Class Action Lawsuit Claims Certain Hybrid Land Rover, Range Rover SUVs Equipped with Defective Converters

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that certain newer Land Rover and Range Rover mild hybrid electric vehicles are equipped with defective DC/DC converters that can fail, causing a complete loss of power and exterior lighting and increasing the risk of a crash. 

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The 65-page lawsuit explains that the affected vehicles are equipped with both a 48-volt system and a conventional 12-volt system, with the DC/DC converter bridging the two systems by “stepping down” the high-voltage power from the 48-volt hybrid battery to the lower 12-volt current. Per the case, the 12-volt output continuously charges the vehicle’s 12-volt battery and powers all lower-voltage electronics, including headlights, the infotainment system and essential engine control modules.

According to the class action lawsuit, an “internal fault” in the DC/DC converter’s boost control microchip, which manages the converter’s switching and voltage regulation loops, can cause the DC/DC converter to fail, preventing the 48-volt hybrid system from charging the 12-volt system. As a result, the case says, the 12-volt battery drains rapidly, which can trigger electrical faults, a total loss of drive power, and the failure of exterior lights and lane-keep assistance. 

Per the lawsuit, the vehicle models impacted by the alleged defect include the: 

-       2020-2024 Land Rover Range Rover;

-       2019-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Sport;

-       2021-2024 Land Rover Range Rover Velar;

-       2020-2023 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque;

-       2021-2024 Land Rover Discovery;

-       2020-2024 Land Rover Defender; and

-       2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport.

The filing alleges defendant Jaguar Land Rover North America has known of the boost control microchip flaw and defective DC/DC converters “for many years” yet concealed the problems from unsuspecting drivers while failing to comply with its warranty obligations. Per the suit, although the automaker has recently acknowledged the existence of the defect after being “compelled” to issue a safety recall, it has nevertheless failed to repair or replace the affected vehicle models, leaving consumers with unsafe cars. 

The case states that Jaguar Land Rover recalled more than 170,000 Jaguar and Land Rover mild hybrid electric vehicles in April 2026 due to “a concern” that the DC/DC converter can fail, increasing the risk of a crash. However, the suit says that the 2026 Land Rover recall offers no repairs or compensation and does not “remediate or eliminate” the problem. Per the suit, the recall notice stated that the remedy for the issue “is currently under development” and “not yet defined,” effectively leaving consumers to “sit and wait until Land Rover figures out what the repair process is going to be.” 

“Accordingly, due to Land Rover’s conduct, all Class Vehicles have suffered a diminished useful life and diminution in value,” the complaint reads. 

The class action lawsuit relays that Jaguar Land Rover North America has touted the vehicle models at issue as safe, reliable luxury SUVs of the highest quality, with the cars’ primary market consisting of “typically affluent professionals, entrepreneurs, executives, and legacy-wealth households.” In addition, Jaguar Land Rover’s marketing tactics for the vehicles increasingly target environmentally conscious consumers, touting the SUVs’ hybrid engines as having “[t]he power to go anywhere,” among other claims, in part due to the purported capabilities of the DC/DC converters at issue, the lawsuit continues.

“Despite Land Rover’s claims of the Class Vehicles’ advanced technology and efficiency, they were found to contain a dangerous Defect in which the DC/DC Converters can fail, leading to complete loss of drive power and exterior lighting and increasing the risk of a crash,” the case summarizes. 

Per the suit, Land Rover has received thousands of consumer complaints about the apparent converter and boost control microchip problems, dating back to 2019. The case accuses the automaker of knowing about the defect but withholding and concealing its existence for seven years since the time it first began to receive driver complaints.

In September 2024, Jaguar Land Rover’s Product Safety and Compliance Committee reviewed the DC/DC converter problem, the lawsuit says. Despite the company’s conclusion that the issue “did not pose an unreasonable risk to safety,” reports of DC/DC converter failures “kept piling up” until Jaguar Land Rover finally created a dedicated engineering task force to investigate the problem more deeply, the case shares. 

“This task force dithered for the next six months while Land Rover allowed dangerously defective Class Vehicles to remain on the streets,” the suit says, alleging that Land Rover continued to hide the existence of the defect until the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finally compelled the company to initiate a recall. 

The Land Rover converter defect lawsuit looks to cover all individuals in the United States who bought or leased any of the vehicle models listed on this page within the applicable statute of limitations period. 

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