Land Rover Recalls 250,857 SUVs over Potential Airbag Issue

The Land Rover Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover are all being recalled because the driver's airbag may not deploy as intended.

Michael Simari|Car and Driver Land Rover ordered a recall of 250,857 SUVs from the 2020 to 2026 model years because the driver's airbag may not properly deploy.Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that the clockspring connector may corrode, potentially preventing the airbag from deploying.The recall covers some 2020–2026 Defender, 2021–2026 Discovery, and some 2022–2026 Range Rover models. Land Rover announced a recall for more than a quarter-million SUVs, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The recall, which affects the Land Rover Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover lineups, is due to an issue with the driver's airbag. The impacted Discovery models are from the 2021–2026 model years, with the Defenders including 2020–2026 models, and the Range Rovers including the 2022–2026 models.

According to the recall documents, the driver's airbag clockspring connector may corrode over time. If that happens, the corroded connector can lead to increased resistance in the airbag's circuitry, potentially keeping it from deploying in a crash. An airbag that might not deploy during a crash is an obvious danger, necessitating the recall. According to NHTSA's paperwork, the entire run of 250,857 SUVs is estimated to have the defective connectors.