CSR

Land Rover · NHTSA safety record

2021 Land Rover Defender

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 42 safety complaints about the 2021 Land Rover Defender with the US government. Of those, no death is recorded. 9 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the exterior lighting, named in 16 complaints, 38% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers July 2021 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

42 complaints on file

42

Complaints

0

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 16 · 38%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 12 · 29%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 · 12%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 · 10%
STRUCTURE 3 · 7%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 2%
ENGINE 1 · 2%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 · 2%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 · 2%
STEERING 1 · 2%
SUSPENSION 1 · 2%
VISIBILITY 1 · 2%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 42.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 12.

16 12 8 4
21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2021 Land Rover Defender. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

9 on file

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:DC/DC CONVERTER

26V599000 · September 17, 2026

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2019-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, 2020-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Land Rover Defender, 2021-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Velar, Jaguar E-Pace, F-Pace, and Land Rover Discovery vehicles. The DC-DC converter may malfunction due to an electrical overload that can occur during high power demand. Additionally, a software error can cause the DC-DC converter to stop functioning at vehicle start-up under certain circumstances. Failure of the DC-DC converter will result in the loss of 12-Volt system charging and can lead to complete loss of drive power and exterior lighting.
The risk
A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed November 13, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Land Rover's customer service at 800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is E008. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 26V248.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 23,677 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

26V389000 · June 12, 2026

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2026 Land Rover Defender, 2021-2026 Discovery, and 2022-2026 Range Rover vehicles. The driver’s air bag clockspring connector may corrode, which can cause the air bag not to deploy as intended.
The risk
An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will apply a protective lubricant gel to the driver’s air bag connector terminals, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed August 3, 2026. Owners may contact Land Rover's customer service at 800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is D120.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 250,857 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:DC/DC CONVERTER

26V248000 · April 17, 2026

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Velar and Land Rover Discovery, 2020-2023 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, 2019-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, 2020-2024 Land Rover Range Rover, 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport, 2020-2024 Land Rover Defender, 2021-2024 Jaguar F-Pace, and 2021-2022 Jaguar E-Pace mild-hybrid electric vehicles (MHEVs.) The DC-DC converter can fail due to an internal fault in the boost control microchip. A failure of the DC-DC converter will result in a loss of 12-Volt system charging and can lead to complete loss of drive power and exterior lighting.
The risk
A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
The remedy for this recall is currently under development. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 17, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Land Rover's customer service at 800-637-6837. Land Rover's numbers for this recall are D126 and H575.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 170,169 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION

23V044000 · February 2, 2023

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Range Rover Sport, 2020-2023 Range Rover, Defender, 2022-2023 Discovery, and 2023 Range Rover Velar vehicles. The engine cam carrier oil channel may be blocked, which can lead to an oil leak.
The risk
An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the engine cam carrier and related components as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2023. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N763.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 6,724 vehicles across all model years covered

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR

21V668000 · August 26, 2021

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2021 Range Rover, 2022 Range Rover Sport, 2020-2021 Range Rover Velar, Discovery Sport, 2020-2022 Discovery, and Defender vehicles. The seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly.
The risk
An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed October 20, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N630.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 32,687 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

21V584000 · July 29, 2021

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Land Rover Defender vehicles. The owner's manual incorrectly states that the third-row seating is equipped with LATCH child seat restraints with top tethers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
The risk
Incorrect child restraint information may result in a child seat being improperly secured, which can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
The remedy
Land Rover will mail owners the correct information to insert into the owner's manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 23, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N601.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 7,027 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS

21V499000 · July 1, 2021

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2021 Defender 90 vehicles equipped with manually-adjustable front seats. The front seat track end-stop bracket may become deformed, which could prevent the seat from locking into place.
The risk
A seat that is not properly locked into place can move unintentionally during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the front seat tracks, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 28, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N609.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 603 vehicles across all model years covered

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS

21V435000 · June 8, 2021

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Defender X vehicles equipped with smoked rear light assemblies. A voltage spike, triggered by a bright light shining on the rear of the vehicle, can cause the turn signals, brake lights, and tail lights to fail.
The risk
Turn signals, brake lights, and tail lights that fail to illuminate can reduce visibility to other drivers and increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the rear light assemblies, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 27, 2021. Owners can contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N598.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 2,622 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)

21V424000 · June 3, 2021

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Land Rover Defender vehicles equipped with 6-cylinder engines. The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) may unexpectedly switch off while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in an engine stall with no warning.
The risk
An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
The Connected Diagnostic Services (CDS) and the Over-the-air (OTA) diagnostics functionality will be disabled, either by a dealer or through an OTA update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 28, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N599.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 163 vehicles across all model years covered · fixed by software update

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The failure of the Daytime running light on Defenders is a known issue caused by a design flaw. It is not covered by warranty and costs over $3000 to replace.

NHTSA complaint 11767510. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The signature halo LED ring on the front headlight stopped working and has now failed completely, impairing headlight performance. Land Rover previously replaced one of these units when under warranty, but now refuse to fix the second one unless privately paid for (I am now out of warranty). This is a known and common issue and is clearly a safety concern and a consequence of a Land Rover design flaw. In my opinion, this should be a safety recall.

NHTSA complaint 11766706. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
On my 2021 Land Rover Defender 110, the front Daytime Running Light (DRL) halo unit experienced a complete illumination failure due to an internal component defect. Because the LED DRL system is permanently sealed inside the headlamp assembly, replacing the failed light required a complete headlamp replacement costing nearly $3,000 out of pocket. Shortly after this initial repair, the DRL halo unit on the remaining original headlamp assembly experienced the exact same total failure. This is a known pattern defect across 2020–2023 Land Rover Defender models caused by internal heat degradation of the LED components (referenced in JLR Special Service Message SSM 75479). The failure of exterior

NHTSA complaint 11765315, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I am reporting a severe and known thermal design defect regarding the factory LED headlight assemblies on the 2021 Land Rover Defender 110.The integrated Daytime Running Light (DRL) LED module has completely failed and burned out prematurely on my vehicle (Current mileage: 66,800). This is a well-documented engineering failure across the L663 Defender community, tracked internally by Land Rover under Special Service Message SSM 75479. The internal LED driver chip consistently overheats and destroys itself within the sealed headlight unit.Because this is a sealed component, Land Rover does not offer a replacement bulb or individual electronic module repair. Instead, consumers are forced to

NHTSA complaint 11763882, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Driver Side Daytime running lamp illumination failed at 45 thousand miles. There is no internal notification of the failure and it failed prematurely. Its outside of the JLR warranty and they are not supporting any repair nor is the dealer who wants to replace both lamps at the cost of $6,000.

NHTSA complaint 11757436. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
On XXX at approximately 8:10am I received this red warning on my vehicle: "OK to drive with caution. Hybrid system fault detected." I was driving my daughter to daycare at the time and didn't feel safe continuing to do that. My wife had to drive 25minutes to come and get us and safely continue our trip. No other issues with the vehicle prior to this incident. A month or two prior to that, I had received the recall notice regarding a failure of the DCDC converter and that an electrical fault warning could potentially happen. Well I got that warning and then my check engine light remained on. I immediately called [XXX] Jaguar Land Rover in [XXX] and got an appointment for the following

NHTSA complaint 11756648, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Land Rover Defender

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 6 3 —
2025 13 1 —
2024 25 7 —
2023 82 9 —
2022 74 6 —
2020 55 7 —

Other 2021 Land Rover models

Every Land Rover on this site — 74 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst