2014 Nissan Leaf — Known Issues & Recalls

Your car's braking system failed completely when put in reverse, leaving only the emergency/parking brake working. The car rolled freely and nearly hit a structure, and the regular brakes felt like the ABS was constantly engaged, requiring you to stomp the pedal hard for any braking effect. Multiple warning lights appeared (brake warning, VDC, master warning), and the car continued applying power without you pressing the accelerator.

Your brake pedal goes all the way to the floor with no stopping power, and you hear an ABS noise when you try to brake. The Nissan dealer has suggested the ABS control unit may be the cause and wants to replace it for $2,200, but they can't guarantee this will fix the problem. The dealer has stated your car is not safe to drive. Fixing this will likely involve diagnosing and replacing the ABS control unit and potentially other brake system components.

Your car's brakes suddenly failed completely while driving at low speed, causing you to coast about 10 feet past a traffic light before regaining braking ability. The dealership diagnosed a failure in a major electrical component of the braking system, not the brake pads or rotors. You reported finding similar complaints from other 2013-2015 Nissan Leaf owners online. Nissan declined to issue a recall and said you would need to pay for the repair of the failed electrical braking component.

Your car's braking system has stopped working while you're driving, forcing you to use the emergency brake to stop. This malfunction has happened multiple times on city streets. Your dealer indicated the brake cylinder system needs to be replaced to fix the issue.

When you start your car, the brake pedal isn't releasing normally and feels unusually stiff. As you drive, the pedal becomes increasingly hard to press down, leaving you less room to move it before the car stops. Even after a dealer inspection that found nothing wrong, the problem has worsened over just a few days of light driving, and you're concerned the pedal may eventually become impossible to press. The issue likely involves the brake system's pressure release mechanism or master cylinder needing inspection or replacement.

After driving your car 15 miles and stopping, you heard an audible tone with the vehicle off. When you restarted it, multiple warning lights appeared, including a brake warning light. Your car then idled forward and you couldn't stop it with normal braking—you had to apply hard braking to bring it to a stop. The brake system may need diagnostic testing to identify the cause of the warning lights and loss of normal braking response.

Your brakes began making noise when you pressed the pedal, and the problem got progressively worse as you drove. By the time you reached the dealership a couple of miles away, your brakes were barely working. The dealership should inspect your brake system to determine what caused the sudden loss of braking power.

While backing out of your driveway, your brakes failed completely and the pedal went to the floor, causing the vehicle to roll into the street. You heard loud noises coming from the engine compartment. The dealership fixed it by reinitializing and reconfiguring the brake system for about $300.

Your brake pedal may not be working properly when you need to stop. When your wife was backing out of the garage, she pressed the brake pedal but the car didn't stop right away. Several warning lights came on at the time. This happened at around 15,000 miles (though another note mentions 50,100 miles), and the vehicle was only moving at about 5 mph when it occurred. The issue hasn't been diagnosed or repaired yet. Fixing this will likely require a brake system inspection to find what's preventing the brakes from responding normally.

Your car's brakes felt unresponsive when you shifted into reverse after parking for 40 minutes, requiring you to press the brake pedal harder than normal. You heard a noise from the front when braking and noticed the brake warning light turned on, but the brakes returned to normal after turning the car off and waiting about an hour. This issue has happened multiple times during cold weather, suggesting a problem with your car's electronic braking system.

Your brake pedal failed completely while driving in traffic, going all the way to the floor without slowing the car, resulting in a collision. You've experienced similar brake failures multiple times over 10 years, and the dealership has inspected the fluid, pads, and rotors without finding a problem—though you've noticed a possible connection to the 12V battery. Fixing this will likely require a thorough electrical diagnostic to trace power issues affecting the brake system, possibly including the brake control module or electrical connections.

Your car suddenly accelerated to full power twice without you pressing the accelerator pedal, causing two accidents and totaling your vehicle. The first incident occurred while you were parked in your driveway, and the second happened in a parking lot as you were getting out. Nissan's inspection found the accelerator was at 100% during the accident but claimed no malfunction occurred and refused to provide the full diagnostic data they collected.

Your car won't shift into Park when stopped, and it will roll downhill unless you apply the parking brake. Your dashboard shows error messages saying "T/M SYSTEM MALFUNCTION VISIT DEALER" and "WHEN PARKED APPLY PARKING BRAKE." This is a serious safety issue because your vehicle shouldn't roll when parked. The fix will likely require a transmission control module or shift mechanism inspection and repair at a dealership.

Your car unexpectedly accelerated in reverse without you pressing the throttle and became very difficult to brake. Multiple warning lights appeared on your dashboard (brake, ABS, warning, and traction control), and you noticed a strange humming sound when powering on. The issue resolved after replacing the 12-volt battery, which other owners have reported experiencing similar problems with.

Your Leaf caught fire while charging in a parking garage after being plugged in for less than 20 minutes. The vehicle was stationary when it started smoking and caught fire, requiring fire department response. While Nissan investigated and found no evidence of a vehicle defect, the cause could potentially be related to the charging unit, its installation, or maintenance. Resolving this would require a thorough investigation of both the vehicle's charging system and the charging equipment used.

Your Nissan Leaf caught fire while parked and connected to a charger at a facility. The fire was severe enough to total the vehicle and damage nearby cars. It's unclear whether the fire started from the vehicle's electrical system or the charging unit itself.

Your power steering system is intermittently shutting off without warning, causing the steering wheel to pull to one side and requiring you to steer manually until power steering suddenly comes back on. A yellow warning light with an exclamation mark appears when this happens, but the problem occurs randomly with no predictable pattern. A Nissan dealership has already diagnosed the issue. The fix will likely involve inspecting and repairing the power steering motor, control module, or related electrical connections.

Your seat belt warning chime doesn't sound in certain situations. Specifically, if you start the vehicle, exit it, unplug it, restart it, and put it in drive, the chime won't alert you. The chime also fails to sound if you exit and re-enter the vehicle without buckling your seat belt before putting it in drive. This safety warning system may need to be diagnosed and repaired by a technician.

Your Leaf makes a loud humming noise when you turn it on, and the car rolls backward or forward even when you apply the brakes—it only stops when you slam on them hard. After letting the car sit for a while and restarting it, the problem temporarily goes away. This intermittent issue suggests a problem with the brake system or regenerative braking control that needs diagnostic evaluation.

After unplugging the charging cable at a charging station, your Leaf's dashboard displayed warning lights for the ABS and brake system. The vehicle was parked and not moving. This indicates an electrical problem that may be related to the charging port disconnect, even though Nissan previously completed a recall for this issue on your vehicle.