Home › Nissan › Leaf › 23V048000

Nissan LEAF manual gives wrong defroster operating instructions

NHTSA campaign 23V048000 · Reported Feb 2, 2023 · Nissan North America, Inc.

medium How serious is it? About this label

A defroster that performs less well than it should can limit how much the driver can see through the windshield, which raises the risk of a crash. The notice does not tell owners to stop driving.

Key facts

NHTSA campaign number	23V048000
Reported to NHTSA	Feb 2, 2023
Manufacturer	Nissan North America, Inc.
Part affected	Equipment:other:owners/service/other Manual
Vehicles covered	4 model/year combinations, model years 2018–2021
Do-not-drive advisory	No
Park-outside advisory	No
Repair	Free at any franchised dealer

What's wrong, in plain English

Nissan is recalling certain LEAF vehicles. The instructions in the Owner's Manual for operating the defroster are incorrect, and following them can leave the defroster performing less well than it should under certain conditions. Because of this, the vehicles do not meet the federal safety rule covering windshield defrosting and defogging. Nissan will mail owners an addendum with corrected instructions for using the defroster, at no cost.

What you should do

1. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if your vehicle is included. 2. Watch for the mailed addendum with the corrected defroster instructions, or contact a Nissan dealer or Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. 3. The corrected instructions are free.

Where do I find my VIN, and what do I tell the dealer?

Your VIN is the 17-character code on the lower left of the windshield, on your registration and usually on your insurance card. Enter it at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether this recall is still open on your car. When you call the dealer, say you have an open safety recall and give them NHTSA campaign number 23V048000. More in how recalls work.

Affected vehicles (4)

2018 Nissan Leaf
2019 Nissan Leaf
2020 Nissan Leaf
2021 Nissan Leaf

Who to contact

Nissan — official Nissan recall lookup

Customer service: 1-800-867-7669

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Nissan Equipment Recalls Address Incorrect Labels and LEAF Defroster Instructions · all 4 Nissan recalls in this area

Other Nissan Leaf recalls

Oct 1, 2025Nissan Leaf Battery May Overheat During Fast Chargingcritical
Sep 20, 2024Nissan Leaf Battery May Overheat While Fast Chargingcritical
Feb 2, 2024Nissan Leaf Rearview Camera Display Problemmedium
Jul 17, 2023Nissan Leaf Risk of Unintended Accelerationhigh
Sep 22, 2020Nissan Altima, Leaf, Maxima Rear Window May Detachhigh
Jul 17, 2020Nissan Leaf Backup Camera Image May Disappearmedium

All 8 Leaf recalls

Official notice

Component: EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
Summary: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 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."
Safety risk: 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 April 1, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R22C5.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.