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Land Rover · Midsize / large SUV

2021 Land Rover Defender

HybridGas
Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
4 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
35 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls1 critical8
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA38
Crash ratingNHTSA overall—
Fuel economybest combined, EPA19 mpg
2026202520242023202220212020

The 2021 Land Rover Defender is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas midsize or large SUV with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Defender 110 MHEV, is EPA-rated at 19 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 38 complaints, most often about the exterior lighting.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Defender 110 MHEVHybrid4WD3.0L 6-cyl turbo + 48V Li-Ion172219$4,100
Defender 90 MHEVHybrid4WD3.0L 6-cyl turbo + 48V Li-Ion172219$4,100
Defender 90Gas4WD2.0L 4-cyl turbo182119$4,100
Defender 110Gas4WD2.0L 4-cyl turbo172018$4,300

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 43138, 43139, 43639, 43638.

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Recalls (8)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Air Bags

D120
250,857 vehicles
ProblemJaguar 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.RiskAn air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 26V389000reported Jun 12, 2026Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC
▲high

Electrical System

D126 H575
170,169 vehicles
ProblemJaguar 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.RiskA loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.FixThe 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.
NHTSA campaign 26V248000reported Apr 17, 2026Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC
!critical

Engine And Engine Cooling

N763
6,724 vehicles
ProblemJaguar 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.RiskAn oil leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 23V044000reported Feb 2, 2023Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC
▲high

Seat Belts

N630
32,687 vehicles
ProblemJaguar 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.RiskAn unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 21V668000reported Aug 26, 2021Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC
▲high

Equipment

N601
7,027 vehicles
ProblemJaguar 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."RiskIncorrect child restraint information may result in a child seat being improperly secured, which can increase the risk of injury in a crash.FixLand 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.
NHTSA campaign 21V584000reported Jul 29, 2021Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC
▲high

Seats

N609
603 vehicles
ProblemJaguar 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.RiskA seat that is not properly locked into place can move unintentionally during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 21V499000reported Jul 1, 2021Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC
▲high

Exterior Lighting

N598
2,622 vehicles
ProblemJaguar 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.RiskTurn signals, brake lights, and tail lights that fail to illuminate can reduce visibility to other drivers and increase the risk of a crash.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 21V435000reported Jun 8, 2021Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC
▲high

Power Train

N599
163 vehicles
ProblemJaguar 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.RiskAn engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.FixThe 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.
NHTSA campaign 21V424000reported Jun 3, 2021Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
38complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2021: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2023: 7 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 7 · 2026: 8

Most-cited components

Exterior Lighting12
Visibility/Wiper12
Electrical System5
Unspecified4
Structure3
Back Over Prevention2

What owners describe

“It happened after being parked at work for 9hrs. The “lane assist not available!” warning came on when I started the car. 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 …”Jan 22, 2024 · Steering · NHTSA owner report
“The passenger side headlight is malfunctioning. The halo and outer bulbs do not come on which disables the daylight running lights and reduces the effectiveness of the headlight at night. There is no warning light or message indicating the failure. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer’s dealer and they …”Dec 5, 2023 · Exterior Lighting · NHTSA owner report
“Headlamps are faulty. Replaced the drivers side at almost the end of the 49k miles and after about another 900 miles, the passenger side went out. There is a defect with these lights and they’re back ordered through the UK. Police have told me that I have a headlight out and there is nothing I can do about this.”Nov 5, 2023 · Exterior Lighting · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Other Defender model years

D

2026 Land Rover Defender

3 recalls · 4 complaints

A

2025 Land Rover Defender

1 recalls · 12 complaints

F

2024 Land Rover Defender

5 recalls · 25 complaints

F

2023 Land Rover Defender

8 recalls · 81 complaints

F

2022 Land Rover Defender

5 recalls · 72 complaints

F

2020 Land Rover Defender

6 recalls · 53 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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