2015 Nissan Leaf — Known Issues & Recalls

While driving at 20 mph in a neighborhood, your ABS warning light and traction control light came on your dashboard, and your regular brakes stopped working. You had to use the parking brake to bring the car to a stop.

Your Leaf's brakes partially failed while driving at 25 mph — you had to push the pedal to the floor and heard grinding/clicking sounds before the car barely stopped after 5 seconds. Yellow and red brake warning lights appeared on your dashboard, though braking power mysteriously returned for the rest of your short trip home. This is a serious safety issue since you couldn't have stopped quickly if a pedestrian stepped in front of you, and the problem could be life-threatening at highway speeds.

Your brakes suddenly failed while driving at 30 mph, causing you to skid to a halt in the middle of the road and nearly crash. The failure lasted about 1 second and some lights also went out. The dealer diagnosed the problem as a faulty electrically driven brake control unit and engine room harness that need replacement at a cost of about $8,000. This is a serious safety issue that makes your car unsafe to drive.

Your brakes suddenly stopped working while you were driving, forcing you to use the emergency brake to stop. Warning lights for both the ABS and braking system came on at the same time. The dealership diagnosed a Master Cylinder Brake Controller malfunction. The repair will likely involve replacing the master cylinder and brake controller components.

Your brake warning light, ABS light, and traction control light came on while driving normally. Your brakes became unresponsive and required you to fully depress the pedal to stop, which forced the ABS to engage and made stopping difficult—you had to use the parking brake to slow down. The dealership's diagnostic computer indicated the intelligent braking system module was defective and needs to be replaced.

Your Leaf's intelligent braking system control unit failed without warning while you were driving downhill toward an intersection. When you pressed the brake pedal, the brakes did not respond at all, and your car continued through a crosswalk and toward traffic until gravity helped slow it on an uphill section. The dealer has confirmed this failure, and the ABS warning light came on afterward. The repair will likely involve replacing or reprogramming the braking system control unit.

Your brake pedal failed to stop your car while it was rolling in your driveway, even when you pressed it all the way to the floor, and the vehicle struck a rock wall. A mechanic diagnosed the problem as an electrical failure and a failed brake booster. The brakes gave no warning before failing, though several warning lights were on the dashboard.

Your brake pedal stopped responding when you pressed it, with no warning lights on the dashboard. The brakes worked normally again the next day, but the dealer says the intelligent brake control unit needs replacement for $5,000. This issue caused you to turn into oncoming traffic at a stop sign before you could stop the car using the parking brake.

Your brake pedal occasionally goes all the way to the floor with no stopping power, then suddenly engages with grinding sounds—feeling like only the emergency brake is working. This dangerous problem has happened multiple times on the highway, with all dashboard warning lights coming on, but mysteriously disappears the next day when the brakes work normally again. Your 12-volt battery is fine, and this isn't related to cold weather. The issue likely involves the brake system's electronic control module or brake fluid pressure sensor that intermittently fails and requires diagnostic testing and possible replacement of brake system components.

When your Leaf is cold and you first try to brake, the brake warning light and an orange triangle with an exclamation mark appear on your dashboard. Your brake pedal sinks to the floor without providing any braking power, and in at least one case, your car rolled backward on a hill even with the brake fully pressed. Turning the car off and back on temporarily fixes the problem, but it's been happening more frequently over the past week. This issue likely requires the brake system to be inspected and possibly reset or repaired by a technician.

Your brakes may fail to respond properly when you first put your car into Reverse or Drive, requiring you to press the brake pedal all the way to the floor to stop. You might hear a pulsing sound from the brake system in the engine compartment and loud noise from the rear brakes when stopping. This problem happens intermittently and could lead to a low-speed collision during gear shifts. Your dealer recommends replacing the entire braking system to fix the issue.

Your brake pedal sinks almost to the floor when you start the vehicle, and a transmission warning light appears on your dashboard. This issue has been linked to a known safety recall (NHTSA Campaign 16V119000) affecting the braking system. You'll need to have the brake system inspected and serviced at a Nissan dealer to address the underlying cause.

Your Intelligent Brake Unit failed while you were slowing down at an intersection. When you pressed the brake pedal, it went soft and didn't respond properly, even though the ABS system activated and multiple dashboard warning lights appeared. The dealership determined the entire Intelligent Brake Unit needs to be replaced, which is a major repair involving the car's braking and electrical systems.

Your car's warning lights, ABS light, and brake light came on unexpectedly, and you lost normal braking ability—requiring significant force to slow the car down. The dealership determined that an electrical module short-circuited, causing the braking system to malfunction. The repair will likely involve replacing the faulty electrical module that controls the braking system.

Your Leaf's electronic braking system failed multiple times, causing the ABS to activate unexpectedly and leaving you with no braking power—you had to shift to Park and use the emergency brake to stop in traffic. The mechanical brakes work fine, but restarting the car didn't resolve the electrical glitch. This is a serious safety issue that has happened three times and needs immediate inspection by a Nissan dealership to diagnose the ABS module or brake system electrical wiring.

When you pressed the brake pedal at a red light, your car didn't slow down and you had to run the light to avoid an accident. You were able to stop using the parking brake instead. After stopping, several warning lights appeared on your dashboard that weren't on before. This suggests a brake system failure that may require inspection of the brake fluid, brake lines, or the regenerative braking system components.

Your car unexpectedly started moving backward on its own while in Park with your foot firmly on the brake pedal. The brakes didn't respond until you lifted your foot off the pedal and reapplied it. This happened a few days after random dashboard warning lights (including the battery light) began appearing. Replacing the 12V battery resolved both the warning lights and the unwanted movement issue. The fix involved replacing the vehicle's 12-volt battery.

Your 2015 Nissan Leaf's battery has degraded significantly and now only charges to 55 miles of range instead of the expected 150 miles, despite having only 85,000 miles on the odometer and being charged exclusively at home. The car unexpectedly stopped on a highway, creating a dangerous situation that required police assistance. Nissan's dealership refused to address the issue under warranty, citing supercharger use as the cause, even though you've only ever used home charging.

Your backup camera display occasionally goes completely black and won't show a picture, even when you shift between park and reverse. The screen typically returns to normal after waiting several hours. This intermittent issue suggests an electrical connection or display problem rather than a camera failure.

Your car continues to accelerate even after you release the gas pedal, or it doesn't slow down as expected when you ease off the throttle. This unintended acceleration issue could make it difficult to control your vehicle's speed. The problem may require inspection of the accelerator pedal assembly, throttle control system, or related electronic components.