2021 Nissan Leaf problems & reliability
52 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Nissan Leaf, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2021 Nissan Leaf vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 0 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 31 | 60% |
| Unknown OR Other | 12 | 23% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 8 | 15% |
| Visibility/wiper | 6 | 12% |
| Engine | 5 | 10% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 3 | 6% |
| Power Train | 3 | 6% |
| Air Bags | 2 | 4% |
| Back Over Prevention | 2 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 13 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Our vehicle was affected by recall 25V655 for defective battery. The vehicle was serviced at the Nissan dealer and the software update to resolve the recall was applied. Yesterday the vehicle spontaneously combusted during DC fast charging despite the software update. It appears that the software update was…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Jul 26, 2026
“Recall for FAST CHARGE LEVEL 3 CHADEMO has been issued for over 6 months. I am advised not to fast charge due to risk of devastating fire. Very dangerous to continue to use this car in an urban setting. Buyback was denied and told to wait for a fix. No fix yet! I can't get out of Philadelphia in this car. Tesla…”
Engine · filed Jun 22, 2026
“Level 3 quick charging was not working, and only Level 2 charging is working now. That creates a risk of not working if Level 2 charging does not work as well. Nissan issued the letter on 3/18/2026 to recall but not yet provided the detailed repair plan as of today. Please advise. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT…”
Electrical System · filed Jun 11, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Pedestrian alert sounds
Defect Petition DP22005 · opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
Technical service bulletins
83 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Nissan Leaf. The 10 most recent:
*****Dealer Announcement***** Nissan is committed to delivering the highest levels of product quality and customer satisfaction. In support of this commitment, Nissan is implementing a Lithium-ion Battery Post-Remedy…
Lithium - ion Battery · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 3, 2026
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
TELEMATICS SERVICE INFORMATION HINT: This bulletin applies to vehicles equipped with a 4G network compatible TCU. TCUs compatible with 3G network only are no longer supported. SERVICE INFORMATION The APPLIED VEHICLES…
NTB15-049CC · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 30, 2026
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING WARNING LIGHT BLINKING APPLIED SYSTEMS: Vehicles equipped with a lane camera (see Figure 1) SERVICE INFORMATION If the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) warning light or is blinking (but not…
NTB19-042F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 20, 2025
INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE AND AEB/FEB WARNING LIGHT ON OR RADAR OBSTRUCTION MESSAGE DISPLAYED WITH DTC C1A16 OR C2582 IF YOU CONFIRM IMPORTANT: The purpose of ACTION (on the next page) is to give you a…
NTB19-033G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 20, 2025
*****Dealer Announcement***** Nissan is conducting a service campaign on certain specific MY2018-2025 Nissan LEAF vehicles identified in Service Comm and National Service History – Open Campaigns. On affected vehicles…
NTB24-048 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2024
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN 2018-2025 LEAF; HVAC REPROGRAM CAMPAIGN ID #: P4A17 APPLIED VEHICLES: 2018-2025 LEAF (ZE1) Check Service COMM or Dealer Business Systems (DBS) National Service History to confirm campaign…
NTB24-048 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 29, 2024
DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND…
NTB19-071D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 19, 2024
Subject: REVISION 2 R23D7 2018-2022 LEAF Rear View Camera Inspection - NCIR - Dealer Announcement REVISION 2 Please discard earlier versions of this bulletin. The announcement from May 20, 2024 has been revised to…
NTB24-034 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 4, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2021 Nissan Leaf has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2021 Nissan Leaf?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.