Steering Problems of Nissan Leaf

I did not have an incident(accident), I noticed issues with my car, that seem to be prevalent with other Nissan vehicles. This report is mostly proactive. I took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and repair however was unable to come to a conclusion due to multiple inspection charges done by dealer but no fixes. Issue 1. Airbag fault warning light on the dash. Turns on when I start the car, and stays. I took car to dealer and they have done a computer reset to reset the light (based on an internal Nissan bulletin on how to repair that issue, with mention in the repair notes that a lot of vehicles have that issue. ) the reset didnt work and the light is back, now the dealer is saying that a whole sensor needs replacing as its prone to failure. Initial repair mentioned "code b00a0 stored for occupant detection system, but will not relearn. " zero point relearn will not complete. Referred to ntb19-071d. . . Ran the 75h reset, code clears. " secondary repair: 'b00a0 returned. Performed database search and found similar cases. Nissan recommends osc and sensor replacement. Performed bulletin again and error code is now 24h, not 75h. Zero point will not relearn. Started a case with Nissan and was advised to replace . . . [OCS]. . . And strain sensors. . . " issue 2: loud clanking or grinding noise when turning vehicle left or right until wheel stops. Went to get this repaired and was told that dealer found bulletin 12-055j and will "need to replace axle nuts and apply molykote. " paid for repair, and after picking up the car the sound is even worse, and upon bringing it back the dealer is saying that the noise is not due to past repair but vehicle will now need "both front strut mounts and bearings replaced. " the sound is the same, and a cursory online search shows that this issue is prevalent across multiple vehicles. Also, recently when attempting a u-turn, the steering locked up momentarily when I was trying to straighten out the vehicle, with that noise (clunk sound).

See all problems of the 2018 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

On January 9, a little after 12:30 pm, on indian head highway (MD route 210) northbound near the manokeek exit, after limiting drive power owing to battery degradation and cold weather (about 30 f) drive power and power steering failed entirely. There was no warning to pull over so I suspect this is an undocumented failure mode. After the car was towed home, it would not charge when plugged in until after I disconnected the 12 v battery and reconnected it after about ten minutes. It would then charge and after a few minutes I checked and it would send power to the wheels and power steering again. The state of charge of the lithium ion battery was about 86% throughout. This was not a failure of the on board 12 v battery charging system or 12 v battery which the tow truck driver tested as good, it is quite new. After the reset of disconnecting the 12 v battery and reconnecting, the terminals show higher voltage when the car is on than when it is off. Attached please find a picture of the warning lights after the car failed. Note that the battery light is for the 12 volt battery but there is nothing wrong with it. Also atteched, voltmeter readings when the car is off and on showing that the 12 volt battery recharging system is working. This car may or may not have an optional battery warmer, but its range of operation is well below the 30 f temperature when the failure occured. The car is more that two years overdue for warranty lithium ion battery replacement owing to manufacture delay.

See all problems of the 2016 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

When turning left there is a plasticky sticking feeling and sound like a plastic bushing is coming apart. This causes the steering to momentarily bind. This happens most often when making gentle curves on the highway. The feeling causes you to overcorrect the steering wheel. There are many complaints online of similar issues from 2016 Nissan Leafs. The issue occurs near daily since purchasing the car back in 2023. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Plastic/metal from steering wheel become dislodged/detached/warped, caused major laceration to my right ring finger when making left turn 5/6/23 4pm. Went to urgent care as a result, had to get tetanus shot.

This car was delivered with no plastic panel covering the area above the driver's feet. The steering column, insulation, wiring, diagnostic port, and structural elements are visible. The selling dealer's initial reaction was that there should be a panel there, but they had not noted it as missing in their inspection. Another, closer, dealer saw photos and agree to install the panel, but did not have the correct part, and told me that another similar car on their lot did not have this panel, so perhaps it was supposed to be missing. My assumption is that it is not safe for these things to be exposed, especially the steering column. I will attach a photo of the area.

See all problems of the 2023 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

Steering wheel paint chipping causes multiple lacerations on finger during turn.

The power steering has intermittently been DE-activating. There is a warning light that comes on (yellow triangle with an exclamation mark). When this happens it causes the steering wheel to feel like it’s pulls in a direction. After we suddenly lose power steering with no warning we’re left to drive a car with no power steering until it suddenly re-engages. There has been no rhyme or reason to when this happens. The issue has been diagnosed at a factory dealership. The car has not sustained any accident (ever) in the +/- 4 years we’ve owned it.

See all problems of the 2014 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

Nissan propilot has a serious safety flaw. When using propilot on my 2018 Nissan Leaf sv in stop and go highway traffic, sometimes when my Nissan Leaf coasts to an almost complete stop 15 feet behind a "boxy" vehicle like a semi-truck, the Leaf suddenly accelerates like if there is no vehicle directly in front of me and if I am not completely attentive and if I do not immediately apply the breaks, the Nissan Leaf would rear end the semi-truck. This has happened to me 4 times over the past 6 months when following a semi-truck with trailer and this morning it occurred again a fifth time but this time I was behind a sedan. I have a dashcam video of the incident from this morning. I have reported this issue to Nissan but they have done nothing about it. I have taken my 2018 Nissan Leaf in to the local Nissan service center but they say there is nothing wrong with the sensors and they do not see any issues and no error codes reported by the car. I believe this is a software problem where the software ignores the radar image of the truck in front because it thinks it is an overhead sign and not another vehicle immediately in front, the camera input of the vehicle in front also appears to be ignored by the software in this situation. Additionally, I have had at least two incidents (also occurred this morning) where propilot lane keeping feature shuts off and automatic emergency breaking is also shut off and deactivated for and extended period of time for now apparent reason (in excellent weather and clear conditions, no obstructions of sensors, etc. ), I have video of this as well.

Red triangle warning light comes on will not go out when car is on and when drivers seat belt is ingaged both triangle red light and seat belt light flashes all doors are closed and secure including hatch.

See all problems of the 2013 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

This Nissan car is equipped with features named, pro-pilot assist (ppa), intelligent cruise control (icc) and emergency brake assist (eba). When engaged, it is supposed to keep lanes and follow distance if there is a car in front. When the car in front is stopped this car is supposed to stop as well. Ppa when engaged, if there are good road markings, will show a green stearing on the dash board, to show that car can steer it self. However if there is a car stopped in front on the same lane (ex. Stopped for a red light), this car do not detect that there is a car stopped, and keep going forward until crash into the stopped car, driver have to intevene to stop at this time to stop. I took car to dealer and they said this is normal. That is not what Nissan advertise. This behavior is quite dangerous of these cars, and my expectation is the car need to stop if there is an obstruction in the road, when the green steering wheel on dash is showing that car is doing auto-steer.

On Nov 18. 2016, my wife was driving Nissan Leaf 2013 on the highway under a rainy day, the vehicle suddenly gradually stopped (highway 680 to highway 580 at California state). My wife couldn't make it move even press accelerator until she stopped the engine and restarted again. It is very dangerous for her to have such experience on the highway. Later I checked the manual, it is said because of Nissan's vdc function. However it is not proper to stopped the car when it is driving. Today, I also experienced the same problem. When I drove back my car, the car didn't allow to move until I pressed "vdc off" button. I believe this is a serious problem by Nissan. I have contacted them to check and repair my car. However I think it is safe to government to check with Nissan to see whether they have issues on any vehicles with vdc feature.

Tl - the contact owns a 2014 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the vehicle veer to the right without any warning and crash into an electrical pole. A police report was filed and the driver needed medical attention. The contact sustained a fractured to his right knee and hand. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 400. Pm.

The Nissan Leaf representative scheduled an appointment with a Leaf mechanic here in midland. I arrived at my appointment and ask the mechanic if he was the Leaf mechanic that I had the appointment with. He answered yes. I took him for a test drive where he experienced the front end problem. When we got back, the shop manager wanted to see the problem for himself. Then I talked to the general manager who told me that neither was a certified Leaf mechanic. When I called the Leaf representative he again talked to me. After several more calls to him he said that the mechanic and manager said that it was my fault because I was driving erratic even when I took it out on the loop and the highway. That was a pure lie by someone. I did neither. I only drove it around the neighborhood for the test drive. Then the Leaf representative told me that I needed to drive to odessa to have a Leaf mechanic to check it out. That is what they originally told me about going to midland for my appointment. The only problem is that my car will no longer made it to odessa and back on a charge. They told me that I would have to drive over there and rent a car to get back to midland and then I could drive back to odessa the next day. I suggested that they send the Leaf mechanic over to midland to check my car. They would not do it. It is ok for them to have me spend two days of my time but it is not ok for them to spend a half day. Now they say that they will do nothing else unless I do it their way. I do not know if they ever fixed the steering problems but I know that I have almost had an accident several times because of the steering. I now have to drive extremely careful. I do not know if I could avoid an accident if I have to swerve fast to avoid an accident. Now they will not do anything to fix the 2011 and 2012 models.

See all problems of the 2011 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while reversing, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver and the brakes failed to respond without warning. The vehicle crashed into another vehicle. A police report was not filed. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was taken a dealer where the failure was unable to be replicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 200 and the current mileage was 3,000. The VIN was not available.

Vehicle began to vibrate and steering became difficult. My spouse stopped the vehicle on the side of the road to look for a problem. She found that air was escaping the front left tire out of the sidewall. She then drove the car to a safe stopping point and called for roadside assistance. It was found that the sidewall had blown out on the front left tire. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and was replaced. It was found that the rim was not damaged. The sidewall of the bridgestone ecopia tire had failed after 5,800 miles. We were charged $183 for the repair despite the car being less than 6 months old.