Land Rover Defender recall for third-row seatbelt anchor issue

Jaguar Land Rover North America has announced a recall of 498 Land Rover Defender SUVs from the 2026 model year in the United States. Journalists at 32CARS found that the campaign is registered with the NHTSA under number 26V163 and with the manufacturer's internal code D098.

The Issue

The recall involves a defect in the lower bracket for the third-row seatbelt anchor. Due to a production deviation, a welded pin in the bracket may have insufficient strength because of material contamination on the supplier's side. In a crash, this component might not properly secure a passenger, increasing the risk of injury.

Timeline of the Defect

The problem was discovered on February 26, 2026, at the factory during a quality check when manual tightening of the fastening bolts revealed broken welded pins. After analyzing data and test results, it was determined that potentially defective components could have been installed on vehicles since November 2025.

On March 12, 2026, Jaguar Land Rover's safety committee recognized the defect as a potential safety threat and decided to conduct a voluntary recall. No accidents, injuries, or fires related to this issue have been reported.

Affected Vehicles

The recall covers Land Rover Defenders produced from November 3, 2025, to February 20, 2026, at the plant in Nitra, Slovakia. All 498 vehicles may have the potential defect because they are equipped with brackets from the same batch.

What Will Be Done

Dealers will replace the lower brackets for the third-row seatbelt anchors free of charge with updated parts that have undergone additional quality control.

Notifications to dealers are scheduled by April 2, 2026, and to owners by May 15, 2026.