2018 Nissan Leaf problems
Owners have filed 120 complaints about the 2018 Nissan Leaf with NHTSA. Electrical system accounts for 15.8% of them, narrowly the most common, ahead of service brakes at 15.8%.
Complaints120
Crashes19
Fires3
Injuries4
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Electrical system 15.8% · 19
Service brakes 15.8% · 19
Forward collision avoidance 14.2% · 17
Fuel/propulsion system 10.8% · 13
Vehicle speed control 10.0% · 12
Engine 5.8% · 7
Unknown or other 5.8% · 7
Air bags 4.2% · 5
Severity
Of those complaints, 19 describe a crash, 3 describe a fire and 4 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 7 model years of the Nissan Leaf in this data, 2018 draws comparatively few complaints; 2019 is the outlier year.
Filings are rising, 55 in the last three years against 38 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 7,000 miles.
In owners' own words
I was traveling north on Freeway 57 at approximately 70mph. The dash lit up red with 12v and charging warnings. Power was shut off and car went into Neutral and warned me to pull over. This is an incredibly busy freeway and I was in the far left lane. I barely made it to the shoulder coasting before car started shuttering and jerking and stopped rolling. I could have been killed. Electrical system
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, there was a rapid battery discharge. There was no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000. Electrical system · reported at 53,000 miles
When I was drivimg on the highway, the battery rapidly plummeted from 50% to 5%. The car urged me to pull over. After pulling over, the battery rose back up to 50%. If I had not pulled over, the car would have entered "turtle mode," which limits the motor's power and can reduce the car's top speed to below 20mph. These low speeds are especially dangerous on interstate highways and could pose a crash risk. Fuel/propulsion system
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…