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U.S. public vehicle records

2022 Land Rover DEFENDER: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

72 owner complaints analyzed

5 distinct recall campaigns

21,500 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2022 model year. Data snapshot: . 2 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 25 of 72 complaints (34.7%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Electrical and battery issues1926.4%
Steering behavior912.5%
Braking behavior79.7%
Engine operation34.2%
Transmission and shifting22.8%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Electrical System
25
Visibility/Wiper
13
Exterior Lighting
12
Unknown Or Other
9
Engine
6
Steering
4
Power Train
3
Service Brakes
3
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Electrical System25
Visibility/Wiper13
Exterior Lighting12
Unknown Or Other9
Engine6
Steering4
Power Train3
Service Brakes3

Electrical System: 25; Visibility/Wiper: 13; Exterior Lighting: 12; Unknown Or Other: 9; Engine: 6; Steering: 4; Power Train: 3; Service Brakes: 3

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
1
25,000 to 49,999
1
50,000 to 74,999
0
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
0
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,0001
25,000 to 49,9991
50,000 to 74,9990
75,000 to 99,9990
100,000 to 149,9990
150,000 and above0

Under 25,000: 1; 25,000 to 49,999: 1; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 70 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2021
5
2022
16
2023
11
2024
6
2025
3
2026
31
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
20215
202216
202311
20246
20253
202631

2021: 5; 2022: 16; 2023: 11; 2024: 6; 2025: 3; 2026: 31

Pattern summary

Electrical System leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 19 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 9 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 7 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Examples from the source records

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 11439215 · 2021-11-03 (November 3, 2021)

My windshield broke in only owning this car 30 days I hear from other people that this is there 3 time replacement. I think this is a design issues and should be looked into.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11439215 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11439433 · 2021-11-04 (November 4, 2021)

1. Both rear taillights extinguish when a bright light if flashed at them. The taillights will not come back on until you power cycle the vehicle. I am able to replicate this issue with a handheld flashlight. 2. At night if my taillights are not visible, then this can be hazardous to the safety of others on the road and myself. 3. I have not had an authorized repair facility inspect the issue but have read that this is an issue with other Defender models and that a recall has been issued for the clear taillights that come on the Defender X tr…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11439433 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11440423 · 2021-11-14 (November 14, 2021)

My vehicle had been at the Land Rover South Bay Service department from 11/3/21 to 11/10/21 because the suspension fault indicator had come on the prior week and the air suspension had temporarily failed. In addition, it occasionally does not start when I press the start button with my foot depressing the brake pedal and the key is in the car. It is a brand new vehicle with about 1,750 miles. On 11/11/21 I was driving the vehicle down a hill at approximately 40-45 MPH when the automatic emergency braking system self activated for no reason. The…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11440423 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11443713 · 2021-12-13 (December 13, 2021)

My windshield spontaneously cracked. No impact, just a sudden cracking noise and the crack appeared shortly thereafter. I was in the car at the time. No impact with anything was noted. (I have had chips many times and this was not that sound). The crack starts at the lower midline of the windshield, extends up about 9" before arcing horizontally. This crack is near identical to at least three other owners of the same car. All had their windshield spontaneously crack in the same manner i describe. No impact noted. The pattern of crack and lo…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11443713 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11444859 · 2021-12-23 (December 23, 2021)

I started my vehicle as usual, everything looked ok except “lane assist not available!” was showing on the driver's screen, and when I wanted to drive away, the steering wheel was unresponsive, but I could drive the vehicle forward and in reverse. Also, the main interactive display was slightly dimmed. I tried a couple of restarts (engine off, lock and leave for 30mins) to no avail. I called Recovery and they delivered the car to the Dealership who undertook several tests but couldn't locate the problem; rebooting some of the connections wo…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11444859 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11448155 · 2022-01-20 (January 20, 2022)

Two driver-side A-pillar trim pieces fell off at highway speed. The dealer repaired under warranty, but less than a month later the same two pieces fell off again at highway speed. The second time one of the pieces struck another vehicle. This defect is a road hazard and safety risk that needs to be addressed.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11448155 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11448422 · 2022-01-21 (January 21, 2022)

I was sitting at a red traffic light, the auto stop/start function activated and engine shut off. when the light turned green I hit the gas and my 2022 Defender stalled. I started the vehicle went to put into gear and it stalled again. I tried to start the Vehicle again and it stalled right away. on my third attempt to start vehicle it finally started. also while driving during the day when i stopped i noticed the auto stop/start indicator would would be white and be in inhibited mode randomly. I had been driving for at about an hour. I had thi…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11448422 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11448727 · 2022-01-24 (January 24, 2022)

Power steering failed upon starting the car after 12 hours of non use. The lane assist light came on saying it was unavailable. Upon first starting it did not move in drive or reverse but was able to after a few restarts but the steering was still failing. I am worried about the steering failing while driving.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11448727 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

5 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

21V435000 · Exterior Lighting:Turn Signal | Exterior Lighting:Brake Lights | Exterior Lighting:Tail Lights

Reported: 2021-06-08 (June 8, 2021)

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.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
22V523000 · Seat Belts:Pretensioner

Reported: 2022-07-21 (July 21, 2022)

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2022-23 Land Rover Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport and 2022 Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners may be damaged, which can cause the seat belts to not properly restrain occupants.

Consequence: Improperly restrained occupants have an increased risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the front seat belt assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N720.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
23V044000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Oil/Lubrication

Reported: 2023-02-02 (February 2, 2023)

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.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
26V248000 · Electrical System:Propulsion System:Dc/Dc Converter

Reported: 2026-04-17 (April 17, 2026)

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, 2021-2024 Jaguar F-Pace, and 2021-2022 Jaguar E-Pace mild-hybrid electric vehicles (MHEVs.) The DC-DC converter can fail due to an internal fault in the boost control microchip. A failure of the DC-DC converter will result in a loss of 12-Volt system charging and can lead to complete loss of drive power and exterior lighting.

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 H575.

NHTSA campaign record ↗
26V389000 · Air Bags:Frontal

Reported: 2026-06-12 (June 12, 2026)

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. 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.

NHTSA campaign record ↗