2013 Nissan Leaf: problems, recalls and reliability
5 recalls and 81 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is service brakes (36% of complaints); the 2014 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Apr 2023
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 81 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I put the car in park as I was pulling in without turning it off to grab trash from the curb and take it to the car, but the car keep accelerating. I jumped in and slammed on the bricks but it hit the brick wall to the house. I see more recent years were recalled for "unintended acceleration" and "brake issues"”Owner report · Service Brakes · Dec 2024
“The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a whistling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was unofficially diagnosed as a failed air condition hose or a failed air condition line connector. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, however, the contact declined to pay the diagnostic fee. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to have the vehicle diagnosed by the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000.”Owner report · Visibility · May 2024
“Warning light is flashing and the airbag warning light is flashing. I took it to the dealership and they tell me this is not covered under a recall notice but I have hear other Nissan Leafs do have a recall notice for airbags. It is expensive to fix. Is there a mistake and it is covered under a recall notice?”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“The left curtain and driver seat airbags were spontaneously deployed while driving. The driver seatbelt pre-tensioner was engaged and locked. There was no collision or abrupt motion. My wife sustained minor abrasions to her left arm and swerved to the right shoulder of the road. The car would not shift into drive and was towed. The cause is unknown and without warning.”Owner report · Seat Belts · May 2023
“SRS Airbag light has been flashing for about a year. Code reader shows B00A0 0009 code indicating a problem with the OCS / Occupancy sensor. I believe this puts all passengers in the front seat at risk since the airbag may not operate in an accident. The car is available for inspection. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer or others.”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2022
“Tl* the contact owns a 2013 nissan leaf. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the front end started shaking and vibrating due to a suspension failure. Upon inspection, the front passenger's side wheel was out of position. The contact discovered that the front passenger's side control arm was fractured. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 26,000.*dt *tr”Owner report · Suspension · Sep 2020
“The indicators lights can and are being manipulated (turned on and off) via remote control access. The vehicle was in motion, on a city street. Please test this to ascertain if the nissan vehicles safety indicator lights can be manipulated by someone other than the driver via remote control. It is a safety issue if the light indicates there is a problem with my tires and I'm prompted to exit my vehicle to check the tires on the freeway, at a gasoline station etc., etc., etc., thank you.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2019
“Battery charged to 55 mile range, left overnight and dropped to 39 miles while showing 9 bars. Range drops significantly while driving. The battery rack is under recall for a faulty ground, but nissan claims this would not affect the battery pack. The "9 bars" is not consistent with this range and the battery should not lose 25% of its charge overnight.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2019
“In 2017 I brought in my nissan leaf to be serviced for a recall notice for the ocs sensor. Before then, the ocs sensor seemed to be working fine but I figured I should perform the service for safety. This last year the ocs sensor has stopped working completely. Now I have a red blinking light that warns that the passenger air bag is not working. I took it to a nissan service center, they want to charge me $1000 to replace the ocs control unit and sensor. I feel like these were parts that were changed as part of the recall and are obviously defective since they crapped out after a few years.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2019
“Airbag warning light has come on and dealer says it is a control module or the airbag in the passenger seat. They refuse to repair and I have read where this problem is a common occurrence. Light has been on for the last year and I 'am worried it may not activate during a accident.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 11 of these complaints and injuries in 4 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 5 campaigns
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Infiniti JX35 vehicles. Sensors within the passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured out of specification. This may cause the system to malfunction and permanently suppress the passenger airbag.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ODS sensors and replace them as neccessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 LEAF vehicles manufactured November 19, 2012, to July 31, 2015. During very cold temperatures, the relay inside the electronic brake booster may freeze, requiring the driver to exert more effort to slow the vehicle down.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Intelligent Brake Control Unit software, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2017 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 requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."
Remedy: Nissan will mail an addendum with updated instructions on how to operate the defroster, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A1.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2013 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Leaf by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2013 Nissan Leaf reliable?
NHTSA has 81 owner complaints and 5 recall campaigns on record for the 2013 Nissan Leaf. The most complained-about area is service brakes (36% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2013 Nissan Leaf problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 29,000 miles or less.
Does the 2013 Nissan Leaf have open recalls?
5 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning electrical system:software. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.