2026 Land Rover Defender Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 1about this part
- Share
- 17%of 6 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 1 complaints about the engine of the 2026 Land Rover Defender, 17% of the 6 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.
“The transmission has failed twice while the vehicle was in motion, causing loss of gear control and, on one occasion, loss of parking brake function. Incident 1 — March 24, 2026: While driving on the highway, the transmission failed and the vehicle entered a safety mode. The vehicle was in dealer service for 8 days at Findlay Land Rover. …”
NHTSA complaint #11749201, filed 2026-07Related service bulletins
- 11038342Sep 18, 2026The engine coolant temperature amber warning is not enabled and not displayed on the instrument panel cluster.
- 11034881Jun 16, 2026A Car Configuration File (CCF) update is required, the engine coolant temperature amber warning will then be displayed on the instrument panel cluster when required.
- 11033241May 1, 2026Arduous customer drive cycles have been found to accelerate the degradation of engine oil, leading to generation of engine oil sludge deposits in high pressure engine oil…
- 11032419Apr 17, 2026The engine coolant temperature amber warning is not enabled and not displayed on the instrument panel cluster.
- 11030958Mar 13, 2026The engine coolant temperature amber warning is not enabled and not displayed on the instrument panel cluster, a Car Configuration File (CCF) update is required; the engine…
- 11030724Mar 6, 2026The engine coolant temperature amber warning is not enabled and not displayed on the instrument panel cluster.
Engine: other model years
Other parts of the 2026 Land Rover Defender
2 complaintsOther or unknown
2 complaintsAir bags
1 complaintsBrakes
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2026 Land Rover Defender
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 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