Nissan Leaf Complaints

1,117 consumer complaints on file.

#11641602February 9, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The rear view camera picture on the display is grey and does not display any video signal at temperatures below about 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Backing up without the rear view camera picture causes a safety hazard.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11640866February 5, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Power Distribution Module failed in my 2018 Nissan Leaf at 77k miles. It left me stranded with no way of getting home. The Power Distribution Module is supposed to last 10 years 100k miles but Nissan warranty only has is warranted to 60k miles. The dealership said the PDM only lasts around 70k miles however it is $5k to fix which is half of what the car is worth. They are unwilling to do a good faith repair because I didn’t service the car with their dealership even though I only serviced it at Nissan dealerships for the life of the car. This seems like really bad business to put a part in the car that the dealership knows will go bad at 70k miles but only warranty it up to 60k miles when it is a major electrical component to the vehicle and is over the half the value of the vehicle to fix. On top of the PDM there are other codes that the vehicle has that relate to the master brake cylinder but the dealership said they won’t know if there are more issues until I pay the 5 k to fix the PDM then they can assess if I have to pay another 5k to fix the other part. I drove the car very safely and treated it very well for the whole time I’ve had the vehicle. I’ve read of multiple other PDM issues with Nissan leaf and I’m curious how this part is not recalled?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11640618February 4, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I've had four incidents of the automatic braking system engaging and braking when there was no object in front of the car that should have required it to stop. There doesn't seem to be a common factor. Twice in a lighted garage. Once on a highway while making a turn during daylight, and once on a highway going straight at night. It's very dangerous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11640120February 1, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Nissan has delayed the fire-safety fix for the 2020 LEAF's (CHATdeMO) direct current charging defect. The recall was listed in September 2024 and it was supposed to be available in 2024. However, the fix is delayed until March 2025. As a result of this delay, I am unable to use the vehicle as intended, since direct current fast charging is prohibited. This is causing me great inconvenience. Can NHTSA demand Nissan ready this important safety fix in a timely fashion? Waiting six months for a recall that will likely only involve software modification is unacceptable! Please take action!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11638134January 23, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V700000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11637554January 22, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
While driving, the car will fluctuate its battery percentage, similar to the report in NHTSA Recall 24V-700. While driving down the highway with 67%, it suddenly swung down to 10% displaying a "Battery charge is low Charge now" warning on the dash. My concern is that if I'd have had less charge after the swing in battery percentage, the car could have turned on it's "turtle mode" at highway speed on open freeway. My local dealer has confirmed that this is a similar concern to the one outlined in Nissan's recall r24b2 (NHTSA 24V-700), and should be resolved with that fix. I feel that this warrants updating the recall to include fluctuations occurring at speed as well. There are no warnings during the percentage swings while driving, only when it swung below the normal threshold for the "Battery charge is low. Charge now." warning did anything come up.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11636997January 20, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Clunking Noise occurs during acceleration - this sound occurs from a stationary situation and when the car moves forward. This clunk can be jarring and sudden, and may escalate later into damage to the front axel.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11636998January 20, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Door unlock motor that unlocks the passanger door failed. Known issue by Nissan. This is a well documented issue and causes issues in entering the vehicle from outside, even with the key. This can delay entry and cause issues, or cause issues during exit as the automatic door locks do not engage on the affected door.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11637211January 20, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The defrost in my Nissan Leaf with does not function at all when the temperature is below around 10 degrees Fahrenheit. I found this out by having my windshield rapidly frost over while driving down the highway at over 65 MPH, almost causing a multi-vehicle accident because I could not see out of any of my windows. When I departed for my trip the vehicle had defrost functionality, but the ambient temperature must have dropped during my trip to the point where I can only assume the heat pump became disabled by the vehicle control systems, leaving only the Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater to supply defrost functionality. I assume that my PTC heater is somehow inoperative and thus resulted in the rapid frosting without any warning or indication to the driver. I see this as a critical safety concern as it affects vehicle visibility and defrost performance to where the vehicle no longer meets FMVSS Standard 103. Driving in ambient temperatures around the point at which the heat pump becomes disabled can cause rapid frosting of the vehicle windows with zero warning or indication of the defrost functionality being compromised. Since it only happens in extreme cold, I assume the issue is related to the Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater that is supposed to kick in when the vehicles heat pump becomes ineffective below a specific ambient temperature. I tried the process outlined in NTHSA recall 22V-048, but it still does not supply any defrost functionality. Conducting a quick internet search has resulted in numerous other Leaf owners experiencing similar issues with their loss of defrost functionality and vehicle heat in extreme cold ambient temperatures. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by a dealer or the manufacturer. I was lucky and did not get into an accident, but other owners of this vehicle may not be so lucky. I feel that Nissan is hiding a known defect here since there was already a recall related to Defrost performance.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11636592January 17, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
My Nissan Leaf high voltage battery has experienced excessive heating due to normal use of the level 3 chargers. Recently the battery tripped a fault sensor due to the expansion of battery cells due to excessive heating, and the vehicle is no longer drivable. They recommend replacing the battery, but refuse to help with the repairs because the vehicle is 3000 miles over the battery warranty. With the latest recall I believe this is unacceptable, and Nissan isn't even sure they can get a replacement battery. Please help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11636177January 15, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Hello. I have a 20/20 Nissan Leaf SV Plus. This morning I had a total brake failure for lack of a better term. The E-Pedal system, which I always use, suddenly failed while I was driving, showing a warning on screen that said E-Pedal system malfunction... Please use pedal to break. When I went to use the pedal to break nothing happened except for this horrible sound and feel in the pedal. It barely just finally grabbed a little bit enough to stop before I hit the car ahead of me. But it was nothing short of a total brake failure, both E-Pedal and manual pedal. Extremely distressing. What I want to know is how on earth when the E-Pedal fails, the normal manual brake pedal doesn't work either. One thing to note, I let it sit almost all day while I was at work, went out and tried it, and it suddenly was working. I drove around the parking lot, turned it off...back on ..and then The E-Pedal warning came up again. I then went and purchased a 12 volt battery, as I read in some forums that it's possibly due to that. That also did nothing. Got the same E-pedal malfunction. The main reason I'm letting your agency know, is because I would consider this a total break failure, and completely unacceptable. By sheer luck I was only going about 5 mph when it first happened, and I could still barely break in time. Any help on the Federal level...would be great. Thank you so much for your time.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635776January 14, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
I was driving my vehicle and the brakes suddenly stopped working. Upon failure, the ABS warning light as well as the braking system warning lights came on. I had to use my emergency brake to stop the vehicle. I had my vehicle towed to Nissan. The Nissan dealership mechanic said it was a Master Cylinder Brake Controller malfunction. It is currently at the dealership and available for inspection. The cost to repair the brake system exceeds the value of the car. This put my safety at risk because I could not safely stop my vehicle. I was minutes away from merging onto the freeway. Had I been traveling at high speeds without any braking system, my life and others would have been at risk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635786January 14, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
Lithium batteries Depletion
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635657January 13, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Car was descending towards Kailua on the [XXX] on Oahu, HI. Dash lit up with warnings and acceleration and brake pedals stopped working. Brake pedal went to the floor with erratic pulsing sensation and very little brake power. Driver drove car into jersey wall to slow and stop vehicle. Battery state was 60% and battery was replaced under warranty about 1 year ago. While waiting for tow, powered on vehicle and symptoms remained as far as I could check. Brakes had no power and had to use ebrake to keep vehicle from rolling. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635668January 13, 2025
AIR BAGS, STEERING, WHEELS
I did not have an incident(accident), I noticed issues with my car, that seem to be prevalent with other Nissan Vehicles. This report is mostly proactive. I took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and repair however was unable to come to a conclusion due to multiple inspection charges done by dealer but no fixes. Issue 1. Airbag Fault Warning Light on the dash. Turns on when I start the car, and stays. I took car to dealer and they have done a computer reset to reset the light (based on an internal Nissan bulletin on how to repair that issue, with mention in the repair notes that a lot of vehicles have that issue.) The reset didnt work and the light is back, now the dealer is saying that a whole sensor needs replacing as its prone to failure. Initial repair mentioned "code B00A0 stored for occupant detection system, but will not relearn." Zero Point Relearn will not complete. Referred to NTB19-071D... Ran the 75H Reset, code clears." Secondary repair: 'B00A0 Returned. Performed database search and found similar cases. Nissan recommends OSC and sensor replacement. Performed Bulletin again and error code is now 24H, not 75H. Zero point will not relearn. Started a case with Nissan and was advised to replace ...[OCS]... and strain sensors..." Issue 2: Loud clanking or grinding noise when turning vehicle left or right until wheel stops. Went to get this repaired and was told that dealer found bulletin 12-055J and will "need to replace axle nuts and apply Molykote." Paid for repair, and after picking up the car the sound is even worse, and upon bringing it back the dealer is saying that the noise is not due to past repair but vehicle will now need "Both front Strut mounts and bearings replaced." The sound is the same, and a cursory online search shows that this issue is prevalent across multiple vehicles. Also, recently when attempting a U-turn, the steering locked up momentarily when I was trying to straighten out the vehicle, with that noise (clunk sound)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635731January 13, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
On 3 occasions the brakes have randomly failed when traveling. In 2 cases, stopping ability was non-existent except for the use of the parking brake. In the other case, stopping was significantly decreased. 13-Jan-2025, when traveling straight on a 40mph road towards a busy intersection, when the brakes were applied to slow to the intersection they failed and a red indicator light came on. Stopping ability was significantly reduced, but not completely gone. The car was able to safely divert into a parking lot without incident. When the car was powered off then on, the error went away and the brakes functioned. There were 2 other incidents prior to this, traveling at low speeds in residential areas. Braking was completely gone and I had to use the parking brake pedal to stop the vehicle. Again, after powering the car off then on, the braking system functioned normally.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635100January 9, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Leaf SV Plus. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V700000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635126January 9, 2025
POWER TRAIN, STEERING, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
On January 9, a little after 12:30 pm, on Indian Head Highway (MD route 210) northbound near the Manokeek exit, after limiting drive power owing to battery degradation and cold weather (about 30 F) drive power and power steering failed entirely. There was no warning to pull over so I suspect this is an undocumented failure mode. After the car was towed home, it would not charge when plugged in until after I disconnected the 12 v battery and reconnected it after about ten minutes. It would then charge and after a few minutes I checked and it would send power to the wheels and power steering again. The state of charge of the lithium ion battery was about 86% throughout. This was not a failure of the on board 12 v battery charging system or 12 v battery which the tow truck driver tested as good, it is quite new. After the reset of disconnecting the 12 v battery and reconnecting, the terminals show higher voltage when the car is on than when it is off. Attached please find a picture of the warning lights after the car failed. Note that the battery light is for the 12 volt battery but there is nothing wrong with it. Also atteched, voltmeter readings when the car is off and on showing that the 12 volt battery recharging system is working. This car may or may not have an optional battery warmer, but its range of operation is well below the 30 F temperature when the failure occured. The car is more that two years overdue for warranty lithium ion battery replacement owing to manufacture delay.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11634852January 8, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
After a recent software update, my vehicle's cabin heating system began malfunctioning. On cold days, when heat is most critical, the system suddenly stops providing heat and blows cold air (around 64°F) for the remainder of the drive. This issue compromises both safety and comfort. My car is still under warranty so I brought it to the vehicle to Eden Prairie Nissan. Initially, the technician claimed I was not performing the "proper starting procedure" (keeping the blower speed low for the first few minutes). However, the provided owner’s manual supplement makes no mention of such a procedure affecting the heating system. After speaking with the dealership manager, I learned that other Nissan Leaf owners are experiencing the same issue. I was informed that the problem is an unintended consequence of a software update designed to prevent overheating. Despite following the dealership's instructions, the issue persists. For example yesterday during a 20-minute drive, the heating system stopped after five minutes, even with the blower on the lowest setting it was 9F outside.This morning during a round trip to an appointment, the system provided no heat at all 11F outside. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please let me know if additional details or documentation are required.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11631569December 19, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V700000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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