NISSAN · vehicle model
NISSAN LEAF
1,293 NHTSA complaints and 18 safety recalls across model years 2010–2025.
- Complaints
- 1,293
- Recalls
- 18
- Model years
- 16
The NISSANLEAF appears in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database with 1,293 consumer safety complaints and 18 recall campaigns across 16 model years (2010–2025). That averages roughly 81 complaints per model year. Report counts can differ between model years for many reasons; this dataset does not establish the cause of a difference.
Complaint volume on a nameplate alone is not a reliability verdict: a long-running bestseller can accumulate more filings than a low-volume niche model because more vehicles are on the road. The table below shows report counts and published NHTSA crash-test ratings side by side for each model year. The filing-year histogram shows the timing of submitted reports, not a causal trend.
NHTSA has 55 investigation files tied to this model, with 6 currently open. Investigation records, complaint reports, and recall campaigns each provide different context. Use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and the underlying notices to research a specific vehicle; PlainCars does not infer a vehicle-risk or pricing conclusion from these records.
Complaints by Year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2023 | 24 |
| 2022 | 100 |
| 2021 | 58 |
| 2020 | 174 |
| 2019 | 252 |
| 2018 | 111 |
| 2017 | 23 |
| 2016 | 49 |
| 2015 | 138 |
| 2014 | 45 |
| 2013 | 120 |
| 2012 | 70 |
| 2011 | 117 |
| 2010 | 1 |
Complaint Filing Trend
NHTSA complaint volume by year filed (not model year).
Filings moved from 298 in 2017-2021 to 784 in 2022-2026, a rise of 163.1%. That is the 87th percentile of change across the 772 nameplates with enough filings in both windows to compare, where 0 is the steepest fall and 100 the steepest rise.
Filing volume, not a reliability verdict: counts also move with how many vehicles are on the road, how old they are, and whether a recall drew attention. Computed from this portal's NHTSA filing-year records over the same two windows the trend rankings use.
Year filed (bar labels show the complaint count).
Compare NISSANLEAF to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 6 Open
Fuel smell and loss of motive power
Driver Airbag Inflator Rupture
Inner Tie Rod Failures
Side curtain air bags may deploy inadvertently
Reduced Power After Engine Stall
Loss of motive power due to broken crankshaft with no ability to restart.
Hood Latch/Bell Crank Assembly
Car (child) seat crashworthiness
Front Occupant Classification System Mat
False Automatic Emergency Braking
Frequently Asked Questions
How reliable is the NISSAN LEAF?▼
What years of NISSAN LEAF are available?▼
Does the NISSAN LEAF have safety ratings?▼
What are the most common NISSAN LEAF complaints?▼
How do I check if my NISSAN LEAF has been recalled?▼
Data sources
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. NISSAN LEAF totals are aggregated from the linked NHTSA model-year rows; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.