Land Rover Defender Problems by Model Year

NHTSA recorded 308 consumer complaints across the 7 model years of the Land Rover Defender (2020–2026) that have at least 5 complaints. 2023 has the most, with 86. Across all years, the part named most often is electrical system (108 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.

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All Defender model years

Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.

Parts named most often, all years

Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.

• Electrical system108 31%
• Exterior lighting64 18%
• Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)56 16%
• Engine37 11%
• Other or unknown28 8.0%
• Steering26 7.4%
• Transmission and drivetrain19 5.4%
• Body and structure11 3.2%

Example complaints

One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

Other Land Rover models

All Land Rover models →