2020 Nissan Leaf problems
NHTSA has received 229 complaints about the 2020 Nissan Leaf, and 54% of them involve electrical system. Next are fuel system (15%) and drivetrain & axles (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 229 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 54% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 3 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 10,000 miles 21 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 | 15 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 0 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 4 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 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 | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 21 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 10,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 18,000 miles (13 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 3 complaints mention a crash. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 95% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2020 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the Nissan Leaf with enough data (185 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 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.
"automatic braking system failed to engage" on a offramp lane from freeway 5 southbound to crown valley parkway off ramp while traveling approximately 25MPH I rear ended a vehicle that was at dead stop and that vehicle rear ended a second vehicle. California highway patrol was called and report was documented which is attached. This happened on december 22,2020 at about 7pm, dark clear evening in the city of mission viejo.
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed after previously recharging the main battery, the message "EV System Error" and "Unable to Restart" was displayed on the instrument panel before the vehicle lost automotive power. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the parking brake warning light illuminated, and the parking brake independently activated and failed to release as intended.
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, within minutes, the battery percentage indicator began to dramatically reduce from 100 percent down to 20 percent. The message to charge the vehicle immediately was displayed. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired.