CSR

Nissan · NHTSA safety record

2023 Nissan Leaf

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

19

Complaints

6

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2023 Nissan Leaf have filed 19 safety complaints with NHTSA between December 2022 and June 2026. The most complained-about system is vehicle speed control, named in 7 of them (37%). The typical failure was reported at 7,000 miles, the median across the 3 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

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

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

23V362000 · May 22, 2023

The defect
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2023 LEAF vehicles. The right-hand brake tubes may have been damaged during production and could corrode, possibly causing a hole in the brake line and a brake fluid leak.
The risk
A brake fluid leak can reduce braking performance and extend the distance required to stop, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the right-hand brake tube, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 7, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC976.

Nissan North America, Inc. · up to 758 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

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 19.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8 42%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 7 37%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 16%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 16%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 11%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 11%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 5%
POWER TRAIN 1 5%
STEERING 1 5%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 8.

2022 2024 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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

crash · towed

Soon after I leased this Leaf, I noticed shifting interference. It grew steadily worse over the 3 or so months I kept the Leaf. Toward the end of that time period, it took a great deal of maneuvering of the shift knob to get into the correct direction. It would flip back from position before it engaged the forward or reverse motion. I got involved in a fender bender incident which was at least partially a result of the shifting confusion. At one point I put 3-in-1 oil into the top of the shifting pad. It helped for a very short time. Finally, I could not get the car to move either forward or back. I had the car towed to the dealer. The dealer said that foreign something had gotten into the

NHTSA complaint 11548857, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · towed

After backing up and then putting the car in Drive, without warning the car accelerated uncontrollably accelerted, spun around twice and struck another vehicle before stopping.

NHTSA complaint 11587779. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · towed · 7,000 miles

The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds in a parking area, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. As a result, the contact lost control of the vehicle and came to a complete stop after colliding with another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and no injuries were reported. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 7,000.

NHTSA complaint 11588673. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · towed

ACCIDENT:Date: [XXX] Time: [XXX] Location: Balboa Park – San Diego – Morley Field Sports Center – Parking lot Parking lot - Google Maps Driver – Geico Insurance coverage || no passengers What: Nissan Leaf 2023 Model SV+ - 8410 miles -- Unintended Acceleration Incident Backing up to leave parking lot – with seat belt on – looked at rear view camera – clear. Backed up slowly – then intersected with the rear bumper of a Honda – slowly I braked – then went into Drive mode to get out of the intersection. Then I lost control of the car. Car went lurching forward fast – zoomed up over parking curb – 5 in – side-swiped the side of a tree with right front bumper – gashed with parts flying all over

NHTSA complaint 11631293, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The image displayed on the dashboard when backing up is, occasionally, blank. This only happens sporadically. When it does happen, it is annoying and dangerous.

NHTSA complaint 11744473. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The vehicle has experienced approximately ten+ incidents while driving at freeway speeds on dry roads where the traction-control indicator illuminated and the vehicle unexpectedly lost power. During these events, the vehicle would not accelerate normally despite accelerator input, and vehicle speed decreased significantly. The incidents occurred under normal driving conditions and were not associated with any apparent loss of traction. The vehicle was inspected by a Nissan dealership, but the concern could not be reproduced and no root cause has been identified. A case has been opened with Nissan North America. I am reporting this because unexpected loss of propulsion at highway speeds

NHTSA complaint 11743717, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Backup camera image intermittently goes out and just shows a mostly black image. It appears to match a previous recall that does not yet cover our model year (2023): 24V071000. The image can sometimes be restored by slamming the hatchback shut, but it is not a permanent fix.

NHTSA complaint 11729340. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Heat from HVAC system stops working at temperatures below 20 degrees F. It starts blowing cold air and cannot keep up with the cold, to the point that it becomes dangerously cold in the car, especially for my young children.

NHTSA complaint 11700046. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear camera sometimes does not work when backing up. When the problem occurs, the screen inside the car that is supposed to show an image of the area in back of the vehicle is completely black. The problem does not occur often. It is not easily reproducible. The vehicle can be made available for inspection upon request. If the rear camera does not work, the car could back into objects or people. The problem is hard to reproduce. The vehicle was last inspected by a Nissan dealer in December 2024 for an unrelated problem. The rear camera problem had not occurred at that time. The vehicle will be inspected by a NY State licensed mechanic (not a dealer) later in March 2025. There were no

NHTSA complaint 11648495, 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
2022 89 4
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 2023 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
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