Photo: Mr.choppers / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
2023 Land Rover Defender: common problems and reliability
One of the worst Defender years.
One of the Land Rover Defender years to avoid. All Defender years
243 owner complaints, most about electrical system. 10 recalls.
Should I buy a 2023 Defender?The 2023 Land Rover Defender has 243 owner-filed NHTSA complaints and 10 recalls on record. The most-reported areas are electrical system and visibility/wiper.
Safety record for the 2023 model year
Source: NHTSA complaints and recalls filed for 2023 Land Rover Defender vehicles (US, public record).
The Year Score compares this year with other Defender years only. How we score it
Is 2023 a good year for the Defender?
Across the 10 Defender model years we track, complaint volume runs from 1 (2001) to 243 (2023). With 243 complaints, the 2023 Defender sits above the model's median of 55.
These are raw NHTSA complaint totals, not adjusted for how many cars sold or how long each model year has been on the road. Older and higher-selling years accumulate more complaints.
Where owners report problems
Recalls affecting the 2023 Defender
seat belts:pretensioner
Campaign 22V523000Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2022-23 Land Rover Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport and 2022 Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners may be damaged, which can cause the seat belts to not properly restrain occupants.
engine and engine cooling:engine:oil/lubrication
Campaign 23V044000Jaguar 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.
child seat:vehicle tether anchor
Campaign 23V137000Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 vehicles equipped with third-row seats. The third-row seatback latch may not latch properly, reducing the strength of a child seat installed to the top tether.
service brakes, hydraulic:critical fasteners
Campaign 23V789000Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 vehicles modified for the TRek Off-Road Competition. The brake calipers may not be reinstalled properly, allowing the brake calipers to detach.
Show 6 more recalls
engine and engine cooling:engine:oil/lubrication:filter/screen
Campaign 24V450000Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Defender, 2024 Discovery, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover Velar vehicles. The oil filter housing can crack and leak oil into the engine compartment.
equipment
Campaign 24E102000Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Land Rover Defender vehicles equipped with Raised Air Intake (RAI) aftermarket accessory equipment, with part number VPLEP0543. The raised air intake may not be secured properly, which can allow the intake to detach from the vehicle.
back over prevention:software
Campaign 25V016000Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2023 Discovery Sport, 2023-2024 Defender, and 2023 Range Rover Evoque vehicles. The touchscreen in the center console may go blank at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
electrical system:propulsion system:dc/dc converter
Campaign 26V248000Jaguar 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). Insufficient electrical load balancing during times of high demand can lead to a current overload condition and malfunction of the DCDC converter. 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.
air bags:frontal
Campaign 26V389000Jaguar 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.
electrical system:propulsion system:dc/dc converter
Campaign 26V599000Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2019-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, 2020-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Land Rover Defender, 2021-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Velar, Jaguar E-Pace, F-Pace, and Land Rover Discovery vehicles. The DC-DC converter may malfunction due to an electrical overload that can occur during high power demand. Additionally, a software error can cause the DC-DC converter to stop functioning at vehicle start-up under certain circumstances. Failure of the DC-DC converter will result in the loss of 12-Volt system charging and can lead to complete loss of drive power and exterior lighting.
What owners say across generations
Sentiment is sharply divided by generation.
Owner insights cover all generations of the Defender. See the full Defender owner picture and every model year.
Typical used price
Used Defender listings typically run $38,704–$52,889.
Other Defender model years
Compare every Defender year side by side to see how 2023 ranks against the rest.
Compare the Defender against its rivals
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