2020 Land Rover Defender Recalls, Complaints & Specs
7 safety recalls list the 2020 Land Rover Defender, and owners have filed 55 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
7 safety recalls for the 2020 Land Rover Defender
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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Dc/dc converter (electrical system)
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…
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…
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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.
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.…
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Dc/dc converter (electrical system)
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…
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…
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Oil/lubrication (engine and engine cooling)
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…
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Vehicle latch anchor (child seat) and owners/service/other manual (equipment)
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…
Remedy: 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…
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Turn signal (exterior lighting) and 2 other components
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.
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Software (electrical system) and power train: 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.
Remedy: 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…
55 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 2020 Land Rover Defender have filed 55 complaints with NHTSA; 1 describe a crash and 1 describe a fire. Reports cite 1 injury and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 9,649 miles. Complaints peaked in 2026 with 15 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“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 contact’s spouse started the vehicle”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, September 11, 2026 · Electrical system
“The dealership is not able to perform the recall in a timely manner.”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, September 9, 2026 · Electrical system
Fuel economy and specs
EPA ratings for the 2020 Land Rover Defender (Defender 110, Defender 110 MHEV, Defender 90, Defender 90 MHEV). Ranges cover every tested configuration.
| Combined | 18–19 mpg |
|---|---|
| City / Highway | 17–18 / 20–22 |
| Fuel | Premium |
| EPA class | Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD |
| Engine | 4/6 cyl, 2/3 L |
| Transmission | Automatic (S8) |
Compare Land Rover Defender model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Land Rover Defender model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 Land Rover Defender | 0 | 1 |
| 1992 Land Rover Defender | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 Land Rover Defender | 1 | 2 |
| 1994 Land Rover Defender | 1 | 0 |
| 1995 Land Rover Defender | 2 | 1 |
| 1999 Land Rover Defender | 0 | 1 |
| 2001 Land Rover Defender | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 Land Rover Defender | 0 | 3 |
| 2003 Land Rover Defender | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 Land Rover Defender | 7 | 55 |
| 2021 Land Rover Defender | 9 | 42 |
| 2022 Land Rover Defender | 6 | 75 |
| 2023 Land Rover Defender | 9 | 82 |
| 2024 Land Rover Defender | 7 | 26 |
| 2025 Land Rover Defender | 1 | 13 |
| 2026 Land Rover Defender | 3 | 6 |
Checking a specific 2020 Land Rover Defender
How do I know if my 2020 Land Rover Defender has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 7 campaigns currently list the 2020 Land Rover Defender; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Land Rover dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 21V424000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other Land Rover models
- Range Rover961 complaints
- Range Rover Sport639 complaints
- Discovery543 complaints
- Freelander455 complaints
- Range Rover Evoque391 complaints
- Discovery II226 complaints
- LR2181 complaints
- Discovery Sport178 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.