Wrench.Pro

2021 Land Rover Defender: raw data

Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.

vehicle2021 / land-rover / defender
known issues6 clusters (reviewed 2026-08-21)
complaintsnone on file
recalls9
investigations0
fars0 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexedyes
licenseCC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Daytime running light and headlamp assembly failureEXTERIOR LIGHTING12 complaints2021-07 → 2026-08defender-2021-drl-headlamp-failure
  • 11755150 The left headlight daytime running light has died due to a defective chip in the light itself. It may cause a higher chance of a daytime wreck because of reduced visibility. Also, more chance of me getting pulled over for my headlight not working
  • 11668024 The driver side DAYTIME Running Light has failed as of 1/20/25. 2. Some states require the DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS to be operating. (So, I need to replace this headlamp.) 3. Three auto repair companies have confirmed the DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS are not operating and the entire…
  • 11718497 Both daytime running lights failed simultaneously. Not covered by warranty and told that they would cost >$5,000 to repair. There have been hundreds of these reported and it should be a recall
Windshield spontaneous cracking without impactVISIBILITY/WIPER15 complaints2021-09 → 2024-10defender-2021-windshield-spontaneous-crack
  • 11451131 under adverse temperature conditions ( e.g. high temp or low temp ) the windshield can develop a sudden crack, without any external impact. Conditions: above 95 deg F or below 30 deg F ; Status: vehicle could be stationary, or in motion; Hazard to occupants: Yes; Safety concern…
  • 11470701 Windshield cracked for no reason. ie no chip caused by rock, etc. Happened while I was driving with no traffic
  • 11508583 at 12k miles my windshield while driving makes a huge popping sound and i look to see that it cracked right down the middle, startling me while driving at night. There was ABSOLUTELY nothing that hit the windshield. It was a clear night driving with no other drivers on the road
A-pillar exterior trim detachment at highway speedSTRUCTURE3 complaints2021-09 → 2026-07defender-2021-apillar-trim-detachment
  • 11748533 while driving at highway speeds, the driver-side windshield exterior A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle and blocked the driver-side rearview mirror, obstructing rear visibility. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the highway, and the detached A-Pillar trim was…
  • 11545310 while driving on the highway at about 70mph I heard a loud noise coming from the front right side of the car and when I looked the right windshield pillar molding had broken off and was hanging by the bottom. I had to pull over immediately and saw that the molding had broken off…
Electrical system recall repair parts unavailabilityELECTRICAL SYSTEM3 complaints2026-01 → 2026-08defender-2021-electrical-recall-26v248
  • 11754833 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 the…
  • 11756648 I had received the recall notice regarding a failure of the DCDC converter and that an electrical fault warning could potentially happen. Well I got that warning and then my check engine light remained on. I immediately called [XXX] Jaguar Land Rover in [XXX] and got an…
Main fuel line fracture and fuel leakFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE1 complaints2025-10 → 2025-10defender-2021-fuel-line-fracture
  • 11692274 after refueling the vehicle, the contact noticed a fuel odor while driving. The contact continued driving; however, the fuel odor had grown stronger. The contact arrived at the residence and inspected the vehicle, and became aware that the main fuel line had fractured, causing…
Steering wheel high effort and lane assist faultSTEERING1 complaints2024-01 → 2024-01defender-2021-steering-heavy-effort
  • 11567000 I noticed the steering wheel was VERY hard to turn. You have to use both hands and lean with body weight to turn the wheel a few inches which when the car is at a stand-still. It did get a little easier if the car was moving. The screen didn’t dim but now I recall, just for a…

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

none on file

Recalls all years →

campaign_numberreport_received_datecomponentsummaryconsequenceremedy
21V43500008/06/2021EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTSJaguar 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.Turn signals, brake lights, and tail lights that fail to illuminate can reduce visibility to other drivers and increase the risk of a crash.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.
21V66800026/08/2021SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTORJaguar 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.An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.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.
21V58400029/07/2021EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUALJaguar 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."Incorrect child restraint information may result in a child seat being improperly secured, which can increase the risk of injury in a crash.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.
21V42400003/06/2021POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)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.An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.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.
21V49900001/07/2021SEATSJaguar 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.A seat that is not properly locked into place can move unintentionally during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.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.
23V04400002/02/2023ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATIONJaguar 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.An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.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.
24E10200006/12/2024EQUIPMENTJaguar 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.A detached raised air intake can fall off the vehicle and become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.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.
26V24800017/04/2026ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:DC/DC CONVERTERJaguar 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.A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.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.
26V38900012/06/2026AIR BAGS:FRONTALJaguar 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.An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.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. Land Rover's number for this recall is D120.

Investigations all years →

none listed

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_yearsoccupant_deathsmatch_typevpic_recovered
2010-20240legacy-code0

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.

Cite this

Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.

Wrench.Pro (2026). 2021 Land Rover Defender vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2021/land-rover/defender
@misc{wrenchpro_2021_land_rover_defender_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2021 Land Rover Defender},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2021/land-rover/defender}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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