2013 Nissan Leaf problems
NHTSA has received 120 complaints about the 2013 Nissan Leaf, and 27% of them involve brakes. Next are electrical system (15%) and air bags (14%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 120 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 27% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 17 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 6 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 29,000 miles 89 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 38 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 27 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 17 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 5 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 89 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 29,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 36,000 miles (28 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 17 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 6 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2013 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the Nissan Leaf with enough data (88 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I was traveling at 25 MPH when I was forced to make a sudden stop due to the school bus in front of me stopping abruptly. I engaged the brakes and they went straight to the floor with no resistance. The brakes did not engage in anyway. I swerved but ended up hitting the rear of school bus.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 nissan leaf. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the vehicle accelerated without warning and crashed into a cinder-block wall. A police report was not filed. The contact sustained unknown injuries and did not require medical attention. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed. The contact was uncertain of the diagnostic results. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 24,000.
I was involved in a mva on 12/26 when someone rear-ended me going about 35-40MPH when I was stopped at a red light. My seat belts did not lock upon impact and I sustained a bad whiplash causing neck pain, back pain and severe headaches. Now I am diagnosed with seizures caused from the mva giving me severe migraines and head inflammation.. The collision center discovered my sensors in my leaf was faulty causing the seat belts not to lock up impact, which they should.
Washer fluid nozzles spray aimed too low. Cannot clean windshield effectively. Only the lower portion of windshield is spray leaving the middle to top portion not clean. Very dangerous during winter as the salt from road will block vision. Wiper with poor sprayed fluid amount/location will only smear the windshield and cause poor visibility.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 nissan leaf. While driving 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle did not stop. The contact engaged the push start button and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to nissan of elk grove in elk grove, california, but the source of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.