in the socket again but the green handle is slowly moving around to vertical with wear, this is the test the
dealers look for when carrying out the recall. Explaining this to the dealer and to JLR customer service, they didn't want to know. Basically saying the work has been done and regardless of the towbar now being used and showing wear, even if it was never used
by the previous owner, their obligation has been met.

Rather than risk the van becoming detached in the future, i'm now having to fork out £290 for a fixed bar which, despite looking butt ugly compared to the nice clean look of having a detachable... is a whole lot better than the caravan being spread over
3 lanes of carraigeway.

Write your comments here... Nigel regarding the ugly bit this might help. When LR replaced mine with the obligatory multi drop height plate I found that the ideal height for my caravan was the centre position. It was clear to me that the actual large drop
plate could be dispensed with and instead bolt the tow ball straight onto the tow bar assembly. However I asked LR if that was in order and they agreed and actually did the work. I now have the redundant plate in my garage but the appearance of the tow bar
now looks a lot neater.

Thank you Tirril. The height of the detachable bar is pretty much spot on so I'll measure it and ask the fitter to do the same with the fixed in the centre position. If it's at a similar height then I'll do as you suggest. Must admit, it'll be a comfort
to get this done, having heard about trailers detaching by others, i'm paranoid the same will happen so having the bar changed is certainly the way to go.

each time I've unhooked, the towbar was loose in the socket. If you refit it, it is tight in the socket again but the green handle is slowly moving around to vertical with wear,

I think you are highlighting a second problem.  The dealers check the dimentions of the receiver in the chassis and if remediation is required either fit a fixed bar or cut out and renew the centre of the back chassis.

The knob rotating is something new to me altogether and sounds like a problem in the removable part.  Have you tried borrowing one from another owner to find if it also has rotation in the knob? The knob has to be pulled out against a spring to engage the
ratchet drive onto the locking pin - is the knob also pulling out too easily?

A good used removable towball sells for about £125 on the Land Rover forums.

The dealers use a gauge tool which they place up against the bumper, the tool has a green and a red portion. When the detachable tow bar is fitted, the striker pin releases the spring loaded tapered securing pin which goes into a hole just behind the main
receptacle for the tow bar. The green handle spins into a position at the same time, i'm sure you know all this but thought I would explain how the dealer uses this tool. With the tow bar fitted and in the locked position, the dealer places the gauge up against
the handle, if it has rotated and is in the green portion, they pass it, if the handle has rotated too far into the red portion, they fail it and as you say, either fit a fixed bar or a new rear cross member. As the receptacle wears given that it tends to
work loose when towing, the green handle moves further and further towards vertical and into the portion which deems it unsafe by the dealer. Having come from a VW Touareg which had a Westfalia detachable and was always rock solid no matter what, this by comparison
is a poor poor design. My towbar is new, it came with the car but was never used. It'll be going on flea bay when Ive had the fixed bar fitted next week, I really don't like the fact that it is loose after each time i've unhitched the van, many report this
as being normal but i'm not all that happy about it, hence it's being changed.

Here's a video of a well worn receiver, you see how the handle rotates when fitted and locked to a near vertical position? Mine doesn't rotate as far as this one does, yet. However, when I first used the towbar the handle locked in a horizontal position, each time I have refitted the towbar though, the handle when locked has moved a tiny bit further round. There is a video somewhere on the internet of a dealer using the guage tool mentioned in my post above but I can't find that one. Like the guy in this video, I lightly grease the blade that fits into the receptacle, and  have always removed the bar when not towing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0sA8Ud-SXo

Within a few seconds into the video one can see the red ring below the green knob.  That indicates it is NOT LOCKED.  Probably the locking pin is not fully engaged.

If that's the case, how was he able to remove the key? You can't remove the key unless it is fully locked