2018 Nissan Leaf: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 64 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 4 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
64
Complaints
4
Recalls
9
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
3
Injuries
103.1
Severity index
Severity index 103.1 - High. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 121 2018 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2018 Nissan Leaf ranks 21 of 121 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 83% of its model-year peers. See the full 2018 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 18 | 28.1% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 17 | 26.6% |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 13 | 20.3% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 12 | 18.8% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 12 | 18.8% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 7 | 10.9% |
| ENGINE | 6 | 9.4% |
| AIR BAGS | 5 | 7.8% |
The single most-reported system is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, cited in 18 of 64 complaints (28.1%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 6 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 10 |
| 2024 | 10 |
| 2025 | 11 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 5 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 1.8x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19V654000 | 12/09/2019 | BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX8 |
| 23V048000 | 02/02/2023 | EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 LEAF vehicles. The Owner's Manual instructions for defroster operation are incorrect, and may result in reduced defroster performance under specific conditions. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the re |
| 23V494000 | 17/07/2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 LEAF vehicles. The vehicle may accelerate unintentionally if the driving mode is changed ("D" to "B"; e-Pedal "On"; or "ECO" mode) after disengaging the cruise control. |
| 24V071000 | 02/02/2024 | BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2022 LEAF vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standar |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.