Sudden Blackout Triggers Recall of SUVs

Yellow 'RECALL' text on a dark asphalt surface — HUGE SUV RECALL

Nearly 24,000 Jaguar and Land Rover SUVs can suddenly lose power and go dark on the road, and the automaker is telling owners why.

Quick Take

Jaguar Land Rover recalled 23,677 U.S. vehicles on September 17 over a faulty DC-DC converter.
The defect can cause a total loss of drive power and exterior lighting while driving.
Affected models span 2019-2024 Land Rover and Jaguar SUVs, including Range Rover, Defender, and F-Pace.
Dealers will install a free software update that adds a warning system if the converter fails.

What Federal Regulators Say Caused the Problem

The recall centers on a small but critical part called a DC-DC converter. It manages electrical power flow inside the vehicle. Federal filings say the converter can shut down two ways: an electrical overload or a software glitch.

Either one can knock out the system that keeps the SUV moving and lit up at night, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall record filed September 17.

The stakes are not abstract. Losing drive power on a highway means the SUV can coast to a stop with no warning. Losing exterior lighting at the same time means other drivers may not see it happening.

Regulators describe the risk in blunt terms, warning of a “complete loss of drive power and exterior lighting” when the converter drops offline.

Which Jaguar and Land Rover SUVs Are on the List

The recall covers a wide swath of Jaguar Land Rover’s SUV lineup. Affected vehicles include the 2019-2024 Range Rover Sport, the 2020-2024 Range Rover, Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Velar, Discovery Sport, and Discovery, plus the Defender and Jaguar’s E-Pace and F-Pace models.

The wide model range suggests the converter and its software were shared across much of the company’s platform lineup for several model years, not confined to one niche vehicle.

That breadth is part of why the recall drew fast national attention despite involving a comparatively modest 23,677 vehicles.

Owners of nearly every major Land Rover SUV built in the last five years, along with two popular Jaguar crossovers, now need to check if their vehicle identification number falls inside the recall population.

The Free Fix Dealers Are Installing

Jaguar Land Rover is not asking owners to pay for repairs. Dealerships will apply a software update at no charge. The update does not eliminate the converter’s ability to fail, but it changes what happens when it does.

The new software adds a warning alert and a “limp-home” mode, giving drivers a chance to react and pull over safely instead of losing power without notice.

A limp-home mode is a common industry safeguard. It lets a vehicle keep moving at reduced capability long enough for the driver to reach a shoulder or exit ramp, rather than stalling in live traffic.

Building that safety net into the fix shows the company is addressing the driver’s real-world reaction time, not just the underlying electrical fault.

An Expanded Recall, Not a New Discovery

This recall is described as an expansion of an earlier action, meaning Jaguar Land Rover was already tracking converter problems before adding these 23,677 vehicles to the list.

The company issued a much larger recall earlier in 2026 covering more than 170,000 mild-hybrid SUVs for a related boost-control and power-loss issue traced to the same category of electrical component.

That earlier case took time to reach a safety recall. One report on the 170,000-vehicle action noted the company first reviewed the issue back in September 2024 and initially found it did not pose a reasonable safety risk, before further testing led an internal task force to reverse that call by April 2026. The newest 23,677-vehicle expansion follows that same converter family of complaints.

Jaguar Land Rover expanded an existing recall to include an additional 23,677 vehicles over an electronic system error that may lead to the loss of drive power and exterior lighting, according to federal regulators. https://t.co/j7LxxQMn33

— FOX 13 Seattle (@fox13seattle) September 23, 2026

Owners should not wait for a mailed notice to check their status. Jaguar Land Rover and NHTSA both maintain vehicle lookup tools using a car’s identification number, and dealerships can confirm eligibility on the spot.

Given that the fix is free and the failure mode involves both losing power and losing headlights, getting the software update scheduled promptly is the simplest way to close the safety gap regulators identified.