RoadVitals

2020 Nissan Leaf Driver assistance Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the driver-assistance system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Driver assistance reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
12
Latest Jun 23, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
8%
of 160 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
1
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2020 Nissan Leaf submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming driver-assistance

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Driver assistance
Filed Jun 23, 2026

While driving with cruise control set to a certain speed (i do not recall the exact speed it was set to) I pressed the button that lowers the current speed it is set to, but instead of lowring by one mph it raised the speed, pressing again raised the speed again. this continued a few times until i turned off cruise control. The system has been buggy in the past, for example not responding to a button or raising by 2 or 3 mph instead of one (the Leaf goes one by one, not jumps like some vehicles). But this was the first time i saw it actually raise speed in response to a button that should lower it and that seems dangerous. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center. It has not been inspected by anyone since the incident occurred. There were no warning lamps or messages. The overall bugginess has been noticeable for a long time (perhaps always?) but this occurred (raising the speed instead of lowering it) for the first time yesterday.

NHTSA ID
11746000
Incident
Jun 22, 2026
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Feb 25, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V700000 (Electrical System) and 24V071000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repairs. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID
11720503
Incident
Feb 25, 2026
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Dec 15, 2025

the front collision detection system frequently stops working, especially when there is wet weather. The little light on the dash comes on that shows it's not working. ALSO. My car has a serious battery issue that is not related to the fast-charging issue with the current recall. The battery frequently loses charge while driving, and I have to cut trips short and head home in "turtle mode".

NHTSA ID
11705098
Incident
Dec 15, 2025
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Jun 26, 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V700000 (Electrical System), 24V071000 (Back Over Prevention) and 23V494000 (Vehicle Speed Control); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle control module (VCM) had failed and was replaced several times; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start. The contact also stated that the rear driver's side seat belt was locked and inoperable. The Local dealer, Edison Nissan (401 US-1, Edison, NJ 08817), and an unknown dealer were contacted for the recall repairs and informed the contact that a technician for the Nissan Leaf was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available for NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V700000 (Electrical System). Parts distribution disconnect for NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V071000 (Back Over Prevention) and 23V494000 (Vehicle Speed Control).

NHTSA ID
11669529
Incident
Jun 26, 2020
Mileage
5,000 mi
BrakesDriver assistanceElectrical
Filed Jan 15, 2025

Hello. I have a 20/20 Nissan Leaf SV Plus. This morning I had a total brake failure for lack of a better term. The E-Pedal system, which I always use, suddenly failed while I was driving, showing a warning on screen that said E-Pedal system malfunction... Please use pedal to break. When I went to use the pedal to break nothing happened except for this horrible sound and feel in the pedal. It barely just finally grabbed a little bit enough to stop before I hit the car ahead of me. But it was nothing short of a total brake failure, both E-Pedal and manual pedal. Extremely distressing. What I want to know is how on earth when the E-Pedal fails, the normal manual brake pedal doesn't work either. One thing to note, I let it sit almost all day while I was at work, went out and tried it, and it suddenly was working. I drove around the parking lot, turned it off...back on ..and then The E-Pedal warning came up again. I then went and purchased a 12 volt battery, as I read in some forums that it's possibly due to that. That also did nothing. Got the same E-pedal malfunction. The main reason I'm letting your agency know, is because I would consider this a total break failure, and completely unacceptable. By sheer luck I was only going about 5 mph when it first happened, and I could still barely break in time. Any help on the Federal level...would be great. Thank you so much for your time.

NHTSA ID
11636177
Incident
Jan 15, 2025
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Dec 4, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V700000 (Electrical System) and 24V071000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the remedy parts were not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11628907
Incident
Dec 4, 2024
Driver assistance
Filed Dec 20, 2023

About 3 months ago, I took this car in after receiving a recall notice for unexpected acceleration while on adaptive cruise control even though this was an issue I had never experienced before. But on monday, driving in stop and go traffic in light rain (intermittent wipers on slow setting), all of a sudden the car started accelerating directly towards the car 20 feet or so in front of us; the brakes had to be manually slammed on to bring the car to stop with now only 2-3 feet or so between the two cars. This was very alarming. When I spoke to the dealership about them needing to fix this safety issue and how I thought it must be related to the recall, they said it could not be given it first happened 3 months later and I would have to pay for an evaluation and if they found anything wrong for the repair. I am reporting this and would like to know if other Nissan Leafs are seeing the same issue post-recall repair. I will say it doesn't happen all the time since I like and use adaptive cruise control regularly. I carefully tried it after this event but with much more distance between me and the car in front and it did slow the car down as it normally does when traffic slowed, but again, I never got as close to the car as this time and it was not raining so who knows. I have reported this to Nissan corporate and was told someone would call me back in the next few days.

NHTSA ID
11561110
Incident
Dec 18, 2023
BrakesDriver assistanceElectrical
Filed May 5, 2023

A yellow warning ⚠️ and two cars crashing comes on and during driving the car applies sudden breaking. I took the car in for repairs but no time line was given for repairs or parts. Also even though it's under warranty the dealer and the headquarter would not give me a rental car until the repairs are made.

NHTSA ID
11520616
Incident
Apr 12, 2023
Driver assistance
Filed Sep 29, 2022

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? AEB may have malfunctioned. Yes, I will provide the car for official inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Possible injuries from abrupt braking; possible and likely rear-end collision if drivers behind me. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. I have not contacted Nissan. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No. I have not contacted any gov agency or insurance carrier. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes. I saw three red flashes and associated sounds warning of imminent collision - even though NOTHING was in front of the car that would cause the AEB to engage. Below is my incident description: My work has an underground garage. I was entering the garage, went down one level, and then on my way back up the next level. There are speed bumps going down and going up, so you cannot go very fast. On my way back up (incline), the AEB unexpectedly activated with red buttons flashing about three times with sound (as if I was about to crash into something) and then the car abruptly stopped. I stepped on the accelerator to try and go and it would not budge. I'm still on the incline. If there were cars behind me, I would have most likely been rear-ended because this incident came out of nowhere and my car just stopped. There were no moving cars in front of me that would indicate a near collision, only parked cars. I had driven this route in the past so I don't know what was different today. Car just stopped. I am still on incline; placed car in park; waited few seconds; placed car in drive and was finally able to move the car.

NHTSA ID
11487085
Incident
Sep 29, 2022
Driver assistance
Filed Sep 28, 2021

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA - RECALL NO 20V412000 - For a week at a time on a monthly basis the back-up camera will disappear while in reverse. And therefore our vehicle no longer complies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111 "Rear Visibility". - Yes the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. - My safety and the safety of others continues to be put at risk due to the lack of an image in the back-up camera display which increases the risk of a crash. - We have taken the vehicle into the Nissan dealership 4 times and every time they state they cannot recreate the error even though the error is occurring as I am dropping the vehicle off at the dealership. - There has been no other warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. This has been a re-occurring problem since vehicle was purchased in December 2020.

NHTSA ID
11434735
Incident
Jan 1, 2020
Driver assistance
Filed Sep 28, 2021

When putting my car in reverse my back up camera intermittently will not work. I have called the dealership that I purchased the vehicle (Rossen of Madison on the Beltline). I have taken the car multiple times, I have called multiple times. Nissan has yet to include my vehicle make and model into the recall. Even though it is a 2020 model. My car is at the dealership today as my camera stopped working last week and was still not working this morning. However the dealership is now telling me "it worked when it arrived and they have been unable to recreate the issue". This is frustrating and needs to have an official recall PLEASE!

NHTSA ID
11434729
Incident
Sep 23, 2021
Body & structureDriver assistance
Filed Feb 10, 2021
Crash reported

"AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM FAILED TO ENGAGE" ON A OFFRAMP LANE FROM FREEWAY 5 SOUTHBOUND TO CROWN VALLEY PARKWAY OFF RAMP WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 25MPH I REAR ENDED A VEHICLE THAT WAS AT DEAD STOP AND THAT VEHICLE REAR ENDED A SECOND VEHICLE. CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL WAS CALLED AND REPORT WAS DOCUMENTED WHICH IS ATTACHED. THIS HAPPENED ON DECEMBER 22,2020 AT ABOUT 7PM, DARK CLEAR EVENING IN THE CITY OF MISSION VIEJO. IT WAS ON THE STRAIGHT FREEWAY LANE LEADING TO THE OFFRAMP WITH OTHER LANES ON THE FREEWAY MOVING FREELY. UPON DISCUSSION WITH NISSAN INVESTIGATION (CLAIM NO. 42994813) 615 725 7590, THEY SUMMARIZED 10 PAGE DISCLAIMER FROM OWNERS MANUAL STATING THAT BRAKING SYSTEM IS NOT 100%. ITS UNDERSTANDABLE IF THE VEHICLE WAS OLD BUT THIS IS A NEW VEHICLE WITH WHAT IS ADVERTISED AS A AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM AND THAT SYSTEM DID NOT WORK. I MANUALLY BRAKED TO A CRASH.

NHTSA ID
11395644
Incident
Dec 22, 2020
Mileage
2,300 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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