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 1094 owner complaints on file across 17 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Leaf | 0 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2025 Leaf | 0 | 7 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2024 Leaf | 0 | 5 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2023 Leaf | 0 | 20 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2022 Leaf | 0 | 93 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2021 Leaf | 4 | 55 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2020 Leaf | 6 | 164 | 5.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2019 Leaf | 5 | 254 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2018 Leaf | 4 | 66 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2017 Leaf | 0 | 14 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2016 Leaf | 4 | 36 | 4.0 | Reliability forecast → |
| 2015 Leaf | 4 | 110 | 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 system514 complaints
- service brakes242 complaints
- unknown or other162 complaints
- fuel/propulsion system134 complaints
- air bags91 complaints
- power train59 complaints
- vehicle speed control57 complaints
- engine48 complaints