RoadVitals

2021 Land Rover Discovery Sport

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.
4
Latest Jan 6, 2026
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.
1
Latest Aug 26, 2021
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 4 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Land Rover Discovery Sport, most frequently naming the engine, powertrain (other) and electrical categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 347 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

  • Engine233.3%
  • Powertrain (other)233.3%
  • Electrical116.7%
  • Steering116.7%

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

1 campaign 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
21V668000

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR; SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

Aug 26, 2021
32,687 units potentially affected
The defect: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2021 Range Rover, 2022 Range Rover Sport, 2020-2021 Range Rover Velar, Discovery Sport, 2020-2022 Discovery, and Defender vehicles. The seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly.
The risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
The 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.
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLCManufacturer number N630View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

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

Powertrain (other)
Filed Jan 6, 2026

My Land Rover Discovery Sport has experienced six separate stalling / loss-of-propulsion events, all of which created dangerous highway situations. On multiple occasions, the vehicle either entered limp mode or stalled completely while traveling at approximately 65 mph, endangering all lanes of traffic and forcing unsafe maneuvers to reach the shoulder. These incidents occurred without warning at random times and completely disappearing after a restart. Two of these stalling events occurred after the vehicle was inspected and “diagnosed” by an authorized Land Rover dealer for 400$ and returned to me as having no issues. Both of those post-diagnosis failures required towing back to the dealer at my own cost. One of the six incidents required a 911 call due to the vehicle stalling in active freeway traffic and creating an immediate safety hazard. The issue is intermittent and often clears temporarily after the vehicle is shut off, making it difficult for dealers to reproduce. However, the defect consistently reappears shortly after driving. The vehicle has now been in the possession of an authorized Land Rover dealer for approximately 3.5 months, and no repair or root cause has been identified. The vehicle remains undrivable and unsafe to operate. I am concerned this represents a systemic defect, potentially software-related, that causes sudden loss of propulsion and stalling at highway speeds without warning.

NHTSA ID
11709287
Incident
Oct 12, 2025
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Nov 9, 2024

Major misfires in the engine cylinders at 56800 miles. I bought the car from Willis Auto in Des Moines Ia in October of 2021 Brand new. I am the one and only driver/owner of this vehicle. I came out of my home in Omaha Ne on or about [XXX], to which I attempted to drive my vehicle. The car engine began shaking and would not stay on. I then had the car towed in to Land Rover of Omaha which is the closest Land Rover dealership. I was initially told everything was fine except it needed to change the spark plugs. To which I agreed to have the repairs done. I was later notified that the car that I have is notorious for engine failure around 60k. I was told that the suggested repairs would be a new engine priced at 27k. I am under my LR warranty for length of ownership being under for years, however the mileage is over 6,800 miles. So I would not be covered under my power train warranty. This engine failure is definitely not just a one off situation. The dealership has said they don't understand why it is failed and have confirmed that it should not be failing this soon. I believe this is something that JAGUAR Land Rover is aware of any dispite that knowledge they are continuing to sell these cars and pass the costly repairs on to the unsuspecting consumer. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11624376
Incident
Nov 6, 2024
ElectricalSteering
Filed Sep 24, 2022

The ignition does not turn on or the car will not power on with the key. The car has been at the dealership for a month and they have been unable to repair what is clearly an electronic problem with the vehicle. The power button in the ignition does not power up and the vehicle does not start.

NHTSA ID
11486155
Incident
Jul 29, 2022
Engine
Filed Sep 24, 2021

The vehicle has a transmission problem. The vehicle will shut off at a stop and will come out of gear. I have been sitting at a traffic light and when the light turns green the car will not move (it goes back into neutral). When this happens I have to turn the engine off and restart the car before it will go into drive. When I back out of my driveway onto the main road and then place the vehicle in drive the vehicle will not go into gear leaving me and the car stranded in the road. This vehicle is going to get me injured or killed. Someone is going to hit me because I cannot move out of the way. I have almost been hit numerous times because I cannot get out of the way of oncoming traffic. The car has been back to the manufacturer 3 times now (this time they have had the car 22 days and it is still not repaired). No warning lights have come on before the incident, however the check engine light will appear after the car fails to go into gear.

NHTSA ID
11434223
Incident
Apr 1, 2021

Manufacturer communications

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

SSM76477 - 21JUL26

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

E002 - 20JUL26

Exhaust System Oxygen (O2) Sensors - Extended Warranty

N869 Discovery 16JUN26

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.

N869 Discovery 15MAY26

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.

N892v3 - 01MAY26

ENGINE

Arduous customer drive cycles have been found to accelerate the degradation of engine oil, leading to generation of engine oil sludge deposits in high pressure engine oil galleries of the engine and inside the Continuous Variable Valve Lift (CVVL) unit.

N869 Discovery 17APR26

Software Over The Air (SOTA) updates are failing to complete

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 Discovery Sport by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026000—
2025510—
2024020—
2023320—
2022410—
2021Viewing410—
2020124062.1
2019200038.0
2018211047.3
2017392151.9
2016512159.5
2015142153.0
2014000—

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.