2020 Land Rover Defender Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Defender years
- Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 12 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 7 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 55 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Land Rover Defender. That ranks 3rd out of 12 Defender model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is exterior lighting (19 complaints, 35%), typically at around 155 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 1 fire, 1 injury. There are 7 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 55owner complaints
- 7safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2020 Land Rover Defender problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting | 19 | 35% | 155 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 12 | 22% | 24,649 | — | — |
| Steering | 8 | 15% | 1,350 | — | — |
| Engine | 7 | 13% | 1,900 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 6 | 11% | 222 | — | — |
| Structure | 5 | 9% | 9,250 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 7% | 4,738 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 4 | 7% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 3 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 2% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 1 | 2% | 5,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 2% | 7,434 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2020 Land Rover Defender recalls (7)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electrical system:propulsion system:dc/dc converter
Problem: 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.
Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal
Problem: 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 driverâs air bag clockspring connector may corrode, which can cause the air bag not to deploy as intended.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will apply a protective lubricant gel to the driverâs 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.
Electrical system:propulsion system:dc/dc converter
Problem: 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.
Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Engine and engine cooling:engine:oil/lubrication
Problem: 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.
Risk: An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Child seat:vehicle latch anchor; equipment:other:owners/service/other manual
Problem: 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."
Risk: Incorrect child restraint information may result in a child seat being improperly secured, which can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: 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.
Exterior lighting:turn signal; exterior lighting:brake lights; exterior lighting:tail lights
Problem: 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.
Risk: Turn signals, brake lights, and tail lights that fail to illuminate can reduce visibility to other drivers and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Electrical system:software; power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Problem: 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.
Risk: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2020 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The following day, the contactâs spouse started the vehicle, and the message âHigh Voltage Shutdown Not Possible â Live Systemâ was displayed. The…
The dealership is not able to perform the recall in a timely manner.
Our 2020 Defender's halo light on the driver's side has become inoperable & poses a safety hazard. After researching this issue, it appears that this has been reported widely online. This malfunctioning halo light renders overall lighting very dim at night, creating a safety hazard for my vehicle &…
I own a 2020 Land Rover Defender 110 HSE, and both of the vehicleâs daytime running lights (DRLs) have failed. The first DRL failed at approximately 63,000 miles, and the second DRL failed at approximately 68,000 miles. This appears to be a known and recurring issue with the DRL/signature…
Driving and the steering assistance warning goes off cuts off my cruise control and my lane keep assistance causing my car deceleration on highway promptly while going 70 mph.
Other Land Rover Defender years
← 2003 Defender · 2021 Defender →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Defender | 6 | 3 |
| 2025 Defender | 13 | 1 |
| 2024 Defender | 27 | 7 |
| 2023 Defender | 82 | 9 |
| 2022 Defender | 75 | 6 |
| 2021 Defender | 42 | 9 |
| 2020 | 55 | 7 |
| 2003 Defender | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 Defender | 3 | 0 |
| 2001 Defender | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 Defender | 1 | 0 |
| 1995 Defender | 1 | 2 |
See all Land Rover Defender problems by year, every Land Rover model, or the Land Rover VIN decoder.
Similar Land Rover models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Land Rover Defender?
Owners most often report exterior lighting, electrical system, steering problems. The top one, exterior lighting, accounts for 19 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2020 Land Rover Defender?
Yes, 7 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2020 Land Rover Defender a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Defender model years, the 2020 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.