— Land Rover Defender cracked windshields have caused a class action lawsuit that alleges 2020-2022 Defender SUVs are equipped with windshields that crack, chip and break.
Land Rover has allegedly known since 2019 the Defender windshields crack and break, but the automaker has allegedly refused to repair or replace the windshields with non-defective windshields.
A Defender owner will allegedly pay up to $2,000 to replace a cracked windshield with a windshield that is allegedly as defective as the original.
Land Rover owners complain their windshields can fail for no reason or for minor incidents that shouldn't cause non-defective windshields to have problems.
According to the two plaintiffs who filed the class action lawsuit, Land Rover dealers allegedly fail to provide free repairs even when a Defender is covered by its warranty. This allegedly is the case even if the windshield cracks shortly after purchasing the Defender.
The Land Rover Defender cracked windshield lawsuit also alleges vehicle occupants are exposed to safety hazards because the windshields can impair the view of the driver. Drivers are also distracted by cracked and splintered glass that can expand several feet across the windshields.
The class action further alleges a cracked Defender windshield can cause serious problems if a collision occurs.
According to the plaintiffs, a windshield helps to transfer the crash force down to the vehicle body to help protect Defender occupants. But a cracked windshield will allegedly shatter during a crash, placing occupants at a greater risk of harm.
The passenger airbag also allegedly needs an undamaged windshield to operate properly, and the lawsuit asserts the structural integrity of the Defender depends on a non-defective windshield.
Arizona plaintiff Jason Rains owns a 2022 Land Rover Defender and New Jersey plaintiff David Cerutti owns a 2022 Land Rover Defender. Both plaintiffs allege their windshields cracked and both claim dealers wouldn't fix the windshields for free.
The Land Rover Defender cracked windshield class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey: Rains, et al., v. Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC.
The plaintiffs are represented by Lemberg Law.
