Electrical, engine and service brakes issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The 2020 Land Rover Defender is deemed an all-terrain SUV that has won countless awards and continues to be a fan favorite. The automaker claims that it is “capable by nature,” but many customers are struggling to feel the same way. This luxury SUV seems to suffer from a defective electrical system, faulty engine and malfunctioning service brakes.
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The Land Rover Defender has none of the latest gadgets and technology, which is surprising for many luxury car lovers. However, it’s not enough for it to come with these features, but they must also work well. However, the Defender lacks these attributes.
One Edmunds review states, “We’ve had ours since June 8. After 8 days, the Check Engine light went on. Land Rover then had the car for 9 days. The dealer determined that three mechanical faults set the light off, but the mechanical faults were non-existent; it must have been a software issue that caused the light to come on. Land Rover (the dealer, in consultation with engineers from Land Rover USA on the east coast and Land Rover England) cleared the Check Engine light but never determined what software issue set it off in the first place. We then got the car back, Land Rover having had it for a longer period of time than we did. About a week later, Sirius went out. It comes in and out intermittently, and we have an appointment to have that fixed, but we can’t get in to the dealer until the end of July. While waiting for that appointment, the Check Engine light came on again. I’m anticipating another long stint with a loaner.”
Even Land Rover knows that this model is glitchy. Service Bulletin #SFCC Jul20_32 states that customers can lose audio control from the radio, no matter what source is being used. This doesn’t prove to anyone the capability that the Defender should exhibit. Stereo systems are nothing new, so this isn’t ground-breaking technology that needs to be worked out – it should be a given.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Engine | |
| Steering | |
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Electrical System | |
| Structure:body | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Power Train | |
| Back Over Prevention: Rearview System Braking |
As a luxury model, the Defender is expected to have a potent, powerful engine. While it all looks good on paper, there are serious issues with the motor.
An Edmunds user wrote, “Acceleration lag. I would say close to two second delay and then all in a sudden power kicks in and you are propelled forward abruptly. Passengers are not happy, the driver at least can hold the steering wheel.”
Land Rover even acknowledges this issue with Service Bulletin #SFCC_AUG2020_31. The automaker says that the delay in acceleration could be the result of a faulty upstream oxygen sensor. The engine should run right after the O2 sensor is replaced. While that’s great that the problem is fixed, how many customers want to deal with this problem right after buying a new vehicle? This proves that the Defender is only truly “capable” after some tweaks and fixes by the technicians.
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The service brakes are the system that is responsible for stopping the SUV before an accident occurs. However, this is just one more part that appears to be defective with the Defender.
One final Edmunds review states, “The brakes, if applied too sharply have a bad noise and vibrate thru the pedal, not a good feeling.”
To further showcase the issues, Service Bulletin #SFCC_SEP20203334 says that customers are also complaining of a judder or thumping noise while braking. It seems apparent why Land Rover chose to name this SUV the Defender – it’s because it has to defend its reputation, attempting to prove it’s not a lemon.
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Land Rover pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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That is the first thing I thought.
That picture is not of a 2020 Defender…