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Electrical system

2016 Nissan Leaf Electrical problems

Owners have filed 13 complaints about the 2016 Nissan Leaf's electrical system with NHTSA - 36% of all its complaints, most recently on November 5, 2024. They describe 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries. Dead batteries, warning lights, wiring, alternators, infotainment and electronic module failures.

Complaints
13
Recalls
0
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
0

Electrical complaints

Electrical systemBrakes

On Friday, November 1, at about 3 pm, the brakes failed pulling away from the curb in a forward direction after loading equipment into the vehicle. Really stomping the brakes as though they had a fluid problem did get them to engage. I think the problem occured again backing out of my driveway prior to Monday the 4th when I fixed the problem. Again, really slamming the brake peddle got the brake to engage. You may look at the vehicle if you wish. On Friday, I was at a large senior center party and there were many...

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pedestrian with limited mobility near the exit. An out of control vehicle could have been very dangerous. I applied experience from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles with brake problems and that fortunately worked, but brake fluid was NOT the problem and there is no clear documentation of the problem in the owner's manual. This problem is an EV problem. I can't really take the vehicle to the dealership because they have failed to perform warranty service and refused to do so in the time required by MD law. To determine the cause of the problem, I checked the brake fluid level which was normal, brake wear, which was little, checked the owners manual in detail (nothing clearly stated) and then searched the internet. By Monday the 4th, I had seem a reditt post that said a dead cell in the 12-volt battery could cause a confusion in the vehicle between the regenerative braking system and the hydrolic braking system. There had been some odd behavior at startup. The dash info would flash up with missing numbers then come on normally. And, at shutdown a few time, the lights left on buzzer would sound even though the lights were off. I checked the 12-volt battery voltage and it was low, about 10 volts consistent with a bad cell. I ordered a NAPA battery said to fit the vehicle, and replaced the defective battey which seems to have fixed the problem. The NAPA store confirmed a bad cell in the old battery. No clear warnings of the problem showed.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Service brakesNHTSA 11623624
Electrical systemEngine & cooling

Goes into neutral in a matter of seconds while driving at highway speeds and goes into turtle mode while on highway. A scan of the vehicle showed a number of low battery voltage codes (P0AA0, P3180, P3182, P08AF) stored when the battery was disconnected. Nissan gave no ETA on battery replacement.

Filed Incident Electrical system · EngineNHTSA 11567295
Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemFuel system

While driving at highway speeds (65mph) on a cold day (10-20F), the car lost all drive power with no warning. Driver was able to coast to the road margin. In another situation this could have been a catastrophic accident. Driver called 911 for police protection and tow. At this point car was completely unresponsive but still on. The car could not be turned off, turned on, shifted into drive, or any other action performed. The car has shown at least 3 other cold weather failures at highway speeds with various...

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error states (ranging from turtle mode, a complete loss of the info display, and sudden power losses). Our mechanic said "I almost died today, this car is not safe to drive on the highway".

Filed Incident Power train · Electrical system · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11548956
Electrical system

On March 8, 2023, my 2016 NISSAN LEAF main EV battery failed at 75% charge power going up an incline on the freeway. The car shut down in the center lane with no warning at 60mph and could not be moved or shifted to be driven off the freeway. The car is available for inspection. My safety and the safety of others was put at EXTREME risk. I could have been killed or rear ended. I called 911 for the highway patrol and a county or city tow truck got me off the freeway. Previously, the main EV battery was diagnosed by...

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the dealer as dropping in capacity to 8 bars in December 2022. I was told the car was safe to drive still although they did put in a warranty claim for a new battery which I was told was on back order and could take up to one year. Yet, I was told the car was 100% safe and drove it from December 2022 until this week. After the March 8 incident I had the car towed immediately to the dealer repair facility and the dealer service again confirmed the battery was compromised and told me not to drive the car anymore. So far NISSAN corporate has not asked to inspect the vehicle. The only warning the car gave was it was having a loss of power going up hills from December 2022 to this week but the car never showed a warning or gave a warning light on the dash.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 11511218
Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemFuel system

Car shifted into neutral at highway speeds and would not go back into drive on 3 separate occasions over the past 6 days. Car is an EV and there was no warning and the battery SOC was 50% or more on all occasions. Can can be shifted from neutral to park only, not drive or reverse. Very unsafe to have to cruise to a stop on busy highways without much or any shoulder depending on where the car stops with snow banks. Had to have car towed. The incidents happened separately on 1/27, 1/28, and 2/2 all on the...

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highway at ~60mph. I will upload some pictures of the dtc codes and battery stats for the vehicle. After the incident on 1/27, I replaced my 12v battery with a new one (having done some searching for possible cause), but the issue happened again on 1/28 and 2/2 after the 12v replacement.

Filed Incident Power train · Electrical system · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11505289
Electrical systemEngine & coolingFuel system

We were driving the car on a highway (the 405 in Los Angeles) in the midafternoon on December 21. We were going uphill and in the flow of traffic. I'd say the speed was about 60-65. The car was functioning well. Then, the driver accelerated to pass a car and suddenly the car lost all power and went into neutral. Fortunately, we made our way to the freeway shoulder without an accident. But, it could have been very different, as we were on a fast-moving highway and there could have been a pile-up. The car...

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had plenty of battery power (around 47 miles) but it would not shift back into drive. We turned the car on and off and it was stuck in neutral. A tow truck came by and suggested a jump start. That worked and we took the car immediately to a Nissan dealership. The dealership found an error code (I believe it's P3398 but I am unsure) and says that a part of the lithium battery is malfunctioning and the car is unsafe to drive. It is under warranty but they say they are unable to replace the battery for many months. I saw no warning lamps prior to the failure (apart from a recurring message about tire maintenance that we had addressed repeatedly). For what it is worth, I had just had the brake pads checked that morning at a local mechanic who said the brakes were in excellent shape.

Filed Incident Electrical system · Engine · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11498756
Electrical system

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Low Battery Mode" warning message was displayed while the battery was fully charged, which caused the vehicle to inadvertently decelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer replaced the capacitor and three cells in the battery; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired and had an upcoming appointment with the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 11450028
Electrical systemFire

Tl* the consumer owned a 2016 nissan leaf. The consumer stated that while asleep at their residence, they were awoken by the police department who informed them that their vehicle was engulfed in flames. No injury was sustained. The fire department was contacted and extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. No medical attention was needed. First insurance was contacted and the vehicle was towed to a salvage yard. No dealer was contacted. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was contacted...

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and a case was opened. An investigation was also started. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000. *Ln the consumer stated that though the manufacturer was made aware of the situation, however they are claiming no responsibility over the incident. The manufacture is claiming that the failure due to the defective installation of the original battery.*As *ln*jb

Filed Incident Electrical system · Unknown or otherNHTSA 11301153
Electrical system

While driving at speeds of 70 mph, my car turns off in the middle of the highway! I have a video of this ordeal that I'd be happy to send over.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 11280442
Electrical system

I do not have much range. At 100% charged I'm getting a range of 64 miles. Considering the car only has 10k miles on it, that's terrible range. My car was sitting still, in park and turned on when I took this image.

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 11222684
Electrical systemFuel system

My battery lost 2 of my 12 range bars and nissan does not see any of this as an issue, october 06, 2016 - 110 mile range march 04, 2017 - august 28, 2017 - 76 mile range ' 1 bar loss october 23, 2017 - 65 - 72 mile range ' 2 bar loss I can no longer make my commute after 1 year of usage. Leased 2016 nissan leaf october 8, 2016 dealer purchased from: avondale nissan ...

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[[redacted]] 10/8/2016 service date mileage charged 100% = range dealer name concern 10/8/2016 odomiter 110 miles avondale nissan battery depletes at a rapid pace when it reaches 20% charge, 3/17/2016 8,193 pinnacle nissan estimated for every mile driven it drops 5 miles in capacity. 8/5/2017 16,329 82 Miles pinnacle nissan battery degradation 8/28/2017 17,296 72 miles avondale nissan battery degradation lost 1st bar 10/23/2017 19,623 68 miles avondale nissan battery degradation lost 2nd bar 38.18% Range loss on battery in one year I find the dealership and nissan intentionally providing misleading and false information. Do I have any recourse in small claims or other actions. The lemon law will not work in this situation because they tell me it is not broke and they have not attempted to fix anything? Nissan claims this is normal and to be expected, who would buy that for over 30k. After two years of service what will happen to the battery degradation. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.S.C. 552(B)(6). *Tr

Filed Incident Electrical system · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11042126
Electrical systemEngine & cooling

Traction motor inverter failure on 2016 nissan leaf. When this incident occurred, I was not able to charge or start the car.

Filed Incident Electrical system · EngineNHTSA 11011092
Electrical systemAirbags

December 07, 2016 I bought nissan leaf 2016 in june 30, 2016. On november 29, 2016, it just stopped and not going in reverse or forward, just stay on neutral and park. It has two recalls issued by transport canada (# 2016179 an # 2016302). Nissan canada never send my any notification about recalls. On november 29, 2016 it was towed to the dealership, 401/dixie mississauga, on canada.Since then service department is working and after repeated call, they are unable to tell me whats wrong with the vehicle. They do...

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not know how long it will take to fix the problem. I requested a replacement vehicle while they are fixing my vehicle and the request was denied. It look like a manufacturing defect associated with safety issue. Service department is not releasing any information about the problem.It is more than one week now. I hope this information may be helpful for owners and potential buyers.December 7, 2016 8:15 pm

Filed Incident Electrical system · Air bagsNHTSA 10933775

Nissan Leaf electrical complaints by year

Leaf electrical problems, every year

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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