Jaguar Land Rover North America is recalling 23,677 SUVs, including Land Rover Defenders and Range Rovers, because an electrical part can fail and cut drive power while the vehicle is moving. Dealers will install a software update at no charge. Owner letters are not expected until Nov. 13, so the notice in the mailbox is still weeks away.
What NHTSA campaign 26V599 covers
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration record for campaign 26V599 shows a report date of Sept. 17, 2026, and 23,677 potentially affected vehicles. The component is listed as the electrical system’s DC/DC converter, a part whose failure NHTSA ties to 12-volt charging.
The recall spans two brands. On the Land Rover side, the record lists the Defender (model years 2020 through 2024), the Range Rover (2020 through 2024), the Range Rover Evoque (2020 through 2024), the Range Rover Velar (2021 through 2024), the Discovery (2021 through 2024), the Discovery Sport (2020 through 2024) and the Range Rover Sport, with model years starting in 2019. Jaguar’s E-Pace and F-Pace from 2021 through 2024 are included as well.
Land Rover’s internal number for the action is E008, and NHTSA describes it as expanding an earlier recall, 26V248. An expansion means the agency widened the scope of a known problem, rather than opening a wholly separate one.
How a failed DC/DC converter can leave a vehicle without drive power
According to NHTSA, the converter may fail because of electrical overload during high power demand, or because of software errors at startup. The result is a loss of 12-volt charging and, potentially, a complete loss of drive power and of exterior lighting. NHTSA states the safety consequence plainly: “A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.”
A vehicle that loses power on a highway ramp or at an intersection, with lights dimming at the same time, is the situation the agency has in mind. For a family that uses one SUV for the school run and the commute, the risk is not only a tow bill but a vehicle that becomes unusable with little warning.
Free software update at Land Rover and Jaguar dealers
The remedy in the NHTSA record is short: “Dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge.” Under federal recall rules, owners of affected vehicles do not pay for the repair. NHTSA’s recall lookup page makes the same point for recalls generally, telling owners to contact the local dealership to fix the recalled part for free.
The timing is staggered. NHTSA lists owner notification letters as expected on Nov. 13, 2026, with additional correspondence when the final remedy becomes available. The wording suggests the first mailing is an interim notice and the finished fix follows. Owners with questions can call Jaguar Land Rover at 800-637-6837.
What the record leaves open for owners this fall
The wording about “additional letters upon final remedy availability” points to a gap between the first notice and the finished fix. An owner who calls a dealer before Nov. 13 may be told the software is not yet released, or may be booked for an interim step. The record does not say which, and it does not say how long the update takes once a vehicle is in the shop.
It also does not address towing, rental cars or lost work time. Those costs would fall to the household unless the manufacturer says otherwise in its letter or on its customer line, so an owner who sees warning lights should treat them as a reason to call the dealer rather than wait for the mailing.
Used-vehicle shoppers face a related question. The recall attaches to the VIN, not the seller, so a 2021 Defender or a 2023 Range Rover on a lot could carry an open recall that the previous owner never knew about. A lookup before purchase costs nothing and takes a minute, and a seller who cannot show a completed repair for an open recall has given a buyer something to weigh in the price.
Checking a VIN before the letter arrives
A letter may take weeks, and a used-car buyer may never get one. NHTSA says a vehicle’s 17-character VIN is on the lower left of the windshield and also appears on the registration card and possibly the insurance card. Typing it into the agency’s lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls shows whether any open recall is attached to that vehicle, and the agency runs a vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236.
The recall was one of several posted in the same week. A Sept. 28 roundup of new NHTSA recalls lists Jaguar Land Rover’s 26V599 alongside campaigns from Toyota, Ford, Rivian and other makers, a reminder that a VIN search covers every brand on the road rather than one.
The NHTSA campaign record is the controlling document for anything not settled here: the list of affected models, the wording of the remedy and the notification dates all come from the agency.
A single place for refund, settlement and check paperwork
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This article was prepared with AI assistance and checked against the NHTSA campaign record before publication.
