2014 Nissan Leaf Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Leaf years
- Fewer complaints than other years 11th of 17 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 4 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 34 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Nissan Leaf. That ranks 11th out of 17 Leaf model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is service brakes (18 complaints, 53%), typically at around 41,000 miles. Complaints mention 3 crashes, 2 fires, 2 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
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- 34owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 3complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2014 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 | 18 | 53% | 41,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 6 | 18% | 42,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 4 | 12% | 3,026 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 9% | 10,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 6% | 62 | — | — |
| Steering | 2 | 6% | 400 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 6% | 47,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 6% | 18,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 3% | 42,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 3% | 3,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 3% | 45,217 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 3% | 3,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2014 Nissan Leaf recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Equipment:other:owners/service/other manual; visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac system
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.
Air bags:sensor:occupant classification
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.
Service brakes
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.
Hybrid propulsion system: inverter
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.
Structure
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.
Air bags:frontal; electrical system:software
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.
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.
- Occupant Classification System Failure (EA15004) — opened Aug 31, 2015, closed May 2, 2017, led to recall 15V681000.
- Occupant Classification System Failure (RQ15001) — opened Mar 18, 2015, closed Sep 1, 2015.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
[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 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…
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…
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 itâs pulls in a direction. After we suddenly lose power steering with no warning weâre left to…
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…
Other Nissan Leaf years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Leaf | 2 | 2 |
| 2025 Leaf | 7 | 0 |
| 2024 Leaf | 5 | 0 |
| 2023 Leaf | 20 | 3 |
| 2022 Leaf | 96 | 4 |
| 2021 Leaf | 56 | 4 |
| 2020 Leaf | 167 | 6 |
| 2019 Leaf | 259 | 5 |
| 2018 Leaf | 66 | 4 |
| 2017 Leaf | 17 | 2 |
| 2016 Leaf | 36 | 4 |
| 2015 Leaf | 110 | 4 |
| 2014 | 34 | 6 |
| 2013 Leaf | 81 | 5 |
| 2012 Leaf | 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 2014 Nissan Leaf?
Owners most often report service brakes, electrical system, air bags problems. The top one, service brakes, accounts for 18 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2014 Nissan Leaf?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2014 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 2014 has fewer complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 4 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.