Car Defect Radar
Built from NHTSA complaints and recalls collected for this model, generated September 22, 2026. Totals reflect what has been collected, not every complaint ever filed.

Recalls

0 total

Safety issues the manufacturer must repair for free. A recall means confirm the fix was done, not walk away.

No recalls on record for this model

No safety recalls were found in this dataset. It is still worth entering the exact VIN on NHTSA before purchase, since recalls can be added at any time.

Owner complaints by system

95 total

Unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA, grouped by the part of the car. Useful for spotting patterns. Open a group to read recent examples.

Engine & powertrain

Worth reading
6

Most reports here involve rollaway. Of these, 1 mention a crash.

rollaway 2transmission slipping 2sudden stalling 1
A recent report: Vehicle doesn't slow down when taking foot of the acceleration pedal. Same both power settings. It will continue to move at slow speed on level ground. It behaves as though the minimum pedal.motor…
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Vehicle doesn't slow down when taking foot of the acceleration pedal. Same both power settings. It will continue to move at slow speed on level ground. It behaves as though the minimum pedal.motor speed is too fast. My concern.is that it might get very fast without any pedal. Thank you.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11532380 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Electrical & infotainment

Worth reading
29

Most reports here involve premature wear. Of these, 1 mention a crash, 2 mention an injury.

premature wear 11software faults 8
A recent report: The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that the Telematics Control Unit, which locates the nearest charging station, was inoperable and could not be upgraded. Additionally, the 12…
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The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that the Telematics Control Unit, which locates the nearest charging station, was inoperable and could not be upgraded. Additionally, the 12 Volt battery would not charge, and the doors would not unlock to open. The windows would not roll up, and the gear shifter would not shift out of park into neutral. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. However, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11434534 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Brakes

Worth reading
21

Most reports here involve loss of braking. Of these, 3 mention a crash, 3 mention an injury.

loss of braking 10software faults 5
A recent report: When applying brakes, at a point in the pedal travel the vehicle deceleration goes from too little to vastly too much. This makes the vehicle challenging to drive in traffic without colliding into…
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When applying brakes, at a point in the pedal travel the vehicle deceleration goes from too little to vastly too much. This makes the vehicle challenging to drive in traffic without colliding into the vehicle in front and not stopping so quickly as to cause the trailing vehicle to collide. The dealer has confirmed the behavior. There is a TSB to supposedly address the problem, and a receipt is attached of that TSB software update being applied. However, this has not changed the behavior. This is at least partially a software issue, since the vehicle blends physical brakes with EV regenerative braking.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11591749 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Steering, suspension & tires

Minor
1

Most reports here involve loss of steering.

loss of steering 1
A recent report: THE NISSAN LEAF REPRESENTATIVE SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH A LEAF MECHANIC HERE IN MIDLAND. I ARRIVED AT MY APPOINTMENT AND ASK THE MECHANIC IF HE WAS THE LEAF MECHANIC THAT I HAD THE APPOINTMENT…
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THE NISSAN LEAF REPRESENTATIVE SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH A LEAF MECHANIC HERE IN MIDLAND. I ARRIVED AT MY APPOINTMENT AND ASK THE MECHANIC IF HE WAS THE LEAF MECHANIC THAT I HAD THE APPOINTMENT WITH. HE ANSWERED YES. I TOOK HIM FOR A TEST DRIVE WHERE HE EXPERIENCED THE FRONT END PROBLEM. WHEN WE GOT BACK, THE SHOP MANAGER WANTED TO SEE THE PROBLEM FOR HIMSELF. THEN I TALKED TO THE GENERAL MANAGER WHO TOLD ME THAT NEITHER WAS A CERTIFIED LEAF MECHANIC. WHEN I CALLED THE LEAF REPRESENTATIVE HE AGAIN TALKED TO ME. AFTER SEVERAL MORE CALLS TO HIM HE SAID THAT THE MECHANIC AND MANAGER SAID THAT IT WAS MY FAULT BECAUSE I WAS DRIVING ERRATIC EVEN WHEN I TOOK IT OUT ON THE LOOP AND THE HIGHWAY. THAT WAS A PURE LIE BY SOMEONE. I DID NEITHER. I ONLY DROVE IT AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR THE TEST DRIVE. THEN THE LEAF REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THAT I NEEDED TO DRIVE TO ODESSA TO HAVE A LEAF MECHANIC TO CHECK IT OUT. THAT IS WHAT THEY ORIGINALLY TOLD ME ABOUT GOING TO MIDLAND FOR MY APPOINTMENT. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT MY CAR WILL NO LONGER MADE IT TO ODESSA AND BACK ON A CHARGE. THEY TOLD ME THAT I WOULD HAVE TO DRIVE OVER THERE AND RENT A CAR TO GET BACK TO MIDLAND AND THEN I COULD DRIVE BACK TO ODESSA THE NEXT DAY. I SUGGESTED THAT THEY SEND THE LEAF MECHANIC OVER TO MIDLAND TO CHECK MY CAR. THEY WOULD NOT DO IT. IT IS OK FOR THEM TO HAVE ME SPEND TWO DAYS OF MY TIME BUT IT IS NOT OK FOR THEM TO SPEND A HALF DAY. NOW THEY SAY THAT THEY WILL DO NOTHING ELSE UNLESS I DO IT THEIR WAY. I DO NOT KNOW IF THEY EVER FIXED THE STEERING PROBLEMS BUT I KNOW THAT I HAVE ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE OF THE STEERING. I NOW HAVE TO DRIVE EXTREMELY CAREFUL. I DO NOT KNOW IF I COULD AVOID AN ACCIDENT IF I HAVE TO SWERVE FAST TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. NOW THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO FIX THE 2011 AND 2012 MODELS. *TR

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #10568917 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Airbags & seat belts

Minor
36

Most reports here involve airbags not deploying.

airbags not deploying 27software faults 5
A recent report: Car throws a B1018 DTC, which is for the passenger seat occupancy sensor. The seat occupancy sensor failing poses a major safety risk, as it causes the airbags to not deploy properly in the event of…
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Car throws a B1018 DTC, which is for the passenger seat occupancy sensor. The seat occupancy sensor failing poses a major safety risk, as it causes the airbags to not deploy properly in the event of a crash. This is a very well known issue for the 2011-2012 LEAF, and the only option Nissan gives to fix this is a full seat replacement, which is cost prohibitive at over $3000. Previously, a recall was issued for 2013-2016 LEAFs for a similar issue, but the 2011-2012 was not included in that recall.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #11655282 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Structure & body

Minor
2

Most reports here involve other issues.

other issues 2
A recent report: VEHICLES ELECTRIC WINDOWS MALFUNCTION. WINDOW WILL NOT OPEN OR CLOSE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE, BUT THE OTHERS WILL. MANY LEAF OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS.

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #10853891 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov

Is 95 complaints a lot? They were filed between 2011 and 2025, roughly 7 a year, which is more than the typical model in this dataset. We do not have sales figures for this model, so treat this as a rough volume, not a rate per car on the road. Popular, high-volume models naturally collect more complaints over time.