2019 Nissan LEAF

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2019 Nissan LEAF has 309 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 3.9x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (53% of all complaints), specifically: leaf backup screen turns pink when in reverse. unable to backup safely!!! called and drove leaf to dealer who inspected the leaf.. dealer said there would be a 'box delivered next week' and they would call me. *tr. ⚠️ 3 fire reports filed.

3 fire reports 5 crash reports 10 injuries

309

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

3.9x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ELECTRICAL

163 complaints

53%

• LEAF BACKUP SCREEN TURNS PINK WHEN IN REVERSE. UNABLE TO BACKUP SAFELY!!! CALLED AND DROVE LEAF TO DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE LEAF.. DEALER SAID THERE WOULD BE A 'BOX DELIVERED NEXT WEEK' AND THEY WOULD CALL ME. *TR
• I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY GOING ROUGHLY 70MPH WITH PRO PILOT CRUISE CONTROL ENABLED. THE CAR SENSED A CAR AHEAD AND SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES, BUT THERE WERE NO CARS IN FRONT OF ME AND WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY A CAR GOING 70+ MPH ON I5 . *TR
• Vehicle suddenly loses power while driving, no warnings prior to power loss. 1st incident vehicle lost power and all check engine lights came on. Unable to shift gears or accelerate. Towed to Nissan. This has happened twice again in the past week. Complete power loss while driving, have to coast to

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“LEAF BACKUP SCREEN TURNS PINK WHEN IN REVERSE. UNABLE TO BACKUP SAFELY!!! CALLED AND DROVE LEAF TO DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE LEAF.. DEALER SAID THERE WOULD BE A 'BOX DELIVERED NEXT WEEK' AND THEY WOULD CALL ME. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

49 complaints

16%

• WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN STOP AND GO OR HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM THROTTLES ITSELF BACK TO CONSERVE POWER IN THE TRACTION BATTERY. COMBINED WITH THE FACT THERE ARE NO REAR SEAT VENTS (EITHER IN THE CONSOLE OR THE FLOOR), IT GETS DANGEROUSLY HOT IN THE VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY IN THE BACK O
• LEAF BACKUP SCREEN TURNS PINK WHEN IN REVERSE. UNABLE TO BACKUP SAFELY!!! CALLED AND DROVE LEAF TO DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE LEAF.. DEALER SAID THERE WOULD BE A 'BOX DELIVERED NEXT WEEK' AND THEY WOULD CALL ME. *TR
• ON FRIDAY 5/22/2020 AT 8:59 PM A 2019 NISSAN LEAF WAS IN MOTION DRIVING AT LESS THAN 7 MILES PER HOURS WHEN THE MAIN SCREEN DISPLAYED: 'WARNING: SERVICE EV SYSTEM POWERED REDUCED'. WITHIN SECONDS, THE OPERATOR STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND TOOK A PHOTO OF THE SCREEN. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE OPERATOR SAW

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports

“WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN STOP AND GO OR HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM THROTTLES ITSELF BACK TO CONSERVE POWER IN THE TRACTION BATTERY. COMBINED WITH THE FACT THERE ARE NO REAR SEAT VENTS (EITHER IN THE CONSOLE OR THE FLOOR), IT GETS DANGEROUSLY HOT IN THE VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY IN THE BACK O”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

33 complaints

11%

• Vehicle suddenly loses power while driving, no warnings prior to power loss. 1st incident vehicle lost power and all check engine lights came on. Unable to shift gears or accelerate. Towed to Nissan. This has happened twice again in the past week. Complete power loss while driving, have to coast to
• About January 19, 2022 when the temperature was about -10 degrees F I drove my 2019 Nissan Leaf about 5 miles. When I turned on the car the battery level was at 60%. After I had been driving for about ½ mile I got a dashboard message that the battery was cold and power would be reduced. I got a
• During the last 3 winters I have noticed the car do something strange when going up an extended highway inclines. The battery % along with the estimated miles left will drop suddenly (~40% in a minute) and when I would go over the top of the hill most of the battery % and miles would return. During

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“Vehicle suddenly loses power while driving, no warnings prior to power loss. 1st incident vehicle lost power and all check engine lights came on. Unable to shift gears or accelerate. Towed to Nissan. This has happened twice again in the past week. Complete power loss while driving, have to coast to ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

14 complaints

• LEAF BACKUP SCREEN TURNS PINK WHEN IN REVERSE. UNABLE TO BACKUP SAFELY!!! CALLED AND DROVE LEAF TO DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE LEAF.. DEALER SAID THERE WOULD BE A 'BOX DELIVERED NEXT WEEK' AND THEY WOULD CALL ME. *TR
• The Backup Camera only works intermittently and if it is not working it will not begin working again unless the car is completely turned off and restarted. The failure seems more likely to occur if the car is started and then quickly put into reverse. The failure seems less likely to occur, but sti
• Backup Camera is a blank screen or pink screen.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

VISIBILITY

13 complaints

• AFTER A VERY LIGHT SNOW, WIPERS STOPPED WORKING. DEALER SAID WIPER ARM WAS STRESSED AND BENT MAKING WIPERS INOPERABLE. CLAIMED IT WAS NOT A WARRANTY REPAIR.
• WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN STOP AND GO OR HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM THROTTLES ITSELF BACK TO CONSERVE POWER IN THE TRACTION BATTERY. COMBINED WITH THE FACT THERE ARE NO REAR SEAT VENTS (EITHER IN THE CONSOLE OR THE FLOOR), IT GETS DANGEROUSLY HOT IN THE VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY IN THE BACK O
• WHEN THE WINDSHIELD IS FOGGY, AND YOU ARE IN TRAFFIC, IT WILL NOT PROPERLY DEFROST CAUSING A SERIOUS VISIBILITY PROBLEM.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“AFTER A VERY LIGHT SNOW, WIPERS STOPPED WORKING. DEALER SAID WIPER ARM WAS STRESSED AND BENT MAKING WIPERS INOPERABLE. CLAIMED IT WAS NOT A WARRANTY REPAIR.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

VISIBILITY(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 309 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ELECTRICAL: LEAF BACKUP SCREEN TURNS PINK WHEN IN REVERSE. UNABLE TO BACKUP SAFELY!!! CALLED AND DROVE LEAF TO DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE LEAF.. DEALER SAID THERE WOULD BE A 'BOX DELIVERED NEXT WEEK' AND THEY WOULD CALL ME. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN STOP AND GO OR HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM THROTTLES ITSELF BACK TO CONSERVE POWER IN THE TRACTION BATTERY. COMBINED WITH THE FACT THERE ARE NO REAR SEAT VENTS (EITHER IN THE CONSOLE OR THE FLOOR), IT GETS DANGEROUSLY HOT IN THE VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY IN THE BACK O
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: Vehicle suddenly loses power while driving, no warnings prior to power loss. 1st incident vehicle lost power and all check engine lights came on. Unable to shift gears or accelerate. Towed to Nissan. This has happened twice again in the past week. Complete power loss while driving, have to coast to
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: LEAF BACKUP SCREEN TURNS PINK WHEN IN REVERSE. UNABLE TO BACKUP SAFELY!!! CALLED AND DROVE LEAF TO DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE LEAF.. DEALER SAID THERE WOULD BE A 'BOX DELIVERED NEXT WEEK' AND THEY WOULD CALL ME. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)