Fault File
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Land Rover Defender

All generations and engines together · 47,650 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 80k

Typical mileage at age 7
80k miles
Check the mileage view below; low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

Generation

Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.

How this model wears

Land Rover DefenderClass average, all tracked models

Known issues

Measured

Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.

What testers flag

Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.

Faults with the car itself

The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 4,970 tests in this band.

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Advisory
13.7%class 1.9%
A shock absorber bush excessively worn
Advisory
11.9%class 0.2%
?
Advisory
7.3%class 0.3%
Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users
Advisory
5.2%class 2.4%
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
Fail
4.3%class 1.3%
A shock absorber bush excessively worn
Fail
3.2%class 0.1%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
3.1%class 6.3%
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Fail
2.5%class 0.2%
A wheel bearing with excessive play
Advisory
2.4%class 0.5%
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
Fail
1.8%class 0.8%

Wear, upkeep and luck

Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.

Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
6.4%class 10.1%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
6.3%class 8.7%
A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
5.8%class 11.1%
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
Fail
4.8%class 2.1%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
4.8%class 20.1%
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
Fail
3.2%class 1.7%
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
Minor
3.2%class 2.0%
Number plate inscription missing or illegible
Advisory
1.6%class 1.5%

Unconfirmed issues

Reported

Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.

Pivi Pro screen blackouts and freezes

Emerging

On the new Defender (2020 on) the Pivi Pro touchscreen can go black or freeze for a few seconds to a few minutes, sometimes described by owners as happening roughly monthly. It affects sat-nav, climate and camera functions while it's out, since so much is routed through the one screen. Land Rover has pushed several software updates aimed at display power-up bugs, but owners on forums report it recurring after the fix. Usually free to address under warranty; a hardware module swap out of warranty would run into a few hundred pounds.

Reported from new, ongoing through ownership · sources: owner forums (LandyZone, Defender2.net), Honest John

Air suspension sagging, leaks and warning lights

Air suspension-equipped models only

Cars fitted with the electronic air suspension option can develop a lopsided stance, a ride-height warning light, or a compressor that runs constantly trying to keep pressure up. Air springs, connectors and the compressor itself are the usual failure points, and risk climbs with age as seals harden rather than with any specific mileage marker. Repairs range from a single air spring at a few hundred pounds to a full compressor and multiple springs running well over a thousand. Steel-sprung Defenders don't have this exposure at all.

Risk grows with vehicle age · sources: Go-Parts repair guide, Defender2.net, Land Rover Forums

Flush door handles sticking or not popping out

Emerging

The pop-out flush handles on the new Defender are a repeated forum complaint: the handle fails to present itself on approach, or the inside release feels dead with no resistance when pulled. It's mostly an annoyance rather than a safety issue, but it can leave you locked out or unable to open a door from inside. No confirmed UK recall specifically for the handles has turned up in official recall trackers, so treat it as a common niggle rather than an acknowledged defect. Fixes are usually a handle unit or motor swap, typically a few hundred pounds outside warranty.

Reported across early ownership · sources: owner forums (LandyZone, Defender2.net), UK vehicle recall trackers

P400e plug-in hybrid system faults

P400e plug-in hybrid only

P400e owners report the dash throwing a hybrid system fault, sometimes with a loss of electric drive, air conditioning and even 12V charging until the car is restarted or reset. Real-world electric range is also commonly reported well short of the official figure. Specialist firms now offer dedicated high-voltage battery and BECM (battery control module) repairs for this powertrain, which points to it being a recurring rather than one-off problem; those repairs can run over a thousand pounds. Diesel and petrol Defenders don't carry this risk.

Reported across ownership, not tied to a specific mileage · sources: Pelican Diagnostics, LKQ Electriq, Defender2.net

Chassis and bulkhead corrosion (classic Defender, pre-2016)

Emerging

On Defenders built before the 2016 end of the original line, the ladder chassis, rear crossmember and bulkhead are well known rust spots, made worse where the aluminium body meets the steel frame. It creeps up over years of UK winters and salt exposure rather than mileage, and by 8-10 years old it's a routine finding at inspection. A patch repair might be a few hundred pounds; a full replacement chassis on a rotten example can run into several thousand. It isn't covered by any recall, it's just how these age.

Typically visible from 8-10 years old · sources: Auto Express used-buying guide, classic Defender restoration specialists

Seized or corroded brake calipers

Partly in the MOT data

Owners and specialists both flag caliper pistons and sliders seizing from corrosion, especially on Defenders that see plenty of standing time or wet off-road use between drives, giving a dragging brake, uneven pad wear or a spongy pedal. This lines up with brakes being the measured signature fault for this class of large SUV: the folklore version is specifically about calipers and hoses corroding rather than pads or discs simply wearing out. Land Rover has recalled classic Defenders more than once over brake hose and parking brake defects, so there's a documented history behind the general worry. A caliper rebuild or replacement is typically a few hundred pounds per corner.

Reported at any age, worse on lightly-used examples · sources: Auto Express (recall history), owner forums (LandyZone, Defender2.net)

Viewing one? Ask this

Built from the two sections above.

Tap the touchscreen through every menu (nav, camera, climate) and leave it running for a few minutes. Any blackout, freeze or slow reboot points to the Pivi Pro display bug.
On an air-suspension car, watch the ride height settle after start-up and check for a warning light. A car that sits lopsided or a light that won't clear suggests a leaking air spring or tired compressor.
Walk up to each door and try the handle both from outside and the inside release. A handle that won't present, or an inside pull with no resistance, is the known sticking-handle fault.
On a P400e, check the dash for any hybrid system warning and note the indicated electric range against a full charge. A fault message or range well under the official figure points to a battery or BECM problem.
On a pre-2016 Defender, get it on a ramp and look at the chassis rails, rear crossmember and bulkhead corners. Flaking rust or a screwdriver sinking into the metal means expensive chassis work is coming.
Press the brake pedal hard and hold it, then check for any pull to one side; also spin each wheel by hand if you can get it jacked up. A pedal that sinks slowly, a pull under braking, or a wheel that won't spin freely suggests a seizing caliper.
Pull the full MOT history and check whether brake advisories repeat year after year. A brake advisory that never gets properly fixed is a sign of exactly this corrosion pattern, not a one-off.

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