Land Rover Defender Reliability
Quick answer
Across model years 2020–2026, owners filed 318 complaints about the Land Rover Defender with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system and exterior lighting, and NHTSA lists 19 recall campaigns. We have no published sales figures for the Defender to turn that into a per-1,000-sold rate, so these counts compare its model years with each other, not with other models. CarWhere's year-by-year verdict engine flags 2022 and 2023 as years to avoid. Model years 2024–2026 have had less than three years on the road, so their complaint counts are still building.
By CarWhere Research · Last reviewed 2026-11-10 · Source: NHTSA
318
NHTSA owner complaints (2020–2026)
3
Complaints citing a crash
19
Recall campaigns
2
Years to avoid
Most-reported Land Rover Defender problems
NHTSA owner complaints for model years 2020–2026, by the component owners named, filed 2020–2026. A complaint can name more than one component. The last three columns count complaints that report a crash, a fire or an injury.
| Component | Complaints | Share | Crash | Fire | Injury |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 112 | 35% | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Exterior lighting | 67 | 21% | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility / wipers | 56 | 18% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Engine | 38 | 12% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 26 | 8% | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Powertrain / transmission | 20 | 6% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Body structure | 12 | 4% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane departure | 11 | 3% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Of all 318 complaints, 3 (1%) report a crash, 3 (1%) a fire and 2 (1%) an injury.
Land Rover Defender complaints by model year
Where problems concentrate. Year flags come from CarWhere's year-by-year verdict engine, which compares each Defender model year with the model's other years.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Most-reported area | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 58 | 8 | Exterior lighting | — |
| 2021 | 42 | 10 | Exterior lighting | — |
| 2022 | 79 | 7 | Electrical system | Avoid |
| 2023 | 93 | 10 | Electrical system | Avoid |
| 2024(new) | 27 | 8 | Electrical system | — |
| 2025(new) | 13 | 2 | Visibility / wipers | — |
| 2026(new) | 6 | 3 | Electrical system | — |
Raw counts are not adjusted for how many of each year were sold, and older years have had longer to collect complaints. Years marked "new" have had less than three years on the road. — = not flagged either way.
Land Rover Defender recalls
NHTSA lists 19 recall campaigns across Land Rover Defender model years 2020–2026. The ones below cover the most model years. Recall repairs are free at a dealer.
| NHTSA campaign | Model years | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26V389000Jun 13, 2026 | 2020–2026 | Air bags — frontal | 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… |
| 24E102000Dec 6, 2024 | 2020–2025 | Equipment | 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… |
| 26V599000Sep 17, 2026 | 2020–2024 | Electrical system — propulsion system / dc/dc converter | Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2019-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, 2020-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Land Rover Defender, 2021-2024 Land… |
| 26V248000Apr 17, 2026 | 2020–2024 | Electrical system — propulsion system / dc/dc converter | Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2021-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Velar and Land Rover Discovery, 2020-2023 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, 2019-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, 2020-2024 Land Rover… |
| 23V044000Feb 2, 2023 | 2020–2023 | Engine & cooling — engine / oil/lubrication | Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Range Rover Sport, 2020-2023 Range Rover, Defender, 2022-2023 Discovery, and 2023 Range Rover Velar vehicles. The engine cam carrier oil channel may be… |
Best and worst Defender years
- Years to avoid: 2022 and 2023.
- No model year stands out as clearly better than the rest.
- 2024–2026: too new to judge fully; complaint counts are still building.
What to inspect on a used Land Rover Defender
Based on the components owners report most. None of these replaces an independent pre-purchase inspection.
- Electrical: test every light, window, lock, the infotainment screen and the charging system; scan for stored fault codes.
- Lights: check headlights (low and high), brake lights and turn signals; condensation inside the housings is worth noting.
- Visibility: test the wipers at every speed, washers, defrosters and the climate system (fogging is a common complaint).
- Engine: cold-start it yourself, listen for ticking or knocking, check for oil leaks and oil consumption, and ask for oil-change records.
- Recalls: check the VIN for open recalls; open recalls are repaired free at a dealer.
- History: run the VIN for salvage, theft and odometer records before you pay.
Check this exact car
Any Land Rover Defender can be better or worse than the model's record. The CarWhere Used Car Report checks one VIN for salvage records, salvage-auction records (with damage photos when the auction published them), stolen-vehicle records, the odometer trail and its listing and price history since 2015. Free preview first; the full report is $12.99, one time.
Land Rover Defender reliability FAQ
Is the Land Rover Defender reliable?
Across model years 2020–2026, owners filed 318 complaints about the Land Rover Defender with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system and exterior lighting, and NHTSA lists 19 recall campaigns. We have no published sales figures for the Defender to turn that into a per-1,000-sold rate, so these counts compare its model years with each other, not with other models. CarWhere's year-by-year verdict engine flags 2022 and 2023 as years to avoid. Model years 2024–2026 have had less than three years on the road, so their complaint counts are still building.
What are the most common Land Rover Defender problems?
In NHTSA owner complaints for model years 2020–2026, the most-reported areas are the electrical system (112), exterior lighting (67), windshield visibility (56) and the engine (38). One complaint can name more than one component, and complaints are unverified owner reports.
What years of the Land Rover Defender should you avoid?
CarWhere's year-by-year verdict engine flags 2022 and 2023 as years to avoid. Each model year is compared only with other Defender years: complaints are adjusted for time on the road, and serious ones (engine, transmission, brakes, steering, fuel system, or a reported crash, fire or injury) count double, with a smaller adjustment for recall campaigns.
How many recalls does the Land Rover Defender have?
NHTSA lists 19 recall campaigns covering Land Rover Defender model years 2020–2026. The one covering the most model years is 26V389000 (air bags, 2020–2026). Recall repairs are free at a dealer, and whether one was done is tracked by VIN.
How do I check a specific used Land Rover Defender?
Run its VIN. The CarWhere Used Car Report checks one VIN for salvage records, salvage-auction records (with damage photos when the auction published them), stolen-vehicle records, the odometer trail and its listing and price history since 2015, with a free preview first and the full report at $12.99, one time. Pair it with an independent pre-purchase inspection.
How we measure Defender reliability
- Complaints are every NHTSA owner complaint filed for the Land Rover Defender, model years 2020–2026, across all the body-style and trim names NHTSA files them under, de-duplicated by complaint number. They are unverified owner reports.
- Year flags compare each Defender model year only with other Defender years, so they say which years to prefer, not how the Defender compares with other models.
- This is federal complaint and recall data, not a survey and not comparable to Consumer Reports or J.D. Power ratings. It does not estimate repair costs.
Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation owner complaints and NHTSA recall campaigns (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-11-10; published U.S. sales figures; CarWhere years-to-avoid analysis.