2022 Land Rover Defender problems & reliability
73 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2022 Land Rover Defender, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 22, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2022 Land Rover Defender vehicles were involved in 3 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 25 | 34% |
| Exterior Lighting → | 13 | 18% |
| Visibility/wiper → | 13 | 18% |
| Unknown / Other | 9 | 12% |
| Engine | 6 | 8% |
| Steering | 4 | 5% |
| Lane Departure | 3 | 4% |
| Power Train | 3 | 4% |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 4% |
| Structure | 3 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 19 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“DRL Halo failure/driver side: I own a business, and am on the road driving throughout the day. I have had at least 3 incidents where other drivers have pulled out in front of me, in which I believe was due to the DLR Halo failure. I was also stopped by a Traffic Officer because he thought it was a full 'headlight'…”
Exterior Lighting · filed Aug 24, 2026
“Component and System Failure: The front headlamp assembly's internal LED Daytime Running Lamp (DRL) circuit board failed prematurely. The component is not available for inspection upon request, as the failed headlamp assembly is currently still installed on the vehicle. Safety Risk: The sudden loss of the DRL severely…”
Exterior Lighting · filed Aug 17, 2026
“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.”
Exterior Lighting · filed Aug 17, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
462 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2022 Land Rover Defender. The 10 most recent:
TCU Activation Failure And InControl App Inoperative After Software Update
SSM76492 - 20AUG26 · Other · issued Aug 21, 2026
Air Conditioning Inoperative / Intermittent Operation
SSM76487 - 20AUG26 · Other · issued Aug 21, 2026
Intermittent Passive Entry Operation 24MY Or With New Service Smart Key Fob.
SSM76477 - 21JUL26 · Other · issued Jul 22, 2026
Exhaust System Oxygen (O2) Sensors - Extended Warranty
E002 - 20JUL26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 20, 2026
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.
SSM76324 - 06JUL26 · Other · issued Jul 6, 2026
Unable to select Navigation when pressing the navigation Tile on theTouchscreen.
SSM76468 - 03JUL26 · Other · issued Jul 4, 2026
Software Over The Air (SOTA) updates are failing to complete. Specifically Vehicle Domain Controller (VDC) PIVI and Gateway Module A (GWM). These vehicles have now been stopped from further SOTA attempts and require a…
N869 Defender 16JUN26 · Other · issued Jun 16, 2026
Software Over The Air (SOTA) updates are failing to complete. Specifically Vehicle Domain Controller (VDC) PIVI and Gateway Module A (GWM). These vehicles have now been stopped from further SOTA attempts and require a…
N869 Defender 15MAY26 · Other · issued May 16, 2026
Door Zone Module - Quiescent Drain
N811 Defender 15MAY26 · Other · issued May 16, 2026
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.
D006 Defender 15MAY26 · Other · issued May 15, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2022 Land Rover Defender has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2022 Land Rover Defender?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.