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What 81 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Nissan Leaf (53 Kwh Battery) Bev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (81)Crash / fire / injury (13)Brakes (32)Electrical system (18)Airbags (17)Speed control (5)Visibility & wipers (5)Fuel system (4)Seat belts (4)Steering (4)Wheels (4)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (3)

4 of 81 complaints match · Steering · clear filters

Oct 29, 2018SteeringAirbagsSeat belts

RED TRIANGLE WARNING LIGHT COMES ON WILL NOT GO OUT WHEN CAR IS ON AND WHEN DRIVERS SEAT BELT IS INGAGED BOTH TRIANGLE RED LIGHT AND SEAT BELT LIGHT FLASHES ALL DOORS ARE CLOSED AND SECURE INCLUDING HATCH

NHTSA ODI 11143876

Dec 9, 2016SteeringWheelsBrakes

ON NOV 18. 2016, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING NISSAN LEAF 2013 ON THE HIGHWAY UNDER A RAINY DAY, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY GRADUALLY STOPPED (HIGHWAY 680 TO HIGHWAY 580 AT CALIFORNIA STATE). MY WIFE COULDN'T MAKE IT MOVE EVEN PRESS ACCELERATOR UNTIL SHE STOPPED THE ENGINE AND RESTARTED AGAIN. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR HER TO HAVE SUCH EXPERIENCE ON THE HIGHWAY. LATER I CHECKED THE MANUAL, IT IS SAID BECAUSE OF NISSAN'S VDC FUNCTION. HOWEVER IT IS NOT PROPER TO STOPPED THE CAR WHEN IT IS DRIVING. TODAY, I ALSO EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. WHEN I DROVE BACK MY CAR, THE CAR DIDN'T ALLOW TO MOVE UNTIL I PRESSED "VDC OFF" BUTTON. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM BY NISSAN. I HAVE CONTACTED THEM TO CHECK AND REPAIR MY CAR. HOWEVER I THINK IT IS SAFE TO GOVERNMENT TO CHECK WITH NISSAN TO SEE WHETHER THEY HAVE ISSUES ON ANY VEHICLES WITH VDC FEATURE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10934017

Jun 6, 2014SteeringBrakesCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 NISSAN LEAF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER AND THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE REPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 3,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 10596607

Sep 3, 2013SteeringTiresWheels

VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIBRATE AND STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT. MY SPOUSE STOPPED THE VEHICLE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO LOOK FOR A PROBLEM. SHE FOUND THAT AIR WAS ESCAPING THE FRONT LEFT TIRE OUT OF THE SIDEWALL. SHE THEN DROVE THE CAR TO A SAFE STOPPING POINT AND CALLED FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE SIDEWALL HAD BLOWN OUT ON THE FRONT LEFT TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND WAS REPLACED. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE RIM WAS NOT DAMAGED. THE SIDEWALL OF THE BRIDGESTONE ECOPIA TIRE HAD FAILED AFTER 5,800 MILES. WE WERE CHARGED $183 FOR THE REPAIR DESPITE THE CAR BEING LESS THAN 6 MONTHS OLD.

NHTSA ODI 10538582

Working with the data? Download all 81 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Nissan Leaf (53 Kwh Battery) Bev verdict →