2017 Land Rover Discovery problems & reliability
54 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2017 Land Rover Discovery, alongside 3 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.
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2017 Land Rover Discovery vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 0 occupant deaths. 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 → | 18 | 33% |
| Engine → | 13 | 24% |
| Unknown OR Other | 13 | 24% |
| Visibility/wiper | 9 | 17% |
| Power Train | 6 | 11% |
| Structure | 6 | 11% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 5 | 9% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 5 | 9% |
| Visibility | 5 | 9% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 16 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 20 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 31,500 miles (middle 50% between 10,000 and 40,750 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Water coming from top part of the front windshield. This was previously fixed but after few years problem persists and started causing electrical issues. I already had to replaced computer out of my pocket even it was under warranty cause did not wanted to fix it.”
Electrical System · filed Feb 19, 2026
“Water leak front windshield passenger side. There has been a windscreen issue for the 2018 discovery faulty install. 2017 is the same vehicle and is having the same issue. This water can leak down into the dash a create electrical issues.”
Unknown OR Other · filed Oct 6, 2025
“There is a safety recall for the 2019-2020 Land Rover Discovery models. 414-01 SAFETY RECALL: Startup Battery Ground Stud - Insufficient Ground Contact Land Rover Tech bulletin dated 09 DEC 2020 On July 25 my 2017 Land Rover discovery lost power, instrumentation went haywire, and steering limp as I was making a turn…”
Electrical System · filed Aug 8, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
850 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2017 Land Rover Discovery. The 10 most recent:
Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Software Update
N881 Discovery 17JUL26 · Other · issued Jul 17, 2026
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) may illuminate if the vehicle is refueled within 15 seconds of turning the engine off.
N881 Discovery 16JUN26 · Other · issued Jul 8, 2026
Body Control Module (BCM) does not fully meet US importation requirements. The BCM requires replacement with a new component which fully meets the US importation requirements.
N906v2 - 18MAY26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 18, 2026
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) may illuminate if the vehicle is refueled within 15 seconds of turning the engine off.
N881 Discovery 15MAY26 · Other · issued May 16, 2026
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) may illuminate if the vehicle is refueled within 15 seconds of turning the engine off.
N881 Discovery 17APR26 · Other · issued Apr 17, 2026
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) may illuminate if the vehicle is refueled within 15 seconds of turning the engine off.
N881 DISCOVERY 20MAR26 · Other · issued Mar 20, 2026
Smart Key Deactivated message on instrument cluster and unable to start their vehicle
SSM76411 - 10MAR26 · Other · issued Mar 10, 2026
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) may illuminate if the vehicle is refueled within 15 seconds of turning the engine off.
Discovery_N881 02-20-2026 · Other · issued Feb 20, 2026
Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Software Update
Discovery_N881_17OCT25 · Other · issued Oct 17, 2025
Body and Comfort (HMI) CAN related functions such as window switches or air conditioning may reset or become inoperable every 8-10 minutes while driving.
SSM76386 - 29AUG25 · Other · issued Aug 29, 2025
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 2017 Land Rover Discovery has 3 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 2017 Land Rover Discovery?
- · 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.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 31,500 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.