What breaks most · 2010 to 2019 model years
Nissan LEAF problems by year
Owners have filed 260 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Nissan LEAF across model years 2010 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2011 for electrical system complaints, 2013 for brakes complaints and 2015 for brakes complaints. The quietest years are 2010, 2017 and 2016.
- Years to check closely: 2011, 2013, 2015
- Fewest complaints: 2010, 2017, 2016
- Complaints on file
- 2602010 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 201167 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 283 fires · 18 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 15kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 30Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (1) | |
| 67 | 4 | 0 | Electrical system (26) | |
| 39 | 6 | 0 | Brakes (18) | |
| 60 | 9 | 5 | Brakes (26) | |
| 21 | 1 | 6 | Brakes (9) | |
| 48 | 6 | 4 | Brakes (33) | |
| 13 | 1 | 4 | Brakes (7) | |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (1) | |
| 6 | 0 | 4 | Speed control and throttle (4) | |
| 1 | 0 | 5 | Wipers and visibility (1) |
What fails on the 2011 Nissan LEAF
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 39% |
26 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2011 Nissan LEAF |
| Air bags | 24% |
16 | 0 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 19% |
13 | 1 | Shop brakes parts for the 2011 Nissan LEAF |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 6% |
4 | 1 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2011 Nissan LEAF |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 4% |
3 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 4% |
3 | 0 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 4% |
3 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2011 Nissan LEAF |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 4% |
3 | 1 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Vehicles electric windows malfunction. Window will not open or close on the drivers side, but the others will. Many leaf owners are having the same issues. Please look into this.
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I filed this complaint previously on 2/4/19 - confirmation # odi 11174255. You sent me some follow-up paperwork, but i have unfortunately misplaced it. Any way to resend that paperwork, so i can pursue this complaint?
-
Whenever you brake and hit a bump or pothole the brakes disengage launching you forward causing a huge danger of hitting other cars, people or other objects
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Nissan LEAF years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2011, 2013, 2015 carry the most filings on the Nissan LEAF. The 2011 alone has 67 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Nissan LEAF problem?
On the 2011 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 26 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Nissan LEAF problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Nissan LEAF complaints that include mileage is about 15,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.