2023 Land Rover Defender problems & reliability
81 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Land Rover Defender, alongside 8 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.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2023 Land Rover Defender vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash 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 → | 39 | 48% |
| Visibility/wiper → | 14 | 17% |
| Engine → | 12 | 15% |
| Power Train | 7 | 9% |
| Steering | 7 | 9% |
| Exterior Lighting | 6 | 7% |
| Lane Departure | 6 | 7% |
| Unknown / Other | 4 | 5% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 2% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 16 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Defender. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V248000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for…”
Electrical System · filed Sep 1, 2026
“Airbag warning light is ON. Dealer states that this is caused by the wire harness under the seat getting caught when seat moves and breaks the wire continuity. Dealer states that several of these incidents have been observed in many vehicles as the harness design is prone to being trapped in the seat movement…”
Air Bags · filed Aug 28, 2026
“My 2023 Land Rover Defender is subject to manufacturer recall D126 / NHTSA Recall 26V-248 concerning potential failure of the DC/DC converter due to an internal fault in the boost control microchip. The recall remains incomplete and Jaguar Land Rover has advised that a remedy is not yet available. I have contacted…”
Power Train · filed Aug 20, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
403 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2023 Land Rover Defender. The 10 most recent:
Turbocharger Coolant Feed / Return Leak
D061 Defender 21AUG26 · Other · issued Aug 21, 2026
Coolant Bypass Hose Leak
D011 Defender 21AUG26 · Other · issued Aug 21, 2026
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
Turbocharger Coolant Feed / Return Leak
D061 Defender 17JUL26 · Other · issued Jul 17, 2026
Coolant Bypass Hose Leak
D011 Defender 17JUL26 · Other · issued Jul 17, 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
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 2023 Land Rover Defender has 8 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 2023 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.