Key facts
- NHTSA campaign: 26V389 (full ID 26V389000). JLR's internal recall number is D120 — that is not the NHTSA campaign number.
- Units: 250,857 US vehicles. Estimated percentage with the defect: 100%.
- Models & years: Range Rover (full-size) 2022–2026; Discovery 2021–2026; Defender 2020–2026. Range Rover Sport, Velar, Evoque, and Discovery Sport are not included.
- Per-model counts: Range Rover 69,685 + Discovery 83,620 + Defender 97,552 = 250,857. The Defender is the highest-volume nameplate.
- Defect: Fretting corrosion on the driver's airbag connector pins at the steering-wheel clockspring raises electrical resistance, which can cause the driver's airbag to fail to deploy in a crash. Component: frontal driver's airbag connector. Connector supplier: Alps Alpine Europe GmbH.
- Early-warning indicator: JLR's analysis shows the airbag warning lamp illuminates at least 300–400 miles before potential non-deployment.
- Field history: JLR reports no US claims, accidents, injuries, or fires tied to this concern.
- Remedy: Dealers apply a protective lubricant gel to the driver's airbag connector terminals, free of charge. No parts replaced. The defect was "cut off in production" by applying gel during assembly.
- Key dates: Recall decision June 5, 2026; Part 573 report submitted June 12, 2026; dealer notification June 26, 2026; interim owner letters on or before August 7, 2026 (a second letter follows when the remedy is fully available).
- Not a do-not-drive / park-outside recall. NHTSA flags it as neither.
- Separate dealer stop-sale: JLR halted dealer sales of affected in-inventory units pending the fix (reported by trade press), distinct from the owner recall.
Which Land Rover models and years are affected by the airbag clockspring recall?
NHTSA recall 26V389 covers three full-size Land Rover nameplates built within specific production windows: the 2022–2026 Range Rover, the 2021–2026 Discovery, and the 2020–2026 Defender. All trims and wheelbases within each nameplate's production window are in scope, because the defect sits in the steering-wheel clockspring/driver-airbag connector common to every variant. The recall does not extend to Range Rover Sport, Velar, Evoque, or Discovery Sport.
| Model | Model years | Assembly plant | Production dates | US units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land Rover Defender | 2020–2026 | Nitra (Slovakia) | Oct 16, 2019 – May 28, 2026 | 97,552 |
| Land Rover Discovery | 2021–2026 | Nitra (Slovakia) | Sep 14, 2020 – Jun 4, 2026 | 83,620 |
| Land Rover Range Rover | 2022–2026 | Solihull (UK) | Jul 8, 2021 – Jun 3, 2026 | 69,685 |
| Total | — | — | — | 250,857 |
Production start dates precede the first badged model year, which is normal. The counts are exact from the NHTSA Part 573 report and sum to 250,857. "Range Rover" here means the full-size Range Rover line only.
What exactly is the defect, and why might the airbag not deploy?
The connector that links the driver's airbag to the vehicle's wiring sits at the clockspring — the coiled ribbon assembly behind the steering wheel that keeps the airbag electrically connected while the wheel turns. Over time, vibration under normal driving can cause fretting corrosion (oxidation on the connector pins). That corrosion raises electrical resistance in the driver's airbag circuit, and in a crash the higher resistance can prevent the driver's airbag from deploying.
There is a useful early-warning signal for buyers: JLR's engineering analysis found that the airbag warning lamp illuminates at least 300–400 miles before the circuit could reach a non-deployment condition. An illuminated airbag light on one of these models is therefore a meaningful indicator, not background noise. As of the filing, JLR had received no US claims or field reports of airbag non-deployment, and no related US accidents, injuries, or fires. The recall population was determined by analyzing warranty claims for airbag-warning-lamp illumination.
Is it safe to drive, and why can't dealers sell these right now?
For people who already own one, NHTSA does not classify 26V389 as a do-not-drive or park-outside recall — the advisory boxes on the Part 573 form are present but not checked. Owners are advised of the risk and asked to schedule the free fix; they are not told to stop driving.
Separately, JLR issued a dealer stop-sale on affected new and in-inventory used Defender, Discovery, and Range Rover units until the gel remedy is applied, as reported by trade outlets including The Drive, Autoblog, and Carscoops. This is a JLR dealer action, not a requirement stated in the NHTSA recall document, and it is why new examples of these models can't currently be sold. Some global reporting frames a broader production window (April 2019–June 2026) and halted new-vehicle sales; for the US, rely on the NHTSA model-year and production windows above.
What is the fix, when are owners notified, and what does it cost?
The remedy is free. Dealers apply a protective lubricant gel to the driver's airbag connector terminals at the clockspring; no parts are replaced, and the same gel is now applied during production so newly built vehicles aren't affected. Owners who paid out of pocket for a related repair before the recall may be reimbursed under JLR's general reimbursement plan.
This is a phased recall. JLR will mail interim owner-notification letters on or before August 7, 2026 to advise of the safety risk, and a second letter will follow once final remedy and parts supply are confirmed. Dealers were notified June 26, 2026. (The "June 25, 2026" date circulating in some coverage is when NHTSA published the recall and wire services reported it — not the filing date. The recall decision was June 5 and the Part 573 report was submitted June 12, 2026.)
How is this different from the older Land Rover airbag recall?
This is the new June 2026 clockspring recall (26V389) — a driver's-airbag-may-not-deploy defect caused by fretting corrosion on the airbag connector, scoped to 2020–2026 Defender, 2021–2026 Discovery, and 2022–2026 Range Rover. It is distinct from earlier, separately filed Land Rover airbag recalls that involved different components, model years, and mechanisms. If you're cross-referencing, match the campaign number (26V389) rather than the make-and-"airbag" description, since Land Rover has had more than one airbag-related recall over the years.
What a VIN check can and can't tell you here
A VIN check is genuinely useful for screening one of these SUVs before purchase — but be precise about what it proves. A Zilocar VIN check surfaces whether an open recall is present on the VIN, the same way NHTSA's free tool does, and it reports accident and damage history including airbag-deployment status — the single most relevant data point here, since a non-deploying driver airbag matters most on a car that has already been in a collision. It does not confirm whether this specific clockspring recall was remedied or the gel applied; for that, use NHTSA's VIN lookup (once VINs are searchable) or a JLR dealer's repair record.
| Question | A Zilocar VIN check | Where to confirm instead |
|---|---|---|
| Is an open recall present on this VIN? | Yes — surfaces recall presence/count | — |
| Was recall 26V389 already fixed (gel applied)? | No | NHTSA VIN lookup / JLR dealer record |
| Has the car been in an accident? | Yes — location, type, severity | — |
| Did the airbag deploy in a prior crash? | Yes — airbag-deployment status | — |
| Odometer rollback, theft (NICB), salvage/junk auction records | Yes | — |
| Ownership history and past/current sales listings (price, mileage, days-on-market) | Yes | — |
| NHTSA + IIHS safety ratings, specs/options, market valuation | Yes | — |
| Is there an open NHTSA investigation? | No — Zilocar doesn't track investigations | NHTSA (none open here; it went straight to a voluntary recall) |
| Legal title brand (e.g., salvage title) | No — shows junk/salvage auction records, not the title brand | State DMV / title document |
Buyer's tip: Because the airbag warning lamp lights up well before potential non-deployment, treat a lit airbag light on an affected Defender, Discovery, or Range Rover as a stop-and-verify signal. Pair that visual check with the accident/airbag-deployment history on the VIN — a prior collision plus an unresolved airbag circuit is the combination worth scrutinizing most.
Before you buy one of these high-volume luxury SUVs, run the VIN through NHTSA's free recall lookup first, then a Zilocar VIN check to screen for recall presence alongside accident and airbag-deployment, salvage-auction, odometer, theft, ownership, and sales-listing history, specs, NHTSA/IIHS ratings, and valuation. Note that this recall's presence may take time to appear under a VIN search — the Part 573 report's "date when VIN will be searchable" field was left blank — so confirm remedy status with a JLR dealer rather than assuming an absent flag means the car is clear.
