NHTSA Complaint #11705897 — 2020 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER VELAR

Summary: Remote start causes repeated, predictable failure of critical safety systems including traction control, hill descent control, and automatic emergency braking. Description of Problem: When the vehicle is started using the factory app for phones, the lower infotainment screen (the climate/drive assist panel) frequently fails to initialize properly. As a result, the icons and functions for Traction Control, Hill Descent Control do not illuminate or activate. The vehicle then displays warnings such as “Hill Descent Control Not Available” and “Automatic Braking Not Available.” This failure occurs approximately 99% of the time when using remote start. If I begin driving with the vehicle in this state, all of these systems remain deactivated. These features are essential for safe driving especially in winter conditions yet the malfunction leaves the vehicle without stability control, hill descent functionality, and automatic braking assistance. Safety Concern: This issue creates a dangerous situation where the vehicle behaves unpredictably and lacks core safety features required for traction, stability, and controlled braking. This is particularly unsafe in cold, icy, or low-visibility environments where remote start is most likely to be used. Reproducibility: The issue occurs consistently after remote start. If the vehicle is parked, fully shut down, locked, and left undisturbed for 10–15 minutes, the systems return to normal. The malfunction clears before the dealership can inspect it, leaving no fault codes stored. Dealer Response: The dealership has been unable to diagnose the issue because the fault resets itself before technicians can observe it. They report “no codes stored,” yet the problem persists daily and is easily reproducible by any owner using remote start. Why This Needs Investigation: This is not an isolated glitch. It disables multiple federally-regulated safety systems. A potential software or integration failure is affecting the control module