Just a single example of the 2023 Land Rover Range Rover has been recalled in the US due to the possibility of an engine fire. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued the recall in coordination with the automaker following the discovery that a gasket on the turbo oil drain pipe may have been incorrectly installed or it's missing entirely.

The vehicle in question was assembled on November 9, 2022, at the Solihull Vehicle Assembly Plant in the UK, and it later became apparent from engine build records that the SUV's 4.4-liter V8 in question has the missing or improperly installed gasket. There's justifiable concern that leaked oil could come into contact with the exhaust manifold, potentially resulting in an engine bay fire. That's clearly a dangerous hazard. So, how did just a single US-spec Range Rover get this problem?

The NHTSA documents state that Jaguar Land Rover received reports in February from the engine supplier informing it that three of the V8s were suspected of having a turbo oil drain pipe either missing the gasket or an improperly installed one. Those engines were then inspected by JLR and repaired. However, on March 3, the automaker was notified by the supplier that another two engines suffered from the same condition. This time, both engines had already been installed into vehicles that had already left the factory.

Because of this, JLR's Product Safety and Compliance Committee opened an investigation on March 10. It then assigned an engineering team to study the matter more carefully. Its findings were reported to the committee on March 14. A few days later, the committee discussed and reviewed the findings, and the decision was rightly made to issue the recall. Of the two vehicles affected, one is in the US. The recall information does not state where the second SUV is located.

The fix itself is very straightforward: the installation of a new turbo oil drain pipe gasket. As usual, this will be done entirely free of charge by a dealer technician, and the sole owner will be notified of their situation by no later than May 26. This is the first instance the latest generation Range Rover has been recalled.

The previous model received a recall almost exactly a year ago that involved 15,000 examples in the US with a seatbelt emergency locking retractor that didn't lock properly. The fifth generation debuted at the 2021 LA Auto Show as a 2022 model and rides on the new MLA-Flex platform that's capable of handling both mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, as well as a pure battery-electric powertrain. Buyers can also choose from pure ICE options, specifically a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six and a BMW-sourced 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, the engine involved in this recall.