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#BS-2021-LANDEF-104F2021 Land Rover Defender
Based on reports from 37 owners and 7 recalls for this exact model.
Preliminary Verdict
Green Light
Based on 37 complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, and 7 recalls.
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Mechanic Inspection Checklist
12 owners reported visibility issues — failures commonly reported around 68K miles.
30,000-Mile Cost Projection
Best Case
Most Likely
Worst Case
Top cost driver: Visibility (12 reports).
Also in your report
Owner Intelligence
AI-synthesized themes from real complaints
Buyer Lot Checklist
Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers
Negotiation Talking Points
Data-backed dollar deductions
Buy / Skip Verdict
Final recommendation with conditions
Where the complaints fall
2021 Land Rover Defender: Known Issues & Problem Areas
Visibility Issues
Visibility complaints account for 32% of all reports filed for the 2021 Land Rover Defender, with 12 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 68,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 68K-mile mark.
Lights Issues
Lights complaints account for 24% of all reports filed for the 2021 Land Rover Defender, with 9 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to lights-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Electrical Issues
Electrical complaints account for 8% of all reports filed for the 2021 Land Rover Defender, with 3 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to electrical-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Structure:body Issues
Structure:body complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 2021 Land Rover Defender, with 2 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to structure:body-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.
Complaint trend by year
Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2021 Land Rover Defender. Recent trend: decreasing.
Don't negotiate blind — know what this car costs to own
Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict
Recall History (7 recalls)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Land Rover Defender vehicles equipped with 6-cylinder engines. The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) may unexpectedly switch off while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in an engine stall with no warning.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Defender X vehicles equipped with smoked rear light assemblies. A voltage spike, triggered by a bright light shining on the rear of the vehicle, can cause the turn signals, brake lights, and tail lights to fail.
SEATS
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2021 Defender 90 vehicles equipped with manually-adjustable front seats. The front seat track end-stop bracket may become deformed, which could prevent the seat from locking into place.
CHILD SEAT:VEHICLE LATCH ANCHOR
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Land Rover Defender vehicles. The owner's manual incorrectly states that the third-row seating is equipped with LATCH child seat restraints with top tethers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR
Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2021 Range Rover, 2022 Range Rover Sport, 2020-2021 Range Rover Velar, Discovery Sport, 2020-2022 Discovery, and Defender vehicles. The seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly.
+ 2 more recalls in the full report
Recall severity analysis & seller scripts
The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
2021 Land Rover Defender vs. Class Average (Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD)
This vehicle
37
Class avg
25
Complaint volume is roughly in line with other standard sport utility vehicle 4wd vehicles from 2021.
Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.
About this data
NHTSA Complaints
Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 37 records for this vehicle.
NHTSA Recalls
Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 7 recalls found for this vehicle.
Repair Cost Data
Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.
Other Land Rover Defender Model Years
2021 Land Rover Defender: Frequently Asked Questions
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 37 owner reports. Know before you buy.