First generation (ZE0)
2015 Nissan Leaf
The most reported problem on the 2015 Nissan Leaf is brake wear, with 85 complaints, usually around 33,000 miles.
- 109owner complaints
- 4recalls
- 8involved a crash
- 30,000median miles at failure
Newest report Sep 1, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
What is your Leaf doing?
Each one opens a sheet built from the owner reports of that problem on the 2015 model year.
Is the 2015 Nissan Leaf reliable?
The 2015 Nissan Leaf has 109 owner complaints on file with NHTSA, below the median of 151 for 2015 hatchbacks on this site. Of the 10 Leaf model years since 2014, it has the 3rd most complaints. Complaint counts rise with sales as well as faults, so read what owners report below before deciding.
At a glance
- Next to other model years
- Complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads, so the 2015 count runs short and isn't compared with the model years next to it.
- Top problem
- One problem takes up much of the file: brake wear, named in 85 of the 109 complaints (78%). A quarter of the 52 owners who gave a mileage for brake wear saw it by about 16,000 miles, and half by about 33,000.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 8 of the 109 complaints (7%) report a crash, a fire or an injury, about the 6% typical of vehicles on this site. Counted separately (one report can carry more than one), 8 reports mention a crash and 3 people were hurt. The most crash reports, 7 of 8, fall under brake wear.
- Recalls behind the top problems
- Brake wear, the one problem here with enough reports to check, has a recall on the same system (16V-119). 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 peaked in 2015 at 16 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 6. So far in 2026, 5 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
When each problem shows up
Each bar covers the middle half of the mileages owners reported for that problem. A quarter saw it earlier, a quarter later. The tick is the median. Most reported: brakes grind, pulse or wear early, 85 complaints.
middle half of reports, median tick. The heavier grey bars have 75 or more reports.
Behind you
Around your mileage
Ahead of you
How this compares
109 complaints is 2.5 times fewer than the median 2015 model on this site and 1.4 times fewer than the median 2015 hatchback. Among the 3 Leaf model years here it ranks 3rd for complaints. Counts follow sales volume as much as reliability, so a truck that sells 700,000 a year draws more reports than a sedan that sells 200,000.
Service bulletins for the 2015 Nissan Leaf
Nissan filed 113 bulletins and other notices with NHTSA that list the 2015 Nissan Leaf. 4 of them deal with a problem owners have reported on this car. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Battery dies or the car will not start 2 bulletins · 8 complaints
2011-2015 LEAF; 12 VOLT BATTERY LOSES CHARGE AND/OR TELEMATICS SERVICES DO NOT WORK This bulletin applies only to vehicles equipped with a 3G Telematics Control Unit.
SERVICE INFORMATION Design and process changes have been made to improve battery voltage at dealer receipt. Our goal is to deliver vehicles to customers with a 12 volt battery in excellent condition.
Airbag warning light or recall 2 bulletins · 7 complaints
DTC B00A0-00 STORED IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed,
DTC B00A0-00 STORED
Complaints filed by year
16 complaints came in 2015. Owners file in waves when a problem gets press or an investigation, so a spike measures attention as much as failures.
NHTSA investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds. Closed aug 7, 2023, led to recall 22V-063.
NHTSA summary
Recalls that include the 2015 Nissan Leaf
Whether your car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2017 LEAF vehicles. The Owner's Manual instructions for defroster operation are incorrect and may result in reduced defroster performance under specific conditions. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Nissan will mail an addendum with updated instructions on how to operate the defroster, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A1.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error within the air bag inflators, the passenger frontal air bag may not properly deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 LEAF vehicles manufactured November 19, 2012, to July 31, 2015. During very cold temperatures, the relay inside the electronic brake booster may freeze, requiring the driver to exert more effort to slow the vehicle down.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Intelligent Brake Control Unit software, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
All 4 recalls on the 2015 Nissan Leaf, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
Guide Buying one used? How to research one car’s history before you pay
Questions
What is the most common problem on the 2015 Nissan Leaf?
Brake wear, with 85 of the 109 complaints. Owners who gave a mileage for it put the median at about 33,000 miles.
At what mileage do 2015 Nissan Leaf problems start?
Of the 67 complaints that give a mileage, a quarter came by about 11,000 miles and half by about 30,000.
How many 2015 Nissan Leaf complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
8 of them (7%). The typical vehicle on this site is at 6%.
Is there a recall for brake wear on the 2015 Nissan Leaf?
Yes, NHTSA lists a recall on the same system: 16V-119. Its summary says which failure it covers, and that isn't always the one owners describe.