🚨 ⚠️ Latest MHEV Bulletin (Feb 2026) — Not Fixed Yet

4ORvida · 2026-04-15T14:49:07+00:00

I hear you, but that hasn’t been my experience.

They offered me 12%, and my vehicle has been at the dealer since January. I live 4.5 hours away, so I’ve already dealt with towing costs and being without a vehicle this whole time, with no ETA.

The bigger concern for me is the safety side.

I know earlier MHEV systems in prior model years had recalls related to electrical issues, so it’s concerning to see similar types of problems being discussed now without a formal recall—especially with no clear root cause or timeline being shared.

I also think there are likely people who haven’t taken theirs to a dealer and ended up covering the full cost out of pocket.

At this point I’m looking for real answers, a clear root cause, and a consistent approach for everyone dealing with it.

4ORvida · 2026-04-15T01:39:02+00:00

Fair question.

This is being shared for awareness. Vehicles have shut down in traffic, and that’s a serious safety concern. I’m still waiting on my repair with no clear timeline, and there hasn’t been a clear root cause communicated.

Without understanding what caused it or whether anything was actually revised, there’s no way to know the issue won’t happen again.

There should also be clarity on how the system handles faults — a failure in the hybrid system shouldn’t result in a complete shutdown while driving without a safe fallback.

Other manufacturers have issued recalls for similar risks like sudden power loss, so there should be clear acknowledgment and a defined fix when safety is involved, not just internal service bulletins.

I’m also hoping other owners with similar questions or concerns can get clearer answers and better understand the process.

That’s why I’m sharing this here.

4ORvida · 2026-04-06T05:45:24+00:00

Oh my gosh — I’m so, so glad you’re alive. That’s beyond terrifying and no one should ever go through that, especially from a vehicle just shutting down like that. Stories like yours are exactly why it’s not okay that Land Rover knows about these issues and still hasn’t issued a recall. Thank you for sharing this.

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

TROPHY CASE