Land Rover Defender
Owners filed 300 complaints across 16 model years of the Land Rover Defender. The 2023 drew the most (81); the 2003 the fewest (1).
Model years16
Complaints300
Recalls47
Fires5
Deaths0
Every Land Rover Defender model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 3 | — | — | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2025 | 13 | 2 | 1 | — | Visibility/Wiper | Routine | |
| 2024 | 25 | 6 | 1 | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2023 | 81 | 9 | — | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2022 | 73 | 6 | — | 2 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2021 | 39 | 9 | — | — | Exterior Lighting | Routine | |
| 2020 | 55 | 7 | 1 | 1 | Exterior Lighting | Routine | |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Visibility › Power Window Devices and Controls | Routine | |
| 2002 | 3 | 0 | — | — | Engine and Engine Cooling | Routine | |
| 2001 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Visibility › Glass, Side/Rear | Routine | |
| 1999 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Tires | Routine | |
| 1995 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | Engine | Routine | |
| 1994 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 1993 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | Engine and Engine Cooling | Routine | |
| 1992 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | Routine | |
| 1990 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Visibility › Sun/Moon Roof Assembly | Routine |
Which Land Rover Defender years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 2023 is the weakest year on record, with 81 complaints concentrated in the electrical system. It carries 9 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.