US safety regulator escalates JLR steering investigation

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has escalated its Jaguar Land Rover steering investigation into a formal engineering analysis covering 331,559 U.S. vehicles. (nhtsa.gov) The agency said the review now includes 2014-2022 Range Rover Sport and 2014-2022 Range Rover models built by Jaguar Land Rover North America. The analysis was opened on April 24, 2026. (nhtsa.gov) At issue is an aluminum front steering knuckle, the part that connects the wheel assembly to suspension components and helps the front wheels pivot. NHTSA said cracks can form at the upper clevis, where the knuckle meets the upper control arm ball joint. (nhtsa.gov 1) (nhtsa.gov 2) If that section fractures, the upper suspension arm can detach from the knuckle. NHTSA said that can leave the driver unable to control the vehicle and raise the risk of a crash. (nhtsa.gov) The case started as a narrower preliminary evaluation on June 27, 2025, focused on 91,856 model-year 2014-2017 Range Rover Sport vehicles. NHTSA opened that review after receiving 12 owner complaints describing fractured front steering knuckles. (nhtsa.gov) Since then, the agency said it reviewed Jaguar Land Rover’s responses to information requests and compared the issue with a peer vehicle that used a significantly similar knuckle design: the 2014-2017 Range Rover. NHTSA said “much of the information is contradictory,” which is why it moved the case into a deeper engineering phase. (nhtsa.gov) The engineering analysis will examine the component’s design, the scale of the safety risk, and whether Jaguar Land Rover’s earlier recall fix is enough. Reuters reported the agency is also evaluating the recall remedies as part of the expanded probe. (nhtsa.gov) (reuters.com) That earlier action was recall 25V-514, filed on August 5, 2025, for 121,509 vehicles: 54,720 Range Rovers and 66,789 Range Rover Sports from model years 2014-2017. Jaguar Land Rover said cracked knuckles could, in extreme cases, lead to upper suspension arm detachment. (nhtsa.gov) For vehicles with a visible fracture, the recall remedy called for replacing the knuckle with a new part of substantially similar design. For vehicles without a visible crack, NHTSA said the remedy was to attach a brace to the upper portion of the front steering knuckle. (nhtsa.gov) NHTSA’s own incident table in the new filing lists 21 reports from its defect office and 522 manufacturer reports, with no crashes, injuries, or fatalities recorded in the summary. The agency can use an engineering analysis to decide whether more recalls or other action are needed. (nhtsa.gov) Jaguar Land Rover is a U.K.-based automaker owned by Tata Motors of India. The next step in the case is NHTSA’s technical review of the part, the failure pattern, and the adequacy of the fix already on the books. (reuters.com)