2018 Nissan LEAF problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
66 owner complaints analyzed
4 distinct recall campaigns
7,250 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2018 model year. Data snapshot: . 24 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Service Brakes is the most frequently named component, appearing in 19 of 66 complaints (28.8%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 31 | 47.0% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 18 | 27.3% |
| Steering behavior | 8 | 12.1% |
| Transmission and shifting | 2 | 3.0% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 19 |
| Electrical System | 17 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 12 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 12 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | 9 |
| Unknown Or Other | 7 |
| Engine | 6 |
| Air Bags | 5 |
Service Brakes: 19; Electrical System: 17; Fuel/Propulsion System: 12; Vehicle Speed Control: 12; Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking: 9; Unknown Or Other: 7; Engine: 6; Air Bags: 5
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 21 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 1 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 1 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 1 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 21; 25,000 to 49,999: 1; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (21). 42 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 10 |
| 2024 | 10 |
| 2025 | 11 |
| 2026 | 7 |
2018: 5; 2019: 6; 2020: 5; 2021: 6; 2022: 6; 2023: 10; 2024: 10; 2025: 11; 2026: 7
Pattern summary
Service Brakes leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 31 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 18 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 8 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11092600 · 2018-05-08 (May 8, 2018)
WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED MODERATELY AT AROUND 40MPH TO SLOW DOWN, AND IF A WHEEL GO ON TOP OF SOME BUMPS OR POT HOLES, CAR SEEMS TO LOOSE BRAKING POWER, BRAKE PADEL DROP ABOUT 1 INCH, HAVE TO PEDAL HARD TO GET THE BRAKES BACK. AT ONE TIME I SAW A MESSAGE ON DASHBOARD "NOT AVAILABLE" WHICH I WAS NOT ABLE TO READ AND CONFIRM, AS THIS HAPPENED IN A PANIC SITUATION. THIS IS OCCATIONAL BUT HAS HAPPENED TO BE 4 - 5 TIMES NOW. MY GUESS IS CAR TRY TO APPLY REGENERATIVE BRAKES FIRST, IF THAT CANNOT WORK DUE TO EXCESSIVE, BUMP / POT-HOLE ON THE RO…
Owner-reported narrative. 40 miles reported. Look up ODI 11092600 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11092604 · 2018-05-09 (May 9, 2018)
THIS NISSAN CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH FEATURES NAMED, PRO-PILOT ASSIST (PPA), INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL (ICC) AND EMERGENCY BRAKE ASSIST (EBA). WHEN ENGAGED, IT IS SUPPOSED TO KEEP LANES AND FOLLOW DISTANCE IF THERE IS A CAR IN FRONT. WHEN THE CAR IN FRONT IS STOPPED THIS CAR IS SUPPOSED TO STOP AS WELL. PPA WHEN ENGAGED, IF THERE ARE GOOD ROAD MARKINGS, WILL SHOW A GREEN STEARING ON THE DASH BOARD, TO SHOW THAT CAR CAN STEER IT SELF. HOWEVER IF THERE IS A CAR STOPPED IN FRONT ON THE SAME LANE (EX. STOPPED FOR A RED LIGHT), THIS CAR DO NOT DETE…
Owner-reported narrative. 10 miles reported. Look up ODI 11092604 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11330412 · 2020-06-23 (June 23, 2020)
BACKUP CAMERA PERIODICALLY FAILS TO PRODUCE FEED, RESULTING IN BLACK SCREEN WHEN VEHICLE IS IN REVERSE (THOUGH BACKUP TURN GUIDANCE LINES STILL APPEAR). SLAMMING TRUNK DOOR OR PRESSING ON THE CAMERA MODULE ITSELF SOMETIMES RESOLVES ISSUE BUT CAN ONLY BE DONE FROM OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE AND DOES NOT ALWAYS FIX THE ISSUE. THIS IS SEPARATE FROM THE EXISTING RECALL IN REGARDS TO THE SOFTWARE ISSUE. DEALERSHIP HAS INSPECTED VEHICLE AND NOT FOUND ANY WIRING ISSUES AND NOTED THAT THIS IS NOT RELATED TO THE SOFTWARE ISSUE IN THE EXISTING RECALL. CANNO…
Owner-reported narrative. 7,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11330412 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11429682 · 2021-08-19 (August 19, 2021)
2 incidents have occurred with this vehicle. The first earlier this year (2021) is that upon slowly accelerating to move closer to vehicle that moved up in a turn lane, the automatic emergency brake system engaged, abruptly stopped the vehicle and many lights lit up across the dashboard. The brakes then released and all lights on the dashboard disappeared. I was not close enough to the car ahead or at any rate of speed that should have caused this abrupt brake reaction. The 2nd incident and most dangerous happened on 8/13/21. I was slowly r…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11429682 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11316742 · 2020-03-07 (March 7, 2020)
THIS HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES THROUGHOUT MY ALMOST TWO YEARS OF OWNERSHIP. THE NISSAN LEAF 2018 HAS A MODE CALLED "E-PETAL" THAT ALLOWS THE DRIVER TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE USING ONLY THE GAS PETAL. THE ISSUE I HAVE WITH MY CAR IS WHEN I AM IN A PARKING LOT TURNING MY STEERING WHEEL AS FAR TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT AS IT WILL GO TO NAVIGATE INTO THE PARKING SPACE, MY CAR WILL SUDDENLY STOP BRAKING CAUSING MY CAR TO RUSH FORWARD. I HAVE NEVER BEEN HURT, BUT THE SUDDEN SPEED INCREASE WHILE MAKING A HARD TURN WIPES MY CAR AND HAS CAUSED ME TO ALMOST HI…
Owner-reported narrative. 20,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11316742 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11486228 · 2022-09-24 (September 24, 2022)
When the vehicle is booting up after pressing the power on button you can try to shift from P to R or D. It is very easy to do this too soon. Instead of staying in P or shifting to the desired gear it shifts to N. You can then shift to R or D without using the brake pedal. Normally you would think this is no big deal. The problem is if you are on a hill and expect to move in reverse you end up rolling forward and vice versa. This happens a lot, because I am impatient. It has not caused an issue for me yet, but I can foresee something hap…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11486228 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11741152 · 2026-05-31 (May 31, 2026)
Fail component: mechanical linkage (transmission rod) between the motor and the wiper arms. The ball pops out of the socket resulting in the wipers not working despite motor running. This happened with full speed wipers running. I repaired it, and two weeks later it disconnected again while running wipers at full speed in heavy rain. This left me without windshield wipers in heavy rain on a road with a 55mph speed limit. If I had not been able to quickly exit this would have resulted in significant risk to myself and other motorists. I was a…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11741152 at NHTSA ↗