NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
110 reports52,000 miles · Aug 14, 2023
Service Brakes
The contact owns 2015 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the brake pedal was almost depressed to the floorboard with the T/M (Transmission-Transaxle) warning light illuminated. The contact called the dealer but was unable to speak with a service tech. The contact was then scheduled an appointment. Up…
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The contact owns 2015 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the brake pedal was almost depressed to the floorboard with the T/M (Transmission-Transaxle) warning light illuminated. The contact called the dealer but was unable to speak with a service tech. The contact was then scheduled an appointment. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V119000 (Service Brakes) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 52,000
NHTSA ODI #11538426
Mileage unknown · Jul 25, 2023
Electrical SystemService Brakes
I approached a red light at an intersection intending to make a right turn. As I pressed the brakes to stop before the turn, the car did not slow and I was forced to make the turn against the red light. After the turn I was able to stop the car using the parking brake. After coming to a stop I noticed multiple warning lights …
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I approached a red light at an intersection intending to make a right turn. As I pressed the brakes to stop before the turn, the car did not slow and I was forced to make the turn against the red light. After the turn I was able to stop the car using the parking brake. After coming to a stop I noticed multiple warning lights on the instrument panel had come on which were not on previously.
NHTSA ODI #11534240
Mileage unknown · Jun 29, 2023
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other
Backup camera shows blank black screen intermittently. Shifting into park and back to reverse does not resolve. Several hours later it seems to resolve.
NHTSA ODI #11529544
Mileage unknown · Jun 21, 2023
Service Brakes
Upon starting the car and putting the vehicle into Reverse or Drive, the brakes fail to work and must be compressed completely to the floor to stop the vehicle. A pulsing sound is heard from the brake system in the engine compartment. The rear brakes make a loud sound when the vehicle is finally stopped. The issue is intermitt…
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Upon starting the car and putting the vehicle into Reverse or Drive, the brakes fail to work and must be compressed completely to the floor to stop the vehicle. A pulsing sound is heard from the brake system in the engine compartment. The rear brakes make a loud sound when the vehicle is finally stopped. The issue is intermittent, e.g. it happened to me twice within one week of daily driving. The failure is likely to result in a low-speed collision as the vehicle is put into drive or reverse. The Nissan dealer is unable to diagnose the issue and recommended replacing the Braking System.
NHTSA ODI #11528177
Mileage unknown · Jun 3, 2023
Electrical SystemService Brakes
Just after starting my car, it began moving in reverse on its own even though the car was in 'park' and my foot was firmly pressed down on the brake pedal. It wouldn't stop moving, even with the brake pedal pressed down, until I lifted my foot completely off the brake pedal and then pressed it again. A few days before this happe…
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Just after starting my car, it began moving in reverse on its own even though the car was in 'park' and my foot was firmly pressed down on the brake pedal. It wouldn't stop moving, even with the brake pedal pressed down, until I lifted my foot completely off the brake pedal and then pressed it again. A few days before this happened, a few lights on the dashboard began randomly lighting up, but none seemed related the braking issue. The battery light was one of them. (I don't remember which other ones light up.) So, I tried changing the 12V battery and that fixed the problem. A vehicle moving on it own when it is not supposed to be in motion and the brake pedal not working at the same time is a very serious safety issue. It is not common behaviour for a vehicle to move on its own when the 12v battery is low. This unexpected behaviour could lead to serious accidents. I did not bring this to the dealer since i was able to replace the 12v battery on my own and it resolved my problem.
NHTSA ODI #11525228
Mileage unknown · Feb 20, 2023
Unknown Or Other
Leaky A/C system results in loss of refrigerant . As a result, windshield can't be effectively cleared of fogging that impairs the driver's visibility of the road.
NHTSA ODI #11508242
Mileage unknown · Dec 29, 2022
Service BrakesVehicle Speed ControlCrash
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 d…
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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 ODI #11499319
Mileage unknown · Dec 6, 2022
Electrical SystemService Brakes
I was driving down the road and applied pressure to the brakes. The brakes did not respond and the dash lights lit up indicating several failures. It took 15-20 feet before I was able to completely stop. If this had happened on a busy street or freeway, the results would have been catastrophic. The vehicle is currently located a…
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I was driving down the road and applied pressure to the brakes. The brakes did not respond and the dash lights lit up indicating several failures. It took 15-20 feet before I was able to completely stop. If this had happened on a busy street or freeway, the results would have been catastrophic. The vehicle is currently located a Nissan dealership and is available for inspection.
NHTSA ODI #11496215
Mileage unknown · Nov 30, 2022
Power Train
The car stopped responding to accelerator pedal and eventually stopped in the middle of the road just before a hill. Haven't noticed any error messages and instrument panels seemed normal. Switched off power and then turned on again, the car worked normally. I am going to bring the car to a service center but it seems hard to …
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The car stopped responding to accelerator pedal and eventually stopped in the middle of the road just before a hill. Haven't noticed any error messages and instrument panels seemed normal. Switched off power and then turned on again, the car worked normally. I am going to bring the car to a service center but it seems hard to find an appointment.
NHTSA ODI #11495515
Mileage unknown · Nov 14, 2022
Service Brakes
On Monday, 11/14/2022, while driving at 25 mph in approximately 28 degree temperatures, the brakes completely failed on my 2015 Nissan Leaf and the parking brake light, ABS light and traction control warning light suddenly illuminated on the dashboard. I glided to a stop in the breakdown lane, and while in both Drive and in Park…
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On Monday, 11/14/2022, while driving at 25 mph in approximately 28 degree temperatures, the brakes completely failed on my 2015 Nissan Leaf and the parking brake light, ABS light and traction control warning light suddenly illuminated on the dashboard. I glided to a stop in the breakdown lane, and while in both Drive and in Park when I pressed the brake pedal to the floor there were odd buzzing/knocking sounds towards the front of the vehicle (where the motor, etc. are located) and a vibration under foot accompanied by a clicking noise similar to that experienced during anti-skid braking. I turned the ignition on and off several times but the system malfunction was still present. I was able to drive 100 yards into a parking lot with minimal braking ability (the emergency brake served as a backup). I left the car parked, and when I returned two hours later to meet the tow-truck, the vehicle started normally with no lights on the dash. Brake functionality had returned, at least temporarily. I thus drove very carefully three miles home without incident. (However, had this occurred on the highway or while in traffic, a fatal accident could have occurred.) I have since found many reports from others who have experienced the same issue, which seems to be common enough to justify a recall, particularly as the brake failure reoccurs (see https://www.carproblemzoo.com/nissan/leaf/2015/service-brakes-problems.php). Tomorrow I bring the car to the dealer to diagnose the problem.
NHTSA ODI #11493573
Official recalls
4Apr 26, 2023
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."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Equipment:other:owners/service/other Manual
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."
Consequence: Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac System
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."
Consequence: Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Apr 13, 2017
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
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.
Apr 26, 2016
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
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.
Feb 29, 2016
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the brake relay fails, longer distances or additional brake effort would be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion 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.