2013 Nissan Leaf

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

In May 2016, Nissan North America issued a safety recall (16V-244) to address the problem of improper classification of adult front seat passengers in approximately 3.3 million vehicles, including those in the scope of this investigation when it was opened (almost one million vehicles) and additional vehicles, as shown below.Nissan models: certain model year 2013-2016 Altima, 2013-2016 LEAF, 2016-2017 Maxima, 2015-016 Murano and Murano Hybrid, 2013-2016 Pathfinder, 2014-2015 Pathfinder Hybrid, 2014-2017 Rogue, 2013-2016 Sentra, 2013-2016 NV200, and 2014-2016 Taxi.Infiniti models: certain model year 2013 JX35, 2014-2017 Q50, 2014-2016 Q50 Hybrid, and 2014-2016 QX60 and QX60 Hybrid.Chevrolet model: certain model year 2015-2016 City Express.Additional information on the above-referenced recalls is available online at NHTSA.gov.Also, the numbers shown in the above failure report summary are for the original vehicle population, as opposed to the entire recall population, and the ODI reports cited are as of May 31, 2016 when Nissan began to notify the affected owners of recall 16V-244.Based on the recall actions taken by Nissan, this Engineering Analysis is closed.Additional information on this closing resume and the investigation are in the EA15-004 public file available online at NHTSA.gov.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls#vehicle under the following identification numbers: 10583283 10585264 10585349 10585379 10592434 10593399 10593501 10594329 10594614 10594755 10595161 10595645 10595946 10596128 10596459 10596952 10597037 10597452 10597518 10597719 10598537 10598869 10604755 10604834 10605188 10605251 10606565 10606828 10607038 10609649 10610519 10610991 10614467 10614609 10614745 10616905 10617008 10617507 10617903 10618099 10618202 10619059 10619563 10620719 10621840 10622214 10625808 10625981 10625998 10626006 10626023 10626335 10626458 10626732 10628355 10629382 10629460 10629606 10630441 10630502 10630990 10632251 10632588 10632934 10632997 10633714 10633810 10637994 10638591 10639040 10639147 10639324 10639473 10643046 10643843 10644203 10644333 10644341 10644690 10644891 10644985 10648834 10648997 10649414 10649772 10649874 10651360 10651564 10651924 10651982 10652024 10658665 10658844 10659484 10660294 10661195 10661358 10661541 10661795 10661855 10662901 10663033 10663338 10663860 10663978 10668054 10668768 10670538 10672807 10673088 10676471 10678478 10678997 10679512 10680748 10680769 10680975 10681656 10682235 10682902 10682993 10683391 10683689 10689672 10689809 10689981 10691626 10692137 10692558 10692625 10693168 10695312 10700614 10700960 10701008 10701011 10701014 10701018 10701023 10701027 10701031 10701032 10701035 10701045 10701055 10701064 10701074 10701146 10701196 10701228 10701237 10701254 10701301 10701306 10701326 10701367 10701370 10701384 10701415 10701453 10701526 10701558 10701656 10701670 10701946 10702003 10702667 10702798 10703032 10703657 10703766 10703813 10704196 10704988 10705530 10705919 10706621 10712543 10712568 10712575 10713335 10714316 10714330 10714536 10714980 10715132 10715945 10717336 10720918 10720971 10721331 10721746 10723424 10724568 10731167 10731868 10732012 10732065 10733877 10735438 10745948 10745982 10746399 10747660 10748077 10749091 10749110 10758979 10761398 10761433 10763320 10764590 10766486 10775946 10777923 10779712 10781422 10781449 10781508 10781901 10783624 10783776 10785993 10786461 10786713 10786788 10787867 10788370 10788371 10788962 10789694 10790181 10790230 10790362 10794790 10806647 10806933 10807302 10807841 10810487 10810558 10811858 10811864 10816502 10816686 10818702 10820204 10821247 10821751

In April 2014, Nissan North America launched Safety Recall 14V-138 to address problems with the Occupant Classification System (OCS) algorithm in the following vehicles: model year (MY) 2013-2014 Nissan Altima, Pathfinder, Sentra and LEAF; MY 2013 Infiniti JX35; MY 2014 Infiniti QX60 and Q50; and MY 2013 Nissan NV 200/Taxi vehicles.According to Nissan, the OCS may misclassify adult front passenger occupants and turn off the passenger's frontal air bag for an adult occupant of sufficient weight.In March 2015, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Recall Query after the agency received approximately 124 complaints alleging problems with the OCS after the recall repairs and/or other OCS related repairs were made by Nissan/Infiniti dealers.The majority of the complaints alleged the passenger air bag status light stays on (i.e., indicating passenger air bag is turned off) for adult front passengers of sufficient weight.Many of the complaints stated the dealers have made multiple repairs but the problem still persists.In its June 2015 response to ODI's information request under the Recall Query, Nissan provided approximately 1,121 complaints and field reports on the recalled vehicles.These reports alleged OCS issues similar to the NHTSA reports described above.At this time, NHTSA has received a total of approximately 208 complaints (note: total of 1,271 reports shown in the table above eliminates 58 duplicative reports received by ODI and manufacturer).This Recall Query has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA15-004) to conduct a comparative assessment and further evaluate the effectiveness of the recall remedy which will include a thorough review of the countermeasures taken by Nissan and its suppliers.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers:10583283 10585264 10585349 10585379 10592434 10593399 10593501 10594329 10594614 10594755 10595161 10595645 10595946 10596128 10596459 10596952 10597037 10597452 10597518 10597719 10598537 10598869 10604755 10604834 10605188 10605251 10606565 10606828 10607038 10609649 10610519 10610991 10614467 10614609 10614745 10616905 10617008 10617507 10617903 10618099 10618202 10619059 10619563 10620719 10621840 10622214 10625808 10625981 10625998 10626006 10626023 10626335 10626458 10626732 10628355 10629382 10629460 10629606 10630441 10630502 10630990 10632251 10632588 10632934 10632997 10633714 10633810 10637994 10638591 10639040 10639147 10639324 10639473 10643046 10643843 10644203 10644333 10644341 10644690 10644891 10644985 10648834 10648997 10649414 10649772 10649874 10651360 10651564 10651924 10651982 10652024 10658665 10658844 10659484 10660294 10661195 10661358 10661541 10661795 10661855 10662901 10663033 10663338 10663860 10663978 10668054 10668768 10670538 10672807 10673088 10676471 10678478 10678997 10679512 10680748 10680769 10680975 10681656 10682235 10682902 10682993 10683391 10683689 10689672 10689809 10689981 10691626 10692137 10692558 10692625 10693168 10695312 10700614 10700960 10701008 10701011 10701014 10701018 10701023 10701027 10701031 10701032 10701035 10701045 10701055 10701064 10701074 10701146 10701196 10701228 10701237 10701254 10701301 10701306 10701326 10701367 10701370 10701384 10701415 10701453 10701526 10701558 10701656 10701670 10701946 10702003 10702667 10702798 10703032 10703657 10703766 10703813 10704196 10704988 10705530 10705919 10706621 10712543 10712568 10712575 10713335 10714316 10714330 10714536 10714980 10715132 10715945 10717336 10720918 10720971 10721331 10721746 10723424 10724568 10731167 10731868 10732012 10732065

On 3 occasions the brakes have randomly failed when traveling. In 2 cases, stopping ability was non-existent except for the use of the parking brake. In the other case, stopping was significantly decreased. 13-Jan-2025, when traveling straight on a 40mph road towards a busy intersection, when the brakes were applied to slow to the intersection they failed and a red indicator light came on. Stopping ability was significantly reduced, but not completely gone. The car was able to safely divert into a parking lot without incident. When the car was powered off then on, the error went away and the brakes functioned. There were 2 other incidents prior to this, traveling at low speeds in residential areas. Braking was completely gone and I had to use the parking brake pedal to stop the vehicle. Again, after powering the car off then on, the braking system functioned normally.

NHTSA ID

11635731

Incident

Jan 13, 2025

I put the car in park as I was pulling in without turning it off to grab trash from the curb and take it to the car, but the car keep accelerating. I jumped in and slammed on the bricks but it hit the brick wall to the house. I see more recent years were recalled for "unintended acceleration" and "brake issues"

NHTSA ID

11630366

Incident

Dec 11, 2024

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a whistling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was unofficially diagnosed as a failed air condition hose or a failed air condition line connector. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, however, the contact declined to pay the diagnostic fee. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to have the vehicle diagnosed by the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000.

NHTSA ID

11590324

Incident

May 9, 2024

Mileage

29,000 mi

The car suddenly lost power during freeway driving. The brake system appeared compromised. Turning off 12v accessories - which includes safety critical functions such as the defrost blower - was necessary to restore functionality. This is caused by a defective DC-DC converter that fails to properly charge the 12V battery, risking and repeatedly causing sudden loss power, loss of braking, and loss of safety critical functions. This is not the result of damage to the DC-DC converter or other such damage. This is proven by the fact that activation of the wipers triggers the DC-DC converter to temporarily raise the charging voltage to a level sufficient to restore power and charge the 12v battery. Due to defective programming of the DC-DC converter, the power provided to the 12v battery and system quickly returns to unsafe low levels. The DC-DC converter has a sense line that senses the voltage of the 12v battery, but the programming of the converter is defective such that it does not actually maintain the battery at a healthy level. This is a commonly reported and discussed issue on Nissan Leaf ownership forums. Reprogramming of the DC-DC converter is necessary, but not available from Nissan. This issue also causes early degradation of 12v batteries, and replacement of the 12v does not cure the issue. The most recent occurrence of loss of power was 11/30/23, but it has happened repeatedly in the past.

NHTSA ID

11557774

Incident

Nov 30, 2023

The Nissan Leaf has a 6,600 watt charger that is attached to the top of the 26,000 watt electrical motor. A 30 Amp Nissan charging cord connects the 220 volt electrical outlet (dryer) to the Leaf via a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1772 Plug. Unknown to me a desert rat had chewed the insulation down to the wires of the charging cord, leaving the wires bare. The desert rat was not electrocuted because the onboard charger safety system in the vehicle turns off the 220 volts AC before it reaches the car using the control box that is part of the the charging cable. But when I plugged the J1772 Plug into the Leaf Nissan's "safety system" sent 220 volts form the dryer plug to the Nissan Leaf creating an electrocution hazard where the rat removed the insulation. I saw a series of sparks and felt the electricity through my electric car safety gear rubber Crocs. Nissan's "safety system" ensures that there is NO arc of electric current when you unplug the J1772 connector. Unfortunately for me and possibly for tens of thousands of other EV drivers Nissan did not envision a rat eating the wire and causing the system to momentarily electrocute a person attempting to charge their car. Nissan 220 volt charging cord no longer charges the Leaf and the Leaf's entire charging system on top of the motor in no longer operational. I suspect the two, 220 volt wires in the Nissan charging cable shorted to the two safety wires (pilot and proximity wires) which is has about 1/16 of an inch separation, and fired Nissans onboard charger. The cost to replace Nissans onboard charging system is about $7,000 for parts and labor. What does Nissan LEAF’s EV warranty coverage include? Your confidence gets a boost with Nissan LEAF’s New Electric Vehicle Limited Warranty. Coverage includes — but is not limited to — Motor, Inverter Unit, VCM, Reduction Gear, DC/DC Converter, Onboard Charger, Onboard Charger Connector, and Trickle Charge Cable. [*]

NHTSA ID

11547537

Incident

Sep 16, 2023

Warning light is flashing and the airbag warning light is flashing. I took it to the dealership and they tell me this is not covered under a recall notice but I have hear other Nissan Leafs do have a recall notice for airbags. It is expensive to fix. Is there a mistake and it is covered under a recall notice?

NHTSA ID

11529990

Incident

Jun 1, 2023

I was driving and wanted to slow the vehicle to turn on a side street. I pressed the brake and nothing happened. The vehicle did not slow down at all. I pushed harder, still nothing. The brakes completely failed to work. Due to this brake failure, I was unable to make the turn I wanted to make because I was going too fast. I continued going straight, and because the road was slightly uphill, the vehicle eventually stopped and I was able to ease off the road when the vehicle had slowed sufficiently. Fortunately, there were no injuries or accidents. After the vehicle had stopped I looked to see if it was low on brake fluid. It was not. The brake fluid level was at manufactures specification. After I had stopped I did notice several warning lights on the dash, including ABS and other symbols I don't know the meaning of. (I'd have to read the vehicle owner's manual to figure out what they mean). I have not taken the vehicle anywhere to be repaired yet. I thought that maybe the NHTSA might want to inspect it before it was looked at by a mechanic or manufacturer.

NHTSA ID

11523410

Incident

May 18, 2023

The left curtain and driver seat airbags were spontaneously deployed while driving. The driver seatbelt pre-tensioner was engaged and locked. There was no collision or abrupt motion. My wife sustained minor abrasions to her left arm and swerved to the right shoulder of the road. The car would not shift into drive and was towed. The cause is unknown and without warning.

NHTSA ID

11521771

Incident

May 5, 2023

CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by request if certain criteria are met. This bulletin lists the criteria and provides an application form for such replacements. · The “VIN Plate/Label” (metal plate or vinyl label) is attached to the instrument panel or body on the driver side at the base of the windshield (see Figure 1). · The “Certification Label” (vinyl adhesive label) is located on the lower area of the driver side B-Pillar (see Figure 1).

CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label = FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) label. These items may be available from Nissan by request if certain criteria are met. This bulletin lists the criteria and provides an application form for such replacements. · The “VIN Plate/Label” (metal plate or vinyl label) is attached to the instrument panel or body on the driver side at the base of the windshield (see Figure 1). · The “Certification Label” (vinyl adhesive label) is located on the lower area of the driver side B-Pillar (see Figure 1).

DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page)

CAN COMMUNICATION – NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

CAN COMMUNICATION CODES – DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.