NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Land Rover Defender. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
Windshield cracked for no apparent reason.
The cover over the ADAS sensors above the rear view mirror detached and fell into the driver area causing loss of control. This has happened before (without accident or loss of control) but I don't remember the date.
the lighting on the 2023 Defender 110 is not adequate, particularly at dusk and in the evening. The brightness control does not adjust for the brightness needed to see gauges. This is a safety risk.
I have a 2023 Land Rover Defender 90. The instrumentation lighting auto adjusts on its own sometimes causing a hazardous situation. The issue is at dusk when the instrument panel goes haywire and will dim to almost completely dark making it illegible. This is a common issue reported by owners of Land Rover Defenders. 2019-current. This needs to be fixed!
Heated windshield cracked spontaneously overnight while parked in driveway at home. Nothing hit it or caused any damage to windshield. Crack appears to have originated at base of windshield and come up and then curved over towards driver side
The 2023 Land Rover Defender said emissions fault and died in 4 lanes of busy traffic. This has happened since the first few miles but usually happens in a parking lot. The Defender also throws itself into neutral while in drive. This has happened multiple times and the car has less than $10k miles. I’ve taken it in before for the same issues, it’s getting towed again today.
- The windshield began to crack without anything impacting the car (No rocks, pepples, or debris hit the windshield.) - A cracked windshield can lead to several safety issues. - Not yet - Not yet - No
The Centre Cluster dims a dusk and is not visible to the driver
Infotainment screen randomly goes black while driving. Does not come back on. This screen displays and controls everything for the vehicle. Maps, system info, music, etc. Instructions to "reset" the system consists of reaching toward the passenger side of the dashboard to hold down a power button for about 30 seconds. I have done this multiple times, it's not safe. You are stretched out across your vehicle, trying to pay attention to indicator lights, while you also need to pay attention to the road.
Took the vehicle out of the garage, drove 3 miles to the highway, got on the highway, traveling 65MPH, within 15 minutes of leaving home and no more than 5-10 minutes on the highway, the passenger rear tire blew out without warning, I did not hit any debris in the road. The vehicle veered with the sudden loss of pressure, no accident but occurred during rush hour. There were OEM on a 23.5yr Land Rover Defender. Continental CrossContact 275/45 R22
This vehicle is equipped with the "Interactive Driver Display" (IDD), which is a full digital dash. Myself and several other members of enthusiast forums have reported that with recent software updates (PIVI 4.0), this display autodims entirely too dim to see. This happens in bright, full-sun, and half-sun cloudy conditions which prevent the driver from seeing the dashboard. This presents a major safety issue, as there is way to see the speed, tachometer, fuel gauge, warning lights of any kind (including pressure, safety warnings, engine temperature, etc.).
I have had to replace my windshield 3 times in a matter of a few months. In the case of my last two windshields, I was able to drive for only 2 days before it cracked. In all cases they started as small rock chips, always within a few inches of the exterior edge. I have had rock chips in the past with other vehicles but typically they would rarely crack. For some reason this vehicle can't take even the smallest of rock chips without cracking. Not sure if this is due to the shape of the windshield, the way it is installed or just bad glass. I wouldn't have made this complaint had I not noticed that there are several other Owners of this vehicle making similar complaints.
Defective windshield. Windshield randomly cracked after no impact or visible damage.
Front windshield stress fractured after being parked in cold weather following a long drive with the windshield defroster on. It has been replaced and is not available for inspection. Safety was put at risk due to an obstruction in visibility Problem has not been reproduced or confirmed, but anecdotally seems to be a frequent occurrence based on internet forum posts Vehicle has not been inspected No warnings or other indications of failure
The media screen will randomly go blank so you can not see your navigation map, radio information or any other data that the screen should show. The dealer told us to press the door lock twice and wait several minutes before restarting. Very unsafe if emergency is occurring and you do not have access to navigation system. This has occurred several times since we purchased the vehicle new on March 18 at Buckhead Range Rover in Atlanta. the phone charger does not work and only heats up your phone after you lay the phone on it for a period of time.
On several occasions my car has shifted from Drive into Neutral while I was at a light and the vehicle had shut itself off as part of the Intelligent Start Stop feature. I see that this same issue has been happening to several other Owners who have reported this to the NHTSA. Ironically it seems as though all these vehicles were purchased in Houston TX.
When driving the new 2023 vehicle with 956 miles we got a lane keep malfunction dialogue box pop up on digital instrument cluster. At the same time the power steering ceased to work or the lane keep fought to keep it centered even when trying to make maneuvers to stay in lane of traffic, navigate turns or avoid other vehicle. It endangered the lives of my wife, 3 young daughters and lives of other drivers/passengers on the road. The vehicle was parked about a mile from it occurring and roadside assistance called. It was taken to Jaguar Land Rover Hunt Valley to be repaired. Where they duplicated same issue. They could not get the computer to flag any codes that something was wrong but witnessed it not being able to be steered properly. They proceeded to do a hard reset on the steering module as they could not communicate with it, they then downloaded new software and said it fixed the problem. We drove 3.5 hours round trip to go pick it up. It drove just like is should for trips but then at 1145 miles the exact same issue with dialogue box saying lane keep malfunction and power steering or it fighting my wife to stay straight and fighting her to navigate road turns, obstacles or other vehicles. This again put my family and other families on the road at extreme risk. It was then towed again. This time it went to Jaguar Land Rover Harrisburg. They too witnessed the same issue and I told them of what happened before and what they did to fix. It has been in the dealership service centers care for a week and they can’t figure out why it’s doing it. They contacted Land Rover corporate for help and have open ticket with Engineer. The service managers words to me where that they can’t do anything until LandRover engineer figures out why this is happening to Defenders. I said there is more, he said yes. I called corporate to request they take the vehicle back as it is unsafe for my family and other families in the road. They said it has to happen 3 times! Not Safe At All.
Stopped on an uphill grade, start stop on vehicle activated, engine stopped. Upon brake release, engine started, vehicle made uncommanded shift from drive to neutral, rolled backward several feet before brake could be reapplied. Land Rover has been aware of the uncommanded shift to neutral issue for sometime. Local dealer has a bulletin on this issue, but Land Rover has no fix, instead advising to manually disengage auto start stop every time vehicle is driven. Unfortunately, sometimes I forget to do this. It’s a problem.
When stopped at stoplight engine gear slips to neutral without warning. When applying gas it becomes apparent it’s no longer in drive. Has happened 8 plus times and I’ve had this new car less than 2weeks. Reported to dealer who tells me 2 other customers have reported this as well. No one is sure why it happens.
Vehicle makes uncommanded shifts from drive into neutral when the engine restarts after stopping during an auto start-stop cycle. Driver has to manually re-engage drive after this happens.