2023 Land Rover Defender

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 called the dealership (Land Rover Rocklin) and had the car towed to it, then rented a truck to finish my vacation and get the family and our gear home. At the dealership, Rocklin required a brand-new factory battery to run tests on the failed DC-DC converter. They confirmed the converter failed under Recall 26V-248 and replaced the unit with the same recalled part. To get through this ordeal, I incurred $3,036.13 in direct out-of-pocket costs (towing, rentals, batteries, tools). Despite written confirmation from Jaguar Land Rover Corporate Customer Care agreeing to reimburse these recall expenses, Jaguar Land Rover has since passed me between departments, applied arbitrary roadside assistance caps, and ultimately refused to issue a refund, imposing an illegal financial burden on me to remedy a federal safety defect. I can supply all receipts. Specific Incident Details Component / System Failure: The DC-DC Converter failed internally (NHTSA Recall 26V-248 / JLR Campaign D126), causing a complete loss of 12V charging. Safety Risk: The failure occurred on remote mountain roads without cell service. A complete loss of 12V power threatens power steering, braking assistance, and vehicle propulsion while driving. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11753125

Incident

Jul 3, 2026

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 ID

11752192

Incident

Jun 20, 2026

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 ID

11751772

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

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 ID

11744833

Incident

Jun 17, 2026

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 ID

11744806

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

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 to oncoming traffic, pedestrians, and cyclists, increasing the risk of a collision. **Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?** Yes. The failure was confirmed by an authorized Land Rover dealership, which inspected the vehicle and verified that the front passenger-side headlight had failed. **Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others?** The vehicle was inspected by an authorized Land Rover dealership, which confirmed the headlight failure. No inspection has been conducted by police or insurance representatives at this time. **Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear?** There were no warning lamps, dashboard messages, flickering, dimming, or any other symptoms prior to the failure. The headlight failed suddenly and without any advance warning, providing no opportunity to anticipate or respond to the malfunction before it occurred.

NHTSA ID

11743158

Incident

Jun 1, 2025

Daytime running lights have both failed within the last 79 days. Passenger side failed at ~32660 miles o/a 05 Mar 26. It was replaced under warranty. Driver side failed around 36234 miles on 22 May 26 (5-days out of warranty). It is pending a shop appointment for replacement. This is not a “wear and tear” issue, it is a product quality control issue. It is not a simple plug and play repair. It is a costly repair due to the design of the headlamp assembly. I have owned vehicles since 1988 and last changed a headlamp or taillight bulb in the early 2000’s and that was on a MY93 vehicle. I have also owned two other Land Rovers MY07 LR3 from 2008-2011 and MY14 LR4 from 2014-2022 and did not have to replace a single bulb in the vehicle. Point is that technology and quality have improved over the years and these headlamp/DRL assemblies should not fail with less than 36500 miles on the vehicle. This is a known issue that warrants further investigation. Jaguar Land Rover has issued a Special Service Message 75479 concerning the known issue with the Defender DRL. My DRLs failed in similar fashion described in the SSM. Inoperable DRL reduces safety due to lower visibility since they should operate during normal driving conditions. This issue is dangerous since there is no indication on the dashboard or other warning unless the headlights are manually inspected while the vehicle is operating. Additionally, inoperable DRL leads to a failed State vehicle safety inspections.

NHTSA ID

11739874

Incident

May 22, 2026

SUPPLEMENTAL TO NHTSA COMPLAINT #11728718 (RECALL 26V248000) On March 2, 2026, my 2023 Land Rover Defender was at a dealership for approximately 3.5 hours for key fob programming. At that time, Jaguar Land Rover had an active service message (SSM76173) related to DC-DC converter failures. Within 24 hours of leaving the dealership, the DC-DC converter failed. The vehicle displayed a “Charging System Fault” warning and became inoperable, consistent with the failure described in my original complaint #11728718. I contacted the dealership immediately with information about the issue. They told me that what I experienced aligned with the DC Converter failures that have been reported. I asked if I could get my Defender picked up or if they could at least provide a loaner car if I could somehow get my Defender to them. The dealership declined towing assistance and did not provide a loaner vehicle, citing that I was beyond the mileage limit of the warranty. I was also told that loaner vehicles were reserved for customers who purchased their vehicle at that location. Because I live approximately 4 hours from the dealership and the vehicle was not safely operable, I arranged my own repair. Due to a national backorder, the vehicle was unusable for an extended period (about a month). I purchased a genuine replacement DC-DC converter and paid for expedited shipping. Total out-of-pocket cost exceeded $970. On April 23, 2026, Jaguar Land Rover issued Recall 26V248000 for this defect. Communication with JLR about this incident started on April 7, 2026. On April 23, 2026 at 8:05 am EST (following the announcement of the recall), I was offered a final settlement off of a $458 retailer credit. However, I was instructed that I needed to return to the dealership (4 hours away) for inspection of a vehicle that has already been repaired using an OEM part. I am submitting this update to document the failure, the repair, and the manufacturer’s response following the recall.

NHTSA ID

11733338

Incident

Apr 23, 2026

Intermittent Passive Entry Operation 24MY Or With New Service Smart Key Fob.

Coolant Bypass Hose Leak

Turbocharger Coolant Feed / Return Leak

A low-speed ‘clonk’ type noise from the rear driveline, audible during low speed throttle inputs, often coupled with up/down gear changes. The noise is audible during normal road driving conditions.

Unable to select Navigation when pressing the navigation Tile on theTouchscreen.

Software Over The Air (SOTA) updates are failing to complete. Specifically Vehicle Domain Controller (VDC) PIVI and Gateway Module A (GWM). These vehicles have now been stopped from further SOTA attempts and require a wired intervention.