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John Deere L120

2003–200520 HPgasolinelawn
A
Good
Score: 68.1/100
Recalls
322
Found
Known Issues
50
14 high severity
Auction Records
0
No price data
Reliability
A
68/100

Specifications

Engine Power20 HP
Engine (kW)15 kW
Fuel Typegasoline
Transmissionbelt-driven hydrostatic
Categorylawn
Production Years2003–2005

Safety Recalls

322 found
Safety recall — John Deere JD-8R370 (Japanese market, reference 1241810)

Japanese manufacturer safety recall affecting the lighting. Declared production window: 2021–2022.

LightingJP
On certain side-by-side UTVs, the owner's manual is missing information for how a person can contact Transport Canada to report a safety concern.

On certain side-by-side UTVs, the owner's manual is missing information for how a person can contact Transport Canada to report a safety concern. Canadian regulations require all companies to provide this information in the owner's manual.

OtherCA
On certain side-by-side UTVs, the owner's manual is missing information for how a person can contact Transport Canada to report a safety concern.

On certain side-by-side UTVs, the owner's manual is missing information for how a person can contact Transport Canada to report a safety concern. Canadian regulations require all companies to provide this information in the owner's manual.

OtherCA
On certain side-by-side UTVs, the owner's manual is missing information for how a person can contact Transport Canada to report a safety concern.

On certain side-by-side UTVs, the owner's manual is missing information for how a person can contact Transport Canada to report a safety concern. Canadian regulations require all companies to provide this information in the owner's manual.

OtherCA
Safety recall — John Deere JD-7R310 (Japanese market, reference 1241260)

Japanese manufacturer safety recall affecting the electronic control. Declared production window: 2020–2024.

Electronic controlJP
+317 more recalls
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Known Issues

50 reported
14 high8 low28 medium
PTO clutch bracket failure and wiring damage
high

PTO clutch bracket broke, allowing the clutch assembly to spin and destroying the wiring harness.

pto
CA: John Deere Review by Steve from Imperial, MO I purchased an L120 ridi
high

I purchased an L120 riding mower in 2003. What a piece of junk! Lets start with the electrical system, first the dealer replaced the PTO wiring, then the reverse safety switch. When that didn't work, they then replaced the entire wiring harness! Ever since then, the tractor will not recharge the battery. Then the deck. I have replaced every spindle because the original spindles froze up. Then the

engine
CA: John Deere Review by Butch from Wrens, GA (2/5 stars) Bought my L120
high

Bought my L120 new at Home Depot around maybe 2005. First one I bought had a Kohler engine and it smoked like a freight train so they gave me another with a V Twin engine Briggs. Everything was good till 2011. Then the PTO got hot and stopped working. I bought another new one and put it on and a belt. Just last month that PTO got hot and noticed the smell of oil. So I pulled it around to the back

engine
CA: John Deere Review by Ray from Advance, NC (2/5 stars) My L120 mower h
high

My L120 mower has been a constant drawing on my wallet due to bad design and manufacturing. My mower deck had spindles that could not be greased and therefore they seized up. This could have injured the rider. The repair for this was 2 weeks and a few hundred. Then, the rear wheel had the weld around the center hub fail. Another two weeks and a couple hundred. They have taken a good brand and tota

pto
Hydrostatic transmission failure on hills
high

Hydrostatic transmission requires replacement due to loss of climbing ability on hills, manifesting approximately one year prior to complaint.

transmission
+45 more issues
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Market Value

No auction data available for this model.

Hours Benchmark

Class: Compact (040 HP)
Low use150 /year
Typical300 /year
High use500 /year
Typical lifetime6,000 hours
Expected life15 years

Have a specific John Deere L120 VIN to check?

Model data shows the average — a VIN/PIN lookup pulls the per-unit history (theft, recalls, prior owners, hours).

Found on the chassis plate or registration papers

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