NHTSA (USA)Critical
At a glance
What can fail
The lithium-ion battery may overheat when the vehicle is charged using Level 3 quick charging.
This page covers 6 recalls and 238 owner complaints for the 2019 Nissan Leaf.
Complaints about the 2019 Nissan LEAF center heavily on the electrical system, which accounts for the large majority of reports filed. The most prominent pattern involves the high-voltage battery and DC fast charging: owners widely report being advised to stop using the CHAdeMO Level 3 quick-charge port due to concerns about battery overheating, effectively eliminating a feature many say was a primary reason they bought the car. This leaves owners dependent on Level 2 charging, which many describe as impractical for longer trips given charge times. A smaller cluster of complaints touches on the propulsion system, generally tied to the same battery and range concerns. One isolated report flags an illustration error in the owner's manual related to child seat installation routing, though this appears to be a single submission rather than a recurring theme. The fast-charging restriction and its impact on daily usability is the dominant thread running through owner reports for this model year.
238
Total Complaints
4
Crash-Related
2
Fire-Related
3
With Injuries
By System
The 2019 Nissan LEAF has 6 recalls, the most serious being a fire risk during Level 3 fast charging, where the high-voltage battery can overheat and produce smoke or heat intense enough to damage the battery pack and nearby components.
A separate and equally serious concern involves unintended acceleration: if the driver switches driving modes, such as moving from D to B, activating e-Pedal, or engaging ECO mode, after disengaging cruise control, the car can surge forward without input. That loss of speed control raises the risk of a crash. On the visibility side, two recalls address the rearview camera. In one, a wiring harness that runs to the camera can sustain damage that distorts or completely drops the rear image. In the other, a software condition can cause the backup camera display to go blank, leaving the driver with no view of what is behind the vehicle when reversing. Both failures make it harder to detect pedestrians or objects in the path of the car. Rounding out the list is a documentation issue: the owner's manual contains incorrect instructions for operating the windshield defroster, which can lead drivers to run it in a way that clears less effectively and leaves patches of the windshield obscured in cold or humid conditions.
At a glance
What can fail
The lithium-ion battery may overheat when the vehicle is charged using Level 3 quick charging.
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Complaints are owner-reported and reflect individual experiences, not confirmed defects. They are distinct from recalls. Data sourced from the national vehicle safety complaint database. See trending complaints →
What the fix does
Dealers will update the battery software at no cost to prevent overheating during Level 3 charging.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The high-voltage battery may overheat during level 3 quick charging, potentially causing smoke or heat that damages the battery and surrounding components.
What the fix does
Nissan will update your vehicle's software at a dealership to prevent the battery from overheating during level 3 quick charging.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The rearview camera harness can become damaged, causing the rearview camera display to show distorted or no image.
What the fix does
Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera and harness if damaged, or apply protective tape and reroute the harness if undamaged.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The vehicle may accelerate unintentionally when you change the driving mode (from D to B, turn on e-Pedal, or select ECO mode) after turning off cruise control.
What the fix does
Dealers will reprogram the vehicle control module at no cost to fix the acceleration issue.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The Owner's Manual has incorrect defroster operation instructions that can reduce defroster performance under certain conditions.
What the fix does
Nissan will mail an addendum with corrected defroster operating instructions at no charge.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The backup camera display settings can be changed so the rear view image disappears. The system saves this setting, so the rear view remains hidden when you shift into reverse.
What the fix does
Dealers will update the backup camera software settings at no cost to restore proper rear visibility functionality.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
