Total Complaints
70 filings
NISSAN LEAF · model year
70 NHTSA complaints, 9 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
5 / 5 ★
New Car Assessment Program
The 2012NISSANLEAF carries 70 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 9 crashes, 0 fires, 6 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2012 LEAF is service brakes with 22 filings, followed by electrical system (13) and air bags (11). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 54 investigation files overlapping the 2012 LEAF, and 5 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
70 filings
Crashes Reported
9 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | 22 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 13 |
| AIR BAGS | 11 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 4 |
| SEAT BELTS | 3 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 3 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 2 |
| SEATS | 2 |
| ENGINE | 2 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH | 1 |
| HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 |
Lithium batteries Depletion
Dealer is Mike Erdman Nissan Merritt Island Fl 32953 Airbag warning light flashing red on console. Paid $260 for diagnostic check on July 21, 2024. They cannot fix it as an airbag sensor on the passenger side seat is malfunctioning and the entire passenger side seat must be replaced and part is not available or is no longer in stock. They MAY be able to locate an entire seat Nissan Leaf 2012 somewhere, but if they do (and they said probably not) it will cost $4000.00. The seat is no longer made by Nissan and after market seats would not meet safety standards (they said). There is a published complaint list of well over 2000 Nissan Leaf owners regarding 2011 and 2012 Leaf owners who say there should be a safety recall as this issue has been known by Nissan and the 2013 and later models had safety changes installed for this issue but no safety recall was made for 2011 and 2012 models. I believe a safety recall to fix this issue is imperative.
My Nissan Leaf is showing a warning sign that front passenger side airbag is disabled. I see that this is a common complaint from many 2011-12 Nissan Leaf owners. I would like to add my name to the list of owners who had a similar complaint and please update if you make Nissan do a recall for this issue.
Car stops completely due to a defective battery should be recalled by dealer manufacturer
Car stops completely due to a defective battery should be recalled by dealer manufacturer
The brakes on the vehicle jerk alot when going under 15, causing everyone in the vehicle to get jerked forward multiple times and are touchy resulting in almost being in an accident. Airbag sensor for front passenger also no longer works and Nissan refuses to repair any defect
The brakes on the vehicle jerk alot when going under 15, causing everyone in the vehicle to get jerked forward multiple times and are touchy resulting in almost being in an accident. Airbag sensor for front passenger also no longer works and Nissan refuses to repair any defect
The passenger occupancy sensor has failed and as a result the passenger airbag is now permanently off, as indicated on the console. The dashboard airbag and general error lights are now constantly flashing as well. The dealer indicated the failure is the mat in the seat, OBD code B1018, and there is no repair for this failure. I see there are mutiple complaints online about this same problem on 2011-2012 LEAFs, and that NHTSA had opened an investigation. Do I have some recourse here? I am concerned to have people ride in the vehicle with no airbag.
I believe my newly purchased 2012 Nissan LEAF is suffering from the same passenger-side airbag faulty sensor problem that has been documented in NHTSA case id: 11234415. I am experiencing the same flashing warning lights when I operate the vehicle. There are no signs of damage or tampering with the passenger-side seat. I will do my best to make the vehicle available for inspection upon request. I am worried that the faulty senor, if unfixed, might be shutting off the whole airbag deployment safety system. If it is doing that, Nissan MUST recall these vehicles for repair! A previous owner took the vehicle to the dealership that originally sold the car and their service center reported that the problem was a known issue. [NOTE: Date of Incident in this report refers to date of purchase of the vehicle, NOT the date that the problem began to occur. I do not have that information available to me.]
I believe my newly purchased 2012 Nissan LEAF is suffering from the same passenger-side airbag faulty sensor problem that has been documented in NHTSA case id: 11234415. I am experiencing the same flashing warning lights when I operate the vehicle. There are no signs of damage or tampering with the passenger-side seat. I will do my best to make the vehicle available for inspection upon request. I am worried that the faulty senor, if unfixed, might be shutting off the whole airbag deployment safety system. If it is doing that, Nissan MUST recall these vehicles for repair! A previous owner took the vehicle to the dealership that originally sold the car and their service center reported that the problem was a known issue. [NOTE: Date of Incident in this report refers to date of purchase of the vehicle, NOT the date that the problem began to occur. I do not have that information available to me.]
I believe my newly purchased 2012 Nissan LEAF is suffering from the same passenger-side airbag faulty sensor problem that has been documented in NHTSA case id: 11234415. I am experiencing the same flashing warning lights when I operate the vehicle. There are no signs of damage or tampering with the passenger-side seat. I will do my best to make the vehicle available for inspection upon request. I am worried that the faulty senor, if unfixed, might be shutting off the whole airbag deployment safety system. If it is doing that, Nissan MUST recall these vehicles for repair! A previous owner took the vehicle to the dealership that originally sold the car and their service center reported that the problem was a known issue. [NOTE: Date of Incident in this report refers to date of purchase of the vehicle, NOT the date that the problem began to occur. I do not have that information available to me.]
When applying the brakes at low speed the brakes grab suddenly causing the car to lurch to a stop. The problem is intermittent, and therefore difficult to predict, but occurs frequently. This behavior is an ongoing hazard to the driver and passengers while also increasing the risk of a rear end collision if someone is following too closely.
As I am approaching a stop, and the car is under ~15mph, and I touch the brakes, the will grab strongly and slam the car to a stop; people in the car lurch forward, and the driver behind me is surprised by the sudden stop and has to slam on their brakes. I notice there are 2 campaigns for this issue, one just before my VIN, and one after my VIN, but it looks to be the same problem. It is dangerously strong and difficult to control.
multiple times when I have been driving, the accelerator pedal has stayed in the depressed position when I remove my foot from the pedal after going up to about 35 MPH When I brake, the accelerator pedal stays in the depressed position and the vehicle resumes acceleration as soon as I remove my foot from the brake. Today the only way I was able to get it back to a normal position was to pull over and turn the car off.
multiple times when I have been driving, the accelerator pedal has stayed in the depressed position when I remove my foot from the pedal after going up to about 35 MPH When I brake, the accelerator pedal stays in the depressed position and the vehicle resumes acceleration as soon as I remove my foot from the brake. Today the only way I was able to get it back to a normal position was to pull over and turn the car off.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN LEAF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRIC BATTERY WAS UNABLE TO BE RECHARGED, MAKING THE VEHICLE INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WITH THE REMAINING CHARGE IN THE BATTERY, THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER CORAL SPRINGS NISSAN LOCATED 9350 WEST ATLANTIC BLVD, CORAL SPRINGS, FL 33071, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ONBOARD CHARGER WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000.
Mileage: 59,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN LEAF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ELECTRIC BATTERY WAS UNABLE TO BE RECHARGED, MAKING THE VEHICLE INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WITH THE REMAINING CHARGE IN THE BATTERY, THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER CORAL SPRINGS NISSAN LOCATED 9350 WEST ATLANTIC BLVD, CORAL SPRINGS, FL 33071, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ONBOARD CHARGER WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000.
Mileage: 59,000
ON 3/3/20 I RETURNED TO ALLIED PARK AND FLY LOT IN SAN JUAN. MY CAR COULD NOT BE DRIVEN FROM THE LOT, IT HAD SUDDEN FAILURE OF BRAKES. CAR WAS TOWED TO ADRIEL NISSAN IN TOA BAJA, MAR4, WHERE IT REMAINS, UNREPAIRED AS OF TODAY. THE DEALER HAS NOT CONTACTED ME SINCE 3/13, WHEN IT CLOSED, UNDER ISLAND COVID 19 SHUTDOWN. SUDDEN FAILURE OF ABS BRAKE SHOULD NOT OCCUR ON A CAR WITH ONLY 42,000 MILES! I FEEL NISSAN SHOULD COVER ABS REPAIR COSTS.
Mileage: 42,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN LEAF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BATTERY BOX WAS SEVERELY CORRODED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KING WINDWARD NISSAN LOCATED AT (45-568 KAMEHAMEHA HWY, KANEOHE, HI 96744, (808) 439-6901) AND WAS INFORMED THAT AN INSPECTION WAS PERFORMED AND FOUND EV BATTERY CASE AND BOLTS SHOWED SEVERE RUST AND THAT THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO REMOVE BOLTS FROM THE CASE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND A CASE WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 14,340. *JS
Mileage: 14,340
THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON, AND THE DEALER HAS TOLD US THE ENTIRE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED FOR $4,000 TO FIX THE PROBLEM.
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.
Data as of 2025. 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.