Land Rover bulletin N861
What it saysOn certain 2020 to 2022 model year Range Rover, 2019 to 2022 model year Range Rover Sport, 2019 to 2020 model year Range Rover Evoque and 2020 model year Discovery Sport vehicles, the 48V Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Land Rover filed this with NHTSA as a manufacturer communication dated Jun 21, 2024, received Mar 8, 2024, about the electrical system — 5 documents under this number: N861 RANGE ROVER, N861 DISCOVERY, N861-RANGE ROVER, N861-DISCOVERY and 1 more. It names 5 model years (2019–2022). A manufacturer communication is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationOn certain 2020 to 2022 model year Range Rover, 2019 to 2022 model year Range Rover Sport, 2019 to 2020 model year Range Rover Evoque and 2020 model year Discovery Sport vehicles, the 48V Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) battery enters an offline state and no longer communicates or functions as intended. This can result in illumination of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL), loss of start/stop functionality and no communication during diagnostic sessions.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N861 RANGE ROVER | Other | Jun 21, 2024 | 11003829 | PDF, 172 KB |
| N861 DISCOVERY | Other | Jun 21, 2024 | 11003827 | PDF, 199 KB |
| N861-RANGE ROVER | Other | May 17, 2024 | 11001280 | PDF, 174 KB |
| N861-DISCOVERY | Other | May 17, 2024 | 11001279 | PDF, 200 KB |
| N861 | Service bulletin | Feb 28, 2024 | 10251549 | PDF, 143 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 5 model years this bulletin names have filed 334 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 217 of them name Electrical System, Engine — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover, the 13 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 14,690 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Car randomly decelerates at any given speed at random times, car will flash D for drive gear on the dash then resume to normal. RPM will drop then return to normal. Presented issue to Land Rover Jacksonville multiple instances . No issues detected. Car getting stuck in gear. Car jerks for a moment. Car flashes in D and R gear and jerks
2020 Land Rover Discovery · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 21, 2026 · ODI 11772789
The contact owns a 2020 Land Rover Range rover 3.0. The contact stated while driving on the highway heard loud bang, no warning lights illuminated, continued to drive. white grayish Smoke coming from underneath the vehicle and a burning oil smell. There was also a lot of oil spots visible underneath the vehicle. Pulled off the road.
2020 Land Rover Range Rover · Engine · filed with NHTSA May 7, 2026 · ODI 11736390
The contact owns a 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle independently decelerated and lost motive power. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated.
2020 Land Rover Discovery · Engine · filed with NHTSA Mar 4, 2025 · ODI 11646289
In depth: 2020 Land Rover Range Rover electrical problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the electrical system
Source: same model, same component group129 other manufacturer communications filed against these Land Rover models under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Land Rover list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSM76510 - 23SEP26 | Other | Sep 23, 2026 | Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) stored in the Battery Charging Control Module (BCCM). The DTC may be unable to be cleared. |
| SSM76510 - 16SEP26 | Other | Sep 16, 2026 | Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) stored in the Battery Charging Control Module (BCCM). The DTC may be unable to be cleared. |
| D103 | Emissions | Sep 8, 2026 | D103 Emission Recall Owner Letter |
| D101 | Emissions | Sep 8, 2026 | D101 Emission Recall Owner Letter |
| D100 | Emissions | Sep 8, 2026 | D100 Emission Recall Owner Letter |
| SSM76110 - 21AUG26 | Other | Aug 22, 2026 | Vehicles on display e.g. in a showroom whilst being supported by a showroom 12v support unit, these vehicles require an additional fuse to b… |
| N955 Range Rover 21AUG26 | Other | Aug 21, 2026 | A quality concern has been identified where there may be a missing fixing on the Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) battery harness which i… |
| SSM76110 - 19AUG26 | Other | Aug 20, 2026 | Vehicles on display e.g. in a showroom whilst being supported by a showroom 12v support unit, these vehicles require an additional fuse to b… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Land Rover, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Land Rover N861 a recall?
No. A manufacturer communication is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the N861 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way.
Which vehicles does N861 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 5 model years: 2020 Land Rover Discovery, 2022 Land Rover Range Rover, 2021 Land Rover Range Rover, 2020 Land Rover Range Rover, 2019 Land Rover Range Rover. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.