2023 Land Rover Defender

The DC/DC converter failed when I turned the car on and I received a warning. Drove straight to the dealership to drop it off for service. Reviewing others with this issue online, it is an extremely common problem and no recall has been issued. Many report their cars dying in the middle of nowhere. To make matters worse, there is a long backlog for the part, months for some people. I’m waiting to hear back from the dealer on my wait time. I hope by submitting a report that you will consider requiring Land Rover to issue a recall.

While driving the vehicle warnings alerted me that the battery was low and to start the vehicle ( it was running as I was driving) then the alert changed to pull over when possible. At this time the power steering and power brakes started to fail by the time I pulled into a parking lot the vehicle completely died and I had to push it into a parking spot. I called Land Rover they towed it to a dealership. The dealership in Orlando Florida said that the DC to DC converter failed and that it would need a new one (but the part is on a back order because it’s a common issue and they have no idea how long it will take to get the part) it will take at least 30 days or more to get a new part. Before I managed to pull over in a safe location the steering became very heavy and the brake pedal got very hard and barely stopped the vehicle ( almost had a collision) and steering into the parking lot was extremely difficult.

While driving my Defender 130 at Highway speed a warning for a faulty electrical system light came on. Within a mile while I was trying to exit the highway, all electrical systems failed. I had a gearbox failure warning and the car went into neutral at highway speed. Power steering failed and I had to manhandle the vehicle off the road into a snow drift to get off the highway.

I own a 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 that I purchased brand new. Since buying it, it has been back to the dealer many times for serious issues. The vehicle has had repeated cooling system failures, including replacement of all upper coolant hoses. Most recently it was at the dealer for coolant loss / no coolant, and the dealer diagnosed failed O-rings going into the turbo and repaired it. I was told this is a common issue but there has been no recall. Shortly after getting the vehicle back, while traveling with my family, I received a dashboard warning: “Stop safely – electrical fault.” Immediately after this warning, the vehicle lost power and died in the street with my family in the car, creating a major safety hazard and risk of being hit by traffic. The vehicle had to be towed. I am currently stranded in NY (away from home in MA) and the vehicle is now at a dealer here. It has been difficult to even get it seen by a technician, and we are supposed to return home tomorrow (Sunday). I have learned many other owners are experiencing similar “Stop safely” failures and it appears related to the P400 DC/DC converter. There have also been incidents where the steering wheel would not turn, and the only way to restore function was disconnecting the negative battery terminal to reset the vehicle computer, which is extremely dangerous. Additionally, the heated steering wheel overheated and burned a hole through the steering wheel and burned my hand while driving. The dealer replaced it under warranty, but the repair notes suggested the damage caused the heater issue, when the damage occurred because of the overheating/burn. This vehicle has had repeated safety-related defects involving the cooling system, electrical system, steering, and heated steering wheel, including sudden shutdown in the roadway with passengers. I request NHTSA investigate for a potential recall.

Car only has 42K miles on it- we were driving down the highway at approx 75mph, when the dash alarms started going off indicating an electrical system failure. A few minutes later all systems started flashing failures (lane keep assist system, braking system, etc)....then suddenly the gear box system failure alerted and the gears disengaged, the RPM's shot up and red-lined, and the CAR lost power in the middle of the highway. Fortunately we were able to get off to the shoulder without getting hit by a semi-truck. The car was completely dead. It had to be towed to a dealer, to find out that the DC/DC converter had failed- and these parts have been on back order for months- apparently this is a common issue with these cars, and people have been talking about it online...many have been without their car for 3-4 months waiting these parts.

On December 29th 2025 my car displayed an alert "Electrical Fault Detected: Please Pull Car Over Safely". I was in rural New Hampshire at the time so continued driving (for about 5 minutes) until I lost all power steering, stability controls and ability to drive the car - luckily by this point I had made it to Gorham, NH. Luckily it was just me in the car and not my family as the temps were below 10 F that day and Land Rover couldn't get a tow until the next day. Since then the car had to be towed to Land Rover Bedford and has been in the shop since as they dont have any DC Converters (Part number 433123464) in the US. Apparently there are 1400 Land Rover Defenders all sat in garage lots as nobody can get this part in the US from the manufacturer. There is no ETA on when the part will arrive in the US and I will have my car back.

The contact owns a 2023 Land Rover Defender. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle shut off unintendedly. There was an unknown electrical warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failure with the DC converter Part Number: 433123464. The contact was informed that the part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because the part was on backorder. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

DC Converter for Hybrid system malfunction with complete battery discharge rendering the vehicle inoperable while utilizing. Lucky that the occurrence occurred in low traffic area! Unable to move vehicle onto flat bed truck because of electrical controlled gears. Unable to secure vehicle because of electrical controlled door locks. Replacement product on back order -estimate at least 6 weeks.