2020 Nissan Leaf problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (84) · Fuel/Propulsion System (28) · Power Train (12)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Nissan Leaf model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (6)
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery 2024-09-19 · campaign 24V700000 · 25,704 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2019-2020 LEAF vehicles equipped with a Level 3 quick charging port. The lithium-ion battery may overheat during Level 3 charging.
Risk: A quick charging battery that overheats increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will update the battery software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed June 3, 2026. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's numbers for this recall are R24B2, P4A38, and P5A22.
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2024-02-02 · campaign 24V071000 · 57,914 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2022 LEAF vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 9, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23D7.
Vehicle Speed Control 2023-07-17 · campaign 23V494000 · 66,159 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 LEAF vehicles. The vehicle may accelerate unintentionally if the driving mode is changed ("D" to "B"; e-Pedal "On"; or "ECO" mode) after disengaging the cruise control.
Risk: Unintentional acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the vehicle control module (VCM), free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A6.
Equipment:other:owners/Service/Other Manual 2023-02-02 · campaign 23V048000 · 64,732 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 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: Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 April 1, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R22C5.
Visibility:glass, Side/Rear 2020-09-22 · campaign 20V570000 · 150 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 Altima, Maxima and Leaf vehicles. The rear window glass may not remain properly secured to the vehicle.
Risk: Rear window glass that separates from the vehicle can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the back window glass, free of charge. The recall began November 4, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC752.
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera 2020-07-17 · campaign 20V412000 · 6,157 vehicles
Defect: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 LEAF electric vehicles. Under certain circumstances, the images for the back-up camera can disappear while in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: The lack of an image in the back-up camera display increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. This recall began August 31, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Service bulletins (92)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-06-03 · Lithium - ion Battery · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
*****dealer announcement***** nissan is committed to delivering the highest levels of product quality and customer satisfaction. in support of this commitment, nissan is implementing a lithium-ion battery post-remedy program for certain model year 2019–2022 nissan leaf vehicles that were previously
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Structure:body 2026-04-13 · NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certification label and vin plate replacement service information because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “certification label” or “vin plate/label” may be needed. hint: certification label = fmvss (federal motor vehicle safety standards) label. these items may be availabl
Electrical System 2026-03-30 · NTB15-049CC · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
telematics service information hint: this bulletin applies to vehicles equipped with a 4g network compatible tcu. tcus compatible with 3g network only are no longer supported. service information the applied vehicles that come equipped with a factory installed sos switch, located near the overhead m
Service Brakes 2025-02-20 · NTB19-042F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
automatic emergency braking warning light blinking applied systems: vehicles equipped with a lane camera (see figure 1) service information if the automatic emergency braking (aeb) warning light or is blinking (but not illuminated steadily) or the customer states it is blinking, and there are no rel
Service Brakes 2025-02-20 · NTB19-033G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
intelligent cruise control inoperative and aeb/feb warning light on or radar obstruction message displayed with dtc c1a16 or c2582 if you confirm important: the purpose of action (on the next page) is to give you a quick idea of the work you will be performing. you must closely follow the entire ser
Showing the 6 most recent of 92 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-06 · Power Train“ i purchased this 2020 nissan leaf s plus on september 22, 2020 for $39,104. the vehicle was fully functional when i delivered it to nissan's authorized service center to comply with nhtsa recall 24v-700. following the software update performed by nissan's technician, the vehicle would not operate. it has remained inoperable since that date. nissan…”
2026-09-30 · Electrical System“in xxx, my 2020 nissan leaf experienced a catastrophic battery failure while plugged into a level 3 dc fast charger at the nissan dealership where the vehicle was originally purchased. during the charging session, the high-voltage traction battery severely overheated, physically expanded/swelled, and tripped a major vehicle fault sensor. the dealer…”
2026-09-24 · Unknown Or Other“vehicle: 2020 nissan leaf sv, vin [[xxx]], ~55,000 miles recall: r24b2 / nhtsa campaign 24v700000 (battery may overheat during level 3 charging — fire risk) i brought my vehicle to conicelli nissan (conshohocken, pa) for the r24b2 recall software update.the vehicle has been held at the dealership since on or about xxx with the recall remedy incomp…”
2026-09-01 · Fuel/Propulsion System“we were asked by nissan corporate to bring in the vehicle for a safety recall related to the battery. the nissan dealership updated the battery software then gave the vehicle back to us. however, as soon as we drove away the dash lit up with warning lights. we were on the freeway so we pulled over. it was a dangerous situation. we called the dealer…”
2026-08-26 · Fuel/Propulsion System“my 2020 nissan leaf is subject to open safety recall 24v700 / r24b2 for a high-voltage lithium-ion battery defect that poses a fire risk during level 3 quick charging. on [xxx], i brought the vehicle to an authorized nissan dealer for the recall remedy. three days later, on [xxx], while driving from new hampshire to connecticut, the vehicle display…”
2026-08-17 · Electrical System · 80,000 mi“the contact owns a 2020 nissan leaf. the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 24v700000 (electrical system). the contact stated that 100 miles of using the ed system, the power reduced message was displayed. the contact stated that the battery became disabled. the vehicle was take…”
2026-08-16 · Fuel/Propulsion System“safety complaint / incident description vehicle presented to dennis dillon nissan on june 20 2026 for a factory high voltage battery recall software update intended to fix level 3 fast charging safety risks. the software update rendered the vehicle completely inoperable by disabling standard level 2 charging. the vehicle has been held in continuou…”
2026-08-10 · Power Train“regarding nissan safety recall 24v-700 / campaign r24b2. after the recall remedy was performed on my 2020 leaf in june i experienced the "service ev system" message during normal highway driving on 8/1/26. i have an invoice from the dealership that documented logged safety recall code p33ed along with ev system codes p317e-97 and p3180-97. the deal…”
2026-07-23 · Electrical System“see attached document for complaint.…”
2026-07-03 · Electrical System“this recall appointment does not take 2 hours to complete. the dealer quoted me 1-2 days with an inability to offer a loaner vehicle. several leaf owners have completed the recall appointment and subsequently been left stranded because the car went into an undrivable mode leaving the owner stranded and incurring towing and rental fees for weeks w…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.