Model year

2025 Land Rover Defender

SUV, hybrid, AWD/All-Wheel Drive, built in Slovakia. Owner complaints on file from Jul 9, 2025 to Sep 10, 2026.

Recall campaigns covering this model year2251k vehicles or units across those campaigns
Owner complaints13Close to the median 2025 suv
Severity index7.72025 suvs average 8.9
First 24 months12Complaints in its first two years
Complaints over time

Complaints about the 2025 Land Rover Defender peaked in 2025, with 2 filed

Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.

0369122025202611
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints file. The lighter column runs through October.
Components

54% of complaints about the 2025 Land Rover Defender name visibility and wipers

Owner complaints by component. Hover or focus a bar for the crash, fire, injury or death count.

Visibility and wipers
7
Powertrain
3
Electrical system
2
Child seats
1
Engine and cooling
1
Fuel system
1
Steering
1
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints file. A complaint can name more than one component; it is counted under the first.
Recalls

2 recall campaigns cover the 2025 Land Rover Defender

Check a specific vehicle by VIN on NHTSA's site: a campaign may cover only part of a model year's production.

Recall campaigns for the 2025 Land Rover Defender
CampaignFiledSubjectComponentVehiclesRemedy
26V-389Jun 12, 2026Driver’s air bag clockspring connector may corrode, which can cause the air bag not to deploy as intendedAirbags250,857Repair or modification
24E-102Dec 6, 2024Raised air intake may not be secured properly, which can allow the intake to detach from the vehicleEquipment485Repair or modification
Source: NHTSA ODI recalls file.
Owner complaints

What owners reported about the 2025 Land Rover Defender

The full text of every complaint filed with NHTSA about this model year, newest first. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by NHTSA; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.

13 complaints on file, page 1 of 1.

  1. Filed Sep 10, 2026Failure Sep 6, 2026-, ILChest clip, Buckle, Harness

    My child was in the car seat and I noticed that the harness was not staying tight. I did research and apparently if a small object and or crumbs gets stuck under the fastener the harness won’t lock in place. I reached out to the manufacturer and they failed to do anything about this. They have no warnings regarding it and did not want to replace it. Something must be down, if this is happening on mine it is happening to many others.

    NHTSA complaint 11763448
  2. Filed Jul 14, 2026Failure Jul 11, 2025Miami, FLVisibility/wiper

    The windshield cracked the 1st week owned the car. Land Rover didn’t warranty the windshield and have to buy a new one for 2500. The second windshield got a rock chip and now it expanded into a crack over 3 days.

    NHTSA complaint 11750447
  3. Filed May 7, 2026Failure May 6, 2026Chattanooga, TNVisibility/wiper

    I am now on my 4th windshield on my 2025 Land Rover Defender 110. I have had 5 chips/cracks on these windshields. Only 1 crack was from a rock that you might expect glass breakage, the others were all caused by small pebble sized road gravel that was more like insect splatter. Safelite was repairing 1 very small chip and the windshield cracked during this common repair. Clearly the provided glass is substandard and should be upgraded for all Land Rover Defenders. I now never drive this car without the thought of another windshield break that’s about to occur.

    NHTSA complaint 11736334
  4. Filed May 7, 2026Failure Dec 17, 2025Chattanooga, TNVisibility/wiper

    I am now on my 4th windshield on my 2025 Land Rover Defender 110. I have had 5 chips/cracks on these windshields. Only 1 crack was from a rock that you might expect glass breakage, the others were all caused by small pebble sized road gravel that was more like insect splatter. Safelite was repairing 1 very small chip and the windshield cracked during this common repair. Clearly the provided glass is substandard and should be upgraded for all Land Rover Defenders. I now never drive this car without the thought of another windshield break that’s about to occur.

    NHTSA complaint 11736333
  5. Filed May 7, 2026Failure Nov 26, 2025Chattanooga, TNVisibility/wiper

    I am now on my 4th windshield on my 2025 Land Rover Defender 110. I have had 5 chips/cracks on these windshields. Only 1 crack was from a rock that you might expect glass breakage, the others were all caused by small pebble sized road gravel that was more like insect splatter. Safelite was repairing 1 very small chip and the windshield cracked during this common repair. Clearly the provided glass is substandard and should be upgraded for all Land Rover Defenders. I now never drive this car without the thought of another windshield break that’s about to occur.

    NHTSA complaint 11736331
  6. Filed Mar 23, 2026Failure Mar 20, 2026Brentwood, TNVisibility/wiper

    30 years of car ownership have never had a chipped or cracked windshield. 2025 Land Rover Defender has had 3 rock chips in a year and now a 20" crack from very minor impact from a pebble. This windshield has a design flaw and is extremely fragile.

    NHTSA complaint 11726310
  7. Filed Mar 1, 2026Failure Feb 27, 2026Gainesville, FLVisibility/wiper

    Driving down the road and my windshield spontaneously cracked. No road debris, no rock, no trauma or accident.

    NHTSA complaint 11721273
  8. Filed Feb 17, 2026Failure Feb 14, 2026Dover, NHElectrical system, Power train, Steering

    While driving on Back Rd in New Hampshire at approximately 30 mph on Saturday, Feb 14, the vehicle suddenly lost power steering assist and simultaneously shifted into neutral. I received warning messages and immediately lost propulsion. Luckily, there was no traffic on the road with me, but that is not always the case on this particular road. I had to manually steer the vehicle without power assist and muscle it to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was disabled in the road and required towing. The vehicle has approximately 5,400 miles and is a 2025 model year, purchased in late June of 2025. The dealer has indicated the likely cause is a failed DC-DC converter, and I have been told the part is on backorder with extended delays. I've look online at forums, and it sounds like this is a widespread known issue that effects Land Rover cars with model years of 2022 and potentially prior as well. This sudden loss of steering assist and propulsion created a safety hazard in traffic, and it is possible that Land Rover has known about this issue for awhile.

    NHTSA complaint 11718508
  9. Filed Feb 14, 2026Failure Jan 24, 2026Lake Bluff, ILElectrical system, Engine, Power train

    The DC converter went bad and within 30 seconds while driving on the highway I got a battery warning and then the car went into neutral and stopped and went into park and the car turned off in the middle of the road and couldn’t be moved at all. Luckily some cops came and protected the car from behind until a tow truck came. The part needed is out of stock and may not be in stock for months!

    NHTSA complaint 11717995
  10. Filed Jan 8, 2026Failure Oct 15, 2025hampton, NJUnknown or other

    I had the car while driving loss of power then engine light came on. Dealer twice checked and stated no issue until they tested and found that the replacement of the Hybrid battery system was issue. I've found this same issue with Converter system showing up with others on the facebook 'The New Defender Owners' group. It seems to be a larger issue JLR is not telling people about that has been issue over a couple years.

    NHTSA complaint 11709570
  11. Filed Jan 3, 2026Failure Dec 23, 2025Fort Myers, FLPower train

    The transfer case on my new 2025 LR Defender 130 went out at 5,000 miles. This unit distributes power to the axles. I was told that if I continue to drive it, it could seize up, possibly leading to a loss of control of the vehicle. Land Rover is aware that they installed a bad batch of transfer cases on their new vehicles. They have the batch number(s), and have apparently issued a 'service bulletin,' but not a recall. Nor did they contact owners to let them know of this problem proactively. Given the potential danger in the failure of this unit, a recall is the only safe option.

    NHTSA complaint 11708566
  12. Filed Sep 28, 2025Failure Sep 26, 2025Bradenton, FLFuel/propulsion systemFire

    I was driving on [XXX] In Sarasota County, Florida, at approximately 70mph I witnessed flames coming from passenger rear portion of the car, I pulled over and jumped out at the interior was filled with smoke. In less than 15 minutes the car completely burned to nothing but black molten metal. The vehicle was purchased new, had been on order for over 5 months and had approximately 1,300 miles on it, and was only approximately 45 days in my possession. The vehicle was inspected by police and fire department, it has been towed to the local Land Rover dealer in Sarasota, Florida. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

    NHTSA complaint 11690159
  13. Filed Jul 9, 2025Failure Apr 5, 2025Woodbridge, VA, VAVisibility/wiper

    Front Windshield has cracked. Defender has less than 10K and has only been driven on city roads and highway. No offroad. Chip left of center occurred from pebble while driving on Freeway back February. Took vehicle to Safelite for repair within a week. Two months later Chip expanded into a lateral crack extending nearly two feet towards passenger side. Crack is now extending towards driverside almost 10" Land Rover claims Defender is made for offroad but there appears to be the windshield is structurally weak.

    NHTSA complaint 11672321
Source: NHTSA ODI complaints file.
Investigations

NHTSA has not opened an investigation on this model year

Source: NHTSA ODI investigations file.
Service bulletins

188 manufacturer communications cover this model year

Technical service bulletins and other notices the manufacturer sent to dealers. A bulletin is not a recall; the 60 most recent are listed.

  • D048 Defender 21AUG26 Aug 21, 2026 · Other
    Jump Start Information Label Missing
  • SSM76492 - 20AUG26 Aug 21, 2026 · Other
    TCU Activation Failure And InControl App Inoperative After Software Update
  • SSM76487 - 20AUG26 Aug 21, 2026 · Other
    Air Conditioning Inoperative / Intermittent Operation
  • SSM76110 - 21AUG26 Aug 22, 2026 · Other
    Vehicles on display e.g. in a showroom whilst being supported by a showroom 12v support unit, these vehicles require an additional fuse to be removed to prevent the MHEV (48v) battery draining and causing the cells to drop to a non recoverable level. Failur…
  • SSM76110 - 19AUG26 Aug 20, 2026 · Other
    Vehicles on display e.g. in a showroom whilst being supported by a showroom 12v support unit, these vehicles require an additional fuse to be removed to prevent the MHEV (48v) battery draining and causing the cells to drop to a non recoverable level. Failur…
  • N961 Defender 17JUL26 Jul 17, 2026 · Other
    Blanking Connector - Install
  • D048 Defender 17JUL26 Jul 17, 2026 · Other
    Jump Start Information Label Missing
  • SSM76477 - 21JUL26 Jul 22, 2026 · Other
    Intermittent Passive Entry Operation 24MY Or With New Service Smart Key Fob.
  • SSM76468 - 03JUL26 Jul 4, 2026 · Other
    Unable to select Navigation when pressing the navigation Tile on theTouchscreen.
  • SSM76463 - 06JUL26 Jul 7, 2026 · Other
    Wireless Device Charger Inoperative Post Software Update
  • SSM76324 - 06JUL26 Jul 6, 2026 · Other
    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 during normal road driving conditions.
  • E004v2 - 08JUL26 Jul 8, 2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    A printed circuit board fault within the smart key may be present. The printed circuit board fault can cause a smart key battery drain which affects the functionality of the smart key.
  • N961 Defender 16JUN26 Jun 16, 2026 · Other
    A junction box blanking connector is missing.
  • D048 Defender 16JUN26 Jun 16, 2026 · Other
    Jump Start Information Label Missing
  • SSM76462 - 22JUN26 Jun 22, 2026 · Other
    Software Update
  • N961 Defender 15MAY26 May 16, 2026 · Other
    Junction box blanking connector is missing. A new blanking connector needs to be installed.
  • D048 Defender 15MAY26 May 15, 2026 · Other
    Jump start information label has not been installed in the vehicle’s engine compartment.
  • D006 Defender 15MAY26 May 15, 2026 · Other
    The transfer case clutch and / or All Wheel Drive (AWD) lock cannot perform as designed. This may show as a reduction in torque to the front axle during driving or as an inability to apply the AWD lock.
  • SSM76457 - 26MAY26 May 26, 2026 · Other
    Amber MIL being displayed on the Instrument Panel Cluster on vehicles equipped with a Gen4 transmission.
  • SSM76457 - 21MAY26 May 21, 2026 · Other
    Amber MIL being displayed on the Instrument Panel Cluster on vehicles equipped with a Gen4 transmission.
  • SSM76454 - 12MAY26 May 12, 2026 · Other
    Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is illuminated on the instrument panel.
  • SSM76404 - 12MAY26 May 12, 2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Vehicles may exhibit a ‘clicking’ noise from the rear of the vehicle. The noise may be heard from one or both sides of the vehicle when moving forwards or backwards. Action:
  • N892v3 - 01MAY26 May 1, 2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Arduous 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 galleries of the engine and inside the Continuous Variable Valve Lift (CVVL) unit.
  • TUCC_MAY2026_04 May 15, 2026 · Other
    Printed circuit board fault within the smart key may be present. The printed circuit board fault can cause a smart key battery drain which affects the functionality of the smart key.
  • N961 Defender 17APR26 Apr 17, 2026 · Other
    Junction box blanking connector is missing.
  • https://portal.nhtsa.gov/ Apr 17, 2026 · Other
    The jump start information label has not been installed in the vehicle’s engine compartment
  • D006 Defender 17APR26 Apr 17, 2026 · Other
    The transfer case clutch and / or All Wheel Drive (AWD) lock cannot perform as designed. This may show as a reduction in torque to the front axle during driving or as an inability to apply the AWD lock.
  • D001 Defender 17APR26 Apr 17, 2026 · Other
    Automatic Pressure Maintenance Unit (APMU) may have been installed with a clash condition between the APMU hose and heatshield. Rubbing of the APMU hose on the heatshield could create pressure loss and / or fluid leak on 6Ddynamic suspension system over a p…
  • SSM76451 - 23APR26 Apr 23, 2026 · Other
    Where vehicles are supported by a 12V Battery Support Unit (BSU) and repeatedly interacted with while the engine is not running, the 48V battery may, in the absence of intervention, discharge to a non‑recoverable state.
  • SSM76448 - 21APR26 Apr 21, 2026 · Other
    Air Conditioning (AC) Inoperative.
  • N961 Defender 20MAR26 Mar 20, 2026 · Other
    Junction box blanking connector is missing.
  • D048 Defender 20MAR26 Mar 20, 2026 · Other
    The jump start information label has not been installed in the vehicle’s engine compartment.
  • D006 Defender 20MAR26 Mar 20, 2026 · Other
    The transfer case clutch and / or All Wheel Drive (AWD) lock cannot perform as designed.
  • D001 Defender 20MAR26 Mar 20, 2026 · Other
    The Automatic Pressure Maintenance Unit (APMU) may have been installed with a clash condition between the APMU hose and heatshield.
  • TUCC_MAR2026_32 Mar 13, 2026 · Other
    REAR DRIVELINE CLICK - NOISE
  • TUCC_MAR2026_31 Mar 13, 2026 · Other
    REAR DRIVELINE CLICK - NOISE
  • TUCC_MAR2026_28 Mar 13, 2026 · Other
    While driving with satellite maps, sometimes image doesn't load fully and then comes back
  • TUCC_MAR2026_27 Mar 13, 2026 · Other
    INCONTROL REMOTE APP WAKE UP TIMER
  • TUCC_MAR2026_26 Mar 13, 2026 · Other
    There are several scenarios where the key may be set to a deactivated state.
  • SSM76411 - 10MAR26 Mar 10, 2026 · Other
    Smart Key Deactivated message on instrument cluster and unable to start their vehicle
  • SSM000028 - 18MAR26 Mar 18, 2026 · Other
    Wireless Charger - Charging Interruption With iPhone 15 and 16 Devices
  • Defender_N961 02-20-2026 Feb 20, 2026 · Other
    A junction box blanking connector is missing.
  • Defender_D048 02-20-2026 Feb 20, 2026 · Other
    The jump start information label has not been installed in the vehicle’s engine compartment.
  • Defender_D006 02-20-2026 Feb 20, 2026 · Other
    The transfer case clutch and / or All Wheel Drive (AWD) lock cannot perform as designed. This may show as a reduction in torque to the front axle during driving or as an inability to apply the AWD lock.
  • Defender_D001 02-20-2026 Feb 20, 2026 · Other
    The Automatic Pressure Maintenance Unit (APMU) may have been installed with a clash condition between the APMU hose and heatshield. Rubbing of the APMU hose on the heatshield could create pressure loss and / or fluid leak on 6Ddynamic suspension system over…
  • SSM76404 - 18FEB26 Feb 18, 2026 · Other
    Driveline Noise Concerns
  • SSM000027 - 06FEB26 Feb 6, 2026 · Other
    RFA module unresponsive at PDI
  • TUCC_FEB2026_42 Feb 13, 2026 · Other
    STEERING REQUIRES STEADY CORRECTION FORCE
  • TUCC_FEB2026_35 Feb 13, 2026 · Other
    There is a concern with the 48Volt charging system(DC/DC) with the vehicle.
  • TUCC_FEB2026_34 Feb 13, 2026 · Other
    There is a concern/fault with the 48Volt MHEV system.
  • TUCC_FEB2026_33 Feb 13, 2026 · Other
    12V STARTUP BATTERY FLAT - MILD HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE (MHEV)
  • 252602.027 - 12FEB26 Feb 12, 2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
    Once the vehicle is powered down via ignition cycle, it may not restart depending on remaining residual charge.
  • SSM000021-27JAN26 Jan 27, 2026 · Other
    Vehicle Requires Steady Correction Steering Force to Remain in Lane
  • TUCC_JAN2026_26 Jan 28, 2026 · Other
    After vehicle off, the fan continues to run at high speeds.
  • TUCC_JAN2026_25 Jan 28, 2026 · Other
    There is a concern with the 48Volt charging system(DC/DC) with the vehicle.
  • TUCC_JAN2026_20 Jan 28, 2026 · Other
    PIVI WIRELESS CARPLAY / ANDROID AUTO CONNECTIVITY
  • SSM000013-18DEC25 Dec 19, 2025 · Other
    PIVI - Unable to log into InControl account in vehicle
  • SSM000017-19DEC25 Dec 20, 2025 · Other
    Coolant fan may continue running at high speed after ignition shut-off
  • SSM76400-19DEC25 Dec 19, 2025 · Other
    Rear Suspension Air Spring Positioning
  • SSM76397-10DEC25 Dec 10, 2025 · Other
    Unable to Log into InControl Account in Vehicle.
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications files.