CSR

Land Rover · NHTSA safety record

2023 Land Rover Defender

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

78

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2023 Land Rover Defender have filed 78 safety complaints with NHTSA between May 2022 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 38 of them (49%). The typical failure was reported at 50,500 miles, the median across the 4 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

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

25V016000 · January 16, 2025

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2023 Discovery Sport, 2023-2024 Defender, and 2023 Range Rover Evoque vehicles. The touchscreen in the center console may go blank at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the touchscreen software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2025. Owners may contact Land Rover's customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N972.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 28,370 vehicles across all model years covered

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:FILTER/SCREEN

24V450000 · June 17, 2024

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Defender, 2024 Discovery, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover Velar vehicles. The oil filter housing can crack and leak oil into the engine compartment.
The risk
An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components, can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the filter housing, oil filter, and o-rings, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 27, 2024. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N908.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 2,013 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:CRITICAL FASTENERS

23V789000 · November 22, 2023

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 vehicles modified for the TRek Off-Road Competition. The brake calipers may not be reinstalled properly, allowing the brake calipers to detach.
The risk
Detached brake calipers can reduce braking ability and cause structural wheel damage, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will reinstall the brake calipers, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 18, 2024. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N848.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 121 vehicles across all model years covered

CHILD SEAT:VEHICLE TETHER ANCHOR

23V137000 · March 2, 2023

The defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 vehicles equipped with third-row seats. The third-row seatback latch may not latch properly, reducing the strength of a child seat installed to the top tether.
The risk
A child seat with reduced strength may not properly restrain the occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the third-row seat frame and components, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 24, 2023. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N768.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC · up to 812 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

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 78.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 38 49%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 14 18%
ENGINE 12 15%
STEERING 7 9%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 6 8%
LANE DEPARTURE 6 8%
POWER TRAIN 6 8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 4%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 3%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 1%
INTERIOR LIGHTING 1 1%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 41.

2022 2026
2022 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.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

towed · 61,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle shut off unintendedly. There was an unknown electrical warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failure with the DC converter Part Number: 433123464. The contact was informed that the part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because the part was on backorder. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

NHTSA complaint 11713553. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

towed · 40,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 – 60 MPH, the vehicle suddenly shuddered and vibrated with several unknown warning lights illuminated and flashing before the vehicle abruptly stalled and lost power in the middle of the freeway. The vehicle lost steering and braking functionality and was unable to accelerate. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that several vehicles almost crashed into the rear of the vehicle, and a semi-truck came to a screeching halt behind the vehicle. The contact experienced an extreme panic attack and severe anxiety during the failure. The Emergency Services were called to the scene and

NHTSA complaint 11719441, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Three days before leaving for a trip from [XXX] to [XXX] my Land Rover Defender gave me a Low Battery warning. There was no time to take it to the dealership so I bought a new battery and put it in myself, then drove the 700 miles to [XXX]. My family and I were traveling in a remote area 6 miles from our vacation rental, with no cellular service, when our Defender suddenly threw an electrical fault warning on the dashboard asking us to pull over safely, on XXX. We made it to the vacation rental, then I borrowed a family member's car and went into [XXX] to buy tools to see if the battery was charging and if I could safely drive it to the nearest dealer or even home. It was not charging. So I

NHTSA complaint 11753125, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The Halo/daylight running light has burned out. I have found on the internet that this is a know issue. Mine burned out at 57,000 miles. The dealer wants over $3000 to fix it.

NHTSA complaint 11752192. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
Front windshield is extremely fragile. The smallest rock will create a chip which will spider across the windshield within a couple days. I have an older Land Rover and there have been more rocks with only a few small chips and no spider. Cheap glass installed on the new Land Rovers.

NHTSA complaint 11751772. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The DC/DC converter failed and caused the vehicle to immediately lose all power at a main intersection. My wife was driving the vehicle when this happened with out two children in the vehicle as well (ages [XXX] and [XXX]. Luckily, she was able to somewhat get out of intersection of a very busy road. The vehicle had to be towed to the Land Rover dealership. The part was covered by a factory extended warranty. There is an active recall for this part; however, this vehicle does not show to be in the recall. Since this part did fail, I wanted to file a complaint since it is not in the recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11744806. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Defender. The contact received a recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V248000 (Electrical System) however the parts were unavailable. The contact stated that the vehicle was a hazard and unsafe to drive. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced any failure regarding the unrepaired recall repair.

NHTSA complaint 11744833. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The front light **What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request?** The front passenger-side (right) headlight failed completely on my Land Rover Defender. The headlight assembly, including the bulb and/or associated electrical components, ceased functioning without any prior indication of a problem. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. **How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk?** The sudden loss of a front headlight significantly reduced visibility while driving at night, creating a serious safety hazard for myself, passengers, and other road users. Reduced lighting also diminishes the vehicle's visibility

NHTSA complaint 11743158, 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
2025 12 1
2024 24 5
2022 71 5
2021 38 8
2020 52 6

Other 2023 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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