What 51 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 Nissan Leaf (40 Kwh Battery)

When placing the vehicle in reverse, the display screen shows either a distorted view or no view at all, or a solid pink color across the screen. This result in zero visibility out the rear of the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11557148

The error occurred on [XXX]. The car got me to my destination. Error occurred past the 1/2 way point. The next day was busy w/ personal issues. Later in the afternoon, I was by the vehicle, I called the Nissan Roadside Assistance number. It was at this point that I was informed that no one was available or that my location was out of network. I was then instructed to find my own tow & arranged everything. I did. The vehicle completely died en route to the Nissan Dealership. The EV Motor locks the wheels & there is no way to disengage the motors lock on the CV axle. The vehicle is in the Nissan service department at Flagstaff Nissan currently. My Nissan LEAF SV Plus is currently has 33,258 miles on it. It is currently covered under the basic warranty of Nissan North America. The LEAF was purchased on Saturday, [XXX]. As of11/16/2023, there is no estimated time of repair. I do try & call everyday. The Dealership has issued me a Loaner to use during the absence of my malfunctioned vehicle. The Dealership is solid & I do recommend them. There are several flaws with this 2021 Nissan LEAF SV Plus and they are as follows: 1. The LEAF has an outdated Level 3 charger that is being fazed out in North America. 2. The LEAF has no Active Thermal Management for the Battery. 3. The LEAF’s passive cooling is negated as the battery is too large to enable proper air flow. 4. The LEAF nearly stranded me out in the middle of Nowhere. 5. The LEAF’s battery will degrade at a high rate as there is no ATM for the Battery. Based on the listed evidence, you can see that my confidence in the LEAF has been shattered. I thought the LEAF would be super reliable & would never let me down. After this incident, I realized that the “hate” was actually hard & heavy concerns that I thought was invalid. I have Buyers remorse, BIG Time. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11555417

The back up camera failed. It shows a blank grey screen. The other side and front cameras work but not the most important camera, the rear, back up camera. This is becoming a more and more frequent problem to the point now where its failing more often than not.

NHTSA ODI 11552420

My car got stuck in a snowbank and became unresponsive. I attempted to gently rock it back and forth by putting it into drive and reverse two or three times. The car began to smoke. I took my foot off the accelerator and attempted to exit the vehicle, but the door was locked and did not automatically unlock. I tried to press the child safety lock button in case the child safety lock had been activated, but accidentally pressed the button to open the window. Smoke started coming into the car. I manually unlocked the door, pressed the button to put the car into park. I evacuated the car, and it was engulfed in smoke and making a very loud noise. I had the neighbor call 911 as I left my phone in the car and I was afraid the car would explode. I left the neighbor's house and waited for the fire trucks. My car's wheels were still spinning extremely fast and pieces were coming off of them. A firefighter was able to enter my car in protective gear and turn the car off. The wheels were burned off my car. The car eventually cooled down and I had it towed to the dealership. The dealer does not know why the wheels kept spinning after I was no longer in the car, so we do not know what malfunctioned. My safety was put at risk as I would have been unable to control the car if it had not been stuck in a snowbank. The problem has not been reproduced. The dealer examined the car and has repaired the tires and rims, but still does not give an answer as to why the wheels kept spinning long after I had exited the vehicle. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to the incident.

NHTSA ODI 11502246

Vehicle showed a message "Service EV system - Unable to restart after power off". Took to my local Nissan dealer on Oct/21 and had the car serviced and message cleared. On my way back home from dealer, same message showed up again and shut off the car. Next morning the same message remained on dashboard and was unable to start the vehicle. Through an internet research, the same issue is happening with Nissan Leaf all over the world (Japan, UK, etc)

NHTSA ODI 11490939

On June 20, 2021, the electric car front hood section area to charge the vehicle flew open while driving the vehicle on the highway. There was no indication that there was a problem with the charging hood at any time.

NHTSA ODI 11421790