CSR

Nissan · NHTSA safety record

2022 Nissan Leaf

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

89

Complaints

7

Crashes

0

Fires

3

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2022 Nissan Leaf have filed 89 safety complaints with NHTSA between January 2022 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 58 of them (65%). The typical failure was reported at 60,000 miles, the median across the 7 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints more than doubled year on year: 56 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 8 in the twelve before.

NHTSA has issued 4 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (4)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY

25V655000 · October 1, 2025

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2022 LEAF vehicles equipped with a Level 3 quick charging port. The lithium-ion battery may overheat during Level 3 charging.
The risk
A quick charging battery that overheats increases the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Owners are advised not to use Level 3 quick charging until the remedy is completed. Dealers will update the battery software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed June 16, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan's Customer Service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R25C8. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 4, 2025.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 19,077 vehicles across all model years covered

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

24V071000 · February 2, 2024

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2022 LEAF vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 9, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23D7.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 57,914 vehicles across all model years covered

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

23V494000 · July 17, 2023

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 LEAF vehicles. The vehicle may accelerate unintentionally if the driving mode is changed ("D" to "B"; e-Pedal "On"; or "ECO" mode) after disengaging the cruise control.
The risk
Unintentional acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will reprogram the vehicle control module (VCM), free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A6.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 66,159 vehicles across all model years covered

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

23V048000 · February 2, 2023

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 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 April 1, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R22C5.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 64,732 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 89.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 58 65%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 27 30%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 17 19%
POWER TRAIN 9 10%
SERVICE BRAKES 8 9%
ENGINE 6 7%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 3%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 2%
AIR BAGS 1 1%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 1%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 42.

2022 2026
2022 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

2 injured · crash

The E-pedal was on. Trying to park car and it jumped the curb when it lurched forward and brakes would not engage so I had to hit a tree to stop the car.

NHTSA complaint 11462273. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

Vehicle was involved in a head on collision at approximately 25-30 MPH and driver's airbag did not deploy

NHTSA complaint 11499464. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed

I had an accident that totaled the Leaf the day after I bought it. It was dark. The road was more congested than usual and a dog ran out into the road. According to eye witnesses, three vehicles including two Honda SUVs (the first vehicle that stated the whole mess didn't stay) managed to brake to a complete stop without rear ending one another. The Nissan Leaf could not brake quickly enough and I rear ended a CR-V with enough force that the Leaf airbags deployed and I could tell the Leaf was totaled at the scene. The emergency braking system never engaged and the brake pedal felt the same from beginning to end. I was not tailgating. The Leaf felt enough like my 2020 Kia Niro that I made

NHTSA complaint 11447113, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed

I was driving on the highway when the car in front of me applied their breaks - I took my foot off of the accelerator but the car did not slow down. I applied the breaks but they did not work - in fact, the car seemed to accelerate. I heard the collision alarm sound but the automatic emergency braking system did not engage or stop the car, so I crashed into the car in front of me. Air bag deployed and then the car filled with smoke from the batteries but I couldn't get out as the power locks didn't work or allow me to open the door. The EMT's had to break the rear window to get me out of the car

NHTSA complaint 11546660. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
VIN [XXX] battery percentage drops drastically and instantly once it reaches 50–60%. is behavior aligns with the active lithium deposit defects found under open Recall R25C8. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11755107. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
After having the recall (Recall 25V655) remedy applied to my car, it will not restart after charging. I charged it once after receiving it back (the dealership had not fully charged it during the recall work - it was returned at 76%). And it immediately started throwing errors and will only be in neutral now. The Dealership service center maintains that this is not the result of the recall issue or the recall fix, which is quite unbelievable. I do not believe the recall remedy is actually a remedy.

NHTSA complaint 11748775. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash

I was at a red light on a slight decline with my foot on the regular brake. I am 99% certain the Epedal was on. Something startled me and I took my foot off the regular brake, but the Epedal should have held the car still. It didn't, and I rolled into a Jeep SUV, smashing in the front of my car where the charging port is. Progressive Insurance says my car is totalled. The airbags did not deploy, and no one was hurt, but my passenger, an 89-year old with a recent hip replacement, could have been compromised. I am researching Black Box retrieval options, but they appear to cost more than my deductible. There were no warnings that the system was faulty.

NHTSA complaint 11745363. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
"2022 Nissan Leaf 40 kWh (VIN: [XXX], ~41,570 miles) lost motive power at highway speed on [XXX]. Vehicle entered turtle mode and shifted into neutral while traveling on the freeway, requiring me to coast to an off-ramp (I was completely unable to use the accelerator nor move the car into Park). Vehicle was inoperable and required towing. This followed a similar incident on [XXX], where the vehicle entered turtle mode 7 miles from home despite showing 120 miles of indicated range. LeafSpy diagnostics confirm 8 weak battery cells with a 261 mV spread. Open recall NHTSA 25V-655 is unresolved. This is a safety defect, not normal degradation. I am attaching photos that show significant variance

NHTSA complaint 11744732, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

towed · 86,830 miles

The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V655000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that a Level 3 charging error message was displayed, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer, who performed an electrical software update, but the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,830.

NHTSA complaint 11743210. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I am reporting a critical safety hazard involving my 2021 Nissan Leaf S Plus (approx. 117,000 miles). Since January 2025, the vehicle has exhibited dangerous battery degradation and voltage sag during operation. On my 30-mile highway commute, while driving at normal highway speeds—especially on inclines—the vehicle would suddenly display a low-power warning, and the remaining battery percentage would instantly crash. This caused a sudden, dangerous loss of propulsion in high-speed traffic, creating severe crash risks. I primarily charged at home and rarely used DC fast charging. On May 22, 2026, while actively driving, the dashboard flashed: "Service EV system unable to restart after power

NHTSA complaint 11742970, 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
2021 52 4
2020 161 6
2019 253 5
2018 66 4
2017 17 2
2016 36 4
2015 109 4
2014 34 6
2013 81 5
2012 57 0
2011 95 0

Other 2022 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