2022 Land Rover Defender: problems, recalls and reliability
7 recalls and 75 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is electrical system (30% of complaints); the 2020 and 2021 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 5 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall Sep 2026
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 75 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The DRL a safety feature fails on the Defender L663 models 20-23 and LR will not fix. I have 40k miles on my 22. They want $3200 for a headlight but to me its a safety offering for daytime running lamps. Looks how many reporting it.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Aug 2026
“Left front running light is not working. This type of issue prevents car from passing a State inspection. Issue is a halo DRLs failed. Issue is due to a failed LED module. The repair for this $40 module by the dealer is around $2,400. There were no warning lamps, messages or symptoms. A Police officer stopped me in a parking lot and pointed it out. It is not an infraction since it was daylight. However, car will not pass an inspection.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Jul 2026
“DC/AC error came up once, parked it and turned it off, the error message has not showed up since, i have contacted the San Jose, CA, land Rover dealer, 2 times already, have given them my information and they always say i will get a call back and its been 2 months and i have yet to receive any information on getting these recalls repaired, This vehicle was not cheap and they seem to not care to fix the issue.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jun 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“This is a serious concern and safety condition. In several occasions while driving at a range from 45-70mph the engine loses power. To the point where it has felt like it will shut off. The inside lighting of the dash dims while the vehicle is in loss of engine power.”Owner report · Engine · May 2026
“The LED DRLs failed in the first 28000 miles leaving no DRLs. Researching this issues shows it it a known defect but not considered a safety issue. I disagree as visibility is greatly diminished without the lights. Numerous online complaints and LRJ reuses to compensate owners out of warranty.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Mar 2026
“Bulletin 76096 should be recall. The suspension has failed. Both Upper arms, bushings,sway bars and links and after 3 weeks, multiple attempts to correct banging, the issue is a bulletin, but yet a recall, conveniently not under warranty. Only 50,000 miles. Please press for recall. Like the DC CONVERTER -impairing vehicle.”Owner report · Suspension · Mar 2026
“The vehicle lost power after a warning that the battery was not recharging. I have a portable jump start battery. Tried to jump start it -- the battery would not hold a charge once cables disconnected. Had the vehicle towed to the dealer. I was told this is a DC-to-DC converter problem that is widespread across Defenders 20222-present. parts are unavailable.Being stuck in a vehicle with no power, absolutely dead, is scary and would have been a major problem if the electrics had gone out while driving.”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2026
“The contact owns a 2022 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the raised air intake partially detached from the vehicle. The contact believed that the VIN should be included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24E102000 (Equipment, Structure) after the failure. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall and would be an out-of-pocket expense. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.”Owner report · Structure · Feb 2026
“Daytime running lights has failed on the front headlights and follows pattern similar to known Special Service Message 75479. This reduces safety due to lower visibility since the DRLs should operate during normal driving conditions. I have reached out to the dealer and the Land Rover Corporate, both of which refuse to fix the issue unless I pay for parts and labor (est cost $5000+). This issue is dangerous since there is no indication on the dashboard or other warning unless the headlights are manually inspected while the vehicle is operating.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Feb 2026
“Electrical fault detected - pull over safely error message appeared while driving, and when vehicle was shut off, low battery warning appeared. Started vehicle and attempted to put in drive and failed with drivetrain error, then suspension error and power steering error. Replaced 12V battery next morning and still received electrical fault error. Towed to dealer and diagnosed with DC-DC converter failure.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jan 2026
When filing, owners marked a crash in 2 of these complaints and injuries in 1 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 7 campaigns
Jaguar 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 Rover Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Land Rover Defender, 2021-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Velar, Jaguar E-Pace, F-Pace, and Land Rover Discovery vehicles. The DC-DC converter may malfunction due to an electrical overload that can occur during high power demand. Additionally, a software error can cause the DC-DC converter to stop functioning at vehicle start-up under certain circumstances. Failure of the DC-DC converter will result in the loss of 12-Volt system charging and can lead to complete loss of drive power and exterior lighting.
Remedy: Dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed November 13, 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 E008. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 26V248.
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.
Remedy: Dealers will apply a protective lubricant gel to the driver's air bag connector terminals, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed August 3, 2026. Owners may contact Land Rover's customer service at 800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is D120.
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.
Remedy: 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.
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2022-23 Land Rover Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport and 2022 Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners may be damaged, which can cause the seat belts to not properly restrain occupants.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the front seat belt assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N720.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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). Insufficient electrical load balancing during times of high demand can lead to a current overload condition and malfunction of the DCDC converter. 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.
Remedy: Dealers will update the central software, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 17, 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 numbers for this recall are D126 and H575.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2022 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Counts are not adjusted for time on the road here - see all Defender years ranked fairly for the age-adjusted comparison.
Check your exact Defender by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2022 Land Rover Defender reliable?
NHTSA has 75 owner complaints and 7 recall campaigns on record for the 2022 Land Rover Defender. The most complained-about area is electrical system (30% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2022 Land Rover Defender problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 21,500 miles or less.
Does the 2022 Land Rover Defender have open recalls?
7 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning electrical system. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.