2013 NISSAN LEAF — Owner-Reported Problems
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 80 complaints · 5 recalls
Verdict & Safety Summary
Most-reported system: SERVICE BRAKES (24 complaints · 30.0%)
Safety signals:
- Crashes 11
- Fires 1
- Injuries 4
- Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Component Problem Distribution
Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)
UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | 24 | 30.0% | 6 crashes · 0 fires |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 12 | 15.0% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| AIR BAGS | 7 | 8.8% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| VISIBILITY | 5 | 6.3% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 4 | 5.0% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| FUEL SYSTEM | 3 | 3.8% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| SEAT BELTS | 3 | 3.8% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| ENGINE | 2 | 2.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| POWER TRAIN | 2 | 2.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 14 | 17.5% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Problem & Recall Timeline
Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time
- Campaign 16V244000 was reported 650 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 23V296000 was reported 3,527 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2013-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2017-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2023-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2025-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 13V069000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 14V138000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 16V119000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 16V244000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 23V296000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | RQ15001 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA15004 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | DP22005 |
Safety Recalls (5)
Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 13V069000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- If the vehicle is involved in a crash necessitating airbag deployment and the passenger airbag is suppressed, there may be an increased risk of personal injury.
- Remedy:
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ODS sensors and replace them as neccessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 14V138000
- Report date
- Component:
- AIR BAGS
- Consequence:
- If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
- Remedy:
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 16V119000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- 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.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 16V244000
- Report date
- Component:
- AIR BAGS
- 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.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 23V296000
- Report date
- Component:
- EQUIPMENT
- 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.
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Complaint Narrative Explorer
Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Showing 0 of 80 complaints · page 1 of 4
No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.