Model year record
2012 Nissan Leaf recalls & problems
The 2012 Nissan Leaf has no safety recalls on file with NHTSA, and 57 owner complaints. The most-reported problem area is service brakes (22 complaints).
Safety recalls
No safety recalls have been filed for the 2012 Nissan Leaf.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Crash test ratings
2012 Nissan Leaf 5 HB FWD
| Frontal crash | ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| Side crash | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover risk | 11% |
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
Range & efficiency
Leaf EV
| Efficiency | 34 kWh/100 mi |
|---|---|
| MPGe city / hwy / comb | 106 / 92 / 99 |
| Charge time (240 V) | 7 h |
Automatic (A1) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $750/year to charge
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
| Problem area | Complaints | Typical mileage* |
|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 22 | 19,400 mi |
| Electrical systemPropulsion system › Traction battery | 15 | 12,000 mi |
| Air bags | 11 | 26,985 mi |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 6,000 mi |
| Seat belts | 3 | 6,000 mi |
| Visibility/wiper | 3 | 20,000 mi |
| Unknown or other | 2 | — |
| Electronic stability control (esc) | 2 | — |
| Seats | 2 | — |
| Engine | 2 | — |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | — |
| EquipmentOther › Owners/service/other manual | 1 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
- Electrical system
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 getting nowhere and they're letting me drive a car with a high voltage battery problem that obviously has a short in it help me
- Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery
Lithium batteries Depletion
- Air bags
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 available or is no longer in stock. They MAY be able to locate an entire seat Nissan Leaf 2012 somewhere, but if they do (and they said probably not) it will cost $4000.00. The seat is no longer made by Nissan and after market seats would not meet safety standards (they said). There is a published complaint list of well over 2000 Nissan Leaf owners regarding 2011 and 2012 Leaf owners who say…
- Air bags
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 issue.
- Electrical system
Car stops completely due to a defective battery should be recalled by dealer manufacturer
- Air bags
The brakes on the vehicle jerk alot when going under 15, causing everyone in the vehicle to get jerked forward multiple times and are touchy resulting in almost being in an accident. Airbag sensor for front passenger also no longer works and Nissan refuses to repair any defect
- Air bags
The passenger occupancy sensor has failed and as a result the passenger airbag is now permanently off, as indicated on the console. The dashboard airbag and general error lights are now constantly flashing as well. The dealer indicated the failure is the mat in the seat, OBD code B1018, and there is no repair for this failure. I see there are mutiple complaints online about this same problem on 2011-2012 LEAFs, and that NHTSA had opened an investigation. Do I have some recourse here? I am concerned to have people ride in the vehicle with no airbag.
- Air bags
I believe my newly purchased 2012 Nissan LEAF is suffering from the same passenger-side airbag faulty sensor problem that has been documented in NHTSA case id: 11234415. I am experiencing the same flashing warning lights when I operate the vehicle. There are no signs of damage or tampering with the passenger-side seat. I will do my best to make the vehicle available for inspection upon request. I am worried that the faulty senor, if unfixed, might be shutting off the whole airbag deployment safety system. If it is doing that, Nissan MUST recall these vehicles for repair! A previous owner took the vehicle to the dealership that originally sold the car and their service center reported that…
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Pedestrian alert soundsClosedLed to recall 22V063000
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review…
- Front Occupant Classification System MatClosed
Preliminary Evaluation (PE) 19-015 was opened as a result of Defect Petition (DP) 19-002 which alleged that model year (MY) 2011 and 2012 Nissan Leaf were affected by the same defect addressed in an earlier recall, NHTSA Safety Recall 16V-244, but were not included in the scope of that recall.NHTSA 16V-244 involved a defect in the Occupant Classification System, a system intended to suppress deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag under certain specific conditions. Although the DP19-002 analysis determined the allegation that earlier MY Leaf vehicles should have been included in 16V-244 was not founded, the Office of Defects Investigation nonetheless granted the petition and commenced this investigation into the 2011 and 2012 Leaf since OCS failures were reportedly occurring in these vehicles. Further details on DP19-002 can be found at NHTSA.gov.On October 25, 2019, ODI sent an…
- Front Occupant Classification System MatClosed
A defect petition (see DP19-002) was received July 23, 2019 alleging that the occupant classification system (OCS) sensor (mat) in model year (MY) 2011 Nissan Leaf vehicles is defective and affects the proper deployment of the passenger front air bag. The petitioner provided a list of potentially related NHTSA reports and noted a Nissan recall involving later MY Leaf vehicles with OCS defect. NHTSA is granting the petition and opening a preliminary evaluation in response, please see PE19-015.Since receiving the defect petition, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has determined that the MY 2011 and 2012 Leaf share a common OCS design, both using the same sensor mat for passenger presence sensing. Starting in MY 2013, Leaf OCS was changed to a design using a different sensing system, one that did not use the mat present in prior model year, Nissan Leaf. While MY 2013-2016 Leaf…