Land Rover Recalls 250,857 SUVs Over Airbag Fault Linked to Corroded Connector

The document filled by Land Rover and the United States Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that over 250,857 Land Rover SUVs from 2020 to 2026 were recalled due to corrosion in the clockspring connector potentially preventing the airbag from deploying.

The recall covers Land Rover Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover models, with the issue stemming from the driver’s side airbags. The information from the recall document shows that the driver’s airbag clockspring connector may corrode over time, and when it happens, the defective connector can cause increased resistance in the airbag’s circuit cycle, potentially making it not deploy in the event of a crash.

The NTSA documents also show that 250,857 SUVs may have the defective connectors and may include Discovery models from 2021 to 2026 model years, the Defender from 2020 to 2026, and the Range Rover from the 2022 to 2026 year models.

Engineering analysis found that drivers could not be aware of the problem as the airbag warning lamp would illuminate at least 300 to 400 miles before the clockspring connectors become nonfunctional due to corrosion.

Any Land Rover model owner will be contacted by mail as the automaker plans its notification campaign starting August 7. Owners may be required to bring their vehicle to a dealership closest to them, where a technician will apply protective lubricant to the connector terminal and will be done free of charge.

At some point during the production, the document shows that the same process of lubricant application was done, which means that a lifetime solution hasn’t been confirmed. For those who are worried that their car may be included in the recall, they can check on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration site.