Land Rover Defender: brakes MOT failures
Brakes was recorded as a failure area in 7.0% of Land Rover Defender MOT tests — 47,205 tests out of 669,569. It shows up most on 1992 and 1993 cars.
Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair cost: £100–£350 per axle (rough UK ballpark, not a quote).
Brakes failures by year
| Model year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 1,192 | 7.1% |
| 1984 | 4,289 | 7.6% |
| 1985 | 7,759 | 7.8% |
| 1986 | 9,850 | 8.0% |
| 1987 | 9,722 | 8.7% |
| 1988 | 9,100 | 8.7% |
| 1989 | 11,706 | 8.3% |
| 1990 | 9,948 | 8.1% |
| 1991 | 10,457 | 8.3% |
| 1992 | 9,263 | 9.3% |
| 1993 | 11,781 | 9.1% |
| 1994 | 14,590 | 8.2% |
| 1995 | 18,225 | 7.7% |
| 1996 | 22,120 | 7.6% |
| 1997 | 21,153 | 7.4% |
| 1998 | 21,447 | 7.1% |
| 1999 | 18,948 | 7.8% |
| 2000 | 18,892 | 8.4% |
| 2001 | 19,713 | 8.1% |
| 2002 | 24,326 | 8.6% |
| 2003 | 27,528 | 8.7% |
| 2004 | 26,530 | 8.8% |
| 2005 | 25,845 | 8.3% |
| 2006 | 23,321 | 8.2% |
| 2007 | 24,576 | 8.7% |
| 2008 | 22,696 | 8.1% |
| 2009 | 21,539 | 8.2% |
| 2010 | 24,354 | 7.9% |
| 2011 | 24,127 | 7.4% |
| 2012 | 23,330 | 6.3% |
| 2013 | 25,605 | 5.6% |
| 2014 | 33,538 | 4.7% |
| 2015 | 37,493 | 4.1% |
| 2016 | 10,257 | 2.9% |
| 2017 | 302 | 5.6% |
| 2019 | 388 | 3.4% |
| 2020 | 13,651 | 1.4% |
| 2021 | 18,328 | 1.0% |
| 2022 | 10,681 | 0.6% |
| 2023 | 545 | 0.4% |
Methodology & source. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.