Table 1 shows one common engine and engine cooling related problems of the 2016 Nissan Leaf.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling problems |
Goes into neutral in a matter of seconds while driving at highway speeds and goes into turtle mode while on highway. A scan of the vehicle showed a number of low battery voltage codes (p0aa0, p3180, p3182, p08af) stored when the battery was disconnected. Nissan gave no eta on battery replacement.
We were driving the car on a highway (the 405 in los angeles) in the midafternoon on December 21. We were going uphill and in the flow of traffic. I'd say the speed was about 60-65. The car was functioning well. Then, the driver accelerated to pass a car and suddenly the car lost all power and went into neutral. Fortunately, we made our way to the freeway shoulder without an accident. But, it could have been very different, as we were on a fast-moving highway and there could have been a pile-up. The car had plenty of battery power (around 47 miles) but it would not shift back into drive. We turned the car on and off and it was stuck in neutral. A tow truck came by and suggested a jump start. That worked and we took the car immediately to a Nissan dealership. The dealership found an error code (I believe it's p3398 but I am unsure) and says that a part of the lithium battery is malfunctioning and the car is unsafe to drive. It is under warranty but they say they are unable to replace the battery for many months. I saw no warning lamps prior to the failure (apart from a recurring message about tire maintenance that we had addressed repeatedly). For what it is worth, I had just had the brake pads checked that morning at a local mechanic who said the brakes were in excellent shape.
Traction motor inverter failure on 2016 Nissan Leaf. When this incident occurred, I was not able to charge or start the car.