VehicleVerdict

2021 Land Rover Defender problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

One of the years to avoid

With 38 complaints filed to NHTSA — about 15.2 times the median Defender year — the 2021 model ranks #4 of 16 Defender years for complaint volume. It lands on the years-to-avoid list.

Visibility & Wipers leads the complaint categories with 13 reports (34% of the total).

38

NHTSA complaints

9

Recalls

0

Investigations

0

Crash-involved

0

Fires reported

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

NCAP overall

How does 2021 compare to other Defender years?

Defender NHTSA complaints by model year, 2021 highlighted101 complaints1990: 1 complaints1992: 0 complaints1993: 2 complaints1994: 0 complaints1995: 1 complaints1999: 1 complaints2001: 1 complaints2002: 4 complaints2003: 3 complaints2020: 63 complaints2021: 38 complaints2022: 82 complaints2023: 101 complaints2024: 38 complaints2025: 15 complaints2026: 0 complaints
Defender NHTSA complaints by model year, 2021 highlighted. Red bars are years to avoid.

See all Defender years to avoid →

What are the most common 2021 Land Rover Defender problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Visibility & Wipers1334%
Lighting1026%
Other38%
Electrical System38%
Driver Assistance38%
Body & Structure25%
Engine13%
Steering13%
Suspension13%
Fuel System13%

Does the 2021 Land Rover Defender have recalls?

9 NHTSA recall campaigns on file. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

26V389000AirbagsJune 12, 2026 · 250,857 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will apply a protective lubricant gel to the driver’s air bag connector terminals, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed August 7, 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 D120.

26V248000Electrical SystemApril 17, 2026 · 170,169 units

Defect

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.) The DC-DC converter can fail due to an internal fault in the boost control microchip. 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.

Consequence

A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy

The remedy for this recall is currently under development. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed June 17, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the 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.

24E102000OtherDecember 6, 2024 · 485 units

Defect

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Land Rover Defender vehicles equipped with Raised Air Intake (RAI) aftermarket accessory equipment, with part number VPLEP0543. The raised air intake may not be secured properly, which can allow the intake to detach from the vehicle.

Consequence

A detached raised air intake can fall off the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect, and if necessary, remove and reinstall the RAI accessory, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed February 20, 2025. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N964.

23V044000EngineFebruary 2, 2023 · 6,724 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

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 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N763.

21V668000Seat BeltsAugust 26, 2021 · 32,687 units

Defect

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2021 Range Rover, 2022 Range Rover Sport, 2020-2021 Range Rover Velar, Discovery Sport, 2020-2022 Discovery, and Defender vehicles. The seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly.

Consequence

An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed October 20, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N630.

21V584000Child SeatJuly 29, 2021 · 7,027 units

Defect

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 Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."

Consequence

Incorrect child restraint information may result in a child seat being improperly secured, which can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

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 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N601.

21V499000SeatsJuly 1, 2021 · 603 units

Defect

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2021 Defender 90 vehicles equipped with manually-adjustable front seats. The front seat track end-stop bracket may become deformed, which could prevent the seat from locking into place.

Consequence

A seat that is not properly locked into place can move unintentionally during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the front seat tracks, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 28, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N609.

21V435000LightingJune 8, 2021 · 2,622 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

Turn signals, brake lights, and tail lights that fail to illuminate can reduce visibility to other drivers and increase the risk of a crash.

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.

21V424000Electrical SystemJune 3, 2021 · 163 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.

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 28, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N599.

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

Representative excerpts, cleaned of personal information. These are consumer statements, not verified defects.

The contact owns a 2021 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that the windshield cracked without impact, causing electrical issues. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed but not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and told the contact that they were…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Visibility & Wipers · August 2, 2021

Ever since I purchased my Defender back in 2021, the instrument cluster automatically dims. Usually when at dusk or dawn, the cluster dims so much, it is impossible to read with sunglasses, and very poorly lit without sunglasses. I have the dimmer switch set to the brightest setting, but it still…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Lighting · October 11, 2023

The daytime running lights (DRL) have failed in the passenger side. After some quick research, it's apparent that this is a widespread issue with the "Signature" halo lights in the Defender headlamp assembly. Reddit discussion: [XXX] ) Here is a Youtube video showing the issue and "fix". So many…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · November 19, 2025

Windshield has hairline and becomes 2 differnt hairlines after a small peeble hit it Now on my 3rd windshield it happened again another hailine crack that keeps growing Land rover does not want to be responsible

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Other · May 31, 2021

2021 Land Rover Defender — common questions

Is the 2021 Land Rover Defender reliable?

NHTSA data argues against it: 38 complaints put the 2021 model at #4 of 16 Defender years. It is one of the Defender years to avoid.

What are the most common 2021 Defender problems?

According to NHTSA complaint data, the leading problem areas are visibility & wipers (13 complaints), lighting (10 complaints), driver assistance (3 complaints).

Does the 2021 Land Rover Defender have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns affecting the 2021 Land Rover Defender. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers; check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm the work was done.

Which Land Rover Defender years should you avoid?

Based on complaint rates and open investigations, the Defender years to avoid are 2023, 2022, 2020, 2021, 2024. The cleanest record among Defender years belongs to 2026.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.