Vehicle Data Hub

2021 Nissan Leaf problems

NHTSA has received 85 complaints about the 2021 Nissan Leaf, and 38% of them involve electrical system. Next are fuel system (12%) and engine (7%).

At a glance

Complaints
85 filed with NHTSA
Most reported
Electrical system 38% of complaints
Crashes and fires
6 and 7
Injuries and deaths
3 and 0

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%.

  • Electrical system 38%
  • Fuel system 12%
  • Engine 7%
  • Wipers, windshield & visibility 7%
  • Forward collision avoidance 5%
  • Backover prevention 4%
  • Drivetrain & axles 4%
  • Air bags 2%
  • Lighting 2%
  • Brakes 1%

What the data shows

Safety-related details: 6 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 3 injuries reported.

Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2021 ranks 5th most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the Nissan Leaf with enough data (85 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 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.

This vehicle failed to have airbags deployed in this accident on 3.23.2022, as photographs that are larger than 10MB will upload, but the Estimate did upload. BUT the car was spun nearly if not fully 360 after hit by a truck in a lane change of a blind spot that spun the car and into concrete barriers. HORRIBLE. Totaled Vehicle.

March 2022 CrashInjury

The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V071000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while attempting to reverse, the back over prevention camera failed to function. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired.

Reported at 14,000 miles, April 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V655000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that occasionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shifted in Turtle Mode, preventing the vehicle from exceeding 30 MPH. The contact stated that there was a message for the EV Battery failure and to take the vehicle to the dealer for further analysis.

Reported at 40,000 miles, May 2025

Other model years of the Leaf

Best and worst years for the Nissan Leaf