Problems · NHTSA complaints

2015 Nissan Leaf problems

Owners filed 110 complaints about the 2015 Nissan Leaf with NHTSA between Dec 2014 and Sep 2026. The most-cited component is service brakes (84).

Complaints
110
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
8
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Service brakes84
  2. Electrical system18
  3. Vehicle speed control8
  4. Air bags8
  5. Engine3
  6. Power train3
  7. Electronic stability control (esc)3
  8. Fuel/propulsion system2
  9. Visibility/wiper2
  10. Wheels2
  11. Service brakes, hydraulic1
  12. Service brakes, air1
  13. Traction control system1
  14. Seats1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 28, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20141
201516
201612
20175
201811
201910
20207
20219
202213
202310
20245
20256
20265

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Service brakes

84 reports7 crashes1 related recall
“The electrically-driven intelligent brake unit failed on my 2015 Nissan Leaf. The brakes became inoperative: when pressing the brake pedal there is a loud compression/grinding noise and the pedal goes nearly to the floor with little braking force. The failure appeared suddenly after charging the vehicle; it had been working normally before. The vehicle had to be towed to a Nissan dealership. The dealer diagnosed codes U1000 and U110D stored in the ABS module for lost communication with the intelligent brake module, performed an inspection, and confirmed the intelligent brake unit failed. The dealer quoted $5,131.10 to replace the unit, which approaches the value of the vehicle. This is the same electrically-driven intelligent brake system that was the subject of safety recall 16V119000; the NHTSA VIN lookup shows zero unrepaired recalls for this vehicle, indicating the recall remedy was previously completed, yet the unit failed catastrophically anyway. This failure mode is widely reported by other Leaf owners. Loss of braking without warning is a serious safety risk. The vehicle and failed component are available for inspection at the dealership.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 1, 2026Electrical system, Service brakesODI 11761244

Electrical system

18 reports
“The car was parked in a parking lot, and when we turned it on and pulled out of the space, the brake light, ABS light, and other warning lights came on and the brakes went soft. We pulled back into the space and tried again, thinking it was a fluke and heard a strange noise coming from the car when it started. Again the lights came on and the brakes did not work. We had it towed to our normal mechanic and then to the dealership when the mechanic was unable to figure out what was wrong. The brakes looked to be in good repair. The Nissan dealership was unable to reproduce the problem and found only old codes in the system. The codes listed on the receipt were FFD high key cycle counts, C118A, U1000 (ABS, EV/HEV), P3195, B29C1 However, after I saw similar complaints related to the battery in this car and told them about it, they found that the 12V battery was leaking. They replaced the battery and flushed the brake line to be safe, but did not charge us the diagnostic fee since they were unsure if they fully fixed the issue. I had recently felt like the brakes took more pressure than normal (all the way to the floor) to stop on the highway once recently and so did…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 6, 2026Electrical system, Service brakesODI 11755341

Vehicle speed control

8 reports1 crash
“I was driving with one passenger going at very low speed. I began to turn into parking area and suddenly the car accelerated at an alarming speed. I applied total pressure on the brake to no avail, it did not override the acceleration. I steered into the back of another parked vehicle. The impact pushed the large heavy vehicle down into a ditch and deployed the airbags for both myself and passenger. 911 was called, Police arrived, tow trucks. My vehicle was totalled, and insurance now has the claim. If this has occurred on a highway or busy city street, many lives would have been at risk.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 29, 2022Vehicle speed control, Service brakesCrash reportedODI 11499319

Air bags

8 reports1 crash2 related recalls
“MY DRIVER SIDE INFLATOR FAILED. THE DEALER INITIALLY ADVISED ME TO "KEEP DRIVING THE CAR UNTIL THE PART COMES IN AFTER LABOR DAY." HTTPS://WWW.ADVANTAGENISSAN.COM/ I CITED MY CONCERNS WITH TAKATA AND THE DEALER ASSURED ME THAT THIS CAR DID NOT HAVE TAKATA AIR BAGS. REGARDLESS, A FAILED AIR BAG ACTIVATOR AND THE DEALER ADVISING ME TO KEEP DRIVING THE CAR UNTIL IT COULD BE REPLACED REQUIRES NHTSA INVESTIGATION.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 30, 2017Air bagsODI 11020577

Engine

3 reports
“Unintended Acceleration: Vehicle continue to accelerate even after the gas pedal is released or not slow down as expected.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 4, 2024Vehicle speed control, Unknown or other, EngineODI 11612465

Power train

3 reports
“The car stopped responding to accelerator pedal and eventually stopped in the middle of the road just before a hill. Haven't noticed any error messages and instrument panels seemed normal. Switched off power and then turned on again, the car worked normally. I am going to bring the car to a service center but it seems hard to find an appointment.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 30, 2022Power trainODI 11495515
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.