CSR

Land Rover · NHTSA safety record

2022 Land Rover Defender

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

71

Complaints

2

Crashes

0

Fires

1

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2022 Land Rover Defender have filed 71 safety complaints with NHTSA between November 2021 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 25 of them (35%). The typical failure was reported at 21,500 miles, the median across the 2 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 5 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (5)

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:PRETENSIONER

22V523000 · July 21, 2022

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2022-23 Land Rover Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport and 2022 Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners may be damaged, which can cause the seat belts to not properly restrain occupants.
The risk
Improperly restrained occupants have an increased risk of injury during a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the front seat belt assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N720.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 4,927 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

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 71.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 25 35%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 13 18%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 11 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 13%
ENGINE 6 8%
STEERING 4 6%
LANE DEPARTURE 3 4%
POWER TRAIN 3 4%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 4%
STRUCTURE 3 4%
AIR BAGS 2 3%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 2 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 30.

2021 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.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured

My vehicle had been at the Land Rover South Bay Service department from 11/3/21 to 11/10/21 because the suspension fault indicator had come on the prior week and the air suspension had temporarily failed. In addition, it occasionally does not start when I press the start button with my foot depressing the brake pedal and the key is in the car. It is a brand new vehicle with about 1,750 miles. On 11/11/21 I was driving the vehicle down a hill at approximately 40-45 MPH when the automatic emergency braking system self activated for no reason. The vehicle came to a rapid, abrupt stop and the closest vehicle in front of us was at least 20 yards ahead. There were no obstacles in the road.

NHTSA complaint 11440423, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

crash · towed

On 4/2/2026, my DC to DC converter failed in my 2022 Landrover Defender (owned 3 months, purchased pre-owned from dealer), which short-circuited both my 12V battery and my telemetric safety battery (location services, and emergency calls). The vehicle lost all power, completely malfunctioned electrically losing ability to accelerate, power steering, and everything went dark in the vehicle while driving on a highway. I immediately tried to get it to the shoulder but it lost momentum and stopped in the lane, with cars and semis coming around a blind corner at speed. It was a harrowing experience, the car started to roll backwards (on a slight incline, as it was a mountain pass) and a semi

NHTSA complaint 11731110, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash

I purchased a 2022 V8 after waiting about a year to get the vehicle. It mostly has been a good car until recently. I was pulling into my garage, which has a downhill grade, and there was ice on the surface of the driveway and subsequently slid into the corner of my garage going no more than 3-5 mph. Quarter size dent on the bumper, no big deal… I thought. Tried to reverse away from the garage and the car wouldn’t move. All of the warning lights appeared. I was able to finally get it to reserve but every time I would put it into drive from there, the parking brake would turn on and the brakes would lock up. I had it towed to a Land Rover dealership and apparently the entire ABS module has

NHTSA complaint 11502902, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The DRL a safety feature fails on the Defender L663 models 20-23 and LR will not fix. I have 40k miles on my 22. They want $3200 for a headlight but to me its a safety offering for daytime running lamps. Looks how many reporting it.

NHTSA complaint 11757349. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Component and System Failure: The front headlamp assembly's internal LED Daytime Running Lamp (DRL) circuit board failed prematurely. The component is not available for inspection upon request, as the failed headlamp assembly is currently still installed on the vehicle. Safety Risk: The sudden loss of the DRL severely reduces the vehicle's forward visibility (conspicuity) to oncoming traffic and pedestrians during daytime, overcast, and low-light conditions. This defect directly compromises federally mandated lighting safety standards, significantly increasing the risk of a front-end or intersection collision because other motorists cannot see the vehicle approaching. Confirmation and

NHTSA complaint 11757376, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Left front running light is not working. This type of issue prevents car from passing a State inspection. Issue is a halo DRLs failed. Issue is due to a failed LED module. The repair for this $40 module by the dealer is around $2,400. There were no warning lamps, messages or symptoms. A Police officer stopped me in a parking lot and pointed it out. It is not an infraction since it was daylight. However, car will not pass an inspection.

NHTSA complaint 11756967. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
1) Exhaust Manifold Studs are loosening and/or breaking on I6 engine causing potential CO2 exposure to passengers in the cabin and/or engine bay fire risk. 2) Potentailly yes via CO2. 3) Yes - out of factory warranty therefore had independent service center replace all studs 4) No 5) Not in my case but others on JLR Automotive Forums have heard rattling noises and found broken bolts that fell onto the skid plate directly below engine. *) In attached images below the final picture is of the repaired studs

NHTSA complaint 11756476. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My vehicle is losing power from the battery showing battery needs to recharge and its full charged have to turn interior lights off

NHTSA complaint 11752159. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EQUIPMENT

35,000 miles

The contact owns a 2022 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the raised air intake partially detached from the vehicle. The contact believed that the VIN should be included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24E102000 (Equipment, Structure) after the failure. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall and would be an out-of-pocket expense. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

NHTSA complaint 11750660. 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
2021 38 8
2020 52 6

Other 2022 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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst