Most common 2023 Land Rover Defender problems
Share of the 85 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Land Rover Defender complaints by model year
2023 Land Rover Defender recalls (9)
Electrical system › Propulsion system › DC/DC converter
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.
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.
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.
Electrical system › Propulsion system › DC/DC converter
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…
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.
Equipment › Electrical › Infotainment › Video (touch)screen/monitor/unit
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2023 Discovery Sport, 2023-2024 Defender, and 2023 Range Rover Evoque vehicles. The touchscreen in the center console may go blank at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended.
Remedy: Dealers will update the touchscreen software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2025. Owners may contact Land Rover's customer service at 1-800-637-6837.
Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Oil/lubrication › Filter/screen
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Defender, 2024 Discovery, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover Velar vehicles. The oil filter housing can crack and leak oil into the engine compartment.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the filter housing, oil filter, and o-rings, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 27, 2024. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Critical fasteners
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 vehicles modified for the TRek Off-Road Competition. The brake calipers may not be reinstalled properly, allowing the brake calipers to detach.
Remedy: Dealers will reinstall the brake calipers, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 18, 2024. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N848.
Show 3 more recalls
Child seat › Vehicle tether anchor
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 vehicles equipped with third-row seats. The third-row seatback latch may not latch properly, reducing the strength of a child seat installed to the top tether.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the third-row seat frame and components, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 24, 2023.
Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Oil/lubrication
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.
Seat belts › Pretensioner
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2022-23 Land Rover Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport and 2022 Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners may be damaged, which can cause the seat belts to not properly restrain occupants.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the front seat belt assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837.
What 2023 Land Rover Defender owners say
Electrical system all 41 →
The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 - 60 MPH, the vehicle suddenly shuddered and vibrated with several unknown warning lights illuminated and flashing before the vehicle abruptly stalled and lost power in the middle of the freeway. The vehicle lost steering and braking functionality and was unable to accelerate. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that several vehicles almost crashed into the rear of the vehicle, and a semi-truck came to a screeching halt behind the vehicle. The contact experienced an extreme panic attack and severe anxiety during the failure. The Emergency Services were called to the scene and with the help of the Fire Department, Police, and Ambulance Services, the vehicle was moved from the roadway to safety. …
The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle shut off unintendedly. There was an unknown electrical warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failure with the DC converter Part Number: 433123464. The contact was informed that the part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because the part was on backorder. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.
Engine & cooling
The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the engine compartment. The message to "Add Coolant" was displayed. The coolant was added to the coolant reservoir; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact was constantly adding coolant; however, there were no coolant leaks found. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
The vehicle experienced a sudden and complete electrical failure while driving, related to the DC converter. Warning lights did appear prior to the failure; however, I was driving down a mountainous road and do not recall the exact messages. Shortly after, the vehicle shut down and lost power, causing it to roll to a stop in active traffic. At the time of the incident, I was partially in the roadway and unable to safely move the vehicle out of traffic. The vehicle became inoperable and could not be restarted. I had two children and two dogs in the vehicle at the time. The vehicle had to be towed approximately two hours back home. The required part was on backorder for approximately two months due to so many vehicles having the issue, leaving my vehicle unusable for an extended period. …
Windows, wipers & sunroof
Vehicle windshield spontaneously cracked with large crack extending across most of passenger side. Vehicle has 10K miles. No offroad driving. No rock or foreign object struck vehicle. Driven on smooth roads. Weather was not issue. This is clearly a SAFETY issue. Crack will likely extend and I will need to replace windshield in vehicle less than 1 year old. I will take a picture of it. It needs to be replaced immediately..I've arranged service but am worried that vehicle-specific windshield is inherently flawed, regardless of who installs it. This was common knowledge (frequent cracks) in this model through 2022 but I don't know what has been done to address the problem. thank you
I have had to replace my windshield 3 times in a matter of a few months. In the case of my last two windshields, I was able to drive for only 2 days before it cracked. In all cases they started as small rock chips, always within a few inches of the exterior edge. I have had rock chips in the past with other vehicles but typically they would rarely crack. For some reason this vehicle can't take even the smallest of rock chips without cracking. Not sure if this is due to the shape of the windshield, the way it is installed or just bad glass. I wouldn't have made this complaint had I not noticed that there are several other Owners of this vehicle making similar complaints.
2023 Land Rover Defender engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6-cyl turbo supercharged hybrid | 8-speed automatic | 4WD | 18 / 23 / 20 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 8-speed automatic | 4WD | 18 / 21 / 19 |
| 5.0L 8-cyl supercharged | 8-speed automatic | 4WD | 15 / 19 / 16 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2023 Land Rover Defender a good car?
Based on 85 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2023 Defender rates avoid: 3.0× as many complaints as a typical year of the Defender at the same age. It is one of the Defender years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2023 Land Rover Defender?
The electrical system — 41 complaints, 48% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the engine & cooling (14) and windows, wipers & sunroof (14).
How many recalls does the 2023 Land Rover Defender have?
There are 9 recalls for the 2023 Land Rover Defender, the most recent from September 17, 2026 (dc/dc converter). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Land Rover Defender?
Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2023, 2022 and 2021. See the full Land Rover Defender years comparison.
At what mileage do 2023 Land Rover Defender problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 61,000 miles; 50% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.