‘Risk of injury’: This automaker is recalling thousands of SUVs in Canada, U.S.

Unsold 2023 Velar, Discovery and Evoque sports utility vehicles sit outside a Land Rover dealership in Broomfield, Colo., on Feb. 11, 2024. (David Zalubowski / AP Photo)

Thousands of Land Rover sport utility vehicles are being recalled in Canada and the United States due to a potential problem with the airbag that may increase the risk of getting hurt in a crash.

Nearly 25,000 vehicles from the automaker were recalled in Canada, while more than 250,000 were recalled south of the border.

The driver-front airbag may not inflate in a crash as intended for certain SUVs, according to the notice. The Jaguar Land Rover recall was posted on June 12 and later updated Wednesday on Transport Canada’s website.

“On certain vehicles, the connector for the driver-front airbag in the steering wheel could corrode,” the recall notice said, adding that the “problem would cause the airbag warning light to turn on.”

“An airbag that doesn’t work properly could increase the risk of injury in a crash,” the notice said.

The models and years of the SUVs affected in Canada include:

• Land Rover Defender 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026
• Land Rover Discovery 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026
• Land Rover Range Rover 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026

Affected owners will receive mail from Land Rover advising them to take their vehicle to a dealership to apply grease to the driver’s airbag connector terminals, according to the notice.

Jaguar Land Rover North America recently recalled SUVs in ‌the U.S. over a similar issue with the defective airbag. The company initially said it was conducting a “voluntary safety recall” in a report published by the U.S. Department of Transportation on June 12.

In Canada, the company had previously recalled more than 14,000 vehicles in April over a different safety concern affecting certain hybrid electric vehicles.

The earlier recall posted by Transport Canada was due to a DC/DC converter that could fail, resulting in the battery not charging for the wheels and the lights turning off.

With files from CTV News’ Aarjavee Raaj