Head-to-head reliability

LAND Rover Discovery Sport vs FORD F 150

How the LAND Rover Discovery Sport and FORD F 150 compare on NHTSA complaints, recalls and crash reports — and which is the lower-risk used buy.

LAND Rover Discovery Sport271 complaints · 14 recalls Fewer issues per year
FORD F 15011,102 complaints · 144 recalls

Based on NHTSA owner-complaint & recall records

Which should you buy?

LAND Rover Discovery Sport averages fewer NHTSA complaints per year. LAND Rover Discovery Sport has 271 complaints and 14 recalls on record; FORD F 150 has 11,102 complaints and 144 recalls. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.

The numbers

Side-by-side NHTSA record

Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.

CategoryLAND Rover Discovery SportFORD F 150
Total complaintsAll model years combined271 Better11,102
Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns14 Better144
Crash reportsCrash-related complaints4 Better319
Complaints per yearAveraged across model years27.1 Better1110.2
Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints2 Better287
Reported deathsTied to owner complaints0 Better1

Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall records.

What actually goes wrong

The problems owners report

The most-complained-about systems on each vehicle — what fails, and what owners say in their own words.

LAND Rover Discovery Sport

  1. 01ENGINE89
  2. 02ELECTRICAL SYSTEM67
  3. 03UNKNOWN OR OTHER54
  4. 04POWER TRAIN53
  5. 05FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM36
In owners' words — ENGINE

I am reporting what I believe is a safety‑related defect involving the automatic transmission in my 2022 Land Rover Discovery Sport, VIN [XXX]. Approximately five months after the factory warranty expired, at around 44,000 miles, the transmission began slippi…

While driving on the highway, my 2010 Land Rover Discovery Sport stalled at 30 miles mph in traffic. This is the 3rd time same issue happened in 12 months. 3/2024 driving on highway car would not go over 30 mph and felt like it would stall. Had car towed to d…

FORD F 150

  1. 01POWER TRAIN3,492
  2. 02ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2,052
  3. 03UNKNOWN OR OTHER1,380
  4. 04EXTERIOR LIGHTING1,150
  5. 05ENGINE828
In owners' words — POWER TRAIN

I started noticing hard and delayed shifts from 7th into 8th gear. My RPM's were not increasing when this happened, and then on a very crowded major road I lost all power, vehicle shut off and drifted, then started up and jerked again very hard. This failure…

The vehicle experienced intermittent transmission-related drivability issues before the recall remedy was available. The vehicle had delayed/hard shifting, an intermittent wrench warning light, and a reduced power/limp mode condition where the transmission wo…

Official recalls

Safety recalls on record

Federal recall campaigns — the defect, the risk, and the fix. Confirm any open recall was completed before you buy.

LAND Rover Discovery Sport — 14 recalls

Seat Belts — Pretensioner
#22V523000

The defect: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2022-23 Land Rover Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport and 2022 Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners may be damaged, which can cause the seat belts to not prop…

The risk: Improperly restrained occupants have an increased risk of injury during a crash.

The fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the front seat belt assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number…

Back Over Prevention — Software
#25V016000

The defect: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2023 Discovery Sport, 2023-2024 Defender, and 2023 Range Rover Evoque vehicles. The touchscreen in the center console may go blank at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying as intended. As such, t…

The risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

The fix: Dealers will update the touchscreen software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2025. Owners may contact Land Rover's customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N972.

Seat Belts — Front — Retractor
#21V668000

The defect: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2021 Range Rover, 2022 Range Rover Sport, 2020-2021 Range Rover Velar, Discovery Sport, 2020-2022 Discovery, and Defender vehicles. The seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child res…

The risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

The fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed October 20, 2021. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number for this recall is N6…

Seat Belts — Pretensioner
#22V523000

The defect: Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (Land Rover) is recalling certain 2022-23 Land Rover Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport and 2022 Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat belt pretensioners may be damaged, which can cause the seat belts to not prop…

The risk: Improperly restrained occupants have an increased risk of injury during a crash.

The fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the front seat belt assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 16, 2022. Owners may contact Land Rover customer service at 1-800-637-6837. Land Rover's number…

FORD F 150 — 144 recalls

Engine
#18V894000

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater. Water and contaminants may get into the block heater cable's splice connector causin…

The risk: When the heater is plugged in, prolonged corrosion could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring which can increase the risk of a fire.

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the block heater cable, free of charge. Once parts are available, Dealers will replace the engine block heater cable, free of charge. The recall began June 3, 2019. Owners may contact Ford…

Engine
#19V278000Aug 2019

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Ford F-150 and 2017-2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty, F-350 Super Duty, F-450 Super Duty, and F-550 Super Duty pick-up trucks equipped with an engine block heater and previously remedied under recall 18V894. During the previous repair, the block he…

The risk: A damaged cable could cause a resistive short, increasing the risk of overheated or melted wiring, increasing the risk of a fire.

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will disable the engine block heater from being used. When replacement cables become available, a second notice will be mailed and dealers will replace the engine block heater cord, free of charge. The…

Seat Belts — Pretensioner
#18V568000

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab vehicles. If a front seat belt pretensioner deploys as the result of a crash, the sparks may ignite materials such as carpeting or insulation within the B-pillar area.

The risk: A vehicle fire could result if materials ignite inside the vehicle.

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the B-pillar insulation material and wiring harness tape, and install heat resistant tape, free of charge. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-…

Latches/Locks/Linkages — Doors — Latch
#17V652000

The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ford F-150, and 2017 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty trucks. The doors on these vehicles may have a bent or kinked actuation cable or the door latches may freeze after water gets into the latch. Either condition can result in the do…

The risk: A door that opens while driving can increase the risk of injury.

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the door latch actuation cables and repair if necessary, and install water shields over the door latches, free of charge. The recall began October 12, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer…

Year by year

Which model years to avoid

Complaints per model year for both vehicles — lower is better. The spikes are the years to scrutinize.

YearLAND Rover Discovery SportFORD F 150
2026016
20250324
20240607
202331484
202243388
202145162
20201225
20192031
20184238
201718627
Years to scrutinize: the 2017 LAND Rover Discovery Sport drew the most complaints (186); the 2021 FORD F 150 drew the most (5,162). Inspect these model years especially closely.

Check the actual car

Comparing models is smart. Checking the VIN is essential.

Brand averages tell you the trend. A VIN check tells you what's wrong with the specific LAND Rover Discovery Sport or FORD F 150 in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.

Go deeper

Full reliability reports

LAND Rover Discovery Sport vs FORD F 150 — comparison facts
Comparison
LAND Rover Discovery Sport vs FORD F 150
LAND Rover Discovery Sport total complaints
271
FORD F 150 total complaints
11,102
LAND Rover Discovery Sport total recalls
14
FORD F 150 total recalls
144
LAND Rover Discovery Sport avg complaints/year
27.1
FORD F 150 avg complaints/year
1110.2
More reliable overall
LAND Rover Discovery Sport
LAND Rover Discovery Sport top complaint area
ENGINE
FORD F 150 top complaint area
POWER TRAIN