RoadVitals

2026 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.
6
+2 complaints 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.
3
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.
0

Overview

Our database contains 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2026 Land Rover Defender, most frequently naming the electrical, airbags and brakes categories. 3 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 56 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

  • Electrical228.6%
  • Airbags114.3%
  • Brakes114.3%
  • Engine114.3%
  • Exterior lighting114.3%
  • Powertrain (other)114.3%

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

3 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
26V263000

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

Apr 23, 2026
6 units potentially affected
The defect: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2026 Land Rover Defender vehicles. The fuel tank was improperly manufactured with walls that are too thin.
The risk: In the event of a crash, an improperly manufactured fuel tank may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed June 19, 2026. Owners may contact Land Rover's customer service at 800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is D127.
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLCManufacturer number D127View on NHTSA.gov
26V163000

SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS

Mar 18, 2026
582 units potentially affected
The defect: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2026 Land Rover Defender vehicles. The third-row lower seat belt anchorage bracket may have an insufficient weld stud.
The risk: A seat belt assembly with an insufficient weld may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy: Dealers will replace the third-row lower seat belt anchorage bracket or the weld-stud on the bracket, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 19, 2026. Owners may contact Land Rover's customer service at 800-637-6837. Land Rover's numbers for this recall are D098 and D113.
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLCManufacturer number D098 D113View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Sep 23, 2026

My instrument cluster will dim to a nearly unreadable level at random times during the day. This appears to be a common and documented issue with Land Rover Defenders. I have seen a multitude of forum posts going back several years about this issue. There are no settings in the system that allow me to adjust this or prevent it from happening.

NHTSA ID
11766434
Incident
Sep 23, 2026
Electrical
Filed Sep 19, 2026

Driving along when electrical warning light came on and car died. Coasted into safe parking space. Would not start. Dash controls would not respond. This is the day after we bought it. It had been on trickle charge at the dealership and drove fine the evening we bought it. It was fine driving in the morning. So the battery should have been fully charged.

NHTSA ID
11765553
Incident
Sep 19, 2026
Filed Aug 23, 2026

Red Error code popped up about battery. Then vehicle completely shut down. Was unable to put it in gear in order to move it to a safe place, therefore my vehicle blocked traffic. Fortunately this incident did not occur on the interstate where my vehicle could have been completely totaled or I could have been killed. I have less than 2500 miles on my vehicle, this should not have happened. It is currently in service waiting to be diagnosed.

NHTSA ID
11758849
Incident
Aug 21, 2026
Filed Aug 9, 2026

WE WERE DREIVING ALONG AT 40 MILES PER HOUR THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON A EMERGECY WARING CAME ON 2 SECONDS LATER AND THE CAR COMPLETE STOP WENT DEAD. THE CAR WAS TOWED BACK TO THE DELAERSHIP AND SET THEIR BEING WORKED ON FOR 3 WEEKS, WE NEVER GOT A INDICAITO AS TO WHAT HAPPENED, GET CAR BACK 3 DAYS LATER CHECK ENGONE LIOGHT ON AGAIN. THIS TIME WE PULLED OVER ON THE ROAD AND CALLED ROADSIDE, CAR WAS PICK UP 10 DASY AGON NO COMMUNICATIONS FROM DEALER. THIS IS A SATEFY HAZARD THAT NEED TO BE REVIWED

NHTSA ID
11755745
Incident
Jul 30, 2026
Airbags
Filed Aug 4, 2026

Dealership sold me vehicle with open recall

NHTSA ID
11754768
Incident
Jul 13, 2026
BrakesEnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Jul 8, 2026

The transmission has failed twice while the vehicle was in motion, causing loss of gear control and, on one occasion, loss of parking brake function. Incident 1 — March 24, 2026: While driving on the highway, the transmission failed and the vehicle entered a "safety mode." The vehicle was in dealer service for 8 days at Findlay Land Rover. Incident 2 — July 4, 2026, approximately 9:55 AM, at 6.1 miles into the trip, near South Buffalo Drive / Summerlin Parkway, Las Vegas, NV: While making a right turn off the Summerlin Parkway exit, the vehicle suddenly shifted into neutral with no prior warning. A check engine light and "Gearbox fault detected" alert appeared on the dashboard. The vehicle coasted downhill and my worker was able to steer it to the shoulder. Once stopped, the gearshift would not engage any gear other than neutral, and the electronic parking brake also failed to engage. My worker kept his foot on the brake pedal continuously and did not turn off the engine, fearing the vehicle could not be safely towed otherwise. A tow was requested at 10:09 AM and arrived at 11:01 AM; at that point the parking brake functioned again, and the vehicle was winched onto the tow truck. The vehicle was dropped off at Land Rover Las Vegas at 11:41 AM. Upon repair pickup on July 7, 2026, the service advisor stated the issue was software-related — the vehicle's computer had taken the transmission offline. The malfunctioning transmission and intermittent loss of parking brake function on a moving public road presents a serious safety risk, particularly since the failure occurred without warning during normal driving conditions.

NHTSA ID
11749201
Incident
Jul 4, 2026

Manufacturer communications

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

D089 Defender 21AUG26

Engine coolant temperature amber warning is not enabled and not displayed on the instrument panel cluster. The engine coolant temperature amber warning gives the vehicle driver more warning and time to react to the engine getting hot. If the engine coolant temperature amber warning is not enabled the first warning for engine overheating is a red warning displayed on the instrument panel cluster, this then leads to engine power restriction to protect the vehicle.

SSM76492 - 20AUG26

TCU Activation Failure And InControl App Inoperative After Software Update

SSM76487 - 20AUG26

Air Conditioning Inoperative / Intermittent Operation

D048 Defender 21AUG26

Jump Start Information Label Missing

SSM76477 - 21JUL26

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

D048 Defender 17JUL26

Jump Start Information Label Missing

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
2026Viewing630—
2025132055.1
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.