- Safety
- —
- not rated
- Recalls
- 9
- on record
- MPG
- —
- combined
Heavily recalled
9 safety recalls on record. Confirm with the seller that every campaign has been completed.
Vehicle Summary
2021 Land Rover Defender
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 9
- Owner complaints
- 0
- Complaints citing a crash
- 0
These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
9 Recalls on Record
These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.
Safety recalls
9 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 21V435000high
Lighting issue
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS
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.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 21V668000high
Safety restraint issue
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2021 Range Rover, 2022 Range Rover Sport, 2020-2021 Range Rover Velar, Discovery Sport, 2020-2022 Discovery, and Defender vehicles. The seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly.
Consequence
An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed October 20, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N630.
- 21V584000high
Equipment issue
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Land Rover Defender vehicles. The owner's manual incorrectly states that the third-row seating is equipped with LATCH child seat restraints with top tethers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
Consequence
Incorrect child restraint information may result in a child seat being improperly secured, which can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Land Rover will mail owners the correct information to insert into the owner's manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 23, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N601.
- 21V424000high
Drivetrain issue
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Land Rover Defender vehicles equipped with 6-cylinder engines. The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) may unexpectedly switch off while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in an engine stall with no warning.
Consequence
An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
The Connected Diagnostic Services (CDS) and the Over-the-air (OTA) diagnostics functionality will be disabled, either by a dealer or through an OTA update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 28, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N599.
- 21V499000high
Safety restraint issue
SEATS
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2021 Defender 90 vehicles equipped with manually-adjustable front seats. The front seat track end-stop bracket may become deformed, which could prevent the seat from locking into place.
Consequence
A seat that is not properly locked into place can move unintentionally during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will replace the front seat tracks, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 28, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N609.
- 23V044000high
Engine issue
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION
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.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 24E102000high
Equipment issue
EQUIPMENT
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Land Rover Defender vehicles equipped with Raised Air Intake (RAI) aftermarket accessory equipment, with part number VPLEP0543. The raised air intake may not be secured properly, which can allow the intake to detach from the vehicle.
Consequence
A detached raised air intake can fall off the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will inspect, and if necessary, remove and reinstall the RAI accessory, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed February 20, 2025. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N964.
- 26V248000high
Electrical issue
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:DC/DC CONVERTER
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.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 26V389000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
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.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will apply a protective lubricant gel to the driver’s air bag connector terminals, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed August 7, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Land Rover's customer service at 800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is D120.
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NHTSA holds no crash-test rating for this model year.
Not every model year is tested. A missing rating is not a poor rating.
Fuel economy & emissions
The EPA holds no fuel-economy record for this model year.
The EPA does not publish a record for every model year.
Consumer complaints
No owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this model year.
Nothing on file. Newer model years often have few complaints simply because fewer cars are on the road yet.
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2021 Land Rover Defender, newest first.
- Recall
An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
- Recall
A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
- Recall
A detached raised air intake can fall off the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
- Recall
An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
- Recall
Incorrect child restraint information may result in a child seat being improperly secured, which can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
- Recall
A seat that is not properly locked into place can move unintentionally during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Recall
Turn signals, brake lights, and tail lights that fail to illuminate can reduce visibility to other drivers and increase the risk of a crash.
- Recall
An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.
Specifications & ratings
Specifications
- Body class
- Unknown
- Drive type
- Unknown
- Engine
- 0L 0-cyl
- Fuel type
- Unknown
- Transmission
- Unknown
- Seats
- 0
Explore related
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Recall
An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
- Recall
A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
- Recall
A detached raised air intake can fall off the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
- Recall
An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.