Representative model. Photo: David Villarreal Fernández, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Recalls & complaints · NHTSA data

2013 Nissan Leaf recalls

Every recall campaign and owner complaint NHTSA has on file for the 2013 model year. Not every vehicle is affected by every campaign: check a specific car by VIN below.

Recall campaigns: 5
Park-it warnings: 0
Complaints: 81
Latest campaign: Apr 26, 2023

Recall summary by component5

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h

Component	Campaigns	Latest	Campaign IDs
Air bags	2	Apr 26, 2016	16V244000 13V069000
Equipment	1	Apr 26, 2023	23V296000
Service brakes	1	Feb 29, 2016	16V119000
Electrical system	1	Mar 25, 2014	14V138000

Safety recalls5

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h

0Park-it warnings

0Fixable over the air

Apr 26, 2023Latest campaign


Apr 26, 202323V296000	Equipment: other owners/service/other manual Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash. DetailsHide details for campaign 23V296000 What's wrong 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. Remedy 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. Campaign NHTSA 23V296000 · Apr 26, 2023
Apr 26, 201616V244000	Air bags: sensor occupant classification 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. DetailsHide details for campaign 16V244000 What's wrong 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. Remedy 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. Campaign NHTSA 16V244000 · Apr 26, 2016
Feb 29, 201616V119000	Service brakes If the brake relay fails, longer distances or additional brake effort would be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. DetailsHide details for campaign 16V119000 What's wrong 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. Remedy 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. Campaign NHTSA 16V119000 · Feb 29, 2016
Mar 25, 201414V138000	Electrical system: software If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. DetailsHide details for campaign 14V138000 What's wrong 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. Remedy 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. Campaign NHTSA 14V138000 · Mar 25, 2014
Mar 1, 201313V069000	Air bags If the vehicle is involved in a crash necessitating airbag deployment and the passenger airbag is suppressed, there may be an increased risk of personal injury. DetailsHide details for campaign 13V069000 What's wrong 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. Risk If the vehicle is involved in a crash necessitating airbag deployment and the passenger airbag is suppressed, there may be an increased risk of personal injury. Remedy 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. Campaign NHTSA 13V069000 · Mar 1, 2013

To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Nissan recall lookup. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer (federal law; see limits).

Owner complaints by component81

NHTSA Complaints API · cached ≤24 h

81Complaints filed

11Involving a crash

1Involving a fire

4Injuries reported

Component	Complaints	%	Crashes	Fires	Injuries
Service brakes	32	40	7	0	1
Electrical system	18	22	0	1	0
Air bags	17	21	2	0	1
Unknown or other	10	12	1	0	0
Vehicle speed control	5	6	2	0	1
Seat belts	4	5	1	0	2
Visibility/wiper	4	5	0	0	0
Fuel/propulsion system	4	5	0	1	0
Wheels	4	5	0	0	0
Steering	4	5	1	0	0
Electronic stability control (ESC)	3	4	0	0	0
Power train	3	4	0	0	0
Suspension	2	2	1	0	0
Structure	2	2	1	0	1
Tires	2	2	0	0	0

4 more components with fewer complaints not shown. An owner can tag several components, so percentages add up to more than 100. Complaints are unverified owner reports, de-duplicated by NHTSA ODI number.

Latest reports

Service brakes
“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.”
Filed 01/13/2025 · ODI 11635731
Vehicle speed control
“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.”
Filed 12/12/2024 · ODI 11630366
Visibility
“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.”
Filed 05/23/2024 · ODI 11590324

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2013 Nissan Leaf recall questions

How many recalls does the 2013 Nissan Leaf have?

NHTSA lists 5 safety recall campaigns for the 2013 Nissan Leaf. The most recent, 23V296000 (reported April 26, 2023), concerns equipment. Not every vehicle is covered by every campaign; check a specific car by VIN.

What are the 2013 Nissan Leaf recalls for?

The largest group is air bags, with 2 campaigns. Others: equipment (1), service brakes (1), electrical system (1). Each campaign below lists the defect, the risk and the free remedy.

What is the most common complaint about the 2013 Nissan Leaf?

Service brakes is the most-reported component, named in 32 complaints out of 81 filed with NHTSA (40%). Across all complaints, owners reported 11 crashs and 1 fire. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

How do I check if a recall is open on my 2013 Nissan Leaf?

Enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Nissan recall lookup. That shows campaigns still unrepaired on that exact car. Safety recall repairs are free at a franchised Nissan dealer.

Check a specific Nissan by VIN

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