CSR

Nissan · NHTSA safety record

2015 Nissan Leaf

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

109

Complaints

8

Crashes

0

Fires

3

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2015 Nissan Leaf have filed 109 safety complaints with NHTSA between December 2014 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the brakes, named in 83 of them (76%). The typical failure was reported at 27,000 miles, the median across the 68 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 4 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (4)

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

23V296000 · April 26, 2023

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2017 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."
The risk
Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Nissan will mail an addendum with updated instructions on how to operate the defroster, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A1.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 94,343 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS

17V253000 · April 13, 2017

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error within the air bag inflators, the passenger frontal air bag may not properly deploy in the event of a crash.
The risk
In the event of a crash, if the front passenger air bag doesn't deploy properly, it can increase the risk of injury to passengers.
The remedy
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 30,038 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

16V244000 · April 26, 2016

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
The risk
If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
The remedy
Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 3,296,947 vehicles across all model years covered

SERVICE BRAKES

16V119000 · February 29, 2016

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 LEAF vehicles manufactured November 19, 2012, to July 31, 2015. During very cold temperatures, the relay inside the electronic brake booster may freeze, requiring the driver to exert more effort to slow the vehicle down.
The risk
If the brake relay fails, longer distances or additional brake effort would be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Intelligent Brake Control Unit software, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 46,859 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (1)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 109.

SERVICE BRAKES 83 76%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 17 16%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 8%
AIR BAGS 8 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8 7%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 3 3%
ENGINE 3 3%
POWER TRAIN 3 3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 2%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 2%
WHEELS 2 2%
SEATS 1 1%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2015 at 16.

2014 2015 2026
2014 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed · 1,200 miles

PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2015 NISSAN LEAF ON SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2015 3 WEEKS LATER ON OCT 5TH, 2015 BRAKES FAILED ON THIS BRAND NEW CAR WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC ON THE FREEWAY. AS A RESULT I ENDED UP HITTING A TRUCK IN THE REAR END AT 55 MPH. INURIES SUSTAINED IN THE ACCIDENT AND 2015 NISSAN LEAF WAS TOTALED. I CALLED THIS INTO NISSAN AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS A SERVICE NOTICE FOR THIS CAR FOR BRAKE FAILURE. THIS WAS NEVER DISCLOSED TO ME AND THE DEALER HAD NOT PERFORMED THIS SERVICE WORK ON THE CAR PRIOR TO SELLING IT TO US. PLEASE REPORT AND HAVE ALL BRAKE ISSUES WITH THE 2015 NISSAN LEAF INVESTIGATED.

NHTSA complaint 10806749. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 25,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 NISSAN LEAF. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT END THREE VEHICLE COLLISION. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOWING YARD WHERE IT WAS DEEMED DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THERE WAS ONE INJURY THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE CONTACT SUFFERED FROM BACK PAIN AND PAIN TO THE RIGHT HAND AND THUMB PAIN. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 25,000.

NHTSA complaint 10838480. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash

Brakes fail cause as a wreck while parking

NHTSA complaint 11448501. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · towed

I was driving with one passenger going at very low speed. I began to turn into parking area and suddenly the car accelerated at an alarming speed. I applied total pressure on the brake to no avail, it did not override the acceleration. I steered into the back of another parked vehicle. The impact pushed the large heavy vehicle down into a ditch and deployed the airbags for both myself and passenger. 911 was called, Police arrived, tow trucks. My vehicle was totalled, and insurance now has the claim. If this has occurred on a highway or busy city street, many lives would have been at risk.

NHTSA complaint 11499319. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the brakes failed to engage while the brake pedal was depressed. The brake and master warning lights were illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions; however, the contact stated that the vehicle recently failed to return to normal operation. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake module booster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched and was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V119000 (Service Brakes); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The

NHTSA complaint 11756786, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The car was parked in a parking lot, and when we turned it on and pulled out of the space, the brake light, ABS light, and other warning lights came on and the brakes went soft. We pulled back into the space and tried again, thinking it was a fluke and heard a strange noise coming from the car when it started. Again the lights came on and the brakes did not work. We had it towed to our normal mechanic and then to the dealership when the mechanic was unable to figure out what was wrong. The brakes looked to be in good repair. The Nissan dealership was unable to reproduce the problem and found only old codes in the system. The codes listed on the receipt were FFD high key cycle counts, C118A,

NHTSA complaint 11755341, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
This is the third time my brakes have failed while driving, which seems to have something to do with the 12-volt battery. At least at first, I disconnected my 12-volt battery and reconnected it; this fixed the issue, at least for a while. The other day, I was driving down a road near my house and the brakes failed right before I came around a bend. I had to quickly press the e-brake to slow down, or I would have run right off the road. This is definitely a dangerous issue. Please issue a recall for this because I've noticed many other people complaining about the same issue—the same sound, feeling, and symptoms. It appears the brakes are malfunctioning due to a communication error, or a low

NHTSA complaint 11733315, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Visor on driver side fall down on face causing blockage. Paint is pealing off of vehicle.

NHTSA complaint 11733370. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
Was driving the car in a neighborhood setting only going 20 mph, ABS light turned on the dashboard, traction control light or some other light regarding traction came on as well, brakes failed. Had to use parking brake to stop the vehicle.

NHTSA complaint 11704452. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
While driving normally, yellow brake warning lights came on but I arrived home without incident. Next time I drove, the warning lights were all off, but suddenly the brakes failed almost completely. I pushed the pedal to the floor and heard a grinding/clicking sound, and barely any stopping power. I was only going 25 mph, and was able to stop after 5 seconds of high foot pressure. At the same time, red brake warning light came on. I was able to get the car home very slowly, and strangely I had adequate braking power for the remainder of the short trip (although red and yellow brake warning lights remain on). I am happy to provide the car for inspection. This was extremely dangerous to the

NHTSA complaint 11703566, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Nissan Leaf

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2023 19 3
2022 89 4
2021 52 4
2020 161 6
2019 253 5
2018 66 4
2017 17 2
2016 36 4
2014 34 6
2013 81 5
2012 57 0
2011 95 0

Other 2015 Nissan models

Every Nissan on this site — 200 vehicles, 319 recall campaigns and 5 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst