RoadVitals

2023 Nissan Leaf Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints 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.
19
Latest Jun 16, 2026
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
7
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
6

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2023 Nissan Leaf, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

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

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Electrical314.3%
  • Visibility314.3%
  • Brakes29.5%
  • Fuel system14.8%
  • Powertrain (other)14.8%
  • Steering14.8%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Driver assistance

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.

10
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

The vehicle has experienced approximately ten+ incidents while driving at freeway speeds on dry roads where the traction-control indicator illuminated and the vehicle unexpectedly lost power. During these events, the vehicle would not accelerate normally despite accelerator input, and vehicle speed decreased significantly. The incidents occurred under normal driving conditions and were not associated with any apparent loss of traction. The vehicle was inspected by a Nissan dealership, but the concern could not be reproduced and no root cause has been identified. A case has been opened with Nissan North America. I am reporting this because unexpected loss of propulsion at highway speeds creates a potential safety hazard. The speed decreases from 70mph to around 30-40mph on the freeway suddenly.

NHTSA ID 11743717 · filed Jun 12, 2026

ACCIDENT:Date: [XXX] Time: [XXX] Location: Balboa Park – San Diego – Morley Field Sports Center – Parking lot Parking lot - Google Maps Driver – Geico Insurance coverage || no passengers What: Nissan Leaf 2023 Model SV+ - 8410 miles -- Unintended Acceleration Incident Backing up to leave parking lot – with seat belt on – looked at rear view camera – clear. Backed up slowly – then intersected with the rear bumper of a Honda – slowly I braked – then went into Drive mode to get out of the intersection. Then I lost control of the car. Car went lurching forward fast – zoomed up over parking curb – 5 in – side-swiped the side of a tree with right front bumper – gashed with parts flying all over the grass. Crashing noises from jumping the curb and hitting the tree. I braked hard and got vehicle to stop = approx. 3 feet from another tree – which I would have hit straight on. No airbags were deployed. It all happened at high acceleration in an instant. After I recovered from the shock, I assessed the situation. The dashboard showed a malfunction – right front tire – no air pressure. Contacted my insurance company – GEICO – and opened a claim. GEICO arranged for my vehicle to be towed by ASAP Towing to my home. Took photos of the wreckage – collected all the pieces I could in a bucket – some were too large to fit into my car = air dam or some sort of under side cover – made of gray bendable plastic. Called ASAP - the towing company – asked about a flat bed as my front right tire was flat and the front bumper of the car had fallen off. My Leaf needs to be repaired. It needs to be reprogrammed by Nissan so that I feel safe driving it. Of note, I had to my Nissan dealer – Mossy Nissan Poway – for the recall R23A6 on Sept. 26, 2023. Did they address the recall issue? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID 11631293 · filed Dec 17, 2024
All 10 reports naming driver assistance

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

3
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Backup camera image intermittently goes out and just shows a mostly black image. It appears to match a previous recall that does not yet cover our model year (2023): 24V071000. The image can sometimes be restored by slamming the hatchback shut, but it is not a permanent fix.

NHTSA ID 11729340 · filed Apr 6, 2026

The Electoral System gives a red warning on the Dashboard Stating, " NO POWER SERVICE EV SYSTEM." The EV goes completely dead even with a charged battery it takes several times trying to restart the car aprox 20minutes to more then a hour until finally the car turns over. I believe this is safety risk as it strands its occupants in sometime dangerous or unknown locations or even in the middle of nowhere. It has put me at risk by similar situations. There has been several owners of this vehicle complaining about the same thing so I know im not the only owner that is having this trouble. The vehicle is going to the dealership tomorrow maybe they have answers but for how new this car is a 2023 Nissan leaf S with under 9,000 miles on it, is unacceptable. When the red box comes up there is NO Prior Warnings that the car will restart or will completely die when driving.

NHTSA ID 11622641 · filed Oct 30, 2024

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Visibility

Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.

3
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

Backup camera image intermittently goes out and just shows a mostly black image. It appears to match a previous recall that does not yet cover our model year (2023): 24V071000. The image can sometimes be restored by slamming the hatchback shut, but it is not a permanent fix.

NHTSA ID 11729340 · filed Apr 6, 2026

The windshield of my Nissan Leaf spontaneously cracked without being hit by anything externally. Upon inspection, it's pretty clear that the windshield didn't crack because of anything hitting it from the outside (which is what the dealer claimed), since the outside of the windshield is still completely smooth. The crack somehow started from the bottom of the inside of the windshield and propagated itself across the entire windshield. When the car was purchased, my dealer recommended warranty purchase because of the fragile windshield, which suggested that the windshield design may be faulty.

NHTSA ID 11538218 · filed Aug 13, 2023

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

My front collision system will sporadically start flashing when there is nothing in front of me. One time a dealer was able to read a code saying that it overheated, and told me that was a known issue with no solution. It was 100F, but I have had the same issue at 35F. The dealership and corporate cannot tell me how the safety system will respond with this error, either disabling my crash prevention system or possibly automatically breaking for no reason. I have taken it to the dealership 4 times. One refused to even try to read the code as it was happening. Another read the code but refused to record it. The other times they kept the car for a total of 8 days and didn’t even look at the component. It seems like they know that this safety issue exists and have no plans to address it. They also refuse to answer my question about liability if it causes my car to automatically break and cause an accident. This has happened at speeds between 0 and 75 mph

NHTSA ID 11612153 · filed Sep 2, 2024

I pulled into a parking spot and to ensure I stopped when I wanted to, I braked. The car accelerated, smashing into a building. I always drive in eco mode and generally use the e-pedal which was on at the time. I’m not sure if either or a combination of those may have been a factor in what happened. The car is available for inspection upon request. I was fine, but very shaken. The car is driveable, but the front bumper is mangled and the left blinker no longer works. The headlights are functional. The charger panel releases and I can pry it open, though it no longer pops up. No airbags were deployed. The car was going slow enough, there seems to be no damage to the building. I'm concerned what could happen when we drive into our garage or, worse, if there is a car or pedestrian in front of our car and rather than braking the car accelerates. I have seen several reports of similar experiences, though no resolutions or suggestions. I can imagine this being a one-time occurrence, but I am deeply concerned it is not. I've been at a loss in who and how this can be addressed. I have called several Nissan dealers. The service people that I spoke with were not optimistic about what they could discern and, more importantly, did not seem concerned. As a result, I called my long-time car mechanic who did some initial diagnostics, but they were inconclusive. There have been no other inspections. I have reported this to Nissan USA and have opened a case/claim. I don’t recall any warnings at the time. All recalls have been updated.

NHTSA ID 11578514 · filed Mar 20, 2024

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Fuel system

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

The vehicle has experienced approximately ten+ incidents while driving at freeway speeds on dry roads where the traction-control indicator illuminated and the vehicle unexpectedly lost power. During these events, the vehicle would not accelerate normally despite accelerator input, and vehicle speed decreased significantly. The incidents occurred under normal driving conditions and were not associated with any apparent loss of traction. The vehicle was inspected by a Nissan dealership, but the concern could not be reproduced and no root cause has been identified. A case has been opened with Nissan North America. I am reporting this because unexpected loss of propulsion at highway speeds creates a potential safety hazard. The speed decreases from 70mph to around 30-40mph on the freeway suddenly.

NHTSA ID 11743717 · filed Jun 12, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Powertrain (other)

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

ACCIDENT:Date: [XXX] Time: [XXX] Location: Balboa Park – San Diego – Morley Field Sports Center – Parking lot Parking lot - Google Maps Driver – Geico Insurance coverage || no passengers What: Nissan Leaf 2023 Model SV+ - 8410 miles -- Unintended Acceleration Incident Backing up to leave parking lot – with seat belt on – looked at rear view camera – clear. Backed up slowly – then intersected with the rear bumper of a Honda – slowly I braked – then went into Drive mode to get out of the intersection. Then I lost control of the car. Car went lurching forward fast – zoomed up over parking curb – 5 in – side-swiped the side of a tree with right front bumper – gashed with parts flying all over the grass. Crashing noises from jumping the curb and hitting the tree. I braked hard and got vehicle to stop = approx. 3 feet from another tree – which I would have hit straight on. No airbags were deployed. It all happened at high acceleration in an instant. After I recovered from the shock, I assessed the situation. The dashboard showed a malfunction – right front tire – no air pressure. Contacted my insurance company – GEICO – and opened a claim. GEICO arranged for my vehicle to be towed by ASAP Towing to my home. Took photos of the wreckage – collected all the pieces I could in a bucket – some were too large to fit into my car = air dam or some sort of under side cover – made of gray bendable plastic. Called ASAP - the towing company – asked about a flat bed as my front right tire was flat and the front bumper of the car had fallen off. My Leaf needs to be repaired. It needs to be reprogrammed by Nissan so that I feel safe driving it. Of note, I had to my Nissan dealer – Mossy Nissan Poway – for the recall R23A6 on Sept. 26, 2023. Did they address the recall issue? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID 11631293 · filed Dec 17, 2024

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Steering

Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

This car was delivered with no plastic panel covering the area above the driver's feet. The steering column, insulation, wiring, diagnostic port, and structural elements are visible. The selling dealer's initial reaction was that there should be a panel there, but they had not noted it as missing in their inspection. Another, closer, dealer saw photos and agree to install the panel, but did not have the correct part, and told me that another similar car on their lot did not have this panel, so perhaps it was supposed to be missing. My assumption is that it is not safe for these things to be exposed, especially the steering column. I will attach a photo of the area.

NHTSA ID 11525356 · filed Jun 5, 2023

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

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.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .