CSR

Land Rover · NHTSA safety record

2021 Land Rover Defender

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

38

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 Land Rover Defender have filed 38 safety complaints with NHTSA between July 2021 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the exterior lighting, named in 12 of them (32%). The typical failure was reported at 35,000 miles, the median across the 3 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 8 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (8)

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

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 38.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING 12 32%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 12 32%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 13%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 11%
STRUCTURE 3 8%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 3%
ENGINE 1 3%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 3%
LANE DEPARTURE 1 3%
STEERING 1 3%
SUSPENSION 1 3%
VISIBILITY 1 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2022 at 8.

2021 2022 2026
2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

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

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.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The left headlight daytime running light has died due to a defective chip in the light itself. It may cause a higher chance of a daytime wreck because of reduced visibility. Also, more chance of me getting pulled over for my headlight not working. Apparently it’s a common issue that JLR know about, but won’t do anything. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Special Service Message (SSM) 75479 relates to the premature failure or dimming of the Daytime Running Light (DRL) halo on premium LED headlights, most notably affecting vehicles like the 2020-2023 Land Rover Defender. SSM 75479 acknowledges the internal awareness of this condition for technicians, though it is designated as an informational service

NHTSA complaint 11755150, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2021 Land Rover Defender. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V248000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA complaint 11754833. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE

35,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the driver-side windshield exterior A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle and blocked the driver-side rearview mirror, obstructing rear visibility. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the highway, and the detached A-Pillar trim was completely removed from the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had previously occurred on two occasions, resulting in the replacement of both the driver-side and passenger-side A-pillar trims. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure

NHTSA complaint 11748533, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Headlight DRL Failure - it's safety issue. this is known issue with defenders but when I contacted local dealer in Atlanta area, they refused to replace it without me paying $3200.

NHTSA complaint 11734105. 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
2025 12 1
2024 24 5
2023 78 8
2022 71 5
2020 52 6

Other 2021 Land Rover models

Every Land Rover on this site — 72 vehicles, 152 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

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. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

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.

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