2015 Nissan Leaf: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 109 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is service brakes (67% of complaints); the 2014 and 2016 and 2017 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · 1 new complaint in the last 90 days · 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 109 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Was driving the car in a neighborhood setting only going 20 mph, ABS light turned on the dashboard, traction control light or some other light regarding traction came on as well, brakes failed. Had to use parking brake to stop the vehicle.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Dec 2025
“My Intelligent Brake Unit failed. I was slowing down at a major intersection to stop. The ABS system activated and the brakes did not respond appropriately. The pedal went soft. Multiple lights on the dashboard lit up. My two year old child was in the vehicle with me, and we are still recovering from this traumatic experience. I considered the car disabled and had it towed to a mechanic. I then brought it to a Nissan dealership who identified that the entire intelligent brake unit needs replacing for $5,500, which is more than half of what I paid for the vehicle.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2025
“I was driving my vehicle and the brakes suddenly stopped working. Upon failure, the ABS warning light as well as the braking system warning lights came on. I had to use my emergency brake to stop the vehicle. I had my vehicle towed to Nissan. The Nissan dealership mechanic said it was a Master Cylinder Brake Controller malfunction. It is currently at the dealership and available for inspection. The cost to repair the brake system exceeds the value of the car. This put my safety at risk because I could not safely stop my vehicle. I was minutes away from merging onto the freeway. Had I been traveling at high speeds without any braking system, my life and others would have been at risk.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jan 2025
Show 7 more owner reports
“Driving normally when the brake light, abs light, and traction control light came on.Brakes were unresponsiveness unless brake pedal was fully depressed causing a the ABS brakes to engage. This caused difficulty stopping and was required to use parking brake to slow down. Restarted vehicle several times but problem persisted. Nissan dealership stated that the intelligent braking system needed to be replaced as that is what their computer stated as all the codes indicated that the module was defective. Codes and diagnostic report attached.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Oct 2024
“Unintended Acceleration: Vehicle continue to accelerate even after the gas pedal is released or not slow down as expected.”Owner report · Engine · Sep 2024
“My 2015 Nissan Leaf is suffering from advanced battery degradation. The car would only charge to 55 miles per charge. The car also has only 85,000 miles only. Nissan refused to address or fix the issue as the car was past the 7 year warranty (even though the book says 8 year warranty). Battery should still go to 150 miles per charge. Dealership claimed degradation from charging at super chargers. Car has only ever been charge at home as it is only driven 2 - 3,000 miles per year. Car stopped in the middle of the highway. Police had to come move to the side of the road. No one was injured although many could have been.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jan 2024
“Warning lights, abs light and brake light illuminated out of nowhere. Unable to brake. Used a lot of force to get the car to slow down. Dealership inspected and said module short circuited.”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2023
“When vehicle is cold, I start driving and the first time I try to brake the brake light comes on, an orange triangle with expalnation mark comes on and the brake pedal pushes to the floor without providing braking power. One time, I was on a hill and the car started rolling backward even though the brake was pushed fully to the floor. I had to turn off the car and turn it back on to reset? the problem. I had to do this twice yesterday. The problem is happening more often over the past 1week.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Sep 2023
“The contact owns 2015 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the brake pedal was almost depressed to the floorboard with the T/M (Transmission-Transaxle) warning light illuminated. The contact called the dealer but was unable to speak with a service tech. The contact was then scheduled an appointment. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V119000 (Service Brakes) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 52,000”Owner report · Service Brakes · Aug 2023
“I approached a red light at an intersection intending to make a right turn. As I pressed the brakes to stop before the turn, the car did not slow and I was forced to make the turn against the red light. After the turn I was able to stop the car using the parking brake. After coming to a stop I noticed multiple warning lights on the instrument panel had come on which were not on previously.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jul 2023
When filing, owners marked a crash in 8 of these complaints and injuries in 3 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
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 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error within the air bag inflators, the passenger frontal air bag may not properly deploy in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
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 2015 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 2015 Nissan Leaf reliable?
NHTSA has 109 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2015 Nissan Leaf. The most complained-about area is service brakes (67% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2015 Nissan Leaf problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 29,500 miles or less.
Does the 2015 Nissan Leaf have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning service brakes. 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.