Open safety recalls, the components owners report failing most often, crash-test results and running costs for the 2014 Nissan Leaf, assembled from NHTSA and EPA records.
Everything on this page applies to the model as a whole. Run its VIN to decode that exact car, its engine, trim, assembly plant and factory equipment, alongside these records.
Open a VIN recordRecalls and complaints are filed against a specific model year, so figures differ from one year to the next even within a single generation. See every Nissan Leaf year.
The parts named most often across 34 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this make, model and year.
1 fire
1 crash
1 fire
Complaints are self-reported and skew toward problems people find alarming, so read this as where to look rather than as a defect rate.
[XXX] - I was on the way to work on a clear and sunny morning. After stopping at a traffic light, vehicles started moving forward through the intersection. Traffic was building and the lady in front of me stopped very quickly. When I pressed the the brake pedal to stop behind her nothing happened. The brakes did not brake! The pedal went all the way to the floor. It didn't even try to slow down. I just rolled right into the back of her. The front end of my 2014 Nissan LEAF sustained significant damage and the rear bumper of her SUV sustained minor damage. Both of us had minor neck/back pain after. I am still recovering from spine surgery and I'm concerned about any long term issues that may be caused from this accident. We were in a very busy area of Atlanta and it is amazing that no one was seriously hurt. After calling 911 and being on hold for close to 30 minutes State Farm advised it was okay to swap info without an official police report. I don't want this accident to count against my accident free/good driver discount with my insurance. There were no warning lights on my dash or audible brake sounds. I have had similar problems in the past with the brakes not engaging. It has been to the dealership at least 4 times for brake related issues in the 10 years that I have had this car. The dealership and 1 independent garage have inspected my brake system, including fluid, pads and rotors. Everything is in good condition. In the past there was a correlation between the 12V battery power and the brakes not working. It has not been possible to recreate the problem on demand. I've reported this very serious safety issue to Nissan Consumer Affairs. They deny responsibility, but will not provide it in writing. A basic google search shows that I am not the only LEAF owner that has this problem. It is parked in my driveway and is considered unsafe to drive unless it is repaired per the dealership. I am glad that no one else in my family was injured because of this. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while his wife was reversing from the garage, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately. Additionally, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000. The contact noted that the failure mileage was approximately 50,100 and speed was approximately 5 mph.
Complete braking system failure. After putting the car into reverse, only the emergency brake and parking system were functional. Once taken out of park, the vehicle was effectively free-rolling and nearly hit a structure. While in-gear, the brake sensation was that of having ABS actively working, and the brake needed to be smashed to the floor to get any functional braking. The fearful part was the car was still applying powertrain effort, without any accelerator input. Yellow Brake Warning Light, Red BRAKE light, VDC Warning Light, Red/Yellow Master Warning Light were all illuminated. This had not been brought up with the dealer, but a terrifying failure mode of electronic braking systems.
The power steering has intermittently been de-activating. There is a warning light that comes on (yellow triangle with an exclamation mark). When this happens it causes the steering wheel to feel like it’s pulls in a direction. After we suddenly lose power steering with no warning we’re left to drive a car with no power steering until it suddenly re-engages. There has been no rhyme or reason to when this happens. The issue has been diagnosed at a factory dealership. The car has not sustained any accident (ever) in the +/- 4 years we’ve owned it
1) start the vehicle 2) exit the vehicle 3) Unplug the vehicle 4) re-start the vehicle 5) put in drive Seat belt chime does not ring. I found that I can also 1) Start the vehicle 2) Put in drive 3) Put in park 4) exit the vehicle 5) enter the vehicle w/o seatbelt buckled 6) put in drive. No seatbelt chime.
Brake Failure - ABS noise, there is zero brake action. Pedal goes all the way to the floor and nothing happens. Car makes an ABS noise but there is zero brake action. I reported this to Nissan dealer twice at first, they couldn't find a problem now their saying it maybe the ABS Control Unit. They want to replace the ABS Control Unit at $2,200 but does not guarantee that's the problems. The Nissan dealer states that the car is not safe to drive. even if I pay them $2,200 to replace the ABS control unit.
My car suddenly accelerated out of my control and my car was totaled in a supermarket parking lot. Amazingly no serious injuries though two other cars were damaged by this event. No warnings and no time to act. I demanded that Nissan do an inspection. The email I got from them this morning said they found nothing wrong with the vehicle BUT that the accelerator was at 100% at the time of the accident. I was parked and getting out of my car when this occurred but Nissan did not think it suspicious that my car accelerated to 100% without any reason for me to accelerate and my foot not on the power pedal. Their letter to me claimed no responsibility for the malfunction. In fact. They are claiming no malfunction at all. I have requested in writing to get all the data they collected and although they had previously agreed to provide it to me. They are now backpedaling on that now that I’ve posed legitimate questions. This happened TWICE in a 15 month period and the last accident destroyed my car. Everyone was eager to blame me for the first accident that did thousands of dollars damage, which I know for a fact I was parked in my own driveway and not even driving. It was scary and stressful and still is. The only thing I can feel good about is that the car, my beautiful LEAF, is off the road forever and will not be dangerous any longer to me or anyone else.
I WAS DRIVING MY 2014 NISSAN LEAF SL AT A LOW SPEED (5-10 MPH) WHEN THE BRAKES HAD A SUDDEN AND UNANTICIPATED TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE. WHILE PULLING UP TO A STOPLIGHT TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN, I WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE CAR FOR APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET BEYOND WHERE I HAD INTENDED. FORTUNATELY, THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES OR PEDESTRIANS IN MY PATH. THIS EVENT HAPPENED IN DOWNTOWN SALT LAKE CITY. FROM THE POINT OF FAILURE, I WAS ABLE TO PREDICTABLY STOP THE CAR WITH SOME EXERTION. BUT CLEARLY, A FUNDAMENTAL MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE VEHICLE FAILED. IT WAS NOT PART OF THE BRAKES THEMSELVES, OR THE ROTORS, OR WEAR. I DROVE THE VEHICLE DIRECTLY TO KEN GARFF NISSAN, WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY 5 BLOCKS AWAY. THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AND REPORTED THAT IT WAS A FAILURE OF A MAJOR ELECTRICAL COMPONENT THAT PROVIDES BRAKING TO THE BRAKE SYSTEM. I CONTACTED NISSAN ABOUT THE ISSUE, AND REPORTED TO THEM THAT AFTER SEARCHING THE INTERNET I HAD SEEN OTHER REPORTS FROM INDIVIDUALS ABOUT SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THEIR NISSAN LEAF BETWEEN THE MODEL YEARS 2013-2015. THERE WERE REPORTS OF THIS PROBLEM AFFECTING MORE THAN 40 VEHICLES. NISSAN USA EXPLAINED THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY RECALLS FOR THAT ISSUE, AND THAT I WOULD SIMPLY HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. HOWEVER, I FELT THAT THIS EXPERIENCE, BECAUSE IT WAS SO DANGEROUS, AND SO SUDDEN, AND WASN'T A RESULT OF POOR MAINTENANCE OR AN ERROR OF ANY SORT, IT SHOULD BE ESCALATED AND EVALUATED FOR RECALL. NISSAN USA SHOWED NO INTEREST OR INTENTION OF MAKING FURTHER INQUIRY INTO THE PROBLEM, SO I FELT I SHOULD PUSH FOR A RECALL. MY CASE NUMBER WITH NISSAN USA WAS ORIGINALLY ASSIGNED AS #436-319-65, AND A NEW CASE NUMBER WAS ASSIGNED AS #436-368-82. THE INDIVIDUALS ASSISTING IN THE CASES WERE NAMED PAMELA AND NANCY, RESPECTIVELY.
THE BRAKING SYSTEM IS NOT WORKING. FEW TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON THE ROAD, THE BRAKES STOPPED WORKING AND I HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKES. THE BRAKES MALFUNCTION WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION. ON A CITY STREETS.*DT*JB*DT*JB*DT CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER BRAKE CYLINDER SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR $3000.00.*JB
AFTER COMING FROM WORK (54 MILE BACK AND FORTH) ON 11/4/2020, PARKED 2014 LEAF SV AT THE DRIVEWAY FOR 40 MINUTES. THEN WENT BACK IN, POWERED THE CAR AND SHIFTED TO REVERSE. THE CAR BACKED-UP FAST BECAUSE THE BRAKE SEEMED NOT WORKING. SO I HAVE TO STEPPED ON THE PEDAL HARDER. I KNOW SOME THING IS WRONG BECAUSE WHEN YOU STEP ON THE BRAKES A NOISE A CAN BE HEARD AT THE FRONT. I CHECKED AND IT SEEMED LIKE ITS ACTUATING SOMETHING BUT NOTHING IS HAPPENING. THE PEDAL IS DEEP. THE DASHBOARD BRAKE LIGHT IS ON AND YELLOW WARNING LIGHT. I TURNED IT OFF AND AFTER 1 HOUR I RECHECKED AND IT GOT BACK TO NORMAL OPERATION. BUT THIS WAS REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES DURING COLD WEATHER. THIS TIME 11/18/20, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THE E-DRIVEN INTELLIGENT BRAKING COMM IS THE DTC CODE THAT CAME UP
UPON STARTING THE CAR IN THE PARKING LOT, THE BRAKE PRESSURE DID NOT RELEASE AS USUAL WHEN STARTING THE CAR. WHEN DRIVEN IN THE PARKING LOT AT LOW SPEEDS, THE BRAKE DOES NOT FUNCTION AS IT SHOULD. THERE IS SO MUCH PRESSURE THAT I CAN ONLY PRESS THE PEDAL DOWN A LIMITED AMOUNT TO MAKE THE CAR STOP. AFTER A FEW DAYS OF DRIVING THE CAR LESS THAN 10 MILES TOTAL, THE PROBLEM HAS WORSENED AND THERE IS LESS ROOM TO PRESS THE PEDAL DOWN WHILE BRAKING. I TOOK THE CAR TO GET THE BRAKES INSPECTED AND WAS TOLD THAT EVERYTHING IS FUNCTIONING AS IT SHOULD. I AM WORRIED THE ISSUE WILL WORSEN TO THE POINT THAT THE BRAKES WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BE PRESSED DOWN AT ALL.
WHEN STATIONARY, VEHICLE WILL NOT SHIFT INTO PARK, AND WILL ROLL UNLESS PARKING BRAKE IS APPLIED. DEALERSHIP WILL NOT COVER THIS UNDER THEIR POWERTRAIN WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH IT IS PART OF THE POWERTRAIN ACCORDING TO THE NHTSA AND IS A MAJOR SAFETY FLAW. DASH DISPLAYS AN ERROR THAT READS "T/M SYSTEM MALFUNCTION VISIT DEALER", AND "WHEN PARKED APPLY PARKING BRAKE".
Showing 12 of 34 complaints.
NHTSA lists 6 recalls for this make, model and year. Recalls apply to the model, so some may already be fixed on this specific car. A dealer can confirm from the VIN.
Issue: 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.
Risk: If the brake relay fails, longer distances or additional brake effort would be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 16V119000
Issue: 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.
Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
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.
Campaign 14V138000
Issue: 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.
Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 16V244000
Issue: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 28, 2014, through March 12, 2014. The front structural member assembly may be missing welds, which could reduce the structural integrity of the vehicle if the vehicle is involved in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection," and 305, "Electric-Powered Vehicles: Electrolyte Spillage and Electrical Shock Protection."
Risk: Missing welds may effect the vehicle's integrity in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the vehicle's occupants.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect to see if any of the welds are missing. Any vehicle missing welds will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on June 2, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 14V192000
Issue: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014 Nissan LEAF vehicles manufactured April 15, 2014, through April 24, 2014. Due to a problem with the motor control circuit board, the inverter may fail, causing the vehicle shut down.
Risk: An unexpected vehicle shut down increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inverter, free of charge. The recall began in July 2014. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Campaign 14V263000
Issue: 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."
Risk: Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 23V296000
145.8 mpg average · 133–162 range · EPA says 114
Over 5 years this costs $7,750 less in fuel than an average new vehicle.

NHTSA frontal crash test
3 open NHTSA investigations into this model. Investigations come before recalls, so these are potential defects not yet covered by one.
Rated configuration: 2014 Nissan Leaf 5 HB FWD