2022 Land Rover Defender problems & reliability
67 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2022 Land Rover Defender, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2022 Land Rover Defender vehicles were involved in 3 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 25 | 37% |
| Visibility/wiper → | 13 | 19% |
| Unknown OR Other | 9 | 13% |
| Exterior Lighting | 8 | 12% |
| Engine | 5 | 7% |
| Steering | 4 | 6% |
| Lane Departure | 3 | 4% |
| Power Train | 3 | 4% |
| Service Brakes | 3 | 4% |
| Structure | 3 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 19 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My vehicle is losing power from the battery showing battery needs to recharge and its full charged have to turn interior lights off”
Electrical System · filed Jul 22, 2026
“The contact owns a 2022 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the raised air intake partially detached from the vehicle. The contact believed that the VIN should be included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24E102000 (Equipment, Structure) after the failure. The dealer was contacted, and the…”
Equipment · filed Jul 15, 2026
“While driving my 2022 Land Rover Defender 110 (16,658 miles), the brake pedal suddenly went soft and sank to the floor. Braking became severely degraded and effectively useless. I was able to slow the vehicle using engine braking and bring it to a stop safely. Multiple warnings appeared simultaneously, including brake…”
Service Brakes · filed Jul 10, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
460 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2022 Land Rover Defender. The 10 most recent:
Intermittent Passive Entry Operation 24MY Or With New Service Smart Key Fob.
SSM76477 - 21JUL26 · Other · issued Jul 22, 2026
Exhaust System Oxygen (O2) Sensors - Extended Warranty
E002 - 20JUL26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 20, 2026
A low-speed ‘clonk’ type noise from the rear driveline, audible during low speed throttle inputs, often coupled with up/down gear changes. The noise is audible during normal road driving conditions.
SSM76324 - 06JUL26 · Other · issued Jul 6, 2026
Unable to select Navigation when pressing the navigation Tile on theTouchscreen.
SSM76468 - 03JUL26 · Other · issued Jul 4, 2026
Software Over The Air (SOTA) updates are failing to complete. Specifically Vehicle Domain Controller (VDC) PIVI and Gateway Module A (GWM). These vehicles have now been stopped from further SOTA attempts and require a…
N869 Defender 16JUN26 · Other · issued Jun 16, 2026
Software Over The Air (SOTA) updates are failing to complete. Specifically Vehicle Domain Controller (VDC) PIVI and Gateway Module A (GWM). These vehicles have now been stopped from further SOTA attempts and require a…
N869 Defender 15MAY26 · Other · issued May 16, 2026
Door Zone Module - Quiescent Drain
N811 Defender 15MAY26 · Other · issued May 16, 2026
The transfer case clutch and / or All Wheel Drive (AWD) lock cannot perform as designed. This may show as a reduction in torque to the front axle during driving or as an inability to apply the AWD lock.
D006 Defender 15MAY26 · Other · issued May 15, 2026
Vehicles may exhibit a ‘clicking’ noise from the rear of the vehicle. The noise may be heard from one or both sides of the vehicle when moving forwards or backwards. Action:
SSM76404 - 12MAY26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 12, 2026
Arduous customer drive cycles have been found to accelerate the degradation of engine oil, leading to generation of engine oil sludge deposits in high pressure engine oil galleries of the engine and inside the…
N892v3 - 01MAY26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2022 Land Rover Defender has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2022 Land Rover Defender?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.