2018 Nissan Leaf — Known Issues & Recalls

While turning into a parking lot with Eco mode and e-pedal regenerative braking active, your car suddenly accelerated without warning despite you braking. The car went over two curbs and across a street before hitting a structure, causing significant property damage. The vehicle is currently available for inspection.

Your 2018 Nissan Leaf may suddenly lunge forward when you press the brake pedal while cruise control is active, even though the brakes should bring the car to a stop. This happened at various speeds on several occasions. The issue may be related to a known cruise control problem, and your vehicle has not been repaired.

Your 2018 Nissan Leaf randomly shuts down while driving on the highway under load (climbing an incline with climate control on), leaving you stranded. Diagnostics show multiple failed cells in the main battery, but the manufacturer claims this is normal wear despite the car having only 300 miles and being under warranty. This has happened three times on the freeway, creating a serious safety risk. The battery may need replacement or repair to restore reliable power and prevent future shutdowns.

Your 2018 Nissan Leaf displayed an "EV System No Power" warning message and wouldn't shift into drive. The dealership replaced the 12V battery, but the error returned when they tried to charge the car. After charging, the Power Distribution Module experienced a thermal event that caused it to overheat and release soot. The repair may require replacement of the high-voltage battery, Power Distribution Module, and diagnosis of the charging system.

Your Nissan Leaf's brakes didn't respond immediately when you pressed the brake pedal hard during a collision at a stop sign. You were in Eco Mode with ePedal enabled, and you suspect the transition between regenerative braking and mechanical braking caused a dangerous delay in stopping. Additionally, your car's automatic emergency braking system didn't activate even though the vehicle ahead stopped very suddenly nearby. This brake delay could be hazardous in higher-speed situations or with pedestrians present.

Your car's automatic emergency braking system has activated twice without reason while driving on the Richmond Bridge at 65 mph with no vehicles or obstacles nearby. Both times, the brakes engaged suddenly, causing you to nearly lose control of the car and creating a safety hazard for other drivers. The system needs to be diagnosed to determine why it's falsely detecting collision threats.

Your 2018 Nissan Leaf lost all power while driving in cold 17-degree weather and displayed a "Service EV System, No Power" message. The dealer found that the main battery had frozen, which prevented the car from operating. After the battery thawed at the dealership, it recharged normally and no repair was needed. This issue may be related to how the vehicle manages battery voltage in freezing temperatures.

Your 2018 Nissan Leaf's battery drained very quickly while you were driving at 55 MPH, with no warning lights to alert you beforehand. The dealer couldn't identify or fix the problem, and Nissan opened a case to investigate. This happened at around 53,000 miles.

Your Leaf's e-pedal (one-pedal driving) feature occasionally malfunctions after the car has been stopped for more than a minute. When this happens, the system disengages the e-pedal without warning and the vehicle unexpectedly starts rolling forward, forcing you to quickly apply the brakes to avoid hitting another car or pedestrian. The system should automatically put the car in Park and stop all movement when it detects a fault, rather than letting the car roll.

While driving on the freeway at 70 mph, your dashboard suddenly displayed red warning lights for 12V battery and charging issues. The car lost power, shifted into neutral, and told you to pull over immediately. You barely coasted to the shoulder before the car began jerking and shuttering to a complete stop in heavy traffic on the far left lane. This sudden power loss could require diagnosis of your 12V battery system, charging system, and vehicle management electronics.

While slowly pulling into your driveway with your foot off the accelerator, your car suddenly accelerated toward your garage door. You pressed the brakes hard, but the car didn't stop and crashed into the garage, causing significant damage. Your Automatic Braking System didn't activate, the airbags didn't deploy, and there were no warning messages. You noticed the car hesitate at a traffic light about 30 minutes before the incident. The fix may require diagnostic testing of the acceleration and braking system components, potentially including software updates or sensor replacement.

After you accelerate hard and then release the pedal, your car doesn't slow down as expected and may even continue speeding up on its own. When you apply the brakes, the car slows normally, but it gradually accelerates again once you release the brakes—even from a complete stop. This only happens after hard acceleration, not after normal driving, and occurs regardless of weather or your e-pedal setting. The issue may be related to a known Nissan recall, though it persists even if that recall has been completed.

While driving downhill, your dashboard warning lights came on and both the acceleration and brake pedals stopped responding normally. Your brake pedal sank to the floor with an unusual pulsing feeling and provided very little stopping power, forcing you to steer into a barrier to slow the vehicle. The brakes remained unresponsive even after restarting, and you had to rely on the emergency brake to prevent rolling. A brake system inspection and electrical diagnostic will be needed to identify why the braking and acceleration systems failed simultaneously.

Your Juicebox Level 2 charger can no longer be controlled through its app after the manufacturer shut down operations. Your charger is rated to deliver 32 amps continuously, but your home's electrical panel is only rated for 30 amps, creating a potential fire hazard at the outlet and circuit breaker connections and potentially causing the breaker to trip repeatedly during charging. You may be unable to safely use your charger without risking electrical damage. The solution would likely involve either upgrading your home's electrical panel to handle higher amperage or replacing the charger with a model compatible with your current electrical system.

Your front windshield wipers fail and break during light ice or snow, forcing you to drive without them until repairs are made. This has happened repeatedly over four years of ownership, even when you avoid using the wipers in freezing weather. Even after a mechanic replaced the entire wiper motor and linkage assembly, the right wiper broke again shortly after. The fix will likely involve replacing wiper blades, the wiper motor, linkage assembly, or a combination of these components.

Your vehicle failed inspection because the front subframe has rusted significantly, which seems unusual for a 7-year-old car with only 27,599 miles. Your mechanic indicates this is a recurring problem among Nissan Leaf models. Since the subframe is a critical structural component, this rust damage is a safety concern that must be addressed before your car can pass inspection. The fix will likely require replacement or professional repair of the rusted subframe.

Your passenger side seatbelt warning light keeps coming on even when no one is sitting in that seat, and it only turns off when you manually buckle the belt. After yearly service visits where Nissan cleared the warning code, the problem returns within weeks. When you asked for a permanent fix, Nissan said they'd need to replace two occupancy sensors for $1,800, but after the appointment, the seatbelt warning now stays on continuously and your airbag light also came on indicating the airbag is off. The fix will likely require replacing the faulty occupancy sensors that detect whether a passenger is seated.

Your 2018 Nissan Leaf's Power Distribution Module (PDM) failed at 77,000 miles, leaving you stranded. The dealership estimates the repair will cost around $5,000, but Nissan's warranty only covers the PDM up to 60,000 miles even though the part is designed to last 100,000 miles. You're also experiencing brake-related warning codes that the dealership says they can't fully diagnose until the PDM is repaired, which could mean additional repair costs.

Your airbag warning light turns on when you start the car and stays on. The dealer has tried multiple fixes including computer resets and says a sensor needs replacing, but the light keeps returning. Additionally, you're hearing a loud clanking or grinding noise when turning the steering wheel left or right, and the steering momentarily locked up during a U-turn. The dealer replaced axle nuts but the noise got worse and now says front strut mounts and bearings need replacement. Fixing these issues will likely involve replacing the occupant detection system sensor and potentially the front strut mounts, bearings, and axle components.

Your Nissan Leaf's battery is showing a false discharge rate of about 5% per second when driving at highway speeds (60+ mph) in cold weather below 15°F with the battery below 60% charged — the displayed charge drops rapidly, but recovers when you slow down or stop. This forces you to reduce speed and disable cabin heating to keep the vehicle operational, which can be unsafe if traffic conditions require normal speeds. The dealership confirmed at least one faulty battery module, though no diagnostic codes appear. The fix will likely require replacing the defective battery module or the entire battery pack.