Reliability & cost of ownership
Nissan Leaf Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Nissan Leaf? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Nissan Leaf problems by model year
38 recall entries and 1038 owner complaints on file across 17 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Leaf | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2025 Leaf | 0 | 6 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2024 Leaf | 0 | 4 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2023 Leaf | 0 | 17 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2022 Leaf | 0 | 82 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2021 Leaf | 4 | 49 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2020 Leaf | 6 | 152 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2019 Leaf | 5 | 241 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2018 Leaf | 4 | 62 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2017 Leaf | 0 | 14 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2016 Leaf | 4 | 35 | 4.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2015 Leaf | 4 | 107 | 4.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2014 Leaf | 6 | 34 | 4.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2013 Leaf | 5 | 81 | 4.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2012 Leaf | 0 | 57 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2011 Leaf | 0 | 95 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2010 Leaf | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Nissan Leaf, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- electrical system481 complaints
- service brakes235 complaints
- unknown or other156 complaints
- fuel/propulsion system122 complaints
- air bags91 complaints
- power train54 complaints
- vehicle speed control52 complaints
- engine42 complaints