- Federal investigators escalated the Range Rover probe to engineering analysis.
- More than 330,000 Range Rover and Sport models are now under scrutiny.
- Owners of newer Range Rovers have reported the same suspension failure.
Federal investigators are taking a closer look at upwards of 330,000 Range Rovers over fears that the upper control arm can break free from the steering knuckle assembly entirely. The probe sits with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
What began last year as a preliminary evaluation has now been escalated to an engineering analysis. The earlier file rested on a dozen Vehicle Owner’s Questionnaire reports, all describing the same failure mode: a crack forming at the top of the aluminum front steering knuckle assembly, with the upper control arm liable to part company from the vehicle as a result.
Read: Feds Investigate Hidden Danger Lurking In Thousands Of Range Rovers
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has since received additional data from Jaguar Land Rover and is aware of at least 522 failures reported by JLR. In total, 331,559 vehicles are under the spotlight in the United States, consisting of 2014-2022 Range Rover Sport and 2014-2022 Range Rover models.
A Widespread Problem
Jaguar Land Rover actually issued a safety recall related to this issue on August 5, 2025, but it only encompasses 2015-2017 Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models. In the recall, JLR said dealers would replace cracked knuckles with new ones, while knuckles without visible cracks would be strengthened with a new brace to prevent the control arm from detaching if a crack forms.
Despite this recall, the NHTSA says it’s continued to receive allegations of fractures from owners, two of which were alleged to have occurred on 2020 and 2021 models. This suggests the problem is more widespread than the recall issued by JLR last year.
If the investigation determines that the steering knuckle issue impacts more vehicles than those covered by JLR, it may be forced to issue an even larger recall. It’s also possible it could pre-emptively issue a new recall of its own accord.
