Jaguar Land Rover recalls 94 Range Rover Sport SVs in Australia over possible rear subframe cracks

Australian recall confirmed

Jaguar Land Rover Australia has recalled 94 Range Rover Sport SV vehicles manufactured between 2023 and 2026 after identifying possible cracks in their rear subframes, Perth Now reports. The recall, identified as campaign D166, was published on October 14 by the federal government's vehicle safety regulator. ¹

The recall notice, quoted by Perth Now, states: "Due to a manufacturing issue, cracks may be present in the rear subframe. The cracks may worsen over time and weaken the vehicle's structure." According to the notice, the defect could increase the risk of serious injury or death to occupants in the event of a rear-end collision. ¹

CarExpert, in reporting republished by 7NEWS, puts the affected count at 95 rather than 94 vehicles. The recall notice language it quotes is identical, warning that reduced structural strength in a rear-end collision can increase the risk of serious injury or death to occupants. The one-vehicle difference between the two outlets' figures is not resolved in the available reporting, and both point to the same official notice. ¹²

It is the first recall for the current-generation Range Rover Sport in Australia, according to CarExpert, which notes the model was introduced here in 2022 as a 2023 model-year vehicle. ²

Inspections and free repairs for owners

Jaguar Land Rover Australia will contact owners of affected vehicles to arrange inspections, Perth Now reports, and if cracks are identified, repairs will be carried out free of charge. The recall notice does not specify whether any crashes or injuries have been linked to the defect. ¹

CarExpert reports owners can contact Jaguar Land Rover on 1800 625 642 between 8:00am and 8:00pm on weekdays and between 9:00am and 4:00pm on Saturdays, or email [email protected], and can also use the company's website contact form. Affected vehicles can be identified through the vehicle identification number list published on the federal government's vehicle recalls website. ¹²

How the defect surfaced overseas

The Australian campaign is the local arm of a wider issue first documented in the United States. MotorBiscuit reports that on June 4, 2026, Jaguar Land Rover identified a forging defect in a rear subframe at a supplier and quarantined the affected part. A subsequent review found cracks in the affected area could escape manual inspections because the final machining process was expected to remove the material where the cracks occurred. Engineers then manually examined thousands of production images from June through early September, finding a small number of vehicles with visible cracks, while production images for additional vehicles could not be retrieved because of historical data-storage issues. ⁵

According to MotorBiscuit, JLR's Product Safety and Compliance Committee sought an engineering assessment, which concluded on September 11 that the varying nature of the cracks made their impact difficult to quantify but that a risk to structural integrity could not be ruled out. The committee's Decision Forum determined on September 17 that the issue posed a safety risk and called for an urgent recall. ⁵

The larger United States campaign

The Weekly Driver, drawing on the NHTSA Part 573 report, details a United States campaign covering 1,073 Range Rover Sport SV vehicles from the 2024 to 2026 model years, built at Solihull between October 3, 2023 and June 24, 2026. JLR filed campaign 26V613 with NHTSA on September 24, 2026 for 873 vehicles, then amended it five days later to 1,073 after identifying an incorrect assumption in how the affected VIN list was generated. Land Rover's own numbers for the campaign are D165 and D166 — the latter also used for the Australian notice. ⁴

The Weekly Driver's account of the filing describes two groups within the US population: a small number of vehicles known to carry subframes with small visible cracks, and a larger number whose production images could not be retrieved. Land Rover lists the estimated share of the population with the defect at 100 per cent. NHTSA's summary names the 2024-2026 Range Rover Sport without a trim, while the Part 573 report confines the condition to the SV. ⁴

Autobody News, reporting the NHTSA campaign, likewise notes the manufacturer's Part 573 report lists 873 vehicles against the 1,073 figure in the NHTSA campaign record, and that some vehicles lack production images that could rule cracks out. Interim owner letters in the US are due by November 20, and Land Rover reports no US claims or injuries. ³

The recalled component is the structure the rear suspension bolts to, tying it into the body. The Weekly Driver, citing the filing, identifies the part as M8E2-5K091-BD, with Gestamp in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham as the Tier 1 supplier and Linamar as the Tier 2 casting supplier. The condition was cut off in supplier production in June 2026 with changes to end-of-line quality checks, including high-resolution imagery. JLR reports no US accidents, injuries or fires, and the filing does not address other markets. ⁴

Remedy under D165 and D166

In the United States, Land Rover is running the campaign under two numbers, The Weekly Driver reports: D165 covers vehicles known to have a cracked subframe, which will have the subframe replaced, while D166 covers vehicles whose production images are missing, where dealers will inspect and replace the subframe if a crack is found. Both are free of charge, and the filing does not say how many vehicles fall under each number. Replacement subframes are, in the filing's words, quality-assured using improved supplier validation processes. ⁴

MotorBiscuit reports the same structure: JLR will replace the rear subframe on any vehicle confirmed to have a crack under recall D165, while vehicles that could not undergo the required photographic inspection will be examined separately, with any cracked subframe replaced under D166 at no charge. JLR notified US dealers from October 8, 2026, with owner letters scheduled by November 20, 2026 at the latest. NHTSA's record carries neither a do-not-drive nor a park-outside advisory, The Weekly Driver notes. ⁴⁵

Context: a busy recall year for the model

The subframe campaign sits among several recent Land Rover recalls. Jalopnik reports that alongside the 1,073-vehicle SV subframe campaign, Land Rover issued a separate voluntary US recall for a single 2026 Range Rover Sport built on February 16, 2026, over a potentially deformed circuit board in the Powertrain Control Module that, according to the NHTSA recall report, "can result in various effects including engine stall without prior warning." The supplier investigation found four affected cars had already reached customers. ⁶

A US recall database compiled by Americas Lemon Lawyer lists 23 Range Rover Sport campaigns for model years 2021 and newer, with the September 24, 2026 frame recall the latest. For Australian owners, the immediate step is the federal recalls website VIN check or a call to Jaguar Land Rover's customer line, with inspections arranged by the company. ⁷¹²