Major Problems with Nissan LEAF Derived from Complaints & Recalls

Learn about the common problems with a used Nissan LEAF to avoid purchasing a bad year of the model.

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Best and Worst Years for Nissan LEAF

Explore the chart showing how many complaints have been filed for each year of Nissan LEAF.

Model Year	Complaints
2019 LEAF	3
2018 LEAF	11
2017 LEAF	6
2016 LEAF	19
2015 LEAF	55
2014 LEAF	24
2013 LEAF	67
2012 LEAF	42
2011 LEAF	72

Worst 3 Nissan LEAF complaints

2012 Nissan LEAF SERVICE BRAKES Victims: 3 Mileage: 7900 miles

2011 Nissan LEAF BODY Victims: 2 Mileage: 32000 miles

2011 Nissan LEAF SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC Victims: 2 Mileage: 4786 miles

Browse Nissan LEAF complaints by category

Problems with SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and AIR BAGS are the most frequent issues recorded by the NHTSA from Nissan LEAF owners.

Problem Category	Number of Problems
SERVICE BRAKES tl*the contact owns a 2014 nissan leaf. the contact stated that while shifting from park to drive on an incline...	127 ~ 23873 miles
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM i was reading a recent article regarding a nissan leaf and a fire. we just had the same thing happen...	63 ~ 19536 miles
AIR BAGS two passengers one in driver's seat one in front passenger seat who weighs approximately 140 lbs. applied brake pushed the...	53 ~ 24725 miles
UNKNOWN OR OTHER my nissan leaf has had major issues with the windshield wiper motor. if there is any amount of accumulated snow...	27 ~ 21190 miles
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL hi when i put the car in reverse yesterday morning it sped out of the garage with no throttle and...	20 ~ 30436 miles
VISIBILITY/WIPER washer fluid nozzles spray aimed too low. cannot clean windshield effectively. only the lower portion of windshield is spray leaving...	13 ~ 11508 miles
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2013 nissan leaf. the contact stated that the vehicle would not re-charge. the vehicle was...	11 ~ 29104 miles
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL after disconnecting charge port the vehicle start displayed the warning light abs and brake light. major electric problem. the vehicle...	10 ~ 31815 miles
POWER TRAIN when stationary vehicle will not shift into park and will roll unless parking brake is applied. dealership will not cover...	8 ~ 13132 miles
SEAT BELTS i was involved in a mva on 12/26 when someone rear-ended me going about 35-40mph when i was stopped at...	7 ~ 7348 miles
STEERING tl - the contact owns a 2014 nissan leaf. the contact stated while driving 22 mph he lost control of...	7 ~ 5513 miles
ENGINE when in operation the car emits a high pitched sound that after driving it daily for 3 weeks causes my...	7 ~ 13633 miles
WHEELS vehicle began to vibrate and steering became difficult. my spouse stopped the vehicle on the side of the road to...	6 ~ 20880 miles
SEATS there is an air bag light that illuminates when there is weight on the passenger seat but the air bag...	5 ~ 12952 miles
BODY > STRUCTURE child locks issue: my family and i were going to a restaurant and upon arrival my mother was unable to...	4 ~ 8775 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC i was on the freeway traveling appropriately 65 mph. the vehicle to the right and in front of me suddenly...	4 ~ 2702 miles
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE when the brakes are applied moderately at around 40mph to slow down and if a wheel go on top of...	3 ~ 242 miles
STRUCTURE 2013 nissan leaf. consumer writes in regards to vehicle electrical system issues. *smd the consumer stated on two rare occasions...	3 ~ 5333 miles
TIRES vehicle began to vibrate and steering became difficult. my spouse stopped the vehicle on the side of the road to...	3 ~ 16683 miles
HEAD RESTRAINT > FRONT ASSEMBLY > SEATS this is a general complaint about recent-model head rests. it is not limited to our car. i just want...	2 ~ 12 miles
12V/24V/48V BATTERY > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2011 nissan leaf. the contact stated that the battery would drain rapidly without warning. the...	2 ~ 13000 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC i was accelerating after getting on the freeway heading north and slightly uphill i might have been peaking at 55mph...	2 ~ 900 miles
DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM > VISIBILITY tl* the contact owns a 2014 nissan leaf. while operating the vehicle the defroster did not generate an adequate amount...	1 ~ 26000 miles
MOTOR > WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER > VISIBILITY my nissan leaf has had major issues with the windshield wiper motor. if there is any amount of accumulated snow...	1 ~ 10000 miles
LATCH > HOOD > LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan leaf. the contact stated that while driving at 40 mph the hood of...	1 ~ 69000 miles
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES child locks issue: my family and i were going to a restaurant and upon arrival my mother was unable to...	1 ~ 3000 miles
SUSPENSION vehicle was being driven between 25-30 mph when there was a "pop" vehicle jerked to the right causing it to...	1 ~ 17379 miles
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY tl-the contact owns a 2013 nissan leaf. the contact stated the navigation system was distracting during driving. upon activating the...	1 ~ 17000 miles
OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL > OTHER > EQUIPMENT page 1-21 of the 2012 nissan leaf owner manual has an illustration of a forward-facing convertible child restraint incorrectly installed...	1 ~ 50 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER the nissan leaf we purchased from abc nissan (phoenix az) in march 2011 began experiencing a rapid decrease in range...	1 ~ 16000 miles
EXTERIOR LIGHTING tl* the contact owns a 2012 nissan leaf. the contact stated that the reverse lights failed to illuminate. the contact...	1 ~ 2000 miles
EQUIPMENT although apparently working as designed the pedestrian warning sound on the nissan leaf is inaudible to any with moderate hearing...	1

FAQ

What year Nissan LEAF is the most reliable?

Speaking of the models produced in the last 9 years, Nissan LEAF models of 2019, 2017, 2018 year of manufacture have had the least number of complaints.

What year was a bad year for Nissan LEAF?

Nissan LEAF models of 2011 and 2013 are probably the years to be avoided like the plague due to a higher than an average number of issues reported.

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