2012 Nissan Leaf Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Leaf years
- About as many complaints as other years 8th of 17 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- None on file
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 57 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Nissan Leaf. That ranks 8th out of 17 Leaf model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is service brakes (22 complaints, 39%), typically at around 19,400 miles. Complaints mention 6 crashes, 6 injuries. There are no safety recalls on file for this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
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- 57owner complaints
- 0safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 6complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Nissan Leaf problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 22 | 39% | 19,400 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 15 | 26% | 12,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 11 | 19% | 26,985 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 7% | 6,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 5% | 6,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 3 | 5% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 4% | 27,500 | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 4% | 46,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 4% | 21,161 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 4% | 36,400 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 2% | 50 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 2% | 2,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Hybrid Propulsion System | 1 | 2% | 59,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 2% | 69,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Nissan Leaf recalls (0)
No safety recalls are on file for the 2012 Nissan Leaf.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Pedestrian alert sounds (DP22005) — opened Jan 27, 2023, closed Aug 7, 2023, led to recall 22V063000.
- Front Occupant Classification System Mat (PE19015) — opened Oct 9, 2019, closed Jun 1, 2020.
- Front Occupant Classification System Mat (DP19002) — opened Aug 16, 2019, closed Oct 16, 2019.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
High voltage battery keeps shorting out stalling while driving on interstate almost got hit by 18 wheeler a few times it's a very unsafe car to drive and I keep smelling something like an odor from the battery I've been trying to get help to do the door ship Nissan consumer affairs and seem to be…
Lithium batteries Depletion
Dealer is Mike Erdman Nissan Merritt Island Fl 32953 Airbag warning light flashing red on console. Paid $260 for diagnostic check on July 21, 2024. They cannot fix it as an airbag sensor on the passenger side seat is malfunctioning and the entire passenger side seat must be replaced and part is not…
My Nissan Leaf is showing a warning sign that front passenger side airbag is disabled. I see that this is a common complaint from many 2011-12 Nissan Leaf owners. I would like to add my name to the list of owners who had a similar complaint and please update if you make Nissan do a recall for this…
Car stops completely due to a defective battery should be recalled by dealer manufacturer
Other Nissan Leaf years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Leaf | 2 | 2 |
| 2025 Leaf | 7 | 0 |
| 2024 Leaf | 5 | 0 |
| 2023 Leaf | 21 | 3 |
| 2022 Leaf | 96 | 4 |
| 2021 Leaf | 56 | 4 |
| 2020 Leaf | 167 | 6 |
| 2019 Leaf | 259 | 5 |
| 2018 Leaf | 67 | 4 |
| 2017 Leaf | 17 | 2 |
| 2016 Leaf | 36 | 4 |
| 2015 Leaf | 110 | 4 |
| 2014 Leaf | 34 | 6 |
| 2013 Leaf | 81 | 5 |
| 2012 | 57 | 0 |
| 2011 Leaf | 95 | 0 |
| 2010 Leaf | 1 | 0 |
See all Nissan Leaf problems by year, every Nissan model, or the Nissan VIN decoder.
Similar Nissan models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Nissan Leaf?
Owners most often report service brakes, electrical system, air bags problems. The top one, service brakes, accounts for 22 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Nissan Leaf?
No safety recalls are on file for this model year.
Was the 2012 Nissan Leaf a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Leaf model years, the 2012 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.