Nissan
Nissan Leaf years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2019, 2020 and 2022. Best years: 2016, 2017 and 2023.
The 2019, 2020 and 2022 Nissan Leaf draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2019 has 259 complaints (32 for each year on the road), 2020 has 165 complaints (24 for each year on the road) and 2022 has 94 complaints (19 for each year on the road), against a median of 8 a year across the 10 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2019 is dead battery (62 reports).
- 533complaints
- 11recall campaigns
- 3model years with a page
Newest report Sep 24, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2019
Most reported: dead battery (62 reports, median 100,000 miles) and infotainment (40 reports, median 18,470 miles).
2020
Most reported: dead battery (39 reports) and hybrid system (20 reports).
2022
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Best years
2016
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2017
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
2023
Too few complaints for a page of its own.
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2019 has the most complaints of any Nissan Leaf year here: 259 of 533 (49%).
- Problem across the years
- The top problem moves around from year to year. Dead battery leads in 2 of the 3 model years and has the most reports overall, 109. Pooled across the years, half of the 22 owners who gave a mileage for dead battery were under about 56,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 3% of Nissan Leaf complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2015, 8 of its 109 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- 2 of the 3 model years where owners report dead battery have a recall on the same system. The 2015 has none. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings jumped in 2025, with 209 complaints, 6.0 times the next busiest year. So far in 2026, 136 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: Cutlass, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Photo: Mr.choppers, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Model years with too few complaints for a page of their own: 2014 (31), 2016 (36), 2017 (17), 2018 (66), 2021 (56), 2022 (94), 2023 (20).
Year by year
2020 Nissan Leaf avoid
165 owner complaints, 24 for each year on the road (2.9 times the model median). Most reported: dead battery (39 reports), hybrid system (20 reports) and infotainment (17 reports, median 42,450 miles). 1 report involved a crash. 6 recalls, including 24V-700 on the electrical system and 24V-071 on the backup camera.
2019 Nissan Leaf avoid
259 owner complaints, 32 for each year on the road (3.9 times the model median). Most reported: dead battery (62 reports, median 100,000 miles), infotainment (40 reports, median 18,470 miles) and hybrid system (22 reports). 4 reports involved a crash and 5 people were hurt. 5 recalls, including 24V-700 on the electrical system and 24V-071 on the backup camera.
2015 Nissan Leaf
109 owner complaints, 9 for each year on the road (1.1 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (85 reports, median 33,000 miles) and phantom braking (17 reports, median 37,548 miles). 8 reports involved a crash and 3 people were hurt. 4 recalls, including 16V-119 on the brakes and 23V-296 on the equipment.
Recalls that cover several model years
Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The lithium-ion battery may overheat during Level 3 charging.
The Owner's Manual instructions for defroster operation are incorrect, and may result in reduced defroster performance under specific conditions.
The vehicle may accelerate unintentionally if the driving mode is changed ("D" to "B"; e-Pedal "On"; or "ECO" mode) after disengaging the cruise control.
Compare the Leaf with its rivals
Side by side over the model years both have on file: what owners complain about, the mileage problems start at, recalls, investigations and crash reports.
- Leaf vs Chevrolet Bolt EV2019 to 2020
Questions
What Nissan Leaf years should you avoid?
The 2019, 2020 and 2022 Nissan Leaf draw the most owner complaints for their age: 2019 has 259 complaints (32 for each year on the road), 2020 has 165 complaints (24 for each year on the road) and 2022 has 94 complaints (19 for each year on the road), against a median of 8 a year across the 10 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2019 is dead battery (62 reports).
What are the best years for the Nissan Leaf?
The 2016, 2017 and 2023 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2016 has 36 (3 a year), 2017 has 17 (2 a year) and 2023 has 20 (5 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Nissan Leaf?
Dead battery, with 109 reports across the 3 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2019 and 2020.
How many recalls does the Nissan Leaf have?
11 recall campaigns cover the Nissan Leaf model years 2015 to 2020 on this site. The widest, 23V-048 on the equipment, covers 2 model years.
How many Nissan Leaf complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
3% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2015 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for dead battery on the Nissan Leaf?
On 2 of the 3 model years where owners report it: 2019 and 2020.