Reliability & cost of ownership
Land Rover Defender Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Land Rover Defender? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars where on file — then open the year you're shopping for its AI reliability outlook where NHTSA has enough data.
Land Rover Defender problems by model year
50 recall entries and 318 owner complaints on file across 11 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Defender | 3 | 6 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2025 Defender | 2 | 13 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2024 Defender | 8 | 27 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2023 Defender | 10 | 89 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2022 Defender | 7 | 78 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2021 Defender | 10 | 42 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2020 Defender | 8 | 58 | No overall rating on file | AI reliability outlook → |
| 2003 Defender | 0 | 1 | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2002 Defender | 0 | 3 | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 2001 Defender | 0 | 1 | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
| 1995 Defender | 2 | None on file at try.vin | No overall rating on file | Recalls & complaints → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Land Rover Defender, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- electrical system110 complaints
- exterior lighting66 complaints
- visibility/wiper53 complaints
- engine38 complaints
- unknown or other27 complaints
- steering26 complaints
- power train20 complaints
- structure11 complaints