Vehicle Speed Control Problems of Nissan Leaf - part 1

On 1/6/2026, as I slowed down as I was turning into my parking lot. I had eco and e-pedal on for regenerative braking. As I was turning into the parking lot, the car suddenly accelerated, went over the curb, across the street, over another curb before finally stopping after colliding with a structure. I was driving slowly and distinctively recall braking. This sudden unintended acceleration put safety at risk and caused significant property damage. There were no warning signs or messages. The car is in the yard now and will be available for inspection.

See all problems of the 2018 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

On [xxx], I was slowly pulling into my driveway, took my foot off the accelerator and turned the steering wheel slightly to the right as the driveway is l shaped. Suddenly, the car sped up towards the garage door. I looked down quickly to see if I’d somehow pressed the accelerator by accident but I had not. I slammed on the brakes as hard as I could but the car kept going and smashed into the garage door and the corner of the garage, causing close to $20k in property damage. The hood and front bumper were badly caved in at the point of impact and pieces of the undercarriage were on the ground. The air smelled like rubber and there were tire marks on the driveway here I had slammed on the brakes. The airbags did not deploy. The automatic braking system did not work. There were no warning messages or lamps. The only unusual symptom that I noticed was that on my way home from kona, when I was pulling up slowly to a traffic light, the car seemed to hesitate a couple of times, which seemed odd but not severe enough for me to be concerned about a wreck. That occurred about a half hour before the incident. I was not physically injured but I have been very shook up and depressed since the incident. If this had happened on the highway, I could have been killed and the car could have killed others on the road. I reported the collision to usaa immediately and, on their advice, I had it towed to kona Nissan, the dealership where I purchased the vehicle and where I have had it serviced. The expectation was that they would perform diagnostics on the vehicle but they won’t touch it, nor will they talk to usaa. I had taken the car in when it was recalled for the vcm issues and I don’t believe it was fixed properly. Or the repair wasn’t effective. The car is at gerber body shop in kona, hawaii. Please arrange inspection with them. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

After hard acceleration then releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle does not slow as expected and, at times, will actually continue to accelerate. The vehicle will slow as expected when the brake is applied, but will again gradually accelerate when the brake is released. If slowed to a stop, the vehicle may begin to accelerate once the brake is released. This issue does not occur after normal acceleration. The issue may be related to NHTSA recall number 23v-494, which repairs have not been addressed for the subject vehicle, although the issue occurs regardless of the state or change-of-state of the e-pedal switch or cruise control function, both of which are mentioned in that recall. This issue has occurred on multiple occasions in the time that I have owned the car (approx 13 months. ) there is no correlation with weather conditions or initial or final speed. The only consistent variable is rate of acceleration.

In reduced traction environments vehicle will accelerate a full throttle without driver input to accelerator pedal. The issue is repeatable. Though it seems to happen under multiple conditions. Vehicles acceleration is often opposite of the direction selected on shifter. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2022 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

While quickly shifting the car from drive to reverse the car will suddenly go full throttle in reverse with no pedal input. This is very easy to get it to do.

See all problems of the 2025 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

The contact owned a 2019 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 23v494000 (vehicle speed control), 24v700000 (electrical system), and 24v071000 (back over prevention). The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph and coming up to an intersection, the vehicle ahead of the contact had stopped in front of the contact due to a crash. The contact attempted to stop the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to stop. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and crashed into the rear of the vehicle ahead. The contact stated that the vehicle came to a stop at the intersection under the traffic light after the crash. There were no warning lights illuminated; however, there was a beeping sound while attempting to stop the vehicle. The driver’s and passenger’s side air bags deployed as needed. The contact was unsure if a police report was filed. The contact stated that the vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact sustained an injury to the right knee from the impact, sciatic nerve injury, shoulder pain, and emotional distress. The contact went to the emergency room and had since received physical therapy. The contact believed that one other person in one of the other vehicles had sustained injuries. The contact stated that the vehicle had been towed to an auto body shop, and the contact stated that the body shop had deemed the vehicle a total loss. The contact stated that the dealer had contacted the body shop and had been harassing her as well as the body shop about returning the vehicle to the dealer. The contact then took the vehicle home with an abnormal clinking sound. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and suggested that there would be an investigation into the failure. The failure mileage was 82,000.

See all problems of the 2019 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

Accident:date: [xxx] time: [xxx] location: balboa park – san diego – morley field sports center – parking lot parking lot - google maps driver – geico insurance coverage || no passengers what: Nissan Leaf 2023 model sv+ - 8410 miles -- unintended acceleration incident backing up to leave parking lot – with seat belt on – looked at rear view camera – clear. Backed up slowly – then intersected with the rear bumper of a Honda – slowly I braked – then went into drive mode to get out of the intersection. Then I lost control of the car. Car went lurching forward fast – zoomed up over parking curb – 5 in – side-swiped the side of a tree with right front bumper – gashed with parts flying all over the grass. Crashing noises from jumping the curb and hitting the tree. I braked hard and got vehicle to stop = approx. 3 feet from another tree – which I would have hit straight on. No airbags were deployed. It all happened at high acceleration in an instant. After I recovered from the shock, I assessed the situation. The dashboard showed a malfunction – right front tire – no air pressure. Contacted my insurance company – geico – and opened a claim. Geico arranged for my vehicle to be towed by ASAP towing to my home. Took photos of the wreckage – collected all the pieces I could in a bucket – some were too large to fit into my car = air dam or some sort of under side cover – made of gray bendable plastic. Called ASAP - the towing company – asked about a flat bed as my front right tire was flat and the front bumper of the car had fallen off. My Leaf needs to be repaired. It needs to be reprogrammed by Nissan so that I feel safe driving it. Of note, I had to my Nissan dealer – mossy Nissan poway – for the recall r23a6 on sept. 26, 2023. Did they address the recall issue? information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2023 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

I put the car in park as I was pulling in without turning it off to grab trash from the curb and take it to the car, but the car keep accelerating. I jumped in and slammed on the bricks but it hit the brick wall to the house. I see more recent years were recalled for "unintended acceleration" and "brake issues".

See all problems of the 2013 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

Battery charging system cannot be used on fast chargers without potential overheating and fire, therefore, I cannot travel safely beyond my immediate area without incurring a risk to myself and others. The recall has been ongoing with empty promises of a fix since September of 2024, over 1 year and 6 months ago. So, that means this risk has been in place for much longer.

Unintended acceleration: vehicle continue to accelerate even after the gas pedal is released or not slow down as expected.

See all problems of the 2015 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was swerving to the right and then accelerated unintendedly. The contact stated that the vehicle decelerated as needed upon depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, the contact stated that after the driver pulled over to the side of the road and released the accelerator pedal, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. The contact stated that the driver immediately depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle stopped. The contact stated that upon releasing the brake pedal, the failure recurred, and the vehicle accelerated to 45 mph unintendedly. Additionally, the steering was pulling to the right and to the left independently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon depressing the "cancel" button on the steering wheel to cancel the driver's assist features, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The driver was able to control the steering wheel by using physical strength. Additionally, the driver depressed the brake pedal and stopped the vehicle. The driver was able to drive to the residence nearby. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds in a parking area, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. As a result, the contact lost control of the vehicle and came to a complete stop after colliding with another passenger vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and no injuries were reported. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 7,000.

After backing up and then putting the car in drive, without warning the car accelerated uncontrollably accelerted, spun around twice and struck another vehicle before stopping.

I was driving at 65 mph on the freeway and the car was acting/driving normally. Without any warning at all, many lights appeared on the dashboard at the same time that the car placed itself into neutral and lost all power to drive. My speed was reduced so quickly without any notice and I had no pull out lane near me, so I was forced to move across 5 lanes of traffic in rush hour speeds of 60-85 mph traffic in order to get to safety in a pull out lane while my car was quickly losing speed at 30 mph and below. I tried to put the car back into drive but it was impossible and the dashboard read "ev maintenance needed". Of note, my entire battery was replaced less than 6 months prior and the Nissan peoria (az) dealership reported no other issues with the vehicle. Upon inspection, the dealership reported the traction motor inverter needs replacement, and again there were no indications this was failing.

I pulled into a parking spot and to ensure I stopped when I wanted to, I braked. The car accelerated, smashing into a building. I always drive in eco mode and generally use the e-pedal which was on at the time. I’m not sure if either or a combination of those may have been a factor in what happened. The car is available for inspection upon request. I was fine, but very shaken. The car is driveable, but the front bumper is mangled and the left blinker no longer works. The headlights are functional. The charger panel releases and I can pry it open, though it no longer pops up. No airbags were deployed. The car was going slow enough, there seems to be no damage to the building. I'm concerned what could happen when we drive into our garage or, worse, if there is a car or pedestrian in front of our car and rather than braking the car accelerates. I have seen several reports of similar experiences, though no resolutions or suggestions. I can imagine this being a one-time occurrence, but I am deeply concerned it is not. I've been at a loss in who and how this can be addressed. I have called several Nissan dealers. The service people that I spoke with were not optimistic about what they could discern and, more importantly, did not seem concerned. As a result, I called my long-time car mechanic who did some initial diagnostics, but they were inconclusive. There have been no other inspections. I have reported this to Nissan USA and have opened a case/claim. I don’t recall any warnings at the time. All recalls have been updated.

About 3 months ago, I took this car in after receiving a recall notice for unexpected acceleration while on adaptive cruise control even though this was an issue I had never experienced before. But on Monday, driving in stop and go traffic in light rain (intermittent wipers on slow setting), all of a sudden the car started accelerating directly towards the car 20 feet or so in front of us; the brakes had to be manually slammed on to bring the car to stop with now only 2-3 feet or so between the two cars. This was very alarming. When I spoke to the dealership about them needing to fix this safety issue and how I thought it must be related to the recall, they said it could not be given it first happened 3 months later and I would have to pay for an evaluation and if they found anything wrong for the repair. I am reporting this and would like to know if other Nissan Leafs are seeing the same issue post-recall repair. I will say it doesn't happen all the time since I like and use adaptive cruise control regularly. I carefully tried it after this event but with much more distance between me and the car in front and it did slow the car down as it normally does when traffic slowed, but again, I never got as close to the car as this time and it was not raining so who knows. I have reported this to Nissan corporate and was told someone would call me back in the next few days.

See all problems of the 2020 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

I was pulling slowly into a parking spot. The vehicle accelerated all of a sudden on its own very fast. I slammed on the brakes and the vehicle did not stop. It ran us on a sidewalk and crashed into a pole. Luckily no one hurt. Progressive is calling the car a total loss, but they have done nothing the car is still at a parking lot near the crash. Nissan is also doing nothing. I feel that I deserve better treatment. I have a good driving record and my rates are going to go up. I have not been offered a replacement car. The car is very dangerous and I would never drive another Nissan.

The contact owns a 2023 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while in the drive position the vehicle erroneously accelerated backwards and crashed into a second vehicle that was also parked in the drive way. No injuries were reported and no police report was taken. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed that the vehicle was included in the NHTSA campaign number: 23v494000(speed control). The local dealer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 150.

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle at low speeds, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. As a result, the vehicle jumped the wheel stop, coming to a complete stop after colliding with a tree. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed, and no injuries were reported. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who did not provide a specific diagnosis but advised the contact that a bcm reprogramming was required. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA campaign number: 23v494000 (vehicle speed control), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 12,300.

Vehicle doesn't slow down when taking foot of the acceleration pedal. Same both power settings. It will continue to move at slow speed on level ground. It behaves as though the minimum pedal. Motor speed is too fast. My concern. Is that it might get very fast without any pedal. Thank you.

See all problems of the 2011 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

On 05/28/23 while I was trying to park my 2011 Nissan Leaf in a parking lot, the car accelerated unexpectedly and hit a pole and fence and scratched an already parked car. Applying break did not slow down my car. I own this car since 2011 and never had an experience like this.

Our Nissan Leaf experiences dangerous behavior while driving on the freeway. After approximately 23 miles of driving, the car suddenly displays a slippery road sign (the day is dry, no rain) and significantly reduces speed on its own. Attempting to accelerate has no effect. To ensure safety, we activate the hazard lights and pull the car to the side. Only after turning off the car and restarting it does the issue resolve temporarily. This situation poses an extreme risk, as any nearby vehicle could collide with ours during this sudden slowdown. Safety concerns: given the severity of this issue, we are genuinely frightened to drive the car daily. Unfortunately, we have limited alternatives for commuting to work. Our safety and the safety of others on the road are at stake. Our Nissan Leaf experiences dangerous behavior while driving on the freeway. After approximately 23+ miles of driving, the car suddenly displays a slippery road sign (the day is dry, no rain) and significantly reduces speed on its own. Attempting to accelerate has no effect. To ensure safety, we activate the hazard lights and pull the car to the side. Only after turning off the car and restarting it does the issue resolve temporarily. This situation poses an extreme risk, as any nearby vehicle could collide with ours during this sudden slowdown. This issue started in early 23 but it was not very often so we thought this might be a glitch and did not happen for few months. But then it started happening once or twice a month. Since January 2024 it started happening more often and now it is happening almost every day. Nissan case #50693859.

I was driving with one passenger going at very low speed. I began to turn into parking area and suddenly the car accelerated at an alarming speed. I applied total pressure on the brake to no avail, it did not override the acceleration. I steered into the back of another parked vehicle. The impact pushed the large heavy vehicle down into a ditch and deployed the airbags for both myself and passenger. 911 was called, police arrived, tow trucks. My vehicle was totalled, and insurance now has the claim. If this has occurred on a highway or busy city street, many lives would have been at risk.

The incident happened on a bright afternoon while I was entering our two car parking garage in our home ; steering wheel steered to the utmost right to enter the right parking space in our garage. I was driving an almost dead battery (8% charge remaining and 13 miles left) and the 2019 model Nissan Leaf car (20k miles driven) was already very heavy while entering our alley (backyard parking). I was driving at 10 mile speed or under when our fence door was in the process of opening (half way opened) and the car garage was already opened; the car jerked forward with a sudden speed, dashed through the fence door and did not stop on drive way (brakes failed) and entered into the garage, hitting the storage racks built to the wall and the toilet right behind it. Things fell on the windshield, obstructed the car when it finally stopped (had to hit the stop button by force). I was scared to death if the car was going to get on a fire or would result in an electric short circuit. Luckily I was saved with no major injuries and god was beside me and saved me from causing any damage to anyone or other's properties. I am sure there might have been other such complaints on Nissan Leaf and want to bring this to light.

Multiple times when I have been driving, the accelerator pedal has stayed in the depressed position when I remove my foot from the pedal after going up to about 35 mph when I brake, the accelerator pedal stays in the depressed position and the vehicle resumes acceleration as soon as I remove my foot from the brake. Today the only way I was able to get it back to a normal position was to pull over and turn the car off.

See all problems of the 2012 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

When I accelerated from a stop on a city street to turn left on my way home the engine lost power even as I pushed the accelerated pedal more till the car almost stopped in the middle of the turn. Engine returned to normal acceleration power after I prepared to pull over out of traffic. No warning lights came on.

The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 24v700000 (electrical system), 24v071000 (back over prevention) and 23v494000 (vehicle speed control); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle control module (vcm) had failed and was replaced several times; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start. The contact also stated that the rear driver's side seat belt was locked and inoperable. The local dealer, edison Nissan (401 us-1, edison, NJ 08817), and an unknown dealer were contacted for the recall repairs and informed the contact that a technician for the Nissan Leaf was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available for NHTSA campaign number: 24v700000 (electrical system). Parts distribution disconnect for NHTSA campaign numbers: 24v071000 (back over prevention) and 23v494000 (vehicle speed control).

2013 Nissan Leaf brakes failed completely and without warning while driving 30mph resulting in near collision and potentially serious injury and property damage. Speed very gradually slowed with accelerator pedal not depressed and was ultimately brought to complete stop using parking brake. Vehicle lurched forward without ability to brake when accelerator pressed lightly after stopping. Nissan dealer reported a failure of the "intelligent brake control unit" and replaced at cost of approx. $3,000. Incident occurred in clearwater, florida area in late afternoon in dry weather with temperatures around 80f. Tow truck operator stated that when they attempted to move the vehicle it lurched forward without ability to halt and the operator was extremely frightened and almost crashed.

Hi, when I put the car in reverse yesterday morning it sped out of the garage with no throttle and was very difficult to brake. Turns out the brake, abs, warning and traction control lights were all on. Throttle behavior in drive was normal but was also really hard to brake. There was also a weird hum at power on. I posted this to the r/leaf forum on reddit and everyone said replace the 12v battery which fixed it. Others described similar experiences.

See all problems of the 2014 Nissan Leaf 🔎.

Tl the contact owns a 2015 Nissan Leaf. While driving approximately 25-30 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed and seized in position as the rpms increased. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed in an attempt to slow down the vehicle for approximately three blocks. Finally, the accelerator pedal independently released and the contact was able to slow down and stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure recurred once more the same day. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Luther Nissan of inver grove (located at 1470 50th st e, inver grove heights, mn 55077, (952) 479-4974) was contacted by phone and an appointment was scheduled to have the vehicle diagnosed, which was still pending. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000. Piir=y.

The vehicle's blind spot detector turns off at low speeds potentially putting the driver at risk if the driver depends on the blind spot detector. The collision avoidance system is unreliable. When the car in front switches lanes and there is a stopped car in front the vehicle starts to slow down but releases the breaks about 50 ft from the stopped car and starts warning of impending collision. And the breaks are not applied.

Nissan Leaf with pro-pilot assist package. Intermittently the system warning light for automatic forward emergency braking and/or lane keep assist will flash indicating system unavailable. This has occurred on multiple ovassions and at various locations. Dealer has been unable to isolate cause or effect repair. I also had this happen on a Nissan sentra loaner car they provided so issue may be with system and not just the Leaf models.

This issue occurs with the Nissan e-pedal engaged/enabled. It happens intermittently after driving off. Symptom regenerative breaking/e-brake does not engage. Vehicle coasts. No blue bars light up on the dash to indicate that regenerative breaking is active. Break pedal has be be engaged for it to stop. I have reproduced it several times usually after vehicle has been parked for a long time. Charge level between 30-80%. Issue has been reported to dealer (10/23/18). Waiting for a response.

The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated while driving on several occasions at various speeds with the cruise control activated, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle lunged forward. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 23v494000 (vehicle speed control). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100.

I was driving very slowly in a parking lot, trying to find a place to park. When I was on the 4th floor I found a spot, made a right hand turn, and as I slowly turned into the spot I took my foot of of the accelerator to put my foot on the brake, the car accelerated and caused more than $16,000 worth of damage to my car. I have leased this car since Aug, 2017. Before that I leased a 2015 Nissan Leaf and never had any problems with the care.

See all problems of the 2017 Nissan Leaf 🔎.