Nissan Leaf Complaints (2018)

68 consumer complaints on file.

#11631699December 19, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I was traveling home from work at approximately 60MPH (speed limit) and I experienced a rapid drop in the state of charge from ~60% to ~25% in 15-20 seconds. I slowed the vehicle to 55MPH and it recovered most of the state of charge. When accelerating to 60MPH a few miles later I experience the same behavior and was forced to maintain 55MPH. I was forced to turn off the electric cabin heater, heated seats, and heated steering wheel as well. I have been able to recreate the issue if the battery is: cold (outside temperature less than 15F and the vehicle has been outside for 8+ hours), less than 60% charged, and put under high load (going up a steep grade/60MPH+) the vehicle will register a battery discharge rate of ~5%/second and continue until the vehicle puts itself into turtle mode, the load is reduced, or I assume, shut off. Battery discharge is "phantom" where the vehicle, when under less load (i.e. slower/slowing), will return to a higher charge, and when no load (i.e. stopped), will return to close to the original charge. Depending on how long the high load is maintained it can drastically reduce the real state of charge on the battery. The Nissan dealership identified it as at least one bad battery module, but no fault codes were registered by the vehicle outside of experiencing turtle mode. This issue forces the driver to slow down to reduce load on the vehicle and abrupt speed changes may be required to keep the vehicle operational. This can put the driver into a dangerous situation of being forced to slow down regardless of road conditions or other driver behaviors. If all of the conditions for the battery listed in the first sentence are met, the vehicle will register a rapid battery state of charge decline, it may indicate turtle mode is active (helps reduce battery load), and it will indicate low charge around 10% state of charge. I have personally experienced all of this as the driver, and any assumptions I have made I have identified.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11630622December 13, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
The incident occurred at a stop sign where I was waiting behind one other vehicle. The vehicle ahead of me accelerated from the stop sign to turn into traffic, but abruptly slammed on their brakes. I had began accelerating up to the stop sign and was unable to stop before impacting the car in front of me. As soon as I saw the vehicle was braking, I immediately slammed on the brake pedal. Braking did not immediately occur. My wife said she was afraid that I had slammed the gas pedal because she could hear my foot hit the brake pedal and neither of us felt any braking. The Nissan Leaf was in Eco Mode and ePedal at the time of the incident. I believe that the transition from regenerative braking to mechanical braking delayed the stopping of my vehicle. We were lucky that this happened in a very low consequence situation, but if this happened with a pedestrian or at a higher speed where emergency braking is required, this delay in braking could be dire. In addition, this vehicle is equipped with automatic emergency braking. I have heard this feature go off before in this specific car when a car is braking faster than I am. In this case, the alarm and assisted braking did not go off, despite a car stopping within extremely close proximity.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11630422December 12, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, there was a rapid battery discharge. There was no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11618962October 9, 2024
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL
Enel X Way recently announced that they were terminating operations in North America. With that in mind my Juicebox level 2 charger now becomes a dumb charger with no app functionality to turn down the amps produced by the charger. The Juicebox model I have is a plug-in version rated at 32 amps max. My service panel/circuit breaker is only rated to 30 amps. With a constant 32 amps on a 30 amp circuit breaker there is a potential to start a fire at the plug socket end and/or the breaker end, at the very least the breaker might trip every time I charge. For fear of that happening, I'm reluctant to even use it. I'm filing an issue/complaint here because in recent days there have been others who have complained about Enel X Way shutting down and causing problems similar to mine according to an article I read at [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11603813July 22, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Twice now - both times on the South Bound Richmond Bridge, the Automatic Emergency Braking lights came on and slammed on my brakes for me, as if I was about to crash when I was going 65 mils per hour, no one in front or behind me and no traffic, accident or reason. I almost lost control of the vehicle and would have caused an accident had anyone been closer to me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11602871July 17, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds with the cruise control activated, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle lunged forward. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V494000 (Vehicle Speed Control). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11586167April 30, 2024
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Our 2018 Nissan Leaf experienced an error message when we tried to start it saying "Warning Service EV System No Power". Mileage: 29,862. It would go into neutral, but not into drive. We called GEICO to have it towed to dealership Leith Nissan on [XXX]. On [XXX], John Day from Leith Nissan called to request permission to install a new 12V battery. I approved the cost of replacing the battery. They said that they were able to drive the car after the 12V battery was replaced. But then they plugged it into the charger, and got an error message "EV System No Power", and they couldn't drive it anymore. Sometime after that there was a thermal event that caused the Power Distribution Module to explode and for soot to pour out of it. These incidents are described by the technician Ryan in these videos [XXX] Nissan indicated that the electric power train is no longer under warranty. Our Q:When did you receive the car? ([XXX] repair order opened [XXX]) When did you first start working on the car? [XXX] When did the thermal event occur? (unsure of occurrence date) When did you replace the 12 volt battery? [XXX] when were you told to replace the high voltage battery? [XXX] when did you replace the high voltage battery? [XXX] Is the replacement high voltage battery a new battery or a used battery? (new battery) Has the replacement high voltage battery been maintained at a charge or is it at 0% charge? And what charge is it at now? (SOC unknown at this time) when were you told the pdm needed to be replaced? ([XXX] after HV battery was installed and further diag was performed) When did you replace the pdm? (not yet completed -- were in process but stopped due to BUS bar bolt discovery) Vehicle was left unattended with no HV warnings with service plug removed but inside vehicle with no cover over port to HV battery. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11580112March 29, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I was driving at 65 MPH on the freeway and the car was acting/driving normally. Without any warning at all, many lights appeared on the dashboard at the same time that the car placed itself into neutral and lost all power to drive. My speed was reduced so quickly without any notice and I had no pull out lane near me, so I was forced to move across 5 lanes of traffic in rush hour speeds of 60-85 MPH traffic in order to get to safety in a pull out lane while my car was quickly losing speed at 30 MPH and below. I tried to put the car back into drive but it was impossible and the dashboard read "EV maintenance needed". Of note, my entire battery was replaced less than 6 months prior and the Nissan Peoria (AZ) dealership reported no other issues with the vehicle. Upon inspection, the dealership reported the traction motor inverter needs replacement, and again there were no indications this was failing.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11579992March 28, 2024
SEAT BELTS
Front passenger seat occupancy sensor has failed resulting in an illuminated seat belt warning even when the front passenger seat is unoccupied. Workaround is either to clip the seatbelt in all the time or put a black piece of tape over the warning light. Either workaround degrades safety as the intended operation of the warning light is bypassed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11573459February 22, 2024
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
When I was drivimg on the highway, the battery rapidly plummeted from 50% to 5%. The car urged me to pull over. After pulling over, the battery rose back up to 50%. If I had not pulled over, the car would have entered "turtle mode," which limits the motor's power and can reduce the car's top speed to below 20mph. These low speeds are especially dangerous on interstate highways and could pose a crash risk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11559018December 7, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I was pulling slowly into a parking spot. The vehicle accelerated all of a sudden on its own very fast. I slammed on the brakes and the vehicle did not stop. It ran us on a sidewalk and crashed into a pole. Luckily no one hurt. Progressive is calling the car a total loss, but they have done nothing The car is still at a parking lot near the crash. Nissan is also doing nothing. I feel that I deserve better treatment. I have a good driving record and my rates are going to go up. I have not been offered a replacement car. The car is very dangerous and I would never drive another Nissan
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11555512November 16, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Vehicle would rapidly suffer from a high energy drain when driving at freeway speeds. Range was reduces from 150 miles EPA, to 80-100 miles. Nissan at first said it was due to the high temperature in Arizona. A few weeks later a "Service EV System" lamp came on, and car would not start the next day after charging overnight. Car stated it was at %80 state of charge at the time. Car was towed to a Nissan service center, and Nissan service determined that some battery modules had bloated battery cells due to overheating after a week of troubleshooting. High voltage battery was replaced under warranty 3 weeks later.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11548731October 6, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle at low speeds, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. As a result, the vehicle jumped the wheel stop, coming to a complete stop after colliding with a tree. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed, and no injuries were reported. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who did not provide a specific diagnosis but advised the contact that a BCM reprogramming was required. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V494000 (Vehicle Speed Control), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 12,300.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11543440September 8, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AIR BAGS
Hello NHTSA: I purchased a 2018 Nissan Leaf from Carvana on December 29, 2022. Within a short period of time the car experienced seat belt and air bag warning lights. The car was repaired under factory warranty by HGreg Nissan in Cutler Bay Florida but continued to display warning lights. The satellite communications system was not able to be repaired. This failure deactivated certain convenience and safety features. On March 16, 2023 a warning message and display indicated there was a high voltage battery malfunction and the car needed to be repaired by the dealer, On March 20, 2023 the car was taken to the dealer. The dealer informed me that the car was unsafe to drive and would not, nor did they ever, return the car to me [with the exception of a one-week test drive that did not correct the reported issues]. On August 3, 2023 Nissan North America declared in writing that the car was a Lemon under Florida law. Nissan refunded the purchase price of the car. Both Carvana and Nissan North America have refused to fully compensate me for certain incidental expenses including auto insurance [required to kept active until title transfer] and unused monthly prepaid Carvana maintenance costs. These fees were assessed from March 20, 2023 until August of 2023. During a discussion with Nissan North America their agent disclosed that they intended to wholesale this car. My immediate concern is that a Lemon-declared car should be disclosed if it is even allowed to be resold.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11540384August 23, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The malfunction warning light came on to indicate that the automatic braking system was not working. I brought the car to the dealership, which quoted me $1900 for a new sensor. I have read about accidents and near collisions due to the malfunctioning of this system and am now worried that there might be sudden braking that others have experienced. I would like to get this system fixed, but do not believe consumes should need to pay $2000 to repair a defective system.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11535161July 28, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE
On may 12, I was in a long line of cars at a red light , stopped. all of a sudden my car started moving and accelerating toward the car in front of me. When I got over the initial shock, I started stamping on the brake (2-3x) and nothing happened. I clipped the other car as I yanked the car out of line into the turn lane. I turned off the car and shook. Then I handled the insurance stuff with the other guy. I did NOT take my foot off the brake. (I reported this incident to the NTSB, BTW.) I wanted the collision center and Nissan to look at the black box, but the garage didn't and Nissan said that was no black box.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11525019June 2, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE
I was stopped at a light, in a long line of cars, my foot on the brake, a few feet away from the car in front of me, and the same in back. All of a sudden, the car started moving, accelerating, jerking forward. I was shocked, pushed down on the brake, nothing happened. starting pulling the car out of line because I was going to hit the car in front of me. I was pumping the brake, and NOTHING HAPPENED. Clipped the car in front's rear left bumper, wrecked my front right bumper. Finally pulled into the turn lane and finally the brakes caught. It was like someone had taken a gizmo and turned on my car (like the OnStar mess a few years ago.). Nothing like this has ever happened to me, in any car, including this one, until 5/12 at 2:00 pm. It was terrifying.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11521565May 11, 2023
STEERING
Plastic/metal from steering wheel become dislodged/detached/warped, caused major laceration to my right ring finger when making left turn 5/6/23 4PM. Went to urgent care as a result, had to get tetanus shot.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11515840April 6, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60-65 MPH uphill, the vehicle went into protective safe mode due to a faulty signal, and would no longer exceed 20-25 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that it was a known failure that occurred in cold weather. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred several times. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 38,225.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11513715March 25, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The PTC Heater and A/C compressor failed on my 2018 Nissan Leaf, just as the winter of 2022 was getting started. The vehicle passed prior service inspections, with no mention of issues on either of these components. The failure of the PTC heater and A/C compressor results in a "Service EV System" error message, and indication that the vehicle would not restart after powering off. When this error message appeared, the heating and defrost capabilities of the vehicle were lost. The fans would continue to blow air, but windows would fog up. I could not charge my vehicle in this error state either, so if I hadn't been close to home, I would've been in a potentially dangerous situation because it was cold out. The local Nissan dealership confirmed the error codes of P0AA6-1A (HV battery voltage system isolation) and P31E7 (restart inhibition) were present. They initially fixed this issue after nearly 5 months of the vehicle being in their shop. These codes, paired with the information I've read on the Internet, indicates others have had this issue before, and the normal repair involved replacing the traction battery (400v high-voltage battery), not these two components. The "Service EV System" came back less than 36 hours after paying for the repair. The 12v battery was also at a low voltage, which may have been related to the vehicle sitting for so long for service without being charged.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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