Land Rover has determined that the rear exterior lights on 4,347 Range Rover Sports in the U.S. could be susceptible to water leakage, which could lead them to go out. Oddly, the automaker believes that only the lights on the right side of the vehicle are at risk.
The issue only affects 2023 model year Range Rover Sports, and the automaker says it has received 144 warranty claims dating back to October 2022. Land Rover opened an investigation into the matter in February 2023.
It looked at exterior lights from vehicles in the field that had allowed water into the housing, and found that it received significantly more complaints relating to lights from the right side of vehicles. By September 2023, it had completed its detailed review of the issue, and found that the light housings weren’t the problem.
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Instead, Land Rover determined that the issue presented itself only after the vehicles were assembled. It ultimately reasoned the leaks were being caused as the lights were being finessed for final fit and finish. However, it did not specify why the adjustments were happening differently on the right and left sides.
Whatever the reason, it was allowing water to pool in the housing, causing failures of brake lights, marker lights, reversing lights, and turn indicators. Land Rover decided to issue a recall, because the loss of these lights could increase the risk of a rear end crash.
The automaker will start reaching out to customers on February 9. They will be instructed to return their vehicle to a nearby dealer, where the right-hand light will be replaced. Until the recall is completed, Land Rover recommends that 2023 Range Rover Sport owners regularly check the operation of their rear lights.
