Photo: Mr.choppers / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
2024 Land Rover Defender: common problems and reliability
Too new to grade yet.
75 owner complaints, most about electrical system. 8 recalls.
Should I buy a 2024 Defender?The 2024 Land Rover Defender has 75 owner-filed NHTSA complaints and 8 recalls on record. The most-reported areas are electrical system and steering.
Safety record for the 2024 model year
Source: NHTSA complaints and recalls filed for 2024 Land Rover Defender vehicles (US, public record).
Too new to grade: we score a model year once it has been on the road for 3 years. How we score it
Is 2024 a good year for the Defender?
Across the 10 Defender model years we track, complaint volume runs from 1 (2001) to 243 (2023). With 75 complaints, the 2024 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 2024 Defender
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.
back over prevention: sensing system: camera
Campaign 24V678000Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2024 Defender, Discovery Sport, Range Rover, Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Velar, and Range Rover Sport vehicles. The Near Field Sensing Module (NFSM) may overheat and cause the 3D surround camera images, including the rearview camera image, not to display.
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."
Show 4 more recalls
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.
seat belts:rear/other:webbing:stitching
Campaign 26V615000Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2024 Land Rover Defender vehicles. The second-row seat belt may be improperly stitched.
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 2024 ranks against the rest.
Compare the Defender against its rivals
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