-
Lights & Visibility 6
The contact owns a 2017 land rover discovery. While driving, the navigation system went black, and the radio and bluetooth failed to function before resetting independently. The failure recurred three times. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
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Electrical 5
Vehicle has severe defects relating to the climate control functions. 1) in hot weather, it cannot cool down the car, 2) due to having to keep the climate at lo/max, I AM getting 9-10 MPG (16 city is stated), 3)… owner complaint filed with NHTSA
-
Fuel System 4
The 2017 discovery has been designed with only 4 air vents in the front dash and 2 very weak air vents in the 2nd row. This is a 3 row passenger vehicle with no vents in the 3rd row. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Which Land Rover Discovery years to avoid
Across 5 scored model years, the 2018 model year carries the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.
D
Grade 2017–2021 2018 vs model median 1.5×
Model median3× median
Drivetrain 7
Lights & Visibility 4
Speed Control 3
Avoid
2018
Best
2020 · 2021
Year by year
Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.
| Year | vs median | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1.47× | C |
| 2018 | 1.53× | D |
| 2019 | 1.00× | C |
| 2020 | 0.78× | C |
| 2021 | 0.45× | B |
| 2022 P | 0.75× | C |
| 2024 P | 0.72× | B |
P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.
What owners report
The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.
-
Drivetrain 7
When vehicle is under 10 miles an hour or briefly stopped and pressure is removed from accelerator, when pressing accelerator to move again there is a 1-2 second delay in response. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
-
Lights & Visibility 4
Upon staying in the mountains of north carolina and entering the car one morning after a rain storm, and while still raining in that morning, water had been and continued to, leak in through the top passenger side of… owner complaint filed with NHTSA
-
Speed Control 3
New vehicle, less than 600 miles, erratic gas pedal, start at stop sign, car lags/stalls. Been at dealership for 3 weeks, they tell me it is within land rover spec. Car severely hesitates when going from stop. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
5 crash
The best year for the Discovery
Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.
2021 is the best-scoring Discovery model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 76.3 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
| Year | vs median | Reports | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 0.45× | 12 | B |
| 2020 | 0.78× | 19 | C |
| 2019 | 1.00× | 27 | C |
Recalls
16 campaigns on record.
| Campaign | Component | Units affected |
|---|---|---|
| 26V389000 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 250,857 |
| 26V248000 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:DC/DC CONVERTER | 170,169 |
| 21V668000 | SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 32,687 |
| 23V393000 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL | 29,861 |
| 21V117000 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE | 26,805 |
| 26V458000 | BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA | 15,535 |
| 20V694000 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY | 11,084 |
| 23V044000 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION | 6,724 |
| 22V523000 | SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONER | 4,927 |
| 19V040000 | ENGINE | 2,587 |
| 24V450000 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:FILTER/SCREEN | 2,013 |
| 18V337000 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1,917 |
+ 4 further campaigns
How long do they last?
Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2018 were reported at a median of 10,200 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.
Common questions
Answered directly from this model’s record.
- Which Land Rover Discovery years should you avoid?
- 2018 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Land Rover Discovery model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
- What is the best year for the Land Rover Discovery?
- 2021 is the best-scoring Land Rover Discovery model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 76.3 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
- How many recalls does the Land Rover Discovery have?
- 16 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Land Rover Discovery model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.
How this was calculated
Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.
Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.
Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026
- Complaints in window
- 28
- Severity-weighted
- 46
- Model median (weighted)
- 30
- vs model median
- 1.53×
- Recall campaigns (weighted)
- 4
- Open investigations
- 0
Score 51.7 D