RoadVitals

2025 Land Rover Defender

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
13
+1 complaint in 30 days
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
2
Latest Jun 12, 2026
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1

Overview

Our database contains 13 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2025 Land Rover Defender, most frequently naming the visibility, powertrain (other) and electrical categories. 2 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 188 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Visibility743.8%
  • Powertrain (other)318.8%
  • Electrical212.5%
  • Steering16.3%
  • Other / unspecified16.3%
  • Engine16.3%
  • Fuel system16.3%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

2 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
26V389000

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Jun 12, 2026
250,857 units potentially affected
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, LLCManufacturer number D120View on NHTSA.gov
24E102000

EQUIPMENT; STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

Dec 6, 2024
485 units potentially affected
The 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.
The risk: A detached raised air intake can fall off the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
The 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.
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLCManufacturer number N964View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 13
Other / unspecified
Filed Sep 10, 2026

My child was in the car seat and I noticed that the harness was not staying tight. I did research and apparently if a small object and or crumbs gets stuck under the fastener the harness won’t lock in place. I reached out to the manufacturer and they failed to do anything about this. They have no warnings regarding it and did not want to replace it. Something must be down, if this is happening on mine it is happening to many others.

NHTSA ID
11763448
Incident
Sep 6, 2026
Visibility
Filed Jul 14, 2026

The windshield cracked the 1st week owned the car. Land Rover didn’t warranty the windshield and have to buy a new one for 2500. The second windshield got a rock chip and now it expanded into a crack over 3 days.

NHTSA ID
11750447
Incident
Jul 11, 2025
Visibility
Filed May 7, 2026

I am now on my 4th windshield on my 2025 Land Rover Defender 110. I have had 5 chips/cracks on these windshields. Only 1 crack was from a rock that you might expect glass breakage, the others were all caused by small pebble sized road gravel that was more like insect splatter. Safelite was repairing 1 very small chip and the windshield cracked during this common repair. Clearly the provided glass is substandard and should be upgraded for all Land Rover Defenders. I now never drive this car without the thought of another windshield break that’s about to occur.

NHTSA ID
11736334
Incident
May 6, 2026
Visibility
Filed May 7, 2026

I am now on my 4th windshield on my 2025 Land Rover Defender 110. I have had 5 chips/cracks on these windshields. Only 1 crack was from a rock that you might expect glass breakage, the others were all caused by small pebble sized road gravel that was more like insect splatter. Safelite was repairing 1 very small chip and the windshield cracked during this common repair. Clearly the provided glass is substandard and should be upgraded for all Land Rover Defenders. I now never drive this car without the thought of another windshield break that’s about to occur.

NHTSA ID
11736333
Incident
Dec 17, 2025
Visibility
Filed May 7, 2026

I am now on my 4th windshield on my 2025 Land Rover Defender 110. I have had 5 chips/cracks on these windshields. Only 1 crack was from a rock that you might expect glass breakage, the others were all caused by small pebble sized road gravel that was more like insect splatter. Safelite was repairing 1 very small chip and the windshield cracked during this common repair. Clearly the provided glass is substandard and should be upgraded for all Land Rover Defenders. I now never drive this car without the thought of another windshield break that’s about to occur.

NHTSA ID
11736331
Incident
Nov 26, 2025
Visibility
Filed Mar 23, 2026

30 years of car ownership have never had a chipped or cracked windshield. 2025 Land Rover Defender has had 3 rock chips in a year and now a 20" crack from very minor impact from a pebble. This windshield has a design flaw and is extremely fragile.

NHTSA ID
11726310
Incident
Mar 20, 2026
Visibility
Filed Mar 1, 2026

Driving down the road and my windshield spontaneously cracked. No road debris, no rock, no trauma or accident.

NHTSA ID
11721273
Incident
Feb 27, 2026
ElectricalPowertrain (other)Steering
Filed Feb 17, 2026

While driving on Back Rd in New Hampshire at approximately 30 mph on Saturday, Feb 14, the vehicle suddenly lost power steering assist and simultaneously shifted into neutral. I received warning messages and immediately lost propulsion. Luckily, there was no traffic on the road with me, but that is not always the case on this particular road. I had to manually steer the vehicle without power assist and muscle it to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was disabled in the road and required towing. The vehicle has approximately 5,400 miles and is a 2025 model year, purchased in late June of 2025. The dealer has indicated the likely cause is a failed DC-DC converter, and I have been told the part is on backorder with extended delays. I've look online at forums, and it sounds like this is a widespread known issue that effects Land Rover cars with model years of 2022 and potentially prior as well. This sudden loss of steering assist and propulsion created a safety hazard in traffic, and it is possible that Land Rover has known about this issue for awhile.

NHTSA ID
11718508
Incident
Feb 14, 2026

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

SSM76110 - 21AUG26

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Vehicles on display e.g. in a showroom whilst being supported by a showroom 12v support unit, these vehicles require an additional fuse to be removed to prevent the MHEV (48v) battery draining and causing the cells to drop to a non recoverable level. Failure to follow this process will void the warranty cover on this battery.

D048 Defender 21AUG26

Jump Start Information Label Missing

SSM76487 - 20AUG26

Air Conditioning Inoperative / Intermittent Operation

SSM76492 - 20AUG26

TCU Activation Failure And InControl App Inoperative After Software Update

SSM76110 - 19AUG26

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Vehicles on display e.g. in a showroom whilst being supported by a showroom 12v support unit, these vehicles require an additional fuse to be removed to prevent the MHEV (48v) battery draining and causing the cells to drop to a non recoverable level. Failure to follow this process will void the warranty cover on this battery.

SSM76477 - 21JUL26

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

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Land Rover Defender by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026630—
2025Viewing132055.1
2024257160.9
20238110057.1
2022737059.6
20214110055.7
2020558057.6
2019000—
2004000—
2003100—
2002300—
2001100—
2000000—
1999100—
1998000—
1997000—
1996000—
1995120—
1994010—
1993210—
1992010—
1990100—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.