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2025 Land Rover Defender problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2025 Land Rover Defender has been recalled for and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.
- 0safety recalls
- 13owner complaints
- 0crash reports
- 1fire report
- 0injuries reported
13 complaints, against an average of 48 for the other 6 Land Rover Defender model years.
Every Land Rover Defender model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2025 Land Rover Defender?
The components named most often in the 13 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
Has the 2025 Land Rover Defender been recalled?
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2025 Land Rover Defender as of October 25, 2026. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN before you rely on this.
Is the 2025 Land Rover Defender recalled in the UK or Europe?
Recalls issued by the UK's DVSA and through the EU's Safety Gate system that cover this model and build period. European models can differ from U.S. ones, and "years estimated" means the recall gave no build dates, so confirm your own car with your registration or VIN.
UK DVSAAJ20-D6 Idler Pulley ClashD6 Idler Pulley Clash
Risk: A concern has been identified on certain AJ20-D6 engines where the Front End Auxiliary Drive (FEAD) belt idler pulley may over-rotate following a high torsion input and lead to a clash with and damage to the oil pressure and temperature sensor. A damaged oil pressure and temperature sensor can lead to an oil leak from the engine which can result in a slip hazard for following road users particularly two-wheeled vehicles.
Fix: Vehicles will have the Front-End Auxiliary Drive (FEAD) idler pulley replaced.
UK DVSADriver’s Airbag Potential Non-Deployment
Risk: A concern has been identified where the connector to the driver’s airbag at the clockspring may experience fretting corrosion over time. This can lead to an increased resistance in the driver’s airbag circuit potentially resulting in the airbag failing to deploy when requested to do so. An airbag which fails to deploy as-intended will increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Vehicles will have a protective lubricant gel applied to the driver’s airbag connector terminals.
UK DVSAE-PACE F-PACE Defender Discovery Sport Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Velar PHEV Traction Battery Fire Risk
Risk: Vehicles have experienced thermal overload which may manifest in smoke or fire that may occur underneath the rear of the vehicle where the high voltage traction battery is located. The root cause is not yet known and investigations are continuing. A vehicle thermal overload condition such as fire or smoke can result in increased risk of occupant injury and/or injury to persons outside the vehicle as well as property damage.
Fix: Vehicles will be inspected by the retailer and as required at-risk battery packs will be replaced.
UK DVSADefender Third Row Lower Seat Belt Anchorage Bracket
Risk: On affected vehicles a concern has been identified where the third-row lower seat belt anchorage bracket may contain a weld stud of insufficient ISO strength due to material contamination at the supplier. An insufficiently strong weld stud in this position could result in the safety restraint system not functioning correctly in the event of a crash increasing the risk of occupant injury.
Fix: Vehicles will have the third-row lower seat belt anchorage bracket replaced.
UK DVSADefender P425 Dynamic Mode Stability
Risk: Affected vehicles have had an incorrect set of settings in Dynamic Mode. Dynamic Mode therefore does not provide adequate stability suspension stiffness nor provide adequate stability control system operation thereby increasing the risk of loss of vehicle control.
Fix: Vehicles will have dynamic mode disabled.
EU Safety GateCorrosion of the airbag connector may increase electrical resistance, which could prevent the driver airbag from deploying correctly in…Corrosion of the airbag connector may increase electrical resistance, which could prevent the driver airbag from deploying correctly in the event of an accident. This increases the risk of injury.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Importer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: 10/07/2026
EU Safety GateThe driver airbag connectors in the steering column has shown that they may corrode.Over time, the airbag might not deploy as intended and therefore could increase the risk of injuries.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: 23/06/2026
EU Safety GateA defective module has been installed in the high-voltage battery, which may cause it to overheat and lead to a fire.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: 12/06/2026
EU Safety GateThe idler pulley on the front-end accessory drive (FEAD) belt may over-rotate due to high torsional stress and collide with the oil…The idler pulley on the front-end accessory drive (FEAD) belt may over-rotate due to high torsional stress and collide with the oil temperature and pressure sensor. This could damage the sensor and cause an oil leak, creating a slipping hazard for other road users, particularly two-wheeled vehicles.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Manufacturer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: Unknown
EU Safety GateA weld stud of insufficient strength on the third-row seatbelt anchorage bracket may result in the restraint system not functioning…A weld stud of insufficient strength on the third-row seatbelt anchorage bracket may result in the restraint system not functioning correctly in the event of an accident and affect occupant protection, leading to a risk of injury.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Importer; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: 21/04/2026
EU Safety GateThe lower fixing on the accessory raised air intake and the body A-pillar on which it is mounted may not fit correctly.This can result in inadequate attachment force between the raised air intake and the vehicle. The air intake can become detached from the vehicle and fall into the road. This creates a risk of accident for the following traffic.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Other; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: Unknown
EU Safety GateDue to an incorrect configuration in dynamic mode, the vehicles do not have adequate stability, suspension rigidity, or sufficient…Due to an incorrect configuration in dynamic mode, the vehicles do not have adequate stability, suspension rigidity, or sufficient stability control, increasing the risk of loss of the vehicle's control and creating a risk of accident and injuries.
Measures: Type of economic operator taking notified measure(s): Other; Category of measure(s): Recall of the product from end users; Date of entry into force: Unknown
What do 2025 Land Rover Defender owners report?
12 of the 13 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
My child was in the car seat and I noticed that the harness was not staying tight. I did research and apparently if a small object and or crumbs gets stuck under the fastener the harness won’t lock in place. I reached out to the manufacturer and they failed to do anything about this. They have no warnings regarding it and did not want to replace it. Something must be down, if this is happening on mine it is happening to many others.
The windshield cracked the 1st week owned the car. Land Rover didn’t warranty the windshield and have to buy a new one for 2500. The second windshield got a rock chip and now it expanded into a crack over 3 days.
I am now on my 4th windshield on my 2025 Land Rover Defender 110. I have had 5 chips/cracks on these windshields. Only 1 crack was from a rock that you might expect glass breakage, the others were all caused by small pebble sized road gravel that was more like insect splatter. Safelite was repairing 1 very small chip and the windshield cracked during this common repair. Clearly the provided glass is substandard and should be upgraded for all Land Rover Defenders. I now never drive this car without the thought of another windshield break that’s about to occur.
I am now on my 4th windshield on my 2025 Land Rover Defender 110. I have had 5 chips/cracks on these windshields. Only 1 crack was from a rock that you might expect glass breakage, the others were all caused by small pebble sized road gravel that was more like insect splatter. Safelite was repairing 1 very small chip and the windshield cracked during this common repair. Clearly the provided glass is substandard and should be upgraded for all Land Rover Defenders. I now never drive this car without the thought of another windshield break that’s about to occur.
I am now on my 4th windshield on my 2025 Land Rover Defender 110. I have had 5 chips/cracks on these windshields. Only 1 crack was from a rock that you might expect glass breakage, the others were all caused by small pebble sized road gravel that was more like insect splatter. Safelite was repairing 1 very small chip and the windshield cracked during this common repair. Clearly the provided glass is substandard and should be upgraded for all Land Rover Defenders. I now never drive this car without the thought of another windshield break that’s about to occur.
30 years of car ownership have never had a chipped or cracked windshield. 2025 Land Rover Defender has had 3 rock chips in a year and now a 20" crack from very minor impact from a pebble. This windshield has a design flaw and is extremely fragile.
Driving down the road and my windshield spontaneously cracked. No road debris, no rock, no trauma or accident.
While driving on Back Rd in New Hampshire at approximately 30 mph on Saturday, Feb 14, the vehicle suddenly lost power steering assist and simultaneously shifted into neutral. I received warning messages and immediately lost propulsion. Luckily, there was no traffic on the road with me, but that is not always the case on this particular road. I had to manually steer the vehicle without power assist and muscle it to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was disabled in the road and required towing. The vehicle has approximately 5,400 miles and is a 2025 model year, purchased in late June of…
The DC converter went bad and within 30 seconds while driving on the highway I got a battery warning and then the car went into neutral and stopped and went into park and the car turned off in the middle of the road and couldn’t be moved at all. Luckily some cops came and protected the car from behind until a tow truck came. The part needed is out of stock and may not be in stock for months!
The transfer case on my new 2025 LR Defender 130 went out at 5,000 miles. This unit distributes power to the axles. I was told that if I continue to drive it, it could seize up, possibly leading to a loss of control of the vehicle. Land Rover is aware that they installed a bad batch of transfer cases on their new vehicles. They have the batch number(s), and have apparently issued a 'service bulletin,' but not a recall. Nor did they contact owners to let them know of this problem proactively. Given the potential danger in the failure of this unit, a recall is the only safe option.
I was driving on [XXX] In Sarasota County, Florida, at approximately 70mph I witnessed flames coming from passenger rear portion of the car, I pulled over and jumped out at the interior was filled with smoke. In less than 15 minutes the car completely burned to nothing but black molten metal. The vehicle was purchased new, had been on order for over 5 months and had approximately 1,300 miles on it, and was only approximately 45 days in my possession. The vehicle was inspected by police and fire department, it has been towed to the local Land Rover dealer in Sarasota, Florida. INFORMATION…
Front Windshield has cracked. Defender has less than 10K and has only been driven on city roads and highway. No offroad. Chip left of center occurred from pebble while driving on Freeway back February. Took vehicle to Safelite for repair within a week. Two months later Chip expanded into a lateral crack extending nearly two feet towards passenger side. Crack is now extending towards driverside almost 10" Land Rover claims Defender is made for offroad but there appears to be the windshield is structurally weak.
2025 Land Rover Defender: questions owners ask
Is the 2025 Land Rover Defender reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 13 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 Land Rover Defender; the most common categories were visibility/wiper (7, 53.8%), power train (3, 23.1%), electrical system (2, 15.4%). There are no safety recalls listed for this model year. 1 mentions a fire.
What are the most common problems with the 2025 Land Rover Defender?
Across 13 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are visibility/wiper (53.8% of complaints), power train (23.1% of complaints), electrical system (15.4% of complaints), buckle (7.7% of complaints), chest clip (7.7% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2025 Land Rover Defender have any recalls?
As of October 2026, NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2025 Land Rover Defender. Recalls can be issued at any time, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Check your own Defender
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), DVSA vehicle recalls (Open Government Licence v3.0), EU Safety Gate alerts (© European Union), retrieved October 25, 2026. Model year 2025 only; combines NHTSA's entries for LAND ROVER DEFENDER 110, LAND ROVER DEFENDER 130 and LAND ROVER DEFENDER 90.