8 recalls covering model years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
The battery in these Nissan LEAFs equipped with a quick-charging port can overheat while plugged into a Level 3 fast charger — the high-power public chargers, not your home outlet. A battery that gets too hot can catch fire. Nissan is telling owners to stop using Level 3 quick charging until the car has been fixed. A dealer will update the battery's software free of charge, which corrects how charging is managed.
These LEAFs have a port for Level 3 quick charging, the fast public chargers that refill the battery in well under an hour. The notice says the big lithium-ion battery pack can get too hot during that kind of fast charging, and a battery that overheats can catch fire. The fix is not a new part but new software for the battery, which a dealer loads onto your car for free. Nissan is releasing this repair in phases.
The wiring that carries the picture from the backup camera can get damaged. When it is, the image on the screen may look scrambled or not show up at all, so the driver cannot see what is behind the car while backing up. Certain 2018-2022 LEAF cars are affected. A dealer will check the camera and its wiring, replace parts if damaged, and otherwise reroute the wire and add protective tape, all free.
On these LEAF electric cars, the vehicle can pick up speed when you did not ask it to. It happens after you shut off cruise control and then change the way the car drives — moving the shifter from D to B, switching e-Pedal on, or selecting ECO mode. The fix is a free software update to the computer that controls the car, done at the dealer. Nissan planned to mail owner letters on August 30, 2023.
Nothing is broken on the car itself. The owner's manual tells drivers the wrong way to run the defroster, and following those directions can leave the windshield less clear than it should be in certain conditions. That can limit what the driver sees. Certain 2018-2023 LEAF cars are covered. Nissan is mailing owners a free page of corrected instructions to add to the manual; no dealer visit is needed.
On certain 2020 Nissan Altima, Maxima and Leaf cars, the rear window glass may not stay securely attached to the body. It can come loose and separate from the car, including while you are driving. Glass that lets go can create a hazard for you and for the drivers behind you, and Nissan says that raises the chance of a crash. Nissan dealers will replace the back window glass at no cost to you.
When you shift into reverse, the picture from the back-up camera can vanish from the dashboard screen under certain conditions. That leaves you backing up with no camera view of what is behind you, which federal safety rules require the car to provide. Nothing is physically broken — the problem is in the camera's software, and a Nissan dealer reloads corrected software at no cost. The recall began August 31, 2020.
The backup camera and display settings can be adjusted so the rear view image no longer appears — and the system keeps that setting the next time you shift into reverse. That means the screen can stay blank when you back up and you cannot see what is behind the vehicle. Because of this, these vehicles do not meet the federal rear visibility rule. A dealer will update the camera settings software for free.
Complaints owners have filed with NHTSA about the Nissan Leaf. These are unverified reports; better-selling years collect more.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 66 | 9 | 1 | 3 |
| 2019 | 254 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| 2020 | 164 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 55 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: