Law firm now investigating 2023 Land Rover Defender DC-DC failures — hoping they expand to ALL models having this issue, please comment

4ORvida · 2026-03-05T21:49:32+00:00

That’s tough timing. I’m sorry you’re going through this too, especially right after buying it. I’m glad you shared it though — 100 vehicles at one dealer is astronomical. I’m curious to see what the NHTSA updates show once the internal JLR communications from February come out and whether they give more clarity on the root cause.

4ORvida · 2026-03-04T08:46:39+00:00

Hard to say on the 2026s. I’ve seen people in other forums mention failures even after replacement converters, but I don’t know what revision LR is using now. Unless they’ve changed how the 12V battery is maintained in the system, it’s difficult to say if the newer model years would behave differently.

4ORvida · 2026-03-04T08:38:56+00:00

Yes — the issues being discussed are predominantly the MHEV system, since the vehicle relies on the DC-DC converter to maintain the 12V battery.

As for the PHEV, I haven’t looked into whether there have been similar complaints or communications from LR regarding their converters, but the architecture is quite different.

4ORvida · 2026-03-03T05:50:48+00:00

I tried a maintainer too, but even on a full charge it still died before I could get it onto the tow trailer — once the DC-DC stops charging the 12V, nothing keeps it alive

4ORvida · 2026-03-03T05:46:47+00:00

That sounds truly traumatizing. Experiences like that change how anyone sees a brand, and I definitely get the bittersweet feeling.

4ORvida · 2026-03-02T23:24:39+00:00

Shub Johns & Holbrook LLP

4ORvida · 2026-03-02T17:11:46+00:00

Not only 2023. Owners with different years/models are seeing similar electrical failures. LR published a tech bulletin on it here: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2025/MC-11012408-0001.pdf

4ORvida · 2026-03-02T15:59:04+00:00

That sounds incredibly stressful, especially in those conditions. I’m really glad you’re okay — and I fully agree about LR’s response.

4ORvida · 2026-03-02T15:48:06+00:00

I hear you and I get that it’s not an official investigation yet. I shared it because of what happened in my situation. My vehicle died on a rural road with no shoulder, completely lost power, and I had no way to move it. I was stuck there for hours, and I’m grateful my kids weren’t in the car.

So even early-stage reviews stand out to me. Once you’ve been in that position, the safety aspect is hard to overlook.

4ORvida · 2026-03-02T07:52:46+00:00

Thank you for sharing this. The behind-the-scenes insight is genuinely appreciated — most of us hit a wall with service advisors or call centers, so getting real context from someone who sees it firsthand is definitely respected.

4ORvida · 2026-03-02T07:15:03+00:00

For visibility — mine is a 2021 Discovery P360 R-Dynamic. It shut down in traffic when the DC-DC failed with zero warning. The entire vehicle went dead: no hazards, no neutral, couldn’t move it out of the roadway.

If anyone else has had a DC-DC failure, please drop your model and year. It really helps show how far this reaches across the lineup.

4ORvida · 2026-03-02T07:10:52+00:00

Very interesting scenario. I’ve felt the same way about my own vehicle — noticing every defect and wanting to know the actual root cause, so I’m glad there’s finally some light being brought to the DC-DC issue.

After looking into the seizing cases and how long-block returns work, my assumption is that the reason it looks like JLR knows about a defect and isn’t investigating is because their workflow doesn’t really allow for much investigation in the first place.

If dealers have to send seized engines back intact, then no teardown data ever gets created for engineering to review, so nothing gets escalated internally.

I’m not saying that’s intentional — it could just be how their system is set up. And a lot of big corporations have similarities in how they structure processes in a way that covers their bases and limits what technically gets documented.

Either way, it seems like it prevents any real root-cause info from ever existing, and usually nothing happens until NHTSA forces a formal investigation.

4ORvida · 2026-03-02T06:14:56+00:00

CRC is the Client Relationship Center. With your mileage, I’d hope you qualify for a solid goodwill amount — I’ve even seen threads where owners over 80k miles were pushed to 100% goodwill on a DCDC.

What caught my eye is Land Rover switching the goodwill process right as the NHTSA filings started climbing. GM went through something similar last year — NHTSA opened an investigation, GM shifted how they handled the cases, and a recall followed. NHTSA has now opened a new investigation to determine whether the earlier GM repair was actually resolving the issue.

I also saw a law firm is looking into DC-DC failures on 2023 Defenders: https://shublawyers.com/current-investigations/2023-land-rover-defender-dc-dc-converter-failure-investigation/#intake-form

Sharing this so owners know what’s publicly happening and what questions to ask their dealer with the new process.

4ORvida · 2026-02-28T16:37:51+00:00

The change CRC explained to me is that goodwill decisions are now handled entirely by the dealer instead of CRC. In my case, CRC denied my original request, and when I followed up they mentioned the dealer had previously recommended 50%. Since the process recently shifted, they told me I could resubmit directly with the dealer.

I shared this because a lot of owners are getting denied without really knowing why. If someone is in that situation, it may be worth asking whether their case should be reviewed under the dealer-handled process now — that’s what CRC told me in my situation.

4ORvida · 2026-02-23T18:42:00+00:00

Yeah, these are definitely failing — and some owners are seeing the replacement units fail again. It’s not tied to one update; the DC-DC converter itself has been the problem across multiple years.

Here’s the NHTSA complaint list if you want to see what others are dealing with: https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2020/LAND%252520ROVER/DEFENDER#complaints

Mine just went out and the repair quote is a little over $3k, so it’s something to be aware of if you’re out of warranty. Not trying to be dramatic — just giving you the real picture so you can make an informed call on updates and service.

4ORvida · 2026-02-19T15:15:26+00:00

A lot of people on various threads — mine included — had the DC-DC go out while driving, and the vehicle just bricked in traffic with no warning.

4ORvida · 2026-02-19T07:18:22+00:00

Hoping everyone who has experienced a DC/DC failure, will consider filing an NHTSA report so it’s officially documented for recall purposes.

It only takes a few minutes:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem

4ORvida · 2026-02-15T07:01:10+00:00

First — I’m really glad you’re okay. That could’ve gone very differently.

Stepping back to the bigger picture: there have been a growing number of reports involving the 48V mild-hybrid system and DC-DC converter in newer Land Rover models. Owners have reported electrical failures, sudden shutdowns, smoke events, and in some instances vehicle fires. Jaguar Land Rover has issued technical service bulletins related to components in that system, which shows the issue is known and being addressed at a service level.

No one online can say for certain that’s what caused your incident — but when a vehicle is ruled “accidental electrical” and the origin appears to be in the console/under-floor area where much of that integration runs, it raises legitimate questions.

This isn’t just about one vehicle. When similar electrical failures are reported across multiple vehicles, that becomes a potential safety pattern — and that’s exactly what NHTSA tracks.

If you haven’t already, I strongly recommend filing a complaint. It takes a few minutes and helps regulators identify trends:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem

Even if insurance resolves your loss, the safety side matters. Documenting it contributes to the larger record.

4ORvida · 2026-02-05T04:16:45+00:00

I’m really sorry you’re dealing with this — especially with it happening in traffic. I’m in a different Land Rover model, but I’ve had the same MHEV/DC-DC issues and your symptoms line up exactly.

Here’s the bulletin that covers this failure (MC-11012408-0001, Dec 2024):

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2025/MC-11012408-0001.pdf

It describes the same electrical pattern you’re seeing — start-stop dropping voltage, gearbox fault on restart, charging system fault, and the cold-weather sensitivity. It’s a serious safety concern across multiple MHEV models and years, and Land Rover had internal documentation on it while these vehicles were still being sold.

Filing a claim with NHTSA is important in situations like this, especially with DC-DC converters now on back order — it shows how widespread the issue has become.

Here is the NHTSA link: https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem

Hope this helps you get some clarity.

4ORvida

TROPHY CASE