Nissan Leaf owners have reported 10 electronic stability control related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common electronic stability control problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's electronic stability control (10 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Electronic Stability Control problems |
While driving the vehicle, without warning the car stopped itself simulating a "slamming on the brakes" affect. There was no warning, the car just stopped. After the car stopped, an error appeared on the screen saying "power supply failure. To avoid accident, serious injury or death do not drive. Contact dealer for service. " the car stopping suddenly is very dangerous, if there was another car behind me, or if I was on the freeway, I would have gotten rear ended.
A case#33557927 was reported to Nissan Leaf consumer relation and a car was taken to a dealership at long beach Nissan(phone #562-264-400) to report a batter that is not holding charge and recently the car begin to lurch forward. Nissan was able to reproduce the issue. Nissan corp should correct the battery and safety issue. So far, they have been professional and does not take any ownership to solve the problem. I request an email after the case was opened and they never send me the email. This issue involve safety and battery not holding charge. The battery is still under defective warranty. Nissan wants to put the vehicle on public road that is not safe. Nhtsa board would agreed with me that Nissan acted irresponsibly should they go forward with not fixing the batter and the car lurching forward issue.
Brakes failed upon starting the car. Multiple warning lights on the dashboard (brake, abs, traction control, and brake system) resulting in total brake failure - cannot stop the car with normal braking even while just putting the car into drive/reverse from park. Started happening ~3 weeks ago. The only thing that stops the car is the emergency / parking brake. If pressing the brake pedal all the way, just before hitting the floor there is a loud popping / grinding noise and the parking brake (?) engages. The first time, turning the car off/on fixed it. We took it to our local Nissan dealer, they said "could not find the issue in their system" and said it was a "fluke" and wouldn't happen again. Happened again a few days later and turning the car off/on didn't help, and the car was stuck in our driveway. Tried replacing the 12v battery, which fixed the issue temporarily. Happened again a few days after that and had to get it towed back to Nissan. * they found the issue in their system and think it's the "driven intelligent brake unit" and costs $2600+ to fix. They also say the "main engine harness" may need to be replaced for some reason as well, costing another $2400+. Have contacted Nissan USA, they told me they don't have a record of this being a problem with Leafs (even though there are dozens of complaints on here) and refuses to provide assistance. This brake system is *extremely unsafe* for the driver & passengers, and everyone around it. My kids could have been near the car when it started moving on its own even though I was pushing the brake pedal. No one needs to die or get gravely injured because of this faulty system.
After disconnecting charge port, the vehicle start displayed the warning light, abs and brake light. Major electric problem. The vehicle was stationary, at the vehicle charge station.
My car was parked in the driveway of my house. I turned it on like I do normally and I then I see the red brake warning indicator lights and the abs warning indicator lights on the dashboard. I didn't think too much of it as I was rushing to get somewhere. My driveway is sloped down so when I put it on drive, I had to step on the brakes. I noticed it didn't work as I depressed it all the way down. Then I quickly used the emergency brakes since my car was slowly rolling down. My car is 3 years old, has about 35,000 miles and has never been in an accident. This was the first time this happened.
I was driving in somewhat heavy traffic in an urban setting at 25mph when, unexpectedly, I had great difficulty applying the brakes to stop at an intersection. It took considerable effort, including swerving, to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of me, and I pulled into a parking lot as soon as I was able, again having great trouble stopping. The loss of control of the brakes felt like I was skidding on snow or ice, despite the fact that it was a fairly warm August day. There was an accompanying loud, unpleasant sound coming from the brakes when I stomped on them. I had also noticed that a number of warning lights on the dash had come on all at the same time when the problem started. After coming to a complete stop in the parking lot, I turned the vehicle on and off many times, and each time, there was a low but clearly audible thrumming sound, plus a vibration I could feel in the brakes. The sound was particularly surprising to hear, given that the vehicle is otherwise an extremely quiet (100% electric) vehicle. After attempting to restart the vehicle about ten times, I decided to leave to wait for awhile before attempting to start it again. After about 20 min. , I started the vehicle without trouble and cautiously drove it home on largely empty side-streets.
Shortly after starting the car and as I began to accelerate forward, several warning indicators pertaining to the brake system illuminated and the normal brake pedal no longer appeared to function upon being depressed. The car was able to be brought to a stop with the use of the emergency brake pedal but the failure of the main brakes could have easily lead to a crash.
I didn't drive the car for a few days and the 12v battery died. So I disconnected it from the car and hooked it up to my 12v battery charger. When it was fully charged, I reconnected it and started the car. Both the yellow and red warning lights were on as were the brake, abs, and vdc lights. I started backing up in the driveway and as soon as I pressed the brakes, strange noises came from the front of the car. I slammed on the parking brake to stop. I tried backing again and noticed the brakes only engaged when the pedal was pressed almost all the way down. While troubleshooting, I noticed removing the vdc fuse stopped the sounds. Also the brakes are now usable, but require much more force on the pedal than normal. The trouble codes are c118a and c1a61. (abs e-driven int brake system brc-124 / brake motor power supply br-46) after an expensive diagnosis, the Nissan dealer determined "diag. Used consult. C1a61 current code motor power supply. Checked fuses ok. Electrically driven int brake unit harness and connections ok. 12v present to module. Brake unit internal shorted due to suspected surge. Rec replacing 12v battery and unit. Further testing may be needed. . . . . Estimate to replace 2817. 00 parts and labor. Part is from the factory. " I have seen many other Leaf owners write about this kind of problem and believe it may be a common defect. I also don't know why it wasn't covered under the warranty.
The Leaf was in motion on a city street in "b" drive mode. When attempting to stop from around 45 mph, the brake pedal became very firm, and the car did not slow. I released the brake and depressed it again. This time there was significant brake travel and the brakes engaged with a mechanical moaning sound. The car skidded to a stop as abs ceased functioning. I parked the car and took a photo of the dash warning lights. Similar symptoms occurs 5 days prio, restarting the car returned it to normal operation both times. The weather was about 65 degrees f and dry during one occurrence. A similar temperature on a morning following a rainy night is when this occurred the second time. The car nearly entered an intersection on a red light. This problem looked and sounded like the videos posted on youtube in very. Cold climates in which the Leaf braking systems failed with the exception that this was in mild weather. This car has received the brake module firmware update from Nissan prior to these incidents.
An animal ran in front of the car. After a hard application of brakes and subsequent release of brake pedal, the car continued to stop, coming to a full stop in the street without driver input. The condition can be repeated, if you step on the brake pedal hard enough. The brakes function normally in typical driving. The problem only manifiests itself in emergency or unusually hard braking as encountered in collision avoidance of cars, pedestrians, or other obstacles. A second incident also occurred at 30 mph. An oncoming car appeared in my lane on a blind curve. The abrupt braking resulted in the Leaf stopping unexpectedly and completely in the curve. Due only to the vigilance of the driver following behind us, we were not rear ended. I had stopped applying the brake long before the Leaf was stopped, as the danger had passed. From 40 mph, a hard application of the brakes, and the release of the brake pedal fully at 35 mph, will result in the car coming to a full stop in the road. Application of throttle immediately after release of the brake pedal at approx 35 mph will result slight mitigation of braking, but only after a delay. The car will still continue to slow down unexpectedly and put the occupants in significant danger from following traffic. I tested another 2012 Leaf and exhibited it the same behavior while a 2014 did not, instead, reacting normally to hard braking.