Freelander 2 2012 SD4 Automatic
Last week I pulled away from a road junction to hear a bang and feel a shudder from the drive line. All seemed well but I have noticed in the recent wet weather the front wheels are scrabbling for grip. No warning lights and no faults showing up on fault code reader.
Went to my local independent LR garage. They put the car on a lift and at my suggestion looked for the possibility of the front transfer box failure. Everything at that end checked out ok, the drive was being passed from the box to the drive shaft against resistance. They’re they then turned to the rear drive. We found that we could turn each rear wheel independently without the other turning the opposite way and with no resistance. There was no graunching or lumpiness. The garage suggested the diff had lost one or more of the planet gears.
This is a new one to me. I’ve done all the searches and cannot find any reference to this particular fault.
Anyone have any ideas before I start stripping down the rear diff?
Steve Mc

I guess anything can wear out - but not a not common fault on here. More commonly its the PTU.

But it seems that a systematic investigation has narrowed it down to the actual rear differential assembly.

I lost rear wheel drive due to a failed haldex pump - no alerts showing and changing the pump fixed it. But there was no bang ! Jules

Control wrote:

They’re they then turned to the rear drive. We found that we could turn each rear wheel independently without the other turning the opposite way and with no resistance. There was no graunching or lumpiness. The garage suggested the diff had lost one or more of the planet gears.
This is a new one to me. I’ve done all the searches and cannot find any reference to this particular fault.
Anyone have any ideas before I start stripping down the rear diff?
Steve Mc

There's nothing to suspect the diff with that basic investigation.
If the Haldex isn't engaged, then the diff pinion will spin instead of the opposite wheel.
The only sure way to test the planet gears is to remove the Haldex first, and physically prevent the pinion from turning, which will force the drive to go through the planet gears.

The planet gears on these diffs are quite robust, but that doesn't mean they can't break, it's just not something that happens often.

Click image to enlarge

 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
Hyundai Ionic 5 Ultimate on order.
Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE.

There is quite a lot of Haldex info on this site.

https://www.freel2.com/forum/topic33791.html?highlight=haldex

The FL2 should never scrabble its front wheels, most likely cause is normally in Haldex or associated drive shaft .(splines?)
This thread includes info from Bell Engineering. - Try talking to them.

https://www.freel2.com/forum/topic34358.html?highlight=loss+drive FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)

I had one rear draft shaft break where it enters the diff...soon after having the diff replaced. Richard M