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2017 Nissan Leaf

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

About this comparison →
17Owner complaints

Model-year median: 55

2Recall campaigns

View recall details →

1Investigations

View investigation details →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
34
2014110
201536
201617
201766
2018254
2019164
2020
Compare all Leaf years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Air Bags
4Electrical System
4Fuel/propulsion System
3Power Train
3Unknown Or Other
3
All reported categories
Service Brakes
2Structure
2Visibility/wiper
2Engine
1Forward Collision Avoidance
1Seat Belts
1Vehicle Speed Control
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 8 of 17 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

2 crash reports0 fire reports1 injury reports

Service Brakes complaints

2 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Aug 1, 2022
Forward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes

7/21/22 -we left our property, brakes working fine, drove 1/2 mile, no brakes. Dash lights lit up, brake, abs, ! And anti skid. Finally jammed parking brake and regular brakes on, creating a grinding noise and car stopped. 7/22/22-Towed car to mechanic in Sonora, Ca…he said brakes working now. 7/23/22- drove car to Central Val…

Read full complaint

7/21/22 -we left our property, brakes working fine, drove 1/2 mile, no brakes. Dash lights lit up, brake, abs, ! And anti skid. Finally jammed parking brake and regular brakes on, creating a grinding noise and car stopped. 7/22/22-Towed car to mechanic in Sonora, Ca…he said brakes working now. 7/23/22- drove car to Central Valley Nissan. New intelligent brake control unit was installed. Car has less than 36,000 miles on it. This part should not have failed. Part is available for examination. 7/23/22-I called Nissan Consumer Affairs to discuss the issue with the part, they said the car was no longer under warranty, so to bad, so sad.

NHTSA ODI #11476870

4,800 miles · May 2, 2018
Service BrakesUnknown Or Other

BRAKE FAILURE AT LOW SPEEDS. IN THE LAST EIGHT MONTHS I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE, TWICE THE CAR FAILED TO STOP WHEN I APPLIED BRAKES. I WAS GOING AT AROUND 20-25 MPH IN BOTH THE CASES.

NHTSA ODI #11091422

Official recalls

2

23V296000 · Equipment:other:owners/service/other Manual ; Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac System

Apr 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.

17V253000 · Air Bags

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.

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

1

DP22005 · 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.