2018 Nissan LEAF: complaints, problems and recalls

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 ↗

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 ↗

WHILE DRIVING FORWARD, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY, UNEXPECTEDLY AND VIOLENTLY APPLIES THE BRAKES WITHOUT ANY DRIVER INPUT WHATSOEVER! THERE ARE NO OTHER VEHICLES OR PEDESTRIANS IN THE VICINITY AT THE TIME. THIS SUDDEN BRAKING PROBLEM BEGAN ON OR ABOUT 5/15/18 AND HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AFTER THAT. TWICE WHILE ENTERING THE UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE AT AN OFFICE BUILDING AND TWICE WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET. VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALER FOR OVER A WEEK BUT NEITHER THE DEALERSHIP NOR THE MANUFACTURER APPARENTLY HAS ANY IDEA HO…

Owner-reported narrative. 675 miles reported. Look up ODI 11103747 at NHTSA ↗

THIS ISSUE OCCURS WITH THE NISSAN E-PEDAL ENGAGED/ENABLED. IT HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY AFTER DRIVING OFF. SYMPTOM REGENERATIVE BREAKING/E-BRAKE DOES NOT ENGAGE. VEHICLE COASTS. NO BLUE BARS LIGHT UP ON THE DASH TO INDICATE THAT REGENERATIVE BREAKING IS ACTIVE. BREAK PEDAL HAS BE BE ENGAGED FOR IT TO STOP. I HAVE REPRODUCED IT SEVERAL TIMES USUALLY AFTER VEHICLE HAS BEEN PARKED FOR A LONG TIME. CHARGE LEVEL BETWEEN 30-80%. ISSUE HAS BEEN REPORTED TO DEALER (10/23/18). WAITING FOR A RESPONSE.

Owner-reported narrative. 7,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11142217 at NHTSA ↗

NISSAN LEAF WITH PRO-PILOT ASSIST PACKAGE. INTERMITTENTLY THE SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT FOR AUTOMATIC FORWARD EMERGENCY BRAKING AND/OR LANE KEEP ASSIST WILL FLASH INDICATING SYSTEM UNAVAILABLE. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OVASSIONS AND AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS. DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO ISOLATE CAUSE OR EFFECT REPAIR. I ALSO HAD THIS HAPPEN ON A NISSAN SENTRA LOANER CAR THEY PROVIDED SO ISSUE MAY BE WITH SYSTEM AND NOT JUST THE LEAF MODELS

Owner-reported narrative. 3,200 miles reported. Look up ODI 11163616 at NHTSA ↗

THE VEHICLE'S BLIND SPOT DETECTOR TURNS OFF AT LOW SPEEDS POTENTIALLY PUTTING THE DRIVER AT RISK IF THE DRIVER DEPENDS ON THE BLIND SPOT DETECTOR. THE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM IS UNRELIABLE. WHEN THE CAR IN FRONT SWITCHES LANES AND THERE IS A STOPPED CAR IN FRONT THE VEHICLE STARTS TO SLOW DOWN BUT RELEASES THE BREAKS ABOUT 50 FT FROM THE STOPPED CAR AND STARTS WARNING OF IMPENDING COLLISION. AND THE BREAKS ARE NOT APPLIED.

Owner-reported narrative. 2,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11164720 at NHTSA ↗

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, WITHOUT WARNING THE CAR STOPPED ITSELF SIMULATING A "SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES" AFFECT. THERE WAS NO WARNING, THE CAR JUST STOPPED. AFTER THE CAR STOPPED, AN ERROR APPEARED ON THE SCREEN SAYING "POWER SUPPLY FAILURE. TO AVOID ACCIDENT, SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH DO NOT DRIVE. CONTACT DEALER FOR SERVICE." THE CAR STOPPING SUDDENLY IS VERY DANGEROUS, IF THERE WAS ANOTHER CAR BEHIND ME, OR IF I WAS ON THE FREEWAY, I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN REAR ENDED.

Owner-reported narrative. 21,150 miles reported. Look up ODI 11208166 at NHTSA ↗

GROOVED ROAD SURFACE IN COMBINATION WITH SPECIFIC VEHICLES GIVE DRIVERS THE FEELING OF LOSING CONTROL OF THEIR VEHICLES AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. SPECIFICALLY, THE GROOVED SURFACE OF WASHINGTON STATE ROUTE 520 EVERGREEN POINT FLOATING BRIDGE (REGULAR SPEED OF 60 MPH) IN COMBINATION WITH CURRENT MODEL NISSAN LEAF, ARE LEADING TO SIGNIFICANT "GROOVE WANDER" WITH HEAVY SHAKING TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT. THE RAPID ONSET OF SUCH SHAKING UPON DRIVING ONTO THE BRIDGE AT 60 MPH IS GIVING DRIVERS A FEELING OF LOSING CONTROL OF THEIR VEHICLES. THIS EFFECT DOES NOT …

Owner-reported narrative. 50 miles reported. Look up ODI 11230120 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2019-09-12 (September 12, 2019)

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.

Reported: 2023-02-02 (February 2, 2023)

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."

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 April 1, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R22C5.

Reported: 2023-07-17 (July 17, 2023)

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 LEAF vehicles. The vehicle may accelerate unintentionally if the driving mode is changed ("D" to "B"; e-Pedal "On"; or "ECO" mode) after disengaging the cruise control.

Consequence: Unintentional acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the vehicle control module (VCM), free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A6.

Reported: 2024-02-02 (February 2, 2024)

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2022 LEAF vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Consequence: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 9, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23D7.