What Owners Report NHTSA ODI · 2,175,102 complaints · MY1998–2026

2018 Nissan Leaf

Typical pattern

6% of complaints about the 2018 Nissan Leaf came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2018 vehicle — around the middle of the 182 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.7 yr in service. The most-reported system is service brakes (19 complaints), typically at 5.2 yr or about 12,000 miles.

Complaints
117
Median age at failure
5.7 yr
Median mileage
7,000 n=39
Crash / fire / tow
21.4% of reports
Safety recalls
4

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System
0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y
Service brakes
19 reports · 12,000 mi
5.2 yr
26.3%
Electrical system
18 reports · 38,225 mi
6.5 yr
16.7%
Collision avoidance
17 reports · 18,000 mi
4.3 yr
17.6%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

24V071000 2024-02-02
Back over prevention: sensing system: camera

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2022 LEAF vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

23V494000 2023-07-17
Speed control

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 LEAF vehicles. The vehicle may accelerate unintentionally if the driving mode is changed ("D" to "B"; e-Pedal "On"; or "ECO" mode) after disengaging the cruise control.

Unintentional acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.

23V048000 2023-02-02
Equipment:other:owners/service/other manual

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 LEAF vehicles. The Owner's Manual instructions for defroster operation are incorrect, and may result in reduced defroster performance under specific conditions. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."

Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.

19V654000 2019-09-12
Back over prevention: sensing system: camera

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, thes

The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Service brakes 12,000 mi 2.2 yr in service
ON THE STREET WE USE TO LEAVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, THERE IS ONE SECTION OF THE CEMENT THAT IS A LITTLE TALLER THAN THE ONE BEFORE IT.INTERMITTENTLY, THE AUTOMATIC BREAKING WILL BE SET OFF IN THIS SPOT FOR NO REASON. IT IS ALARMING! WE ARE ALSO WORRIED IT WILL HAPPEN ON A BUSY STREET AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.
Service brakes 18,000 mi 3.3 yr in service
WAS DRIVING AT APPROX. 30 MPH ALONE ON A LOCAL HIGHWAY WITH NO TRAFFIC AROUND, NO PEDESTRIANS OR OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE ROAD, WHEN THE ACCELERATOR DISENGAGED AND THE BRAKES CAME ON. THE BRAKING ONLY LASTED ABOUT ONE TO TWO SECONDS AND DID NOT STOP THE CAR. A TRIANGULAR WARNING SIGN APPEARED ON THE DASH DURING THE BRAKING, AND WENT OFF WHEN THE BRAKES RELEASED. I BELIEVE THE PROBLEM IS A MALFUNCTION OF THE FORWARD COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM.
Service brakes 19,000 mi 3.4 yr in service
I WAS DRIVING ALONE AT 4:20PM AT ABOUT 30 MPH, WITH NO OTHER CARS OR PEDESTRIANS AROUND WHEN THE BRAKES SUDDENLY ACTIVATED, AND THE ACCELERATOR WENT TO IDLE. THE BRAKING LASTED ABOUT ONE SECOND AND DID NOT STOP THE CAR COMPLETELY. THIS OCCURRED ON A CITY STREET. THESE EVENTS HAVE BEEN HAPPENING SEVERAL TIMES A MONTH.
Collision avoidance 18,000 mi 3.3 yr in service
WAS DRIVING AT APPROX. 30 MPH ALONE ON A LOCAL HIGHWAY WITH NO TRAFFIC AROUND, NO PEDESTRIANS OR OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE ROAD, WHEN THE ACCELERATOR DISENGAGED AND THE BRAKES CAME ON. THE BRAKING ONLY LASTED ABOUT ONE TO TWO SECONDS AND DID NOT STOP THE CAR. A TRIANGULAR WARNING SIGN APPEARED ON THE DASH DURING THE BRAKING, AND WENT OFF WHEN THE BRAKES RELEASED. I BELIEVE THE PROBLEM IS A MALFUNCTION OF THE FORWARD COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM.

Other Leaf model years

20222021202020192018201620152014201320122011

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