Defender Audio & Nav System Failure, Help Needed!

Hey there! I had a similar issue with my 2018 Range Rover Hybrid. The symptoms were exactly the same, dead audio and nav system. Turned out it was just a defective bass speaker that was causing the whole system to malfunction. Took it to my regular workshop and they diagnosed it pretty quickly. Total bill came to 280 Euro for the replacement and labor. Much better than replacing the entire audio system, which I initially feared might be necessary! Before I share more specific details, which trim level is your Defender, and have you noticed any warning messages or strange noises from the speakers before this happened? Also, does your steering wheel audio control still respond when you press the buttons?

Thanks for sharing your experience! My Defender is the SE trim level. I haven't noticed any warning messages, but now that you mention it, I did hear some crackling sounds from the rear speakers about a week before everything went dead. The steering wheel controls aren't responding at all, they're completely unresponsive just like the main unit. Last service was at 146732 KM and everything was working fine then. Really hoping it's just a speaker issue like yours and not something more serious with the main unit. The car's been pretty reliable otherwise, so this caught me off guard. Did your steering controls also stop working when you had your speaker problem? Just trying to figure out if I'm dealing with the same thing here.

Hey again! Oh, that crackling sound from the rear speakers definitely rings a bell, that's exactly how mine started too! But I have to say, your situation sounds a bit different from what I experienced. In my case, the steering wheel controls were still responsive even when the audio wasn't working. Since your steering controls are completely dead too, I'm starting to think it might be more than just a faulty speaker like I had. Based on what you're describing, it could be related to the audio control module or even a blown fuse. On my Range Rover Hybrid, there's a specific fuse for the audio/nav system, might be worth checking that first before assuming the worst. Funny enough, after I got mine fixed, I learned that these issues aren't uncommon in the JLR family. My mechanic mentioned seeing similar problems quite a bit, though usually it's just speaker-related like mine was. Have you tried disconnecting the battery for about 15 minutes? That sometimes resets the system and might get things working again. If that doesn't help, I'd definitely get it checked out soon, especially since you're having the complete system shutdown including those steering controls. Let me know how it goes. Really curious if it turns out to be something different from what I experienced!

Thanks so much for the detailed response! I actually tried the battery disconnect trick right after reading your message, disconnected it for about 20 minutes just to be sure, but unfortunately no luck. Everything's still completely dead. You're probably right about it being more serious than a speaker issue, especially since the steering controls aren't working. I've just booked it in at the workshop for tomorrow morning. Will definitely check the fuses first thing when I get there, hadn't thought about that! Really appreciate you sharing your experience, even if my problem might be different. It's good to know these issues aren't uncommon in our vehicles. I'll update once I know what's actually causing it. Who knows, might help someone else dealing with the same problem in the future! Thanks again for taking the time to help out!