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What 107 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Nissan Leaf Plus

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 (107)Crash / fire / injury (8)Brakes (82)Electrical system (16)Airbags (8)Speed control (8)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (3)Engine (3)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Fuel system (2)Visibility & wipers (2)Wheels (2)

Newest first · 107 complaints · page 5 of 5

May 29, 2015Electrical systemEngine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 NISSAN LEAF. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED AND FAILED TO RESTART WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,050. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 10722238

May 14, 2015Airbags

THE PASSENGER AIR BAG TURNS ON AT RANDOM TIMES WHEN A PASSENGER (OVER 140 POUNDS) IS IN THE SEAT. THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY, BUT CONSISTENTLY. WE'VE TRIED DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS; GETTING IN THE SEAT AFTER THE CAR HAS STARTED, HOPING UP AND DOWN (TRYING TO TRIGGER THE WEIGHT SENSOR), CHANGING OCCUPANTS, UN-BUCKLING AND RE-BUCKLING THE SEAT BELT. NOTHING SEEMS TO MAKE THE ISSUE GO AWAY. CAR IS AT THE DEALERSHIP, SO FAR THEY HAVE NO LEADS.

NHTSA ODI 10716504

Mar 19, 2015Speed controlWheelsBrakes

WHENEVER WE COME TO A STOP FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT OR A STOP SIGN, AND THE SPEED OF THE CAR IS < 3 MILES , WE NOTICED THAT WHEN WE APPLY BRAKES, THEY DO NOT GET APPLIED IMMEDIATELY. THERE IS A SUDDEN SURGE IN ACCELERATION BEFORE THE CAR COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP. THIS IS VERY NOTICEABLE ESPECIALLY WHEN WE APPLY BRAKES TO SLOW THE CAR BEFORE A TRAFFIC SIGNAL OR STOP SIGN AND ALSO IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC CONDITIONS. AS A RESULT, WE TEND TO STOP THE CAR ATLEAST COUPLE OF METERS BEFORE THE STOP LINE OR THE CAR IN FRONT TO BUFFER THE ACCELERATION BY THE CAR. THANK YOU *TR

NHTSA ODI 10695491

Feb 26, 2015Brakes

THE BRAKES DID NOT RESPOND AS NORMAL ON A COLD SNOWY DAY. THE TIRES DID NOT SLIDE AND IT WAS NOT A HARD BRAKING SITUATION. MULTIPLE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY, THE BRAKES WERE NOT ENGAGING PROPERLY. THE CONDITION WENT AWAY THE NEXT DAY; A WARMER DAY. IT HAPPENED AGAIN 2 WEEKS LATER AND I CAN NOW RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM AND BE CAUTIOUS.

NHTSA ODI 10690865

Feb 18, 2015Brakes

BRAKE FAILURE. CAR BARELY STOPPED WHEN BACKING OUT OF GARAGE. SYSTEM DESIGNED TO MAINTAIN BRAKES IN CASE OF ELECTRICAL FAILURE DID NOT FUNCTION. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER WHERE PROBLEM WAS DUPLICATED BUT NO CAUSE WAS IDENTIFIED. STILL NOT REPAIRED AS OF 2/18/15 BECAUSE BRAKES STARTED WORKING AGAIN AT DEALER. WHEN FAILURE OCCURRED, TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT AND ABS LIGHT CAME ON. CAR HAD BEEN TO DEALER THE WEEK BEFORE FOR "GRABBING" EXTREMELY SENSITIVE, BUT TRANSIENT, BRAKE PROBLEM. NO PROBLEM COULD BE IDENTIFIED.

NHTSA ODI 10683997

Jan 23, 2015Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlBrakes

MY 2015 LEAF S IS 3 WEEKS OLD WITH LESS THAN 700 MILES. I WAS DESCENDING AN 8% GRADE HILL IN B MODE WITH A SHARP BEND AT THE BOTTOM. AS I WENT TO APPLY THE BRAKES, THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND B MODE CUT OUT. THE CAR WAS NOW ROLLING DOWN THE HILL AND ACCELERATING UNDER GRAVITY WITH NO BRAKES AND WITHOUT B MODE SLOWING THE CAR. I WAS EXPECTING TO HIT A BRICK WALL AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL WHEN SUDDENLY, AFTER NO MORE THAN TWO SECONDS, THE BRAKES AND B MODE CAME BACK ON AND I SAFELY STOPPED. ON REFLECTION AFTER THE INCIDENT, IT WAS AS IF THE WHOLE COMPUTER/ELECTRONICS MOMENTARILY SHUT DOWN AND THEN REBOOTED. I DIDN'T NOTICE IF THE DASH LIGHTS WENT OFF OR NOT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10678538

Dec 25, 2014Airbags

THE LEAF OFTEN SHOWS THAT MY PASSENGER AIR BAG IS DISABLED, EVEN THOUGH MY SON WHO IS OVER 100 POUNDS IS SITTING IN THE SEAT WITH THE SEAT BELT ON. THIS HAPPENS ABOUT 50% OF THE TIME AT ALL SPEEDS WHEN HE IS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE SENSORS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. I WOULD HATE TO GET IN A CRASH AND NOT HAVE THE AIRBAGS DEPLOY! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10668254

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Working with the data? Download all 107 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 2015 Nissan Leaf Plus verdict →