Land Rover Rollaway Lawsuit Blames Defective Gear Selector in Discovery SUV for Woman’s Death

Lawsuit alleges manufacturer failed to address known rollaway risks with Land Rover Discovery vehicles, despite prior lawsuits and numerous consumer complaints.

A California family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging a defective 2020 Land Rover Discovery unexpectedly rolled backward and ran over a woman as she was getting out of her vehicle.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Pierce Rooney, Erin Farrell, Kathleen Rooney and Molly Willis as successors in interest on behalf of the Estate of Sue Rooney in the Superior Court of the State of California on June 12. It names Jaguar Land Rover North America LLC, Jaguar Land Rover Limited and Niello Imports II Inc., doing business as Land Rover Sacramento, as defendants.

The family claims the Land Rover Discovery that ran over and killed Sue Rooney contained all the equipment necessary to prevent unintended rollaways. However, the manufacturer chose not to enable features that would have secured the vehicle when it detected the driver had exited while the engine was running and the transmission was not in Park.

Vehicle Rollaway Dangers

A vehicle rollaway incident occurs when a parked vehicle begins moving after the driver believes it has been properly secured. This may happen because the transmission was not fully shifted into park, the parking system failed to engage, or the vehicle’s electronic systems inaccurately indicated that it was safely parked.

Rollaway events often occur as drivers exit the vehicle or while passengers are entering, unloading or standing nearby. This can cause vehicles to strike pedestrians, other vehicles or structures, and many rollaway accidents have been directly linked to defects involving gear selectors, shift mechanisms and park detection systems that fail to function as intended.

Just last month, a Chevrolet Blazer rollaway lawsuit was filed alleging that defects in the parking and braking systems caused the vehicle to roll backward unexpectedly, resulting in a woman suffering from brain injury, multiple fractures and severe internal injuries.

Land Rover Discovery Rollaway Allegations

This new complaint alleges that on May 15, 2026, Sue Rooney was run over and killed by her 2020 Land Rover Discovery after she exited the still-running vehicle. The lawsuit claims the vehicle’s electronic gear shifter was confusing to use and did not clearly indicate what gear it was in, making it easier for drivers to accidentally leave the vehicle in the wrong gear.

According to the filing, Jaguar Land Rover has faced at least two separate lawsuits over rollaway incidents involving serious injuries and one death. In addition, numerous complaints have been filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), involving similar Land Rover rollaway problems.

The lawsuit claims the manufacturer could have fixed the issue with a software update but instead knowingly sold vehicles with a defective electronic gear selector, failed to include readily available rollaway-prevention software, and did not adequately warn consumers of the risk.

“The [Jaguar Land Rover] Defendants thus possessed the very remedy that would have prevented Decedent’s death, yet made a conscious decision to withhold it from the Subject Vehicle and the hundreds of thousands of other vehicles they continued to manufacture and sell without it, in order to avoid the cost and adverse publicity of a recall.”

— Pierce Rooney et al. v. Jaguar Land Rover North America LLC et al.

The complaint raises allegations of strict product liability, negligence for wrongful death and personal injury, and survival action. It seeks general, punitive and special damages, as well as pre- and post-judgment interest, costs and expenses, and any other relief the court deems appropriate.

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