Car Defect Radar
Get the report
Built from NHTSA complaints and recalls collected for this model, generated October 26, 2026. Totals reflect what has been collected, not every complaint ever filed.
Confirm 9 recalls before you buy.

Ask the seller for proof the repair was completed, or run the free VIN check. Recall repairs are done at no cost by a dealer.

Recalls

10 total · 9 to confirm

Safety issues the manufacturer must repair for free. A recall means confirm the fix was done, not walk away.

Electrical system recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 26V599000 · Sep 2026

A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

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.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Airbags recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 26V389000 · Jun 2026

An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.

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.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Electrical system recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 26V248000 · Apr 2026

A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy
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.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Safety recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 24E102000 · Dec 2024

A detached raised air intake can fall off the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy
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.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Engine recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 23V044000 · Feb 2023

An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

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.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Seat belts recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 21V668000 · Aug 2021

An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

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.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Safety recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 21V584000 · Jul 2021

Incorrect child restraint information may result in a child seat being improperly secured, which can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

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.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Safety recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 21V499000 · Jul 2021

A seat that is not properly locked into place can move unintentionally during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

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.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Exterior lighting recall

Confirm it was repairedRecall 21V435000 · Jun 2021

Turn signals, brake lights, and tail lights that fail to illuminate can reduce visibility to other drivers and increase the risk of a crash.

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.
Status
Remedy available. Confirm by VIN that this repair was completed.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Transmission recall

Fixed over the airRecall 21V424000 · Jun 2021

An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.

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.
Status
Corrected automatically through an over-the-air software update.
What to do
Enter the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to confirm this car was repaired.

Owner complaints by system

39 total

Unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA, grouped by the part of the car. Useful for spotting patterns. Open a group to read recent examples.

Engine & powertrain

Minor
1

Most reports here involve fluid leaks.

fluid leaks 1
A recent report: The contact owned a 2021 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the contact noticed a fuel odor while driving. The contact continued driving; however, the fuel odor…
Read full complaint

The contact owned a 2021 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the contact noticed a fuel odor while driving. The contact continued driving; however, the fuel odor had grown stronger. The contact arrived at the residence and inspected the vehicle, and became aware that the main fuel line had fractured, causing fuel to leak onto the engine. The dealer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was no longer covered under warranty, and there was no recall on the VIN related to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact traded the vehicle with another dealer, Courtesy Subaru 601 E Omaha St, Rapid City, SD 57701, and no longer owns the vehicle. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the repair was not covered under a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11692274 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Electrical & infotainment

Minor
17

Most reports here involve premature wear.

premature wear 3software faults 2
A recent report: 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…
Read full complaint

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 replace the entire headlight assembly at a cost of thousands of dollars out-of-pocket, as the vehicle is past its standard factory warranty.This is a critical safety issue. The loss of the daytime running light significantly reduces vehicle visibility to other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists during daytime hours and adverse weather conditions. Furthermore, the complete unexpected failure of safety-critical exterior lighting elements creates an unnecessary hazard on public roads.Land Rover is fully aware of this thermal design flaw but has failed to issue a safety recall to update the defective cooling or electrical components within these headlamp assemblies. I request that the NHTSA investigate this systemic lighting failure and mandate a manufacturer recall to replace these defective units before visibility-related accidents occur.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11763882 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Steering, suspension & tires

Minor
2

Most reports here involve loss of steering.

loss of steering 1sudden stalling 1
A recent report: Vehicle suspension fault detected light turned on. Vehicle keeps adjusting on its own while on the freeway in traffic. Feels like it stalls. Hear popping noise. Vehicle only had 14k miles and was…
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Vehicle suspension fault detected light turned on. Vehicle keeps adjusting on its own while on the freeway in traffic. Feels like it stalls. Hear popping noise. Vehicle only had 14k miles and was never used for off roading.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11649892 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Structure & body

Minor
18

Most reports here involve other issues.

other issues 18
A recent report: 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…
Read full complaint

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 mileage was 35,000.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11748533 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Other systems

Minor
1

Most reports here involve other issues.

other issues 1
A recent report: See attached document for complaint.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11650434 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Is 39 complaints a lot? They were filed between 2021 and 2026, roughly 8 a year, which is about the same as the typical model in this dataset. We do not have sales figures for this model, so treat this as a rough volume, not a rate per car on the road. Popular, high-volume models naturally collect more complaints over time.

How does it compare with other years? The 2021 has 39 complaints on file, fewer than the 2020 (55) and fewer than the 2022 (73). Of the 6 model years of the Land Rover Defender we cover, the 2023 has the most (81). Older model years have had longer to collect complaints.