2023 Land Rover Defender Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 42about this part
- Share
- 48%of 87 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 50,500miles
- Trend
- Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.
NHTSA recorded 42 complaints about the electrical system of the 2023 Land Rover Defender, 48% of the 87 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 50,500 miles. 2 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“While driving my Defender 130 at Highway speed a warning for a faulty electrical system light came on. Within a mile while I was trying to exit the highway, all electrical systems failed. I had a gearbox failure warning and the car went into neutral at highway speed. Power steering failed and I had to manhandle the vehicle off the road into a snow drift to get off the highway.”
NHTSA complaint #11714802, filed 2026-02“While driving the vehicle warnings alerted me that the battery was low and to start the vehicle ( it was running as I was driving) then the alert changed to pull over when possible. At this time the power steering and power brakes started to fail by the time I pulled into a parking lot the vehicle completely died and I had to push it into a parking spot. I called Land Rover they towed it to a dealership. …”
NHTSA complaint #11715474, filed 2026-02“I own a 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 that I purchased brand new. Since buying it, it has been back to the dealer many times for serious issues. The vehicle has had repeated cooling system failures, including replacement of all upper coolant hoses. Most recently it was at the dealer for coolant loss / no coolant, and the dealer diagnosed failed O-rings going into the turbo and repaired it. I was told this is a common issue but there has been no recall. …”
NHTSA complaint #11714705, filed 2026-01“On December 29th 2025 my car displayed an alert Electrical Fault Detected: Please Pull Car Over Safely . I was in rural New Hampshire at the time so continued driving (for about 5 minutes) until I lost all power steering, stability controls and ability to drive the car - luckily by this point I had made it to Gorham, NH. Luckily it was just me in the car and not my family as the temps were below 10 F that day and Land Rover couldn't get a tow until the next day. …”
NHTSA complaint #11713872, filed 2026-01“On 2/18/26 the vehicle electrical system stopped working. I unlocked teh vehicle with an emergincy key inside the keyfob. Once towed back to the dealer I was informed that the DC-to-DC converter failed causing the entire electical system to fail/immobilized the vehicle. The part will take 3-4 weeks to receive. Doing my own desk research I see that this is common issue and in many cases reoccurring b/c the part is replaced with a version that is also failing (look at how many different part #'s have been issued).”
NHTSA complaint #11721077, filed 2026-02Related recalls
- 26V599000Sep 17, 2026Jaguar 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…Covers: Land Rover Defender 2020–2024, Range Rover Sport 2019–2024, Range Rover 2020–2024 +6 more
- 26V248000Apr 17, 2026Jaguar 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…Covers: Land Rover Defender 2020–2024, Range Rover Sport 2019–2024, Range Rover 2020–2024 +6 more
Related service bulletins
- 11030751Mar 10, 2026Smart Key Deactivated message on instrument cluster and unable to start their vehicle
- 11029600Feb 13, 2026There is a concern with the 48Volt charging system(DC/DC) with the vehicle.
- 11029598Feb 13, 2026There is a concern/fault with the 48Volt MHEV system.
- 11029576Feb 13, 202612v startup battery flat - mild hybrid electric vehicle (mhev)
- 11029556Feb 12, 2026Once the vehicle is powered down via ignition cycle, it may not restart depending on remaining residual charge.
- 11028601Jan 28, 2026There is a concern with the 48Volt charging system(DC/DC) with the vehicle.
- 11027472Dec 12, 2025A battery warning light on and or electrical system failure message is displayed on instrument cluster.
- 11021652Jul 12, 2025Passive Entry doesn't respond intermittently to access car. Have to use key buttons to get in.
- 11020207Jun 13, 2025The SOTA Campaign number displayed in the software update screen in the vehicle is only updated when a SOTA campaign completes successfully.
- 11019209May 16, 2025Belt Integrated Starter Generator (BISG) Charging Inoperative on First Startup
Electrical system: other model years
Other parts of the 2023 Land Rover Defender
14 complaintsEngine
13 complaintsExterior lighting
10 complaintsSteering
7 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
7 complaintsLane departure
6 complaintsOther or unknown
4 complaintsForward collision avoidance
2 complaintsFuel system
2 complaintsAir bags
1 complaintsEngine cooling
1 complaintsInterior lighting
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2023 Land Rover Defender
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology