2020 Land Rover Defender problems and complaints

Owners have filed 55 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Land Rover Defender. The most-reported areas: Exterior Lighting (19), Electrical System (12), Steering (8).

Key takeaways

  • 55 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
  • 1 involve a crash, 1 a fire, 1 reported injury.
  • Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
Complaints by component
ComponentComplaintsShare
Exterior Lighting1935%
Electrical System1222%
Steering815%
Engine713%
Visibility/Wiper611%
Structure59%
Service Brakes47%
Unknown Or Other47%
Power Train35%
Vehicle Speed Control12%
Forward Collision Avoidance12%
Engine And Engine Cooling12%

One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

Latest complaints, as filed

Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.

Electrical System - filed 2026-09-11

The contact owns a 2020 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The following day, the contact’s spouse started the vehicle, and the message “High Voltage Shutdown Not Possible – Live System” was displayed. The contact stated that after an ins...

Electrical System - filed 2026-09-09

The dealership is not able to perform the recall in a timely manner.

Exterior Lighting - filed 2026-08-24

Our 2020 Defender's halo light on the driver's side has become inoperable & poses a safety hazard. After researching this issue, it appears that this has been reported widely online. This malfunctioning halo light renders overall lighting very dim at night, creating a safety hazard for my vehicle & other drivers on th...

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More for the 2020 Land Rover Defender

Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.