2023 Land Rover Defender Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 7about this part
- Share
- 8%of 89 total for the year
- Median mileage
- —not reported
- Trend
- Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.
NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2023 Land Rover Defender, 8% of the 89 complaints for this model year.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“On several occasions my car has shifted from Drive into Neutral while I was at a light and the vehicle had shut itself off as part of the Intelligent Start Stop feature. I see that this same issue has been happening to several other Owners who have reported this to the NHTSA. Ironically it seems as though all these vehicles were purchased in Houston TX.”
NHTSA complaint #11515844, filed 2023-04“My 2023 Land Rover Defender is subject to manufacturer recall D126 / NHTSA Recall 26V-248 concerning potential failure of the DC/DC converter due to an internal fault in the boost control microchip. The recall remains incomplete and Jaguar Land Rover has advised that a remedy is not yet available. I have contacted Jaguar Land Rover and my authorized Land Rover retailer, but there is currently no repair that I can have performed to remedy the safety defect. …”
NHTSA complaint #11758371, filed 2026-08“While driving on the freeway I recieved and elctrical fault detected please pull over when safe. The issue is the DC to DC converter failed resultign in the loss of charging for the car and relaince on stored elctricity in the battery to drive systems. I was on the highway at freeway speeds and had to exit the highway quickly to avoid the vehicle completly shutting down on the freeway. The dealer has verified the issue. There is significant discussion on owner boards about the numerous failures across all years of the mhev defender resulting in owners being stranded on the side of the road. …”
NHTSA complaint #11717507, filed 2026-02“The DC to DC converter Failed. It is part of the mild hybrid system. Multiple cars in my state and globally have reported the same failure around the same time. Supposedly these failures are due to the cold weather. At the 1st start up of the day a warning message displayed Stop safely Electrical fault detected the it disappeared after 1minute. After the 2nd start up the message reappeared and stayed on. I drove straight to the dealership where the vehicle would not be able to start or move again. My safety and others would have been at risk if the vehicle would have been immobile on the road. …”
NHTSA complaint #11716498, filed 2026-02“Vehicle makes uncommanded shifts from drive into neutral when the engine restarts after stopping during an auto start-stop cycle. Driver has to manually re-engage drive after this happens.”
NHTSA complaint #11465683, filed 2022-05Related service bulletins
- 11022471Aug 15, 2025Audible clunk noise from rear driveline during low-speed throttle inputs.
- 11022470Aug 15, 2025Oil leaks from the transfer case area of the vehicle.
- 11021655Jul 12, 2025Clicking noise from the rear of the vehicle.
- 11020212Jun 13, 2025Customer reports of a low-speed clonk type noise from the rear driveline, audible during low-speed throttle inputs, often coupled with up/down gear changes. The noise is audible…
- 11020209Jun 13, 2025MIL on Instrument cluster.
- 11020204Jun 13, 2025Turbocharger coolant feed and return pipe o- ring leak
- 11018311May 9, 2025Vehicle cranks, but does not run when at operating temperature
- 11017749Apr 11, 2025Electrical system warning light will be on the instrument cluster.
- 11012618Dec 5, 2024Gasoline Catalytic Converter Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
- 11011722Nov 27, 2024Gasoline Catalytic Converter Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
Other parts of the 2023 Land Rover Defender
43 complaintsEngine
14 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
14 complaintsExterior lighting
10 complaintsSteering
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 31, 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