Nissan · Leaf · 2013
2013 Nissan Leaf
5
Recalls
81
Complaints
4/5
Safety Rating
The 2013 Nissan Leaf has 5 recalls and 81 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: service brakes (22 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 28, 2026
Research Context
The 2013 Nissan Leaf page works best as a research starting point. Complaint totals show how much owner-reported activity exists, while recalls and investigations help show whether any of that activity turned into formal safety action.
Because this is a newer-era vehicle page, it usually helps to compare this year against nearby model years before deciding whether a complaint pattern looks isolated or persistent. On this page, the most prominent complaint area is service brakes with 22 reported complaints.
Best Research Moves
- Use the complaint log to understand what owners were actually reporting instead of relying only on the raw complaint total.
- Compare the recall list with the complaint mix to see whether the most reported issues overlap with formal NHTSA safety campaigns.
- This page is primarily a complaints-and-recalls research surface, so compare nearby model years before treating the complaint total as a standalone verdict.
Key Takeaways
- The 2013 Nissan Leaf currently shows 5 NHTSA recalls listed on this page and 81 owner-reported complaints.
- This page currently shows no linked NHTSA investigations.
- This page reflects complaint volume, recall history, and NHTSA test data, but it does not diagnose causes or rank reliability by itself.
- Safety data currently shows 4/5 overall NHTSA safety rating.
- The most frequently reported complaint categories on this page are service brakes (22), air bags (7), electrical system (7).
- Vehicle
- 2013 Nissan Leaf
- Recalls
- 5
- Complaints
- 81
- Safety Rating
- 4/5
How to Interpret This Page
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
If you are researching a used vehicle, start with the complaint categories, compare them against the recall list, and then check nearby model years to see whether the same issue profile repeats. That usually produces a better buying or research signal than treating the raw complaint total as a standalone safety ranking.
NHTSA Crash Test Performance
Frontal Crash Test
Side Crash Test
Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
10.9% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
ESC: StandardForward Collision Warning: NoLane Departure Warning: No
Recall Notices
NHTSANHTSA ID: 23V296000April 26, 2023
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2017 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."
Remedy Status
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 May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A1.
NHTSA ID: 16V244000April 26, 2016
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
Remedy Status
Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
NHTSA ID: 16V119000February 29, 2016
SERVICE BRAKES
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 LEAF vehicles manufactured November 19, 2012, to July 31, 2015. During very cold temperatures, the relay inside the electronic brake booster may freeze, requiring the driver to exert more effort to slow the vehicle down.
Remedy Status
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Intelligent Brake Control Unit software, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
NHTSA ID: 14V138000March 25, 2014
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
Remedy Status
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
NHTSA ID: 13V069000March 01, 2013
AIR BAGS
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Infiniti JX35 vehicles. Sensors within the passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured out of specification. This may cause the system to malfunction and permanently suppress the passenger airbag.
Remedy Status
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ODS sensors and replace them as neccessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 6, 2013. Owners may contact Nissan Customer Service at 1-800-647-7261.
Owner Complaints
81 totalSERVICE BRAKES
Jan 13, 2025
On 3 occasions the brakes have randomly failed when traveling. In 2 cases, stopping ability was non-existent except for the use of the parking brake. In the other case, stopping was significantly decreased. 13-Jan-2025, when traveling straight on a 40mph road towards a busy in...
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VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES
CRASHDec 11, 2024
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 ...
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VISIBILITY
May 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a whistling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was unofficially diagnosed as a failed air condi...
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ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Nov 30, 2023
The car suddenly lost power during freeway driving. The brake system appeared compromised. Turning off 12v accessories - which includes safety critical functions such as the defrost blower - was necessary to restore functionality. This is caused by a defective DC-DC converter th...
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ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sep 16, 2023
The Nissan Leaf has a 6,600 watt charger that is attached to the top of the 26,000 watt electrical motor. A 30 Amp Nissan charging cord connects the 220 volt electrical outlet (dryer) to the Leaf via a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1772 Plug. Unknown to me a desert r...
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AIR BAGS
Jun 1, 2023
Warning light is flashing and the airbag warning light is flashing. I took it to the dealership and they tell me this is not covered under a recall notice but I have hear other Nissan Leafs do have a recall notice for airbags. It is expensive to fix. Is there a mistake and it is...
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SERVICE BRAKES
May 18, 2023
I was driving and wanted to slow the vehicle to turn on a side street. I pressed the brake and nothing happened. The vehicle did not slow down at all. I pushed harder, still nothing. The brakes completely failed to work. Due to this brake failure, I was unable to make the tu...
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AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS
1 injuryMay 5, 2023
The left curtain and driver seat airbags were spontaneously deployed while driving. The driver seatbelt pre-tensioner was engaged and locked. There was no collision or abrupt motion. My wife sustained minor abrasions to her left arm and swerved to the right shoulder of the road. ...
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AIR BAGS
Apr 1, 2022
SRS Airbag light has been flashing for about a year. Code reader shows B00A0 0009 code indicating a problem with the OCS / Occupancy sensor. I believe this puts all passengers in the front seat at risk since the airbag may not operate in an accident. The car is available for insp...
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SUSPENSION
Sep 17, 2020
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 NISSAN LEAF. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE FRONT END STARTED SHAKING AND VIBRATING DUE TO A SUSPENSION FAILURE. UPON INSPECTION, THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE WHEEL WAS OUT OF POSITION. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE FRONT P...
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Showing 10 recent complaints from 81 total
View Full Complaint LogCompare Related Vehicles
Why Compare These Pages
The strongest comparison flow is usually: exact vehicle-year page, then nearby years of the same model, then other 2013 Nissan models. That sequence helps separate one-off year spikes from broader make-wide patterns.
More Nissan Leaf Years
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2013 Nissan AltimaAnother 2013 Nissan option for same-year comparison.12r2,302c2013 Nissan PathfinderAnother 2013 Nissan option for same-year comparison.11r887c2013 Nissan SentraAnother 2013 Nissan option for same-year comparison.6r635c2013 Nissan RogueAnother 2013 Nissan option for same-year comparison.1r605c2013 Nissan VersaAnother 2013 Nissan option for same-year comparison.1r204c2013 Nissan JukeAnother 2013 Nissan option for same-year comparison.2r99c
Frequently Asked Questions
How many recalls does the 2013 Nissan Leaf have?
The 2013 Nissan Leaf has 5 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
How many complaints have been filed for the 2013 Nissan Leaf?
NHTSA has received 81 owner-reported complaints for the 2013 Nissan Leaf.
What is the NHTSA safety rating for the 2013 Nissan Leaf?
The 2013 Nissan Leaf received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
What are the most common problems with the 2013 Nissan Leaf?
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2013 Nissan Leaf are service brakes (22 reports), air bags (7 reports), electrical system (7 reports).
Does the 2013 Nissan Leaf have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA has 5 recalls on record for the 2013 Nissan Leaf. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Check Another Vehicle
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.