2023 Land Rover Defender problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (30) · Visibility/Wiper (14) · Engine (10)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Land Rover Defender model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (10)
Electrical System:propulsion System:dc/Dc Converter 2026-09-17 · campaign 26V599000 · 23,677 vehicles
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 f
Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Air Bags:frontal 2026-06-12 · campaign 26V389000 · 250,857 vehicles
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.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: 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.
Electrical System:propulsion System:dc/Dc Converter 2026-04-17 · campaign 26V248000 · 170,169 vehicles
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). Insufficient electrical load balancing during times of high demand can lead to a current ove
Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the central software, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 17, 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 numbers for this recall are D126 and H575.
Equipment:electrical:infotainment:video (Touch)screen/Monitor/Unit 2025-01-16 · campaign 25V016000 · 28,370 vehicles
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."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Equipment 2024-12-06 · campaign 24E102000 · 485 vehicles
Defect: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Land Rover Defender vehicles equipped with Raised Air Intake (RAI) aftermarket accessory equipment, with part number VPLEP0543. The raised air intake may not be secured properly, which can allow the intake to detach from the vehicle.
Risk: A detached raised air intake can fall off the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect, and if necessary, remove and reinstall the RAI accessory, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed February 20, 2025. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N964.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:oil/Lubrication:filter/Screen 2024-06-17 · campaign 24V450000 · 2,013 vehicles
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.
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.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:critical Fasteners 2023-11-22 · campaign 23V789000 · 121 vehicles
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.
Risk: Detached brake calipers can reduce braking ability and cause structural wheel damage, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Child Seat:vehicle Tether Anchor 2023-03-02 · campaign 23V137000 · 812 vehicles
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.
Risk: A child seat with reduced strength may not properly restrain the occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:oil/Lubrication 2023-02-02 · campaign 23V044000 · 6,724 vehicles
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.
Risk: An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Seat Belts:pretensioner 2022-07-21 · campaign 22V523000 · 4,927 vehicles
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.
Risk: Improperly restrained occupants have an increased risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (406)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-09-25 · SSM76493 - 25SEP26 · Other
accessory wheel arch protection - gaps present between protection and vehicle body
Engine 2026-09-18 · Turbocharger Coolant Feed · Other
turbocharger coolant feed / return leak
Engine 2026-09-18 · D011 Defender 18SEP26 · Other
coolant bypass hose leak
Engine 2026-08-21 · D061 Defender 21AUG26 · Other
turbocharger coolant feed / return leak
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-21 · D011 Defender 21AUG26 · Other
coolant bypass hose leak
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-21 · SSM76492 - 20AUG26 · Other
tcu activation failure and incontrol app inoperative after software update
Showing the 6 most recent of 406 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-28 · Engine · 43,000 mi“the contact owns a 2023 land rover defender. the contact stated that while driving 67 mph, the vehicle lost automotive power, and all electrical features shut off. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the failure was not duplicated. the vehicle was towed to another dealer to be diagnosed, and t…”
2026-10-28 · Electrical System“the contact owns a 2023 land rover defender. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 26v248000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. the manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that parts were not yet available.…”
2026-10-24 · Exterior Lighting“the headlight-halo/daytime running has failed on the driver side headlight.…”
2026-10-23 · Electrical System“the contact owns a 2023 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 manufact…”
2026-10-19 · Exterior Lighting“without warning, the driver's side front daytime running light (drl) signature halo ring suffered a complete electrical failure while driving. the low-beam projector and high-beam lamps continue to function, but the primary forward signature drl element is completely inoperative due to what appears to be an internal circuit/led driver board failure…”
2026-10-19 · Exterior Lighting“a warning sign appeared stating the battery was not charging (something like that). when i turned off the car, another warning said to keep the car turned on the battery was low. i kept the car on and began to drive home, very quickly more warnings appeared, power was diminished, so i pulled into a parking lot and the car completely stopped. t…”
2026-10-16 · Electrical System“we purchased this vehicle new on 3/22/23. on 3/23/24 we started having "charging system fault" red warning lights on the dash. our first service to remedy this issue was on 3/23/24 with 288 miles on the vehicle. we have continued to have these issues, which has ultimately been determined to be related to the current open recall (nhtsa recall num…”
2026-09-28 · Exterior Lighting“my 2023 land rover defender 130 x dynamic is less than four years old and recently passed its 50,000-mile new-vehicle warranty limit. a led daytime running light (drl) should not fail this early. the integrated front daytime running light "halo" led module inside the sealed premium headlamp assembly failed and is completely dark. low/ high beams an…”
2026-08-28 · Air Bags“airbag warning light is on. dealer states that this is caused by the wire harness under the seat getting caught when seat moves and breaks the wire continuity. dealer states that several of these incidents have been observed in many vehicles as the harness design is prone to being trapped in the seat movement mechanism. dealer states that the passe…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.