What's Wrong with the 1st Generation (2011–2017) Leaf?

Front 3/4 view of a Nissan Leaf

Leaf owners have made 31 complaints about the 2011–2017 model years. Using our PainRank™ system we've ranked it 21st out of 54 Nissan generations in overall reliability, with some electrical and brakes concerns.

Compare With Other Leaf Generations

Common 2011-2017 Nissan Leaf Problems

Some of the worst issues 1st generation Leaf owners have to deal with.

  2. Sunroof Rattles and Explodes

    Heads up, Nissan owners! That giant piece of glass above your head may soon be on its way down in a thousand little pieces. Lawsuits accuse Nissan of using a faulty tempering process for their sunroofs since 2008.

    Continue reading article "Sunroof Rattles and Explodes" Nissan sunroof with giant shards of glass missing

What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks the Most

Years to Avoid

1st Generation (2011–2017) Leaf Key Numbers

  1. 7 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 31 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 21st in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 54 eligible generations.

Recent Lawsuits for 1st Generation Leaf Owners

Recent 1st Generation (2011–2017) Leaf News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. A lawsuit claiming Nissan's automatic emergency braking (AEB) system has dangerous defects will continue in court

    following a U.S. District Court judge tossing out the automaker's motion to dismiss. AEB systems monitor the road and can apply the brakes if the system detects a collision is imminnent. But according to the lawsuit, Nissan's AEB detects items that aren't there and can randomly bring the car to a screeching halt.…

    keep reading article "Nissan Wanted An Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) Lawsuit Tossed. It Didn't Work."

  3. Does Nissan's automatic emergency braking (AEB) system have a defective radar?

    A California lawsuit says malfunctions in the system create random emergency braking situations when the radar detects objects that aren’t really there.

    The owner's manuals for many of the vehicles admit the automatic emergency braking systems do "not function in all driving, traffic, weather and road conditions.” But the plaintiff says the manual leaves out the part about how the systems can cause vehicles to suddenly stop even when no objects are in the driving lane.

    It’s scary to think that a safety system might actually create more crash scenarios than it prevents.

    keep reading article "AEB Lawsuit Says System Can Randomly Stop Vehicles"