What 81 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Nissan Leaf Plus (60 Kwh Battery)

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.

NHTSA ODI 11635731

I put the car in park as I was pulling in without turning it off to grab trash from the curb and take it to the car, but the car keep accelerating. I jumped in and slammed on the bricks but it hit the brick wall to the house. I see more recent years were recalled for "unintended acceleration" and "brake issues"

NHTSA ODI 11630366

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a whistling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was unofficially diagnosed as a failed air condition hose or a failed air condition line connector. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, however, the contact declined to pay the diagnostic fee. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to have the vehicle diagnosed by the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000.

NHTSA ODI 11590324

The car suddenly lost power during freeway driving. The brake system appeared compromised. Turning off 12v accessories - which includes safety critical functions such as the defrost blower - was necessary to restore functionality. This is caused by a defective DC-DC converter that fails to properly charge the 12V battery, risking and repeatedly causing sudden loss power, loss of braking, and loss of safety critical functions. This is not the result of damage to the DC-DC converter or other such damage. This is proven by the fact that activation of the wipers triggers the DC-DC converter to temporarily raise the charging voltage to a level sufficient to restore power and charge the 12v battery. Due to defective programming of the DC-DC converter, the power provided to the 12v battery and system quickly returns to unsafe low levels. The DC-DC converter has a sense line that senses the voltage of the 12v battery, but the programming of the converter is defective such that it does not actually maintain the battery at a healthy level. This is a commonly reported and discussed issue on Nissan Leaf ownership forums. Reprogramming of the DC-DC converter is necessary, but not available from Nissan. This issue also causes early degradation of 12v batteries, and replacement of the 12v does not cure the issue. The most recent occurrence of loss of power was 11/30/23, but it has happened repeatedly in the past.

NHTSA ODI 11557774

The Nissan Leaf has a 6,600 watt charger that is attached to the top of the 26,000 watt electrical motor. A 30 Amp Nissan charging cord connects the 220 volt electrical outlet (dryer) to the Leaf via a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1772 Plug. Unknown to me a desert rat had chewed the insulation down to the wires of the charging cord, leaving the wires bare. The desert rat was not electrocuted because the onboard charger safety system in the vehicle turns off the 220 volts AC before it reaches the car using the control box that is part of the the charging cable. But when I plugged the J1772 Plug into the Leaf Nissan's "safety system" sent 220 volts form the dryer plug to the Nissan Leaf creating an electrocution hazard where the rat removed the insulation. I saw a series of sparks and felt the electricity through my electric car safety gear rubber Crocs. Nissan's "safety system" ensures that there is NO arc of electric current when you unplug the J1772 connector. Unfortunately for me and possibly for tens of thousands of other EV drivers Nissan did not envision a rat eating the wire and causing the system to momentarily electrocute a person attempting to charge their car. Nissan 220 volt charging cord no longer charges the Leaf and the Leaf's entire charging system on top of the motor in no longer operational. I suspect the two, 220 volt wires in the Nissan charging cable shorted to the two safety wires (pilot and proximity wires) which is has about 1/16 of an inch separation, and fired Nissans onboard charger. The cost to replace Nissans onboard charging system is about $7,000 for parts and labor. What does Nissan LEAF’s EV warranty coverage include? Your confidence gets a boost with Nissan LEAF’s New Electric Vehicle Limited Warranty. Coverage includes — but is not limited to — Motor, Inverter Unit, VCM, Reduction Gear, DC/DC Converter, Onboard Charger, Onboard Charger Connector, and Trickle Charge Cable. [*]

NHTSA ODI 11547537

Warning light is flashing and the airbag warning light is flashing. I took it to the dealership and they tell me this is not covered under a recall notice but I have hear other Nissan Leafs do have a recall notice for airbags. It is expensive to fix. Is there a mistake and it is covered under a recall notice?

NHTSA ODI 11529990

I was driving and wanted to slow the vehicle to turn on a side street. I pressed the brake and nothing happened. The vehicle did not slow down at all. I pushed harder, still nothing. The brakes completely failed to work. Due to this brake failure, I was unable to make the turn I wanted to make because I was going too fast. I continued going straight, and because the road was slightly uphill, the vehicle eventually stopped and I was able to ease off the road when the vehicle had slowed sufficiently. Fortunately, there were no injuries or accidents. After the vehicle had stopped I looked to see if it was low on brake fluid. It was not. The brake fluid level was at manufactures specification. After I had stopped I did notice several warning lights on the dash, including ABS and other symbols I don't know the meaning of. (I'd have to read the vehicle owner's manual to figure out what they mean). I have not taken the vehicle anywhere to be repaired yet. I thought that maybe the NHTSA might want to inspect it before it was looked at by a mechanic or manufacturer.

NHTSA ODI 11523410

The left curtain and driver seat airbags were spontaneously deployed while driving. The driver seatbelt pre-tensioner was engaged and locked. There was no collision or abrupt motion. My wife sustained minor abrasions to her left arm and swerved to the right shoulder of the road. The car would not shift into drive and was towed. The cause is unknown and without warning.

NHTSA ODI 11521771

SRS Airbag light has been flashing for about a year. Code reader shows B00A0 0009 code indicating a problem with the OCS / Occupancy sensor. I believe this puts all passengers in the front seat at risk since the airbag may not operate in an accident. The car is available for inspection. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer or others.

NHTSA ODI 11518675

Due to a manufacturing issue certain 2011-2019 LEAF vehicles' lithium-ion battery bonding plates may not meet Nissan internal standards and may fail. Unfortunately the recommended servicing facility does not service electric vehicles. The next nearest facility is beyond the range of the now degraded lithium ion battery. This makes it impossible to drive the vehicle to a servicing facility so that to affect this voluntary recall will require a tow both ways. Nissan refuses to address this issue and I am concerned first regarding the seriousness of this repair and secondly my out of pocket expense to affect this repair.

NHTSA ODI 11463528

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 NISSAN LEAF. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE FRONT END STARTED SHAKING AND VIBRATING DUE TO A SUSPENSION FAILURE. UPON INSPECTION, THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE WHEEL WAS OUT OF POSITION. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE CONTROL ARM WAS FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE RESIDENCE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,000.*DT *TR

NHTSA ODI 11361477

AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT HAS COME ON AND DEALER SAYS IT IS A CONTROL MODULE OR THE AIRBAG IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THEY REFUSE TO REPAIR AND I HAVE READ WHERE THIS PROBLEM IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE. LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR THE LAST YEAR AND I 'AM WORRIED IT MAY NOT ACTIVATE DURING A ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ODI 11343249

IN 2017 I BROUGHT IN MY NISSAN LEAF TO BE SERVICED FOR A RECALL NOTICE FOR THE OCS SENSOR. BEFORE THEN, THE OCS SENSOR SEEMED TO BE WORKING FINE BUT I FIGURED I SHOULD PERFORM THE SERVICE FOR SAFETY. THIS LAST YEAR THE OCS SENSOR HAS STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY. NOW I HAVE A RED BLINKING LIGHT THAT WARNS THAT THE PASSENGER AIR BAG IS NOT WORKING. I TOOK IT TO A NISSAN SERVICE CENTER, THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME $1000 TO REPLACE THE OCS CONTROL UNIT AND SENSOR. I FEEL LIKE THESE WERE PARTS THAT WERE CHANGED AS PART OF THE RECALL AND ARE OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE SINCE THEY CRAPPED OUT AFTER A FEW YEARS.

NHTSA ODI 11292150

THE PASSENGER SIDE WIPER JUST SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING AT 40,000 MILES, THE DRIVER SIDE WORKS FINE.

NHTSA ODI 11268245

2013 NISSAN LEAF BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY AND WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING 30MPH RESULTING IN NEAR COLLISION AND POTENTIALLY SERIOUS INJURY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE. SPEED VERY GRADUALLY SLOWED WITH ACCELERATOR PEDAL NOT DEPRESSED AND WAS ULTIMATELY BROUGHT TO COMPLETE STOP USING PARKING BRAKE. VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD WITHOUT ABILITY TO BRAKE WHEN ACCELERATOR PRESSED LIGHTLY AFTER STOPPING. NISSAN DEALER REPORTED A FAILURE OF THE "INTELLIGENT BRAKE CONTROL UNIT" AND REPLACED AT COST OF APPROX. $3,000. INCIDENT OCCURRED IN CLEARWATER, FLORIDA AREA IN LATE AFTERNOON IN DRY WEATHER WITH TEMPERATURES AROUND 80F. TOW TRUCK OPERATOR STATED THAT WHEN THEY ATTEMPTED TO MOVE THE VEHICLE IT LURCHED FORWARD WITHOUT ABILITY TO HALT AND THE OPERATOR WAS EXTREMELY FRIGHTENED AND ALMOST CRASHED.

NHTSA ODI 11256606

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 NISSAN LEAF. WHILE THE CONTACT'S WIFE WAS DRIVING 40 MPH, SHE DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT IT FAILED TO FUNCTION. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT'S WIFE REAR ENDED THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS NOT AWARE IF ANY WARNING INDICATORS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN BECAUSE THE BRAKE LINES WERE STUCK. THE VIN WAS ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V119000 (SERVICE BRAKES) AND NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V244000 (AIR BAGS). THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO GLENDALE NISSAN (LOCATED AT 727 S BRAND BLVD, GLENDALE, CA 91204) WHERE THEY RELEASED THE BRAKE LINES AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO UNIVERSAL CITY NISSAN (LOCATED AT 3550 CAHUENGA BLVD W, LOS ANGELES, CA 90068, (818) 769-8100) AND WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,736. *DT*JB

NHTSA ODI 11255885

DANGEROUSLY LOW INCREASINGLY HIDEOUS BATTERY STORAGE. PURCHASED USED 2013 LEAF IN JUNE 2019. WAS ABLE TO CHARGE IT UP ROUGHLY TO 70 MILE RANGE AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE. NOW, JUST 3 MONTHS LATER, IT ONLY CHARGES ONLY TO 62 MAX! WORSE YET, IT'S ONLY AN ESTIMATE. AND GOD FORBID YOU GO FASTER THAN 65 MILES, YOUR 'ESTIMATE' DECREASES ASTRONOMICALLY. TODAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019, TOOK TO THE DEALER TO CHECK FOR BATTERY RECALLS, BUT THE DEALER DOESN'T SEE ONE FOR THE BATTERY, ONLY THE MOUNTS. STATES THAT I HAVE ENOUGH TOP-OFF 'BARS' FOR THE BATTERY LIFE, THAT IT'S NOT SUBJECT TO RECALL. WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THE BATTERY SWAP/UPGRADE, HE OFFERED A PLAN WORTH OVER $10K. THIS IS BECOMING A CLASS-ACTION MATTER DUE TO STRAIGHT-UP FAULTY BATTERY, GAUGE, AND DEALER'S REFUSAL TO OWN-UP TO THEIR COMPLETELY FAULTY PRODUCT.

NHTSA ODI 11254870

THE INDICATORS LIGHTS CAN AND ARE BEING MANIPULATED (TURNED ON AND OFF) VIA REMOTE CONTROL ACCESS. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, ON A CITY STREET. PLEASE TEST THIS TO ASCERTAIN IF THE NISSAN VEHICLES SAFETY INDICATOR LIGHTS CAN BE MANIPULATED BY SOMEONE OTHER THAN THE DRIVER VIA REMOTE CONTROL. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE IF THE LIGHT INDICATES THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH MY TIRES AND I'M PROMPTED TO EXIT MY VEHICLE TO CHECK THE TIRES ON THE FREEWAY, AT A GASOLINE STATION ETC., ETC., ETC., THANK YOU.

NHTSA ODI 11240382

WHILE DRIVING ON A WARM DAY AT ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR ABOUT TWO MILES FROM MY HOME, MY BRAKES BECAME UNRESPONSIVE AS I APPROACHED A STOP SIGN BEHIND ANOTHER DRIVER. THE OTHER DRIVER DIDN'T STOP IN ORDER TO AVOID BEING HIT. I TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES TO USE THE BRAKE, AND THE CAR DIDN'T SLOW. BEFORE COMING TO A TURN DOWN A VERY LONG STEEP HILL, I PULLED UP THE PARKING BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR. I CALLED AAA. THE AAA TECHNICIAN CONFIRMED THE BRAKES HAD FAILED, AND TOWED THE CAR TO A MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC WAS NOT ABLE TO LOOK AT THE CAR THE SAME DAY, BUT LOOKED THE NEXT DAY AND SAID THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. THEY RECOMMENDED TAKING IT TO AN ACTUAL NISSAN REPAIR SHOP, WHICH I DID. THEY SAID THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG, BUT DID SEE THAT THE BRAKING SYSTEM HAD BEEN REPAIRED PREVIOUSLY. I CALLED NISSANUSA AND THEY SAID OUR VIN SHOWED THAT THE CAR HAD ALREADY BEEN REPAIRED FOR AN INTERMITTENT SERVICE BRAKE PROBLEM (ON RECALL) A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO BEFORE WE BOUGHT IT USED, AND THAT IT CAN'T BE FIXED AGAIN FOR THAT. IT'S SCARY THAT NOBODY CAN IDENTIFY WHAT WENT WRONG THIS TIME, AND NOBODY IS WILLING TO SEE IF IT'S THE RECALL FIX ACTING UP SOMEHOW, MAYBE UNPREPARED.

NHTSA ODI 11233902

BATTERY CHARGED TO 55 MILE RANGE, LEFT OVERNIGHT AND DROPPED TO 39 MILES WHILE SHOWING 9 BARS. RANGE DROPS SIGNIFICANTLY WHILE DRIVING. THE BATTERY RACK IS UNDER RECALL FOR A FAULTY GROUND, BUT NISSAN CLAIMS THIS WOULD NOT AFFECT THE BATTERY PACK. THE "9 BARS" IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH THIS RANGE AND THE BATTERY SHOULD NOT LOSE 25% OF ITS CHARGE OVERNIGHT.

NHTSA ODI 11231434

MY NISSAN LEAF WAS EXPERIENCING A SEAT BELT NOT BUCKLED AND IT WOULD LIGHT UP WHEN NO ONE WAS SITTING IN THE SEAT. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES TO HAVE IT FIXED. THE FIRST TWO TIMES THEY RESET THE SENSOR AND IT WOULD STAY FIXED FOR 2 MONTHS. I JUST TOOK IT BACK THE 3RD TIME. THE DEALER SAID THE AIRBAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT. SINCE IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, I CHOSE FOR THEM TO FIX MY VEHICLE. THE OCS SENSOR AND CONTROL MODULE WAS FAULTY. IT COST ME $652.56 TO REPAIR IT. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY SINCE THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. I WANT TO REPORT THIS ISSUE TO YOU SINCE IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. I DO NOT WANT ANYONE DYING IN A CAR ACCIDENT DUE TO THE AIRBAG NOT DEPLOYING.

NHTSA ODI 11228414

I FILED THIS COMPLAINT PREVIOUSLY ON 2/4/19 - CONFIRMATION # ODI 11174255. YOU SENT ME SOME FOLLOW-UP PAPERWORK, BUT I HAVE UNFORTUNATELY MISPLACED IT. ANY WAY TO RESEND THAT PAPERWORK, SO I CAN PURSUE THIS COMPLAINT?

NHTSA ODI 11194962

1.PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON CONTINUOUSLY WHEN CAR IS ON, STATIONARY OR MOVING, REGARDLESS OF FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY. 2.AIRBAG SYSTEM LIGHT BLINKS CONTINUOUSLY WHEN CAR IS ON, STATIONARY OR MOVING, REGARDLESS OF PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY. THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP HAS WORKED ON THE PROBLEM FOUR TIMES OVER TWO PLUS YEARS, ULTIMATELY UNSUCCESSFUL FOR MORE THAN A FEW WEEKS. DEALERSHIP NOW REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM CITING NISSAN CORP. RELUCTANCE TO PAY FOR REPAIR UNDER ORIGINAL WARRANTY, WHICH HAS EXPIRED. DEALERSHIP CLAIMS PASSENGER SEAT REPLACEMENT IS NECESSARY AT A COST TO US OF PERHAPS $2000. WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY WHEN IT SHOULDN'T, OR WILL DEPLOY WHEN IT SHOULD.

NHTSA ODI 11192404

I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON A ONE-WAY STREET AT AROUND 25-30 MPH AND NEEDED TO APPLY THE BRAKES TO STOP QUICKLY. I HIT THE BRAKES WITH ALL THE FORCE I COULD WITH MY LEG---THE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE AND THE CAR DID NOT STOP IN TIME. IT SEEMED LIKE SOME KIND OF WEIRD GLITCH BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT THE CAR HAS ELECTRIC SUPPORT FOR THE BRAKES. AT OTHER TIMES THE BRAKES DIDN'T RESPOND IN THE CORRECT TIME. NOTE I HAD THE BRAKES INSPECTED SEVERAL TIMES BY A PUENTE HILLS NISSAN AND THE BRAKE PADS WERE FINE. THERE WAS ALSO A STRANGE CLICKING NOISE COMING FROM THE BRAKES WHEN THEY DISENGAGED. IT SEEMS TO BE SOME KIND OF TIME DELAY IN THE SOFTWARE. I ALSO READ THAT SINCE THE CAR HAS REGENERATE BRAKING IT'S LIKE THE CAR GETS CONFUSED WHEN IT SUPPOSED TO APPLY THE BRAKES AND NOT SLOW DOWN FROM THE ENGINE. I HAD TROUBLE BRAKING OTHER TIMES WHEN I WORE LIGHT SHOES OR SANDALS.

NHTSA ODI 11182659

MY CAR'S WARNING SYSTEM INDICATORS CAN BE ACCESSED AND OR TURNED ON OR OFF VIA FOREIGN KEY FOB (OR OTHER DEVICE). FOR EXAMPLE SOMEONE PASSING BY MY CAR WHILE I'M IN MOTION DRIVING ON THE STREET OR THE PARKING LOT HAS TURNED ON THE TIRE INFLATION WARNING INDICATOR FROM OUTSIDE OF MY VEHICLE USING A FOREIGN KEY FOB OR SOME OTHER DEVICE LIKE A KEY FOB.

NHTSA ODI 11174813