The 2021 Land Rover Defender has 8 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 470,852 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 38 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the visibility/wiper. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS26V3890002026-06-12250,857 affected
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.
Consequence
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. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed August 7, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Land Rover's customer…
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 Range Rover, 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport, 2020-2024 Land Rover Defender, …
Consequence
A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
The remedy for this recall is currently under development. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 17, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Land Rover's customer service at 800-637-6837. Land Rover's numbers for this recall are D126 and…
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING23V0440002023-02-026,724 affected
Defect
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 blocked, which can lead to an oil leak.
Consequence
An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the engine cam carrier and related components as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2023. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N763.
SEAT BELTS21V6680002021-08-2632,687 affected
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…
Consequence
An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
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.
CHILD SEAT21V5840002021-07-297,027 affected
Defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Land Rover Defender vehicles. The owner's manual incorrectly states that the third-row seating is equipped with LATCH child seat restraints with top tethers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor…
Consequence
Incorrect child restraint information may result in a child seat being improperly secured, which can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy
Land Rover will mail owners the correct information to insert into the owner's manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 23, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N601.
SEATS21V4990002021-07-01603 affected
Defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2021 Defender 90 vehicles equipped with manually-adjustable front seats. The front seat track end-stop bracket may become deformed, which could prevent the seat from locking into place.
Consequence
A seat that is not properly locked into place can move unintentionally during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the front seat tracks, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 28, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N609.
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Defender X vehicles equipped with smoked rear light assemblies. A voltage spike, triggered by a bright light shining on the rear of the vehicle, can cause the turn signals, brake lights, and tail lights to fail.
Consequence
Turn signals, brake lights, and tail lights that fail to illuminate can reduce visibility to other drivers and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the rear light assemblies, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 27, 2021. Owners can contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N598.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM21V4240002021-06-03163 affected
Defect
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Land Rover Defender vehicles equipped with 6-cylinder engines. The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) may unexpectedly switch off while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in an engine stall with no warning.
Consequence
An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
The Connected Diagnostic Services (CDS) and the Over-the-air (OTA) diagnostics functionality will be disabled, either by a dealer or through an OTA update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 28, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for…
Complaints by component
VISIBILITY/WIPER
12
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
3
STRUCTURE:BODY
2
BACK OVER PREVENTION
1
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
1
ENGINE
1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
1
LANE DEPARTURE
1
Total complaints38
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Both daytime running lights failed simultaneously. Not covered by warranty and told that they would cost >$5,000 to repair. There have been hundreds of these reported and it should be a recall”
“Headlight drl failure - it's safety issue. This is known issue with defenders but when I contacted local dealer in atlanta area, they refused to replace it without me paying $3200.”
“Dc/dc converter failure”
“The daytime running lights (drl) have failed in the passenger side. After some quick research, it's apparent that this is a widespread issue with the "signature" halo lights in the defender headlamp assembly. Reddit discussion: [xxx] ) here is a youtube video showing the issue and "fix". So many…”
“The daytime running lights (drl) have failed in the passenger side. After some quick research, it's apparent that this is a widespread issue with the "signature" halo lights in the defender headlamp assembly. Reddit discussion: [xxx] ) here is a youtube video showing the issue and "fix". So many…”
“The halo headlight went out, and I have an extended warranty that supposedly doesn't cover it. After researching, this seems to be a national event. The headlights need to be recalled and the manufacturer needs to be held accountable.”
“The contact owned a 2021 land rover defender. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the contact noticed a fuel odor while driving. The contact continued driving; however, the fuel odor had grown stronger. The contact arrived at the residence and inspected the vehicle, and became…”
“On or about august 7 or 8, my wife was driving our vehicle when it suddenly stalled and stopped running. Prior to this incident, we received a warning that the battery was low and that the vehicle needed to be started immediately. On august 9, I replaced the battery. That same day, we contacted…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2021 Land Rover Defender as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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