Land Rover Defender Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 103 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the Land Rover Defender across 7 model years. The 2023 model year has the most (39). The words owners use most often: “electrical fault” (19% of reports).
- 103electrical system complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 4related recalls
- 34%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Electrical fault: mentioned in 20 of 103 complaints (19%)
- Converter failed: mentioned in 16 of 103 complaints (16%)
- Stop safely: mentioned in 7 of 103 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 5 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 103 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 1 an injury.
Land Rover Defender electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Defender | 2 | 33% | — |
| 2025 Defender | 2 | 15% | — |
| 2024 Defender | 16 | 59% | 32,000 |
| 2023 Defender | 39 | 48% | 50,500 |
| 2022 Defender | 27 | 36% | — |
| 2021 Defender | 5 | 12% | — |
| 2020 Defender | 12 | 22% | 24,649 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (4)
Electrical system:propulsion system:dc/dc converter
Model years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
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.
Electrical system:propulsion system:dc/dc converter
Model years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
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.
Electrical system:software; power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Model years: 2020, 2021
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.
Electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery
Model years: 1995
Problem: The "hazardous substance label" warning was not installed on the batteries in these vehicles.
Risk: Personal injury could occur if these batteries are handled incorrectly.
Fix: Owners will be mailed a battery warning label with instructions for the placement of such labels and a letter informing them that they can also bring the vehicle to any dealer and have the label installed for them free of charge.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
On October 7th I was driving on the interstate when the engine and battery light came on in my 2024 Land Rover Defender, a notice came on the dash display stating "Stop Safely Electrical Fault Detected". I got off the interstate and safely pulled over and called Land Rover Boise. They stated my car…
My vehicle has had a software update they will not push through to the vehicle. It says because of 11 volt battery not at sufficient threshold level to handle update. Said drive for 50 -60 minutes non stop to fully charge the AGM battery. I have do so 3 times still says battery threshold for update…
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…
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.
My instrument cluster will dim to a nearly unreadable level at random times during the day. This appears to be a common and documented issue with Land Rover Defenders. I have seen a multitude of forum posts going back several years about this issue. There are no settings in the system that allow me…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Land Rover Defenders have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 103 owner complaints about electrical system for the Land Rover Defender. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Land Rover Defender electrical system?
Yes: 4 safety recalls list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the Land Rover Defender?
The most frequent phrase is “electrical fault”, in 20 of 103 complaints, followed by “converter failed” (16).
See all Land Rover Defender problems.