Land Rover Discovery Sport Radiator: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults
Confirmed: a genuine safety recall addressed a water pump belt issue on PHEV models that could rupture a coolant elbow, risking fire near the turbocharger — plus an honest account of a car visiting the dealer five times in a year with the same fault recurring.
Illustration for editorial purposes
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Land Rover Discovery Sport Radiator: OEM Part Number
| Manual gearbox (older models, where fitted) | No dedicated transmission cooler required |
|---|---|
| Automatic (ZF), standard climate markets | A plate-type transmission fluid cooler is bolted to the left-hand end of the main radiator, using engine coolant to cool the transmission fluid — a genuinely distinct bolt-on unit rather than a tank built into the radiator itself; a documented failure sees the bonnet release cable rub against the cooler housing and wear a hole in it over time |
| Automatic, hot-climate markets | An additional auxiliary transmission fluid cooler is fitted alongside the standard plate cooler, genuinely providing extra capacity for higher ambient temperatures — not fitted on standard climate-market cars |
| MHEV (mild hybrid) variants | An additional auxiliary radiator/cooling circuit is fitted for the 48V mild hybrid components, on top of the standard engine and transmission cooling — confirm before ordering, since this isn't present on non-hybrid variants |
| Fitment note | If the plate cooler fails internally, coolant and transmission fluid can cross-contaminate into a pink, milkshake-like fluid — a serious failure requiring the cooler (and potentially the transmission) to be addressed urgently, not just a coolant top-up |
Land Rover Discovery Sport Radiator: The Part That Keeps Everything Else From Cooking
It's an unglamorous part, but on the Land Rover Discovery Sport, the cooling system is behind almost every serious non-wear engine failure that could have been prevented. Spotting trouble here early is about as cheap an insurance policy as exists against a genuinely expensive repair bill.
Land Rover Discovery Sport Radiator: What It Does
On the Land Rover Discovery Sport, heat from the engine coolant is shed to the surrounding air through the radiator, keeping engine temperature in a safe range. On automatic gearboxes, it often doubles up, cooling transmission fluid through a separate internal circuit too — which is why getting the exact part number right matters more here than on a simple heat exchanger.
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Confirmed: A Genuine Safety Recall Worth Checking Your Car Against — Land Rover Discovery Sport Radiator
This is genuinely worth checking directly on plug-in hybrid variants: a confirmed safety recall addressed a water pump drive belt issue that could cause the engine to overheat, rupturing a plastic coolant elbow. This could allow coolant to leak directly onto the hot turbocharger, creating a genuine fire risk. Dealers replace the affected coolant elbow and a related pipe free of charge — worth checking your specific VIN against the official recall register if you have a PHEV model.
It's also genuinely worth knowing that a damaged plastic cooling fan blade, even one with just a small crack or chip, can cause a heavy vibration capable of ruining an otherwise good water pump in under 100 miles of driving — worth inspecting the fan blades closely for any damage before assuming a water pump failure is unrelated to a separate fan issue.
Land Rover Discovery Sport Radiator: Faults, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice
These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Radiator Guide for the three common failure modes, confirming fitment against your VIN, and OEM vs aftermarket guidance.
More Land Rover Radiator
The same part, covered across other Land Rover models.