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An image of a Land Rover Defender off-roading through some mud.

Broken 2020 Land Rover Defender Spends Over 21 Days at the Dealership

The highly-anticipated unveiling of the 2020 Land Rover Defender was met with tremendous praise. So much so that the owners of the automotive YouTube channel, The Fast Lane Car, went out and bought one. Now, the TFL team didn’t just pick a Defender up from a dealer lot. They specifically ordered the exact Defender they …

The highly-anticipated unveiling of the 2020 Land Rover Defender was met with tremendous praise. So much so that the owners of the automotive YouTube channel, The Fast Lane Car, went out and bought one. Now, the TFL team didn’t just pick a Defender up from a dealer lot. They specifically ordered the exact Defender they wanted and waited months for it to arrive. Unfortunately, TFL reports that shortly after arriving, major problems arose.

Here’s what went wrong with the 2020 Land Rover Defender

The 2020 Land Rover Defender saga begins toward the beginning of October. After waiting several months, the team over at The Fast Lane Car took delivery of their brand-new Defender. Given that they went through choosing all of the options, they were able to settle on a Defender 110 with minimal options. The 110 nomenclature determines that this Defender is a four-door model. According to TFL, they focused on optioning the systems that would carry significant benefits while off-roading.

With just two days of ownership and under 200 miles driven, the Land Rover Defender developed its first issue. After a short off-roading trip, the defender’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine set a check engine light on the dash. To solve the problem, the team sent the Defender to the dealership.

Shortly after, the dealer reportedly sorted the check engine light. However, upon returning to the TFL office, the team noticed that the 360-degree camera system wasn’t working. The error displayed a message reading, “Cameras not available.” Additionally, the Tow Assist system wasn’t working. As a result, the team sent the Defender back to the dealership for round two of repairs. This time, the team learned that a faulty module caused the camera issue.

21 days later, the Defender is still broken

LAND ROVER DEFENDER
LAND ROVER DEFENDER | Daniel Pier/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Let’s fast forward to November 2. As of writing, the 2020 Land Rover Defender is still broken. According to TFL, Land Rover sent out a specialized technician from the UK to examine the issue. On top of the camera issue, the check engine light returned with a vengeance, except this time, it refused to leave.

Strangely, TFL reports that the technicians discovered that the Defender’s computer isn’t providing an exact code of what’s wrong, even though the check engine light is illuminated. As you’d expect with such a new vehicle, parts availability is an issue. In this case, Land Rover told TFL that the module necessary to fix the camera has to come from the UK.

As you can imagine, spending $55,000 on a new vehicle only to have it break continuously is a frustrating experience. Thankfully, it seems that Land Rover has responded accordingly to fix the issue. Given the amount of effort exerted, it won’t be long until the issue is solved. As it stands, the Land Rover Defender has likely spent over 21 days at the dealership.

There are more YouTuber-owned Defenders out there

TFL’s 2020 Land Rover Defender isn’t the only YouTuber-owned Defender. That’s because YouTuber Doug Demuro recently announced that he also purchased a Defender 110. Given that both channels have purchased the luxury off-roader, any problems will likely also be shared with the world. Thankfully, it seems that Doug has had greater luck than the TFL team, given that he hasn’t reported any issues.

However, if more issues arise, it could result in a sticky situation for Land Rover as the Defender’s reliability is called into question. For context, TFL has just under 1 million subscribers, while Doug Demuro has 3.8 million. The result is that both Defenders are visible not only to fans but prospective customers as well.

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