Range Rover, Defender, Discovery Hit with Major 2.5 Lakh-Unit Airbag Recall

Jaguar Land Rover is recalling over 2.50 lakh SUVs in the US after regulators found a fault in the driver's airbag that could stop it from going off in a crash. This particular recall is US-only for now but it's still worth a look if you own one of these in India, since we're talking about the same Range Rover, Defender and Discovery families sold here too and these things don't always stay contained to one market.

According to Reuters, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the issue comes down to a connector inside the driver's airbag, called a cockspring which can corrode over time. Once that happens, the airbag may simply not fire when it's needed most.

Which Models Are Affected?

The number on the recall notice is 2,50,857 vehicles, spread across

specific Land Rover Defender, Discovery and Range Rover variants in the US. The good part, if there is one, is that JLR has pinned this down to one small part rather than some deeper electrical gremlin running through the whole airbag system. That's usually a better sign for how quickly a fix can roll out. JLR has also paused selling whatever unsold, affected stock is still sitting on dealer lots until those cars get sorted first.

How Are They Fixing It, and Does It Cost Anything?

The fix itself is almost anticlimactic given how serious the problem sounds: dealers just apply a protective lubricant gel to the connector terminals to stop the corrosion in its tracks. No part swap, no rewiring, just a gel applied where it's needed and NHTSA has confirmed owners won't pay a rupee, or a dollar, for it. That usually translates to a faster turnaround once the official notices start landing in owners' inboxes.

As for India, nothing's been confirmed yet. But these SUVs often share the same airbag hardware across markets since they're built on common global platforms. If you drive a Defender, Discovery or Range Rover and haven't heard a word from JLR India, you can just call up your dealer and ask directly to be assured instead of waiting around for a letter or notice of recall.