Land Rover Defender: lighting & signalling MOT failures
Lighting & signalling was recorded as a failure area in 14.1% of Land Rover Defender MOT tests — 94,744 tests out of 669,569. It shows up most on 1987 and 1988 cars.
Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair cost: £10–£150 (rough UK ballpark, not a quote).
Lighting & signalling failures by year
| Model year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 1,192 | 17.6% |
| 1984 | 4,289 | 16.8% |
| 1985 | 7,759 | 17.0% |
| 1986 | 9,850 | 18.4% |
| 1987 | 9,722 | 19.3% |
| 1988 | 9,100 | 19.8% |
| 1989 | 11,706 | 19.1% |
| 1990 | 9,948 | 18.3% |
| 1991 | 10,457 | 18.1% |
| 1992 | 9,263 | 18.6% |
| 1993 | 11,781 | 19.0% |
| 1994 | 14,590 | 19.0% |
| 1995 | 18,225 | 18.5% |
| 1996 | 22,120 | 17.5% |
| 1997 | 21,153 | 17.2% |
| 1998 | 21,447 | 16.9% |
| 1999 | 18,948 | 15.3% |
| 2000 | 18,892 | 15.9% |
| 2001 | 19,713 | 15.7% |
| 2002 | 24,326 | 13.8% |
| 2003 | 27,528 | 14.1% |
| 2004 | 26,530 | 14.0% |
| 2005 | 25,845 | 13.6% |
| 2006 | 23,321 | 13.3% |
| 2007 | 24,576 | 13.3% |
| 2008 | 22,696 | 12.8% |
| 2009 | 21,539 | 13.4% |
| 2010 | 24,354 | 13.5% |
| 2011 | 24,127 | 13.8% |
| 2012 | 23,330 | 15.3% |
| 2013 | 25,605 | 14.2% |
| 2014 | 33,538 | 12.7% |
| 2015 | 37,493 | 10.8% |
| 2016 | 10,257 | 9.6% |
| 2017 | 302 | 14.2% |
| 2019 | 388 | 13.9% |
| 2020 | 13,651 | 2.7% |
| 2021 | 18,328 | 2.0% |
| 2022 | 10,681 | 1.5% |
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.