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Land Rover is recalling 250,857 Defender, Discovery and Range Rover vehicles because the driver’s airbag connector at the clockspring can corrode. Here is what the defect is, which vehicles are covered, how to check your VIN, and what the free repair involves.
Is my Land Rover part of the 2026 airbag clockspring recall? It may be if you drive a 2020–2026 Defender, a 2021–2026 Discovery or a 2022–2026 Range Rover. Recall D120 (NHTSA campaign 26V389) covers 250,857 of these vehicles. Enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm. The repair is a protective gel applied to the driver’s airbag connector terminals, done free of charge by an authorized Land Rover retailer.
The clockspring is the coiled electrical connector that sits behind the steering wheel. Its job is to keep the wiring between the steering column and the wheel connected while you turn the wheel lock to lock. The driver’s front airbag is fed through it, so the signal that tells the airbag to fire in a crash has to pass through that connection.
In the Part 573 Safety Recall Report filed with NHTSA on June 12, 2026, Jaguar Land Rover North America describes the defect this way: the connector to the driver’s airbag at the clockspring “may experience fretting corrosion over time.” Fretting corrosion comes from tiny, repeated movements between two metal contact surfaces. JLR’s rig testing showed it could be induced “through normal vehicle articulation,” meaning ordinary driving movement rather than abuse or a crash. That corrosion raises the electrical resistance in the driver’s airbag circuit, which could result in the airbag failing to deploy when it is asked to.
The consequence, in NHTSA’s words: “An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.” The recall concerns the driver’s airbag connector only. The report does not list the horn, the steering-wheel buttons or the passenger airbags as affected.
The recall spans three model lines built at two plants. The production windows below come directly from the Part 573 report. Not every vehicle in a listed model year is necessarily included, which is why the VIN check matters more than the model year alone.
| Model | Model years | Production dates | Assembly plant | Vehicles potentially involved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land Rover Defender | 2020–2026 | Oct 16, 2019 – May 28, 2026 | Nitra, Slovakia | 97,552 |
| Land Rover Discovery | 2021–2026 | Sep 14, 2020 – Jun 4, 2026 | Nitra, Slovakia | 83,620 |
| Range Rover | 2022–2026 | Jul 8, 2021 – Jun 3, 2026 | Solihull, UK | 69,685 |
| Total | 250,857 |
The recall filing names the Range Rover specifically. Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Velar, Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport are not listed in the NHTSA record for this campaign. If you own one of those and see an airbag warning, treat it as its own service concern and have it diagnosed; it is not covered by D120 unless your VIN lookup says otherwise.
JLR’s engineering analysis, stated in the Part 573 report, found that “the airbag warning lamp will illuminate at least 300-400 miles prior to potential non-deployment.” In other words, the car is designed to tell you something is wrong well before the airbag could stop working. The investigation itself began because of an increase in warranty claims for that same lamp.
The steps below follow what NHTSA and Land Rover published for this campaign. Nothing here replaces the letter Land Rover mailed to registered owners; if you received one, follow it.
It is printed on the lower corner of the windshield on the driver’s side, on the driver’s door jamb label, and on your registration and insurance card.
Enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Look for NHTSA campaign 26V389 or Land Rover recall D120 in the results. The same search shows any other open recalls on the vehicle.
The first letter is an interim notice. NHTSA’s recall record lists interim owner letters as mailed August 3, 2026 (the Part 573 report had planned August 7). A second letter follows once retailers are ready to perform the repair, and the Part 573 report describes that remedy notification as phased, so it may arrive in stages.
Recall work is performed free of charge by authorized Land Rover retailers. If you have only received the interim notice, the repair may not be available yet. Use the online service scheduler and mention recall D120 so the service team can confirm your VIN and appointment timing.
If the airbag warning lamp comes on before your appointment, tell the service team when you book. That is the specific warning the recall report describes.
Land Rover customer service is listed in the recall notice at 800-637-6837. NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline is 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-888-275-9171).
The fix is smaller than many owners expect when they hear the word “airbag.” No airbag or clockspring is swapped out.
Fretting corrosion is driven by small, repeated movement at the connector, and JLR found it could be induced by normal vehicle articulation. The recall covers all listed vehicles regardless of climate or mileage, so a Defender that spends its winters on salted Schaumburg side streets and a Range Rover that mostly runs the I-90 commute are both in scope if the VIN matches.
Because the repair itself is a single, defined procedure, it is also worth pairing with anything else your vehicle is due for. Our Land Rover maintenance schedule guide lays out what each interval covers, so you can check whether an oil service or inspection is coming up and handle both in one visit.
Land Rover Schaumburg is an authorized Land Rover retailer at 920 W Golf Rd, just off the Woodfield corridor, serving owners across Schaumburg and the northwest Chicago suburbs. Authorized retailers perform recall remedies at no charge. Remedy timing and appointment availability can change as a phased recall rolls out, so confirm the current schedule for D120 with our service department when you book. If you want to know what a normal service visit looks like here, our guide to scheduling Land Rover service walks through it.
D120 is Land Rover’s number for NHTSA safety recall 26V389. It covers certain 2020-2026 Defender, 2021-2026 Discovery and 2022-2026 Range Rover vehicles whose driver’s airbag clockspring connector may corrode, which can cause the airbag not to deploy as intended.
The Part 573 report lists 250,857 vehicles potentially involved in the U.S.: 97,552 Defenders, 83,620 Discoverys and 69,685 Range Rovers.
The symptom named in the recall report is the airbag warning lamp. JLR’s engineering analysis found the lamp will illuminate at least 300-400 miles before potential non-deployment of the driver’s airbag.
An authorized retailer applies a protective lubricant gel to the driver’s airbag connector terminals. No parts are replaced, and the repair is free of charge.
Enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. If campaign 26V389 or Land Rover recall D120 appears as open, schedule the repair with an authorized Land Rover retailer.
NHTSA’s record for this recall does not include a park-it or park-outside advisory, and JLR reports no U.S. airbag non-deployments. If your airbag warning lamp is on, book an inspection promptly and follow any instructions in your owner letter.
No. The NHTSA record for 26V389 lists the Defender, Discovery and Range Rover only. Run your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see any recalls that do apply to your vehicle.
Sources: NHTSA recall acknowledgment and Part 573 Safety Recall Report for campaign 26V389 (Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC, submitted June 12, 2026) and NHTSA’s public recall record for 26V389, accessed September 2026. Vehicle counts, production dates, defect description, warning-lamp analysis and remedy are quoted or summarized from those documents. Remedy timing and appointment availability at Land Rover Schaumburg are confirmed at booking; this page does not state parts availability or remedy dates for any individual vehicle. Always rely on your VIN lookup and your Land Rover owner letter for your specific vehicle.