2022 Land Rover Defender

While driving my 2022 Land Rover Defender 110 (16,658 miles), the brake pedal suddenly went soft and sank to the floor. Braking became severely degraded and effectively useless. I was able to slow the vehicle using engine braking and bring it to a stop safely. Multiple warnings appeared simultaneously, including brake system warnings, amber ABS and DSC lamps, and a "stability control not available" message. There was no crash, fire, or injury, but the loss of braking created a serious risk to me and the surrounding traffic as I was making a left onto [XXX] against oncoming traffic on [XXX] The vehicle was not driven further and was taken to an authorized Land Rover dealership for diagnosis. The dealership's diagnostic scan confirmed DTC C055E-7A ("Brake Hydraulic Circuit A Leak – Fluid Leak or Seal Failure") logged on XXX, along with related code C055E-64. This confirms a hydraulic fluid leak or seal failure in the service brake system, consistent with the total loss of pedal pressure I experienced. The manufacturer has issued Special Service Message SSM 74988 addressing this exact DTC on this platform (Defender L663, 2020 model year onward), indicating awareness of this failure mode. There were no warning lamps or symptoms prior to the failure — it occurred suddenly with no advance indication. The vehicle and diagnostic records are available for inspection upon request. Root-cause diagnosis by the dealership is in progress; the suspected sources are a hydraulic line, caliper, seal failure, or the integrated brake unit (which combines the booster, master cylinder, ABS pump, and control module in a single assembly on this platform). A sudden hydraulic brake failure at this low mileage suggests a potential defect rather than wear. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I purchased a 2022 V8 after waiting about a year to get the vehicle. It mostly has been a good car until recently. I was pulling into my garage, which has a downhill grade, and there was ice on the surface of the driveway and subsequently slid into the corner of my garage going no more than 3-5 mph. Quarter size dent on the bumper, no big deal… I thought. Tried to reverse away from the garage and the car wouldn’t move. All of the warning lights appeared. I was able to finally get it to reserve but every time I would put it into drive from there, the parking brake would turn on and the brakes would lock up. I had it towed to a Land Rover dealership and apparently the entire ABS module has faulted. They ordered a new one and installed it only to find out that it still isn’t working properly. Land Rover says this isn’t covered by warranty as it isn’t a manufactures defect. I’ve now had to spend $10k and still don’t have a fully functioning vehicle. How could a $110k “off road machine” be put to a stand still due to a quarter size dent incident in the bumper, let alone the ABS module is located in the engine bay! Incredibly frustrating and can’t wait to get it fixed and sel it; if I can even get it fixed properly. I am taking it to another Land Rover dealership in town as the other one seemed incapable of figuring it out. Land Rover USA has been horrible to work with and I am now driving a vehicle with a vibrating sensation in the brakes and maybe 50% of the normal braking power.

My vehicle had been at the Land Rover South Bay Service department from 11/3/21 to 11/10/21 because the suspension fault indicator had come on the prior week and the air suspension had temporarily failed. In addition, it occasionally does not start when I press the start button with my foot depressing the brake pedal and the key is in the car. It is a brand new vehicle with about 1,750 miles. On 11/11/21 I was driving the vehicle down a hill at approximately 40-45 MPH when the automatic emergency braking system self activated for no reason. The vehicle came to a rapid, abrupt stop and the closest vehicle in front of us was at least 20 yards ahead. There were no obstacles in the road. Luckily, there was no vehicle following me or we would have been rear-ended. There was a red hazard signal with a red exclamation mark that appeared on the display near the speedometer and an audible alarm sounded. I immediately brought the vehicle back to the Land Rover Service department and they did a "scan". They informed me that they did not detect any faults or any history of a problem. I love this vehicle but I am now obviously concerned about driving it. I informed the dealership that if this happens again I will return the vehicle and request a refund.