2026 Land Rover Defender
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Land Rover › Defender › 2026
These records cover every 2026 Land Rover Defender. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
3 recalls name the 2026 Land Rover Defender. Newest first.
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk
An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
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, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2026 Land Rover Defender vehicles. The fuel tank was improperly manufactured with walls that are too thin.
Risk and remedy
Risk
In the event of a crash, an improperly manufactured fuel tank may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.
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, 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.
Risk and remedy
Risk
A seat belt assembly with an insufficient weld may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
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.
Owner complaints
6 complaints
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Electrical system · Exterior lighting
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.
- Electrical system
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.
- Unknown or other
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…
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.
- Unknown or other
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…
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
- Air bags
Dealership sold me vehicle with open recall
- Engine · Power train · Service brakes
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…
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.
Every Land Rover Defender model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.