2024 Land Rover Defender problems & reliability
25 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2024 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.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 14 | 56% |
| Steering | 5 | 20% |
| Back Over Prevention | 4 | 16% |
| Engine | 4 | 16% |
| Unknown / Other | 3 | 12% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 8% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 8% |
| Power Train | 2 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 4% |
| Equipment | 1 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 13 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2024 Land Rover Defender. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V248000 (Electrical System). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not…”
Electrical System · filed Aug 25, 2026
“On August 14, 2026, at approximately 12:15 p.m., I arrived at Land Rover Mission Viejo for a scheduled appointment to complete Safety Recall D120, Driver's Airbag Potential Non-Deployment. No service attendant greeted or checked me in. When I approached an attendant, the attendant said they could not help because they…”
Air Bags · filed Aug 14, 2026
“Vehicle: 2024 Land Rover Defender, VIN [XXX] Related recall: NHTSA campaign 26V248 (JLR internal D126 / H575) This complaint concerns the unavailability of a remedy for a defect that can cause complete loss of drive power while the vehicle is in motion. Timeline: - April 17, 2026: Jaguar Land Rover North America filed…”
Engine · filed Aug 11, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Rear Seat Belt Stitching Failure and Detachment
Preliminary Evaluation PE25019 · opened Dec 11, 2025 · open
Technical service bulletins
233 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2024 Land Rover Defender. The 10 most recent:
Quality defect may be present on the Stitching of the Rear Seatbelt Assembly.
D130 Defender 21AUG26 · Other · issued Aug 21, 2026
Turbocharger Coolant Feed / Return Leak
D061 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
Seat belt stitching concern
TUCC_AUG2026_08 · Other · issued Aug 21, 2026
Intermittent Passive Entry Operation 24MY Or With New Service Smart Key Fob.
SSM76477 - 21JUL26 · Other · issued Jul 22, 2026
Seatbelt Stitching Concern
D130 Defender 17JUL26 · Other · issued Jul 17, 2026
Turbocharger Coolant Feed / Return Leak
D061 Defender 17JUL26 · Other · issued Jul 17, 2026
Wireless Device Charger Inoperative Post Software Update
SSM76463 - 06JUL26 · Other · issued Jul 7, 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
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 2024 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 2024 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.