2013 Nissan Leaf Electrical Problems

Your car's electrical system suddenly lost power while driving on the freeway, and your brakes became unresponsive. The problem is a faulty DC-DC converter (the device that charges your 12-volt battery) that isn't maintaining proper voltage to critical safety functions like the brake system and defroster. You've had to turn off accessories to restore power, and this has happened repeatedly. Fixing this issue requires reprogramming the DC-DC converter, which Nissan doesn't currently offer as a service solution.

Your charging cable was damaged by an animal that chewed through the insulation, exposing bare wires. When you plugged in the charger, the exposed wires created an electrical hazard and caused sparks. Your onboard charging system was damaged in the incident and is no longer working. The repair will likely involve replacing the onboard charger unit and possibly the charging cable.

Your Leaf's lithium-ion battery has bonding plates that may not meet Nissan's standards and could fail due to a manufacturing defect. Because your battery is degraded, you don't have enough range to drive to a service facility for the recall repair, and Nissan won't cover the towing costs to get it there. This means you'll need to pay out of pocket for a tow truck both ways to complete the necessary repair.

Your indicator lights (like the tire pressure warning light) can be turned on and off remotely by someone other than the driver, even while the car is moving. This is a safety concern because if someone activates a warning light remotely, you might pull over to check your tires on a freeway or other unsafe location when there's actually no problem. The issue involves unauthorized remote access to your vehicle's safety warning system and may require a software update or inspection of the remote keyless entry module.

Your Leaf's battery is losing charge faster than expected. You charged it to a 55-mile range, but overnight it dropped to 39 miles even though the battery indicator still showed 9 bars (full). The range also drops significantly while you're driving. Although Nissan has a recall for a faulty ground in the battery rack, they claim it wouldn't affect the battery pack — but you believe the inconsistency between the 9-bar display and the actual 39-mile range suggests otherwise. The battery shouldn't lose 25% of its charge just sitting overnight.

MY NISSAN LEAF WAS EXPERIENCING A SEAT BELT NOT BUCKLED AND IT WOULD LIGHT UP WHEN NO ONE WAS SITTING IN THE SEAT. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES TO HAVE IT FIXED. THE FIRST TWO TIMES THEY RESET THE SENSOR AND IT WOULD STAY FIXED FOR 2 MONTHS. I JUST TOOK IT BACK THE 3RD TIME. THE DEALER SAID THE AIRBAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT. SINCE IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, I CHOSE FOR THEM TO FIX MY VEHICLE. THE OCS SENSOR AND CONTROL MODULE WAS FAULTY. IT COST ME $652.56 TO REPAIR IT. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY SINCE THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. I WANT TO REPORT THIS ISSUE TO YOU SINCE IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. I DO NOT WANT ANYONE DYING IN A CAR ACCIDENT DUE TO THE AIRBAG NOT DEPLOYING.

1.PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON CONTINUOUSLY WHEN CAR IS ON, STATIONARY OR MOVING, REGARDLESS OF FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY. 2.AIRBAG SYSTEM LIGHT BLINKS CONTINUOUSLY WHEN CAR IS ON, STATIONARY OR MOVING, REGARDLESS OF PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY. THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP HAS WORKED ON THE PROBLEM FOUR TIMES OVER TWO PLUS YEARS, ULTIMATELY UNSUCCESSFUL FOR MORE THAN A FEW WEEKS. DEALERSHIP NOW REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM CITING NISSAN CORP. RELUCTANCE TO PAY FOR REPAIR UNDER ORIGINAL WARRANTY, WHICH HAS EXPIRED. DEALERSHIP CLAIMS PASSENGER SEAT REPLACEMENT IS NECESSARY AT A COST TO US OF PERHAPS $2000. WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY WHEN IT SHOULDN'T, OR WILL DEPLOY WHEN IT SHOULD.

I DIDN'T DRIVE THE CAR FOR A FEW DAYS AND THE 12V BATTERY DIED. SO I DISCONNECTED IT FROM THE CAR AND HOOKED IT UP TO MY 12V BATTERY CHARGER. WHEN IT WAS FULLY CHARGED, I RECONNECTED IT AND STARTED THE CAR. BOTH THE YELLOW AND RED WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON AS WERE THE BRAKE, ABS, AND VDC LIGHTS. I STARTED BACKING UP IN THE DRIVEWAY AND AS SOON AS I PRESSED THE BRAKES, STRANGE NOISES CAME FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR. I SLAMMED ON THE PARKING BRAKE TO STOP.I TRIED BACKING AGAIN AND NOTICED THE BRAKES ONLY ENGAGED WHEN THE PEDAL WAS PRESSED ALMOST ALL THE WAY DOWN. WHILE TROUBLESHOOTING, I NOTICED REMOVING THE VDC FUSE STOPPED THE SOUNDS. ALSO THE BRAKES ARE NOW USABLE, BUT REQUIRE MUCH MORE FORCE ON THE PEDAL THAN NORMAL. THE TROUBLE CODES ARE C118A AND C1A61. (ABS E-DRIVEN INT BRAKE SYSTEM BRC-124 / BRAKE MOTOR POWER SUPPLY BR-46) AFTER AN EXPENSIVE DIAGNOSIS, THE NISSAN DEALER DETERMINED "DIAG. USED CONSULT. C1A61 CURRENT CODE MOTOR POWER SUPPLY. CHECKED FUSES OK. ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN INT BRAKE UNIT HARNESS AND CONNECTIONS OK. 12V PRESENT TO MODULE. BRAKE UNIT INTERNAL SHORTED DUE TO SUSPECTED SURGE. REC REPLACING 12V BATTERY AND UNIT. FURTHER TESTING MAY BE NEEDED.....ESTIMATE TO REPLACE 2817.00 PARTS AND LABOR. PART IS FROM THE FACTORY." I HAVE SEEN MANY OTHER LEAF OWNERS WRITE ABOUT THIS KIND OF PROBLEM AND BELIEVE IT MAY BE A COMMON DEFECT. I ALSO DON'T KNOW WHY IT WASN'T COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY.

THIS IS AN ELECTRIC CAR. THE CAR WILL NOT START, EVEN THOUGH THE BATTERY HAS PLENTY OF CHARGE. A DASHBOARD MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED, INDICATING THE PROBLEM IS THE CAR IS NOT RECOGNIZING THE KEY. THERE WERE OTHER UNUSUAL ELECTRICAL ISSUES AT THE SAME TIME, SUCH AS ONLY ONE OF THE FOUR WINDOWS WOULD ROLL DOWN, AND THE DOORS TEMPORARILY LOCKED AND REFUSED TO UNLOCK. *TR

CAR WAS BEING CHARGED AT PEP STATION AT NCSU CAMPUS. WHEN I UNPLUGGED THE CHARGER FROM THE CAR, I SAW FUMES AND THE PLASTIC AT THE CHARGING PORT OF THE CAR WAS MELTED. *TR

THE 12V BATTERY IN MY LEAF GOES COMPLETELY DEAD ONCE A WEEK. THE DOORS WONT EVEN OPEN WITH THE REMOTE. I HAVE TO JUMP THE CAR AND THEN PLUG IT IN TO MY 220V CHARGER AT HOME. THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY CHECKED OUT THE VEHICLE AND SAID EVERYTHING IS FINE! REALLY, A 8 MONTH OLD CAR THAT NEEDS TO BE JUMP STARTED ONCE A WEEK IS NORMAL. I HAVE CHECKED THE WEBSITE FORUM, MYNISSANLEAF.COM AND THIS IS HAPPENING TO A LOT OF 2013 LEAF OWNERS. PLEASE HELP AS NISSAN WILL NOT. *TR

GOODNESS MY 2013 NISSAN LEAF WAS PARK IN THE RECREATION. THE CAR WON'T START BECAUSE THERE ARE EV SYSTEMS WARNING ICON DISPLAY ON THE DASHBOARD. I HAD TO TOW MY NISSA LEAF TO BROADWAY NISSAN DEALER. EVERYDAY THE SERVICE ADVISOR TOLD ME THAT THEY ARE WAITING FOR LEAF ENGINEER TO LOOK AT THE PROBLEM. THEY CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM AND THIS IS A NON-COMMENT PROBLEM. I TOLD THE SERVICE ADVISER THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. EVERYDAY THEIR EXCUSE STILL WAITING FOR LEAF SPECIALIST TO COME AND LOOK AT IT AND THEY CANNOT FIND THE ISSUE. *TR

PASSENGER AIRBAG SHOWS OFF WHEN PASSENGER IN THE SEAT IS A TYPICAL ADULT, ~130 POUNDS. THE UNDERSEAT SENSOR (ODS OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM) IS NOT CALIBRATED - NEEDS ABOUT 160 POUNDS TO SENSE A PERSON IN THE SEAT. NISSAN HAD A RECALL (MARCH 2013) FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM. THEY CLAIM THAT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE. NISSAN HOTLINE ([XXX]) SAYS TAKE IT TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER SAYS CALL NISSAN. THIS CAR NEEDS TO BE A PART OF THE RECALL. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

MY NISSAN LEAF WAS PLUGGED INTO 220V CHARGING STATION AT MY HOME. IT WAS CHARGING FOR OVER AN HOUR. MY SPOUSE WENT TO LEAVE AND WHEN ENTERING THE GARAGE SHE SMELLED A STRONG BURNING SMELL. SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE CHARGING STATION PLUG WHERE IT PLUGS INTO THE CAR. SHE TURNED OFF THE POWER AT THE BREAKER BOX AND THEN PROCEEDED TO UNPLUG THE CHARGER FROM THE CAR. TWO OF THE TERMINALS ON THE PLUG WERE DAMAGED AND 2 TERMINALS ON THE RECEPTACLE ON THE CAR WERE DAMAGED. THE CONNECTION HAD GOTTEN HOT ENOUGH TO MELT THE PLASTIC AND CREATE SMOKE INDICATING A FIRE. NISSAN HAS DETERMINED BY PICTURES THAT THE CAR WAS NOT TO BLAME FOR THE INCIDENT. THEY ARE BLAMING THE CHARGING STATION FOR THE FAILURE. THEY HAVE DENIED ANY WARRANTY COVERAGE. THE BURDEN OF THE BILL HAS BEEN PLACED WITH THE CUSTOMER. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY ONLY 5 MONTHS OLD AND HAS LESS THAN 10,000 MILES.

WHEN STARTING THE CAR, ALL LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD ILLUMINATED AND CAR WOULD DO NOTHING. SHUT DOWN AND RESTARTED THE CAR AND EVERYTHING WAS CLEAR. PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE AND HAD NOMINAL BRAKING. IT TOOK 10 FEET OF SLAMMING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO BRING THE CAR TO A STOP AT 2 MPH IN REVERSE. IT LITERALLY FELT LIKE NO BRAKE PRESSURE. STOPPED AND RESTARTED AGAIN AND THINGS WERE SEEMINGLY BACK TO NORMAL. TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP WHO BLAMED IT ON LOW 12V BATTERY. BRAKING WAS PATHETICALLY WEAK AT THE ONE TIME... IT WAS NOT JUST THE TYPICAL LACK OF REGENERATIVE AND MOTOR ASSISTED BRAKING YOU WOULD GET DURING A FAULT. *TR

VEHICLE IS UNABLE TO HAVE CONTINUING CHARGE SHUTS OFF RANDOMLY LEAVING ME UNABLE TO DRIVE SOMETIMES DUE NOT BE FULLY CHARGED WHEN YOU EXPECT TO BE CHARGED AND HAVING PROBLEMS ON DIFFERENT CHARGING STATIONS CONTACT NISSAN 06/13/13 AND WAS ADVISED TO TAKE TO THE DEALER AND 6/14/13 LEFT THE CAR AT DEALER COMMONWEALTH NISSAN THAT DID NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM AND CLAIM VEHICLE IS WORKING AS DESIGNED THEY WAS UNABLE TO REPRODUCE PROBLEM AND NEXT DAY 06/15/13 HAD PROBLEM AGAIN UNABLE ME TO DRIVE HOME AND NEED TO RESTART CHARGE COUPLE TIMES UNTIL GET ENOUGH CHARGE TO DRIVE HOME ON 6/17/13 TOOK THE CAR AGAIN TO DEALER COMMONWEALTH NISSAN AND THEY BEFORE LOOK THE CAR SAID THE PROBLEM IS THE CHARGING STATION ON MY HOUSE THEY RESET THE VEHICLE AND PUT TO CHARGE ON THEIR CHARGING STATION AND PROBLEM ALSO HAPPEN PROVING THE PROBLEM IS THE VEHICLE THEY GAVE THE KEYS BACK SAYING THEY ORDER A CHARGING PORT DID NOT GAVE ME ANY DATE OR IDEA WHEN THE PART WILL ARRIVE HANDLE ME THE KEY OF A DEFECTIVE CAR THAT CAN LEAVE ME STRAND ON THE STREET ANYTIME. *TR