Land Rover Defender Complaints

230 consumer complaints on file.

#11720634February 26, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The DC converter on our 2022 Land Rover Defender 110 failed. We received some electrical fault notices that would come and go inconsistently a few days before the incident. Land Rover told us to drive the car to the dealer to get repaired, even when we asked whether that was safe. On the way to the dealer, the car completely turned off in the middle of traffic and became a brick and had to be towed in negative degree weather to the dealer where it has sat for a month today. The car shutdown/lost control on Rt 1 in Massachusetts and was fortunately able to steer off the road into a parking lot before it became a brick in the middle of a parking lot, not in a spot or anything. The dealer expects this is a DC converter problem but the car is a complete brick and cannot turn on or be moved around at the dealer until the part arrives. We've been told the part is on back order for months and there is no timeline for when it will be repaired.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11719811February 23, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
DC -DC power converter part # LR131043. My vehicle is unusable due to the failure of this part. I have not been able to use my vehicle for over a month and the part is still on indefinite back order.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11719447February 20, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
An electrical component called the DC DC converter failed in my 2023 Land Rover Defender. I discovered the failure after starting the car after work. A warning that the battery was not charging presented itself. I didn't think it was a major issue and could be something reset easily. I was able to get the car home safely but shortly after the car was completely non functional and could have potentially shut down right on the interstate on my drive home. Currently my car has been at the dealership for over two weeks waiting on a new converter because it is on backorder. This part is quite fragile and its failure can leave drivers stranded on the highway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11719441February 20, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 – 60 MPH, the vehicle suddenly shuddered and vibrated with several unknown warning lights illuminated and flashing before the vehicle abruptly stalled and lost power in the middle of the freeway. The vehicle lost steering and braking functionality and was unable to accelerate. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that several vehicles almost crashed into the rear of the vehicle, and a semi-truck came to a screeching halt behind the vehicle. The contact experienced an extreme panic attack and severe anxiety during the failure. The Emergency Services were called to the scene and with the help of the Fire Department, Police, and Ambulance Services, the vehicle was moved from the roadway to safety. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the DC-to-DC converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the part was on back order and that the vehicle could not be immediately repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11718655February 17, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The dc dc converter failed and had to be towed away. The incident happened while I was driving the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11718508February 17, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, STEERING
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 2025. The dealer has indicated the likely cause is a failed DC-DC converter, and I have been told the part is on backorder with extended delays. I've look online at forums, and it sounds like this is a widespread known issue that effects Land Rover cars with model years of 2022 and potentially prior as well. This sudden loss of steering assist and propulsion created a safety hazard in traffic, and it is possible that Land Rover has known about this issue for awhile.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11718497February 17, 2026
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
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
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11718347February 16, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Vehicle was started, while still in park, an alert appeared on the dashboard “stop safely electrical fault detected”. Vehicle was turned off and restarted, with the same warning light on. Called LR dealer, Vehicle was backed out of garage at service advisors advice, parked and flatbed tow truck called.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717995February 14, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
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!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717878February 13, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The component that failed appears to be the DC-DC converter and/or related charging system within the vehicle’s electrical system, which resulted in complete failure of the 12-volt battery system. The vehicle displayed a dashboard warning stating: “Electrical fault detected. Please find a safe place to stop.” Shortly after this warning appeared, the vehicle lost electrical stability and the 12-volt battery completely discharged. The battery would not hold a charge even after attempted recharging. The vehicle became inoperable and required towing to an authorized Land Rover dealership. The vehicle is currently in the possession of an authorized Land Rover dealer and is available for inspection upon request. It has not yet been repaired. Safety Risk This failure created a significant safety risk because: The warning appeared while the vehicle was being driven. The electrical system is critical to power steering, braking assist, stability systems, lighting, and other safety components. A sudden loss of electrical power while driving at highway speeds or in traffic could result in loss of critical vehicle control systems. The vehicle became fully inoperable after the fault, creating the potential for stranding in unsafe conditions. If this failure had occurred at higher speed or in heavy traffic, it could have placed the driver, passengers, and surrounding motorists at risk. Reproduction / Dealer Confirmation The vehicle is currently at an authorized Land Rover dealership. The dealer has indicated that they have a significant number of other Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles in queue with similar DC-DC converter / electrical system failures. However: The vehicle has not yet been formally diagnosed. It has not yet entered the service bay. There is no estimated time for inspection or repair due to part shortages. The dealer has acknowledged that this appears to be a known and recurring issue. Inspection by Manufacturer or Others The vehicle has been in
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717507February 12, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
While driving on the freeway I recieved and elctrical fault detected please pull over when safe. The issue is the DC to DC converter failed resultign in the loss of charging for the car and relaince on stored elctricity in the battery to drive systems. I was on the highway at freeway speeds and had to exit the highway quickly to avoid the vehicle completly shutting down on the freeway. The dealer has verified the issue. There is significant discussion on owner boards about the numerous failures across all years of the mhev defender resulting in owners being stranded on the side of the road. Land Rover needs to issue a recall to replace this defective part.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717107February 10, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was white smoke coming from the engine compartment. The message to “Add Coolant” was displayed. The coolant was added to the coolant reservoir; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact was constantly adding coolant; however, there were no coolant leaks found. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717048February 10, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
DC to DC Converter failed, rendering vehicle dead. No parts available to repair. Forced to wait for months.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716962February 10, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
DC/DC converter failed on the 2023 Land Rover Defender about 2000 miles out of warranty. The parts are on back order with no ETA because so many LR Defenders are having this issue. This can cause your car to die while driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716498February 7, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The DC to DC converter Failed. It is part of the mild hybrid system. Multiple cars in my state and globally have reported the same failure around the same time. Supposedly these failures are due to the cold weather. At the 1st start up of the day a warning message displayed "Stop safely Electrical fault detected" the it disappeared after 1minute. After the 2nd start up the message reappeared and stayed on. I drove straight to the dealership where the vehicle would not be able to start or move again. My safety and others would have been at risk if the vehicle would have been immobile on the road. The vehicle has since had the DC to DC converter replaced as well as the battery which suffered power drain. These repairs were done by the manufacturer/dealership under warranty. The DC to DC converter was on back order for months due to so may vehicles suffering the same failure. With more cold weather ahead is the replacement part or system safe? I think this issue needs to be investigated.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716451February 7, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
DC to DC converter failure that displays a RED warning indicator that says "Stop Safely Electrical Fault Detected" with a red battery indicator symbol displayed simultaneously. I called the dealer as this is the 3rd time I have experienced similar electrical issues that have left me stranded since my purchase of this truck new Jan '22. The dealer brushed me off the first time telling me I didn't drive the vehicle enough, 2nd time they replaced the battery, now they said they had a bulletin (1 month prior) from Land Rover of known DC-DC converter failure with no ETA for parts. I was told by the dealer the steering could lock up and/or the vehicle could have brake failure. I had it towed 1 hour to the dealer. There are 10 other vehicle sitting at this one dealer awaiting the same part replacement and they never notified me of this issue when they were aware of the safety concerns a month prior to my 3rd incident. This is a now known nationwide issue with Defenders and I have a claim in for it to be covered under the factory warranty since my factory warranty had just expired 9 days prior especially given my prior record of electrical issues with this particular vehicle. This is still not resolved and it has been at the dealer for 18 days as it is not safe to drive and still awaits a part with no estimated time for repair.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716175February 6, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
DC-DC converter has failed causing the car to shut of while driving. During this period of time the car shuts off and the steering wheel locks. Seems to be a massive problem as every dealer we call doesn't have the parts to repair and are quoting months to fix the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715904February 5, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, STEERING
Car has had 2 separate, distinct failures of the DC/DC converter which result in electrical faults rendering all systems unusable (gearbox, steering, etc.) and making the care immobile. I have had it replaced once in September 2025 following a failure, and then the replacement failed in January 2026. This is incredibly dangerous while driving. Dealer and Land Rover are aware of widespread failures, parts are backordered with no timeline. Warning light starts with 'Electric Fault Detected' and continues to function for an indeterminate amount of time before failing completely.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715778February 5, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Electrical fault detected - pull over safely error message appeared while driving, and when vehicle was shut off, low battery warning appeared. Started vehicle and attempted to put in drive and failed with drivetrain error, then suspension error and power steering error. Replaced 12V battery next morning and still received electrical fault error. Towed to dealer and diagnosed with DC-DC converter failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715745February 5, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The DC/DC converter failed when I turned the car on and I received a warning. Drove straight to the dealership to drop it off for service. Reviewing others with this issue online, it is an extremely common problem and no recall has been issued. Many report their cars dying in the middle of nowhere. To make matters worse, there is a long backlog for the part, months for some people. I’m waiting to hear back from the dealer on my wait time. I hope by submitting a report that you will consider requiring Land Rover to issue a recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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