2014 Nissan Leaf recalls and problems

The 2014 Nissan Leaf has 6 safety recalls and 34 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at any Nissan dealer.

Recalls
6
Complaints
34
Crashes / fires
3 / 2
Injuries / deaths
2 / 0

Recalls may cover only some 2014 Nissan Leaf vehicles. Check your VIN at NHTSA ↗ to see open recalls for your exact car.

2014 Nissan Leaf recalls

Recall 23V-296: Equipment, Visibility

Reported Apr 26, 2023 · 94,343 vehicles affected · Nissan North America, Inc.

Problem: 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."

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 May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A1.

Recall 16V-244: Air Bags

Reported Apr 26, 2016 · 3,296,947 vehicles affected · Nissan North America, Inc.

Problem: 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.

Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

Fix: 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.

Recall 16V-119: Service Brakes

Reported Feb 29, 2016 · 46,859 vehicles affected · Nissan North America, Inc.

Problem: 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.

Risk: If the brake relay fails, longer distances or additional brake effort would be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: 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.

Recall 14V-263: Hybrid Propulsion System

Reported May 16, 2014 · 196 vehicles affected · Nissan North America, Inc.

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014 Nissan LEAF vehicles manufactured April 15, 2014, through April 24, 2014. Due to a problem with the motor control circuit board, the inverter may fail, causing the vehicle shut down.

Risk: An unexpected vehicle shut down increases the risk of a crash.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inverter, free of charge. The recall began in July 2014. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

Recall 14V-192: Structure

Reported Apr 16, 2014 · 211 vehicles affected · Nissan North America, Inc.

Problem: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 28, 2014, through March 12, 2014. The front structural member assembly may be missing welds, which could reduce the structural integrity of the vehicle if the vehicle is involved in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection," and 305, "Electric-Powered Vehicles: Electrolyte Spillage and Electrical Shock Protection."

Risk: Missing welds may effect the vehicle's integrity in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the vehicle's occupants.

Fix: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect to see if any of the welds are missing. Any vehicle missing welds will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on June 2, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

Recall 14V-138: Electrical System, Air Bags

Reported Mar 25, 2014 · 989,701 vehicles affected · Nissan North America, Inc.

Problem: 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.

Risk: If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.

Fix: 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.

2014 Nissan Leaf problems reported by owners

Problem areaReports
Service Brakes18
Electrical System6
Air Bags4
Unknown or Other3
Steering2
Seats2
Visibility2
Vehicle Speed Control2
Structure1
Latches/Locks/Linkages1
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)1
Power Train1

Most reported parts

  • Seats › Front Assembly › Head Restraint — 1
  • Structure › Body — 1
  • Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer › Motor — 1
  • Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System — 1

Typical mileage at the time of the problem: 26,000 miles (median of owner reports).

Problems that are not covered by a recall are paid repairs; labor rates follow local mechanic pay — see what auto mechanics earn in each state.

Recent 2014 Nissan Leaf complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA, as written (personal details removed). Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.

Service Brakes · reported Jul 9, 2024
[XXX] - I was on the way to work on a clear and sunny morning. After stopping at a traffic light, vehicles started moving forward through the intersection. Traffic was building and the lady in front of me stopped very quickly. When I pressed the the brake pedal to stop behind her nothing happened. The brakes did not brake! The pedal went all the way to the floor. It didn't even try to slow down. I just rolled right into the back of her. The front end of my 2014 Nissan LEAF sustained significant damage and the rear bumper of her SUV sustained minor damage. Both of us had minor neck/back pain…
Service Brakes · at 50,100 miles · reported Apr 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while his wife was reversing from the garage, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately. Additionally, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000. The contact noted that the failure mileage was approximately 50,100 and speed was approximately 5 mph.
Service Brakes · reported Sep 19, 2022
Complete braking system failure. After putting the car into reverse, only the emergency brake and parking system were functional. Once taken out of park, the vehicle was effectively free-rolling and nearly hit a structure. While in-gear, the brake sensation was that of having ABS actively working, and the brake needed to be smashed to the floor to get any functional braking. The fearful part was the car was still applying powertrain effort, without any accelerator input. Yellow Brake Warning Light, Red BRAKE light, VDC Warning Light, Red/Yellow Master Warning Light were all illuminated. This…
Electrical System · reported Mar 15, 2022
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
Seat Belts · reported Feb 3, 2022
1) start the vehicle 2) exit the vehicle 3) Unplug the vehicle 4) re-start the vehicle 5) put in drive Seat belt chime does not ring. I found that I can also 1) Start the vehicle 2) Put in drive 3) Put in park 4) exit the vehicle 5) enter the vehicle w/o seatbelt buckled 6) put in drive. No seatbelt chime.

Other Nissan Leaf years

Compare all Nissan Leaf years · All Nissan models

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2014 Nissan Leaf have any recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 6 recalls for the 2014 Nissan Leaf: 23V-296 (equipment, visibility), 16V-244 (air bags), 16V-119 (service brakes), 14V-263 (hybrid propulsion system), 14V-192 (structure) and more. Not every vehicle is affected, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What is the most common problem with the 2014 Nissan Leaf?

Owners report service brakes problems most often (18 reports), followed by electrical system (6). The typical mileage when problems were reported is about 26,000 miles.

Are Nissan recall repairs free?

Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at authorized Nissan dealers, whether you are the first owner or bought the car used.