What breaks most · 2010 to 2026 model years
Nissan LEAF problems by year
Owners have filed 1,093 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Nissan LEAF across model years 2010 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2019 for electrical system complaints, 2020 for electrical system complaints and 2015 for brakes complaints. The quietest years are 2010, 2024 and 2017.
- Years to check closely: 2019, 2020, 2015
- Fewest complaints: 2010, 2024, 2017
- Complaints on file
- 10932010 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2019253 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 6512 fires · 33 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 24kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 49Across 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) | |
| 95 | 5 | 0 | Air bags (35) | |
| 57 | 6 | 0 | Brakes (22) | |
| 81 | 11 | 5 | Brakes (32) | |
| 34 | 3 | 6 | Brakes (18) | |
| 110 | 8 | 4 | Brakes (84) | |
| 36 | 1 | 4 | Brakes (16) | |
| 17 | 2 | 2 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 66 | 9 | 4 | Brakes (19) | |
| 253 | 4 | 5 | Electrical system (171) | |
| 164 | 1 | 6 | Electrical system (120) | |
| 54 | 2 | 4 | Electrical system (31) | |
| 92 | 7 | 4 | Electrical system (59) | |
| 19 | 6 | 3 | Unknown or other (8) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Unknown or other (4) | |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | Electrical system (2) |
What fails on the 2019 Nissan LEAF
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 68% |
171 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2019 Nissan LEAF |
| Unknown or other | 19% |
47 | 0 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 13% |
34 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 5% |
12 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
12 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Backup camera and sensorsCameras and park sensors | 4% |
10 | 1 | Shop backup camera and sensors parts for the 2019 Nissan LEAF |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 4% |
10 | 2 | Shop brakes parts for the 2019 Nissan LEAF |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 3% |
8 | 0 | Shop all engine 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.
-
I have two safety recalls from Nissan that says to schedule the appointment with the dealer - Daytona Nissan. The dealer cancelled the appointment without any reason and unable to reach the dealer. Screenshot of email as proof.
-
Nissan issued a recall more than a year ago regarding the safety issue with the Lithium-ion Battery. It has not provided an acceptable solution as of yet. The defect is limiting the ability to use the vehicle as intended and it is a fire risk.
-
Was driving the car in a neighborhood setting only going 20 mph, ABS light turned on the dashboard, traction control light or some other light regarding traction came on as well, brakes failed. Had to use parking brake to stop the vehicle.
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 6, 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, 2019, 2020, 2015 carry the most filings on the Nissan LEAF. The 2019 alone has 253 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Nissan LEAF problem?
On the 2019 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 171 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 24,000 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.