My wife Cheri and I were in the middle of a pleasant drive through Mississippi in our 1996 Range Rover 4.0. Enjoying our vacation, we were about 150 (192 kilometers) miles from New Orleans. We were making good time, cruising along at about 70 mph (112 kph).
Suddenly, something went wrong with the Rangie. We heard a beeping sound and saw their EAS fault light come on. All four air spring dash lights began flashing and we felt our Range Rover sinking. The air springs gave out at 70 mph! Luckily, I managed to get the Range Rover to the side of the road without incident. Unluckily, my Range Rover's EAS had completely failed.
With deflated air springs, the Range Rover was riding on its bump stops. I knew that bumping along the highway like a low rider would not only be dangerous and embarrassing but also potentially damaging to the vehicle. After a quick call to Mike Pigg, the Motorcars LTD Service Manager, I learned that the Range Rover had to be taken to a repair shop specially equipped with a diagnostic system.
The closest one was in New Orleans. We had no choice but to drive on the bump stops and risk damage to the vehicle. At a maximum speed of 35 mph (56 kph), it took 5 hours to get to New Orleans. After our harrowing ordeal and a long, tedious drive, we received more bad news. The EAS suspension that caused us such a fright would now cost $2,000 (£1,090) to repair! Needless to say, our vacation did not end as we had planned.
Brent Moore
Range Rover Owner
and Motorcars LTD customer
via email
12/10/2003
