- Land Rover Defender owners claim faulty windshields are prone to cracking leading to costly repairs.
- The lawsuit names three plaintiffs, each experiencing cracked or broken windshields.
- Plaintiffs claim JLR has known about the windshield issue since 2019 but has taken no action.
Owners of 2020-2022 Land Rover Defender models are taking Jaguar Land Rover to court, accusing the automaker of selling vehicles with windshields that seemingly shatter out of nowhere, or give way after the most insignificant of impacts. After all, nothing screams “rugged off-roader” like a windshield that can’t handle a pebble.
The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey notes that several owner complaints have been submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about faulty windshields.
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One of the three plaintiffs, Stephen Seiber, says he took delivery of a 2020 Defender in September, 2020, and in March of 2022, the windshield was cracked after being struck by a small pebble. The damage spread quickly, and when Seiber contacted Land Rover Boise to get it replaced, they told him that replacement windshields weren’t available at the time.
It took the dealer more than a month to change the windshield, the lawsuit claims. However, Seiber’s bad luck didn’t stop there. In July 2023, the new windshield cracked, requiring yet another replacement that cost Seiber over $2,100. In March this year, this third windshield cracked and needed to be replaced at a cost of $2,471.
Another plaintiff, Chris Robinson, seems to have had even worse luck. Over the past four years, his Defender has gone through five windshields. Yes, five. In four years. For a vehicle that’s marketed to climb mountains and ford rivers, it’s barely surviving the driveway.
The lawsuit claims the windshield used by Jaguar Land Rover is either made from deficient materials or there is a deficiency in the structure of the Defender itself. It also states that the car manufacturer is aware of a defect but has refused to repair or replace them under warranty.
“The windshield defect poses an extreme safety hazard to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians,” the lawsuit states. “A spontaneously shattering or cracking windshield can impair the driver’s view, distract the driver, and result in dislodged glass that can injure drivers, passengers and pedestrians”.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensation for the damages caused by the alleged defect, along with attorneys’ fees, court costs, and a jury trial.
