Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Nissan Leaf owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2011 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that the Telematics Control Unit, which locates the nearest charging station, was inoperable and could not be upgraded. Additionally, the 12 Volt battery would not charge, and the doors would not unlock to open. The windows would not roll up, and the gear shifter would not shift out of park into neutral. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. However, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000. The VIN was unavailable.
When applying brakes, at a point in the pedal travel the vehicle deceleration goes from too little to vastly too much. This makes the vehicle challenging to drive in traffic without colliding into the vehicle in front and not stopping so quickly as to cause the trailing vehicle to collide. The dealer has confirmed the behavior. There is a TSB to supposedly address the problem, and a receipt is attached of that TSB software update being applied. However, this has not changed the behavior. This is at least partially a software issue, since the vehicle blends physical brakes with EV regenerative braking.
I have run into what I believe is a small design flaw. While user error is clearly involved, a simple software fix could prevent this from happening. Scenario: 1) Leaf is parked in grocery store parking lot on a slight downhill slope. 2) startup sound is turned off. 3) push start button while not pressing on brake pedal adequately - Leaf goes into accessory mode. 4) try to shift into reverse, not looking at dash screen to see that Leaf is in accessory mode. 5) press down on parking brake lever to disengage parking brake. 6) press accelerator. Result: the Leaf is still in accessory mode, but has shifted into neutral after step #4. Once parking brake is off and foot is on accelerator, there is nothing to keep the Leaf from rolling forward. This is not hypothetical, it happened to me twice in the last year. …
Starting on 12/03/2018, this 2011 Nissan Leaf began releasing smoke and a noxious burning-plastic smell into the cabin during 240v and 125v electric vehicle charging when the vehicle is stationary and the ignition is off. The smoke originates from the on-board charger (part 296a0-3na8a) located behind the rear passenger side seat, which is right behind where the child seat usually goes. Despite this, the vehicle continues to charge from electrical sources and drive normally. An inspection by stevens creek Nissan (4855 stevens creek blvd, santa clara, ca 95051) on 12/12/2018 found the same burning smell and reported that a "fuse in the on-board charger (is) fusing". They offered no further expertise about the cause except to recommend a replacement of the on-board charger. …
I recently purchased a 2011 Nissan Leaf vehicle from a private party. I quickly noticed that my battery capacity was at 5 bars and the vehicle has 73300 miles. I also noticed the EV system warning light was on. I took the car to my local Nissan dealer and let them know that I was going to need a new battery but wanted to know the history of the vehicles battery because I believe that the degradation of the vehicles battery would fall into the severe category and because the vehicle was in between owners at the time no one took it in for a battery replacement. Currently in 2020 the 2011 vehicle is at 5 bars meaning that if the battery only lost one bar in the last year the battery would have to have lost more than 50% capacity within the timeframe that it would have been covered under the 8 yr/100,000miles extended warranty. …
2011 Nissan Leaf, have taken it multiple dealers and done the update(s) required by Nissan, which actually made matters worse, regen is not working like had prior to the p3227 update. The biggest issue with the Nissan Leaf is the battery capacity and advertised claims. Currently charging 100% and getting less than 60 miles range. The warranty apparently after two class actions is 5 years 60,000 miles whichever comes first. All anyone at Nissan or the dealers can say is to wait until we drop the 9th bar. But from what the customer service rep told me, I needed to drop below 70% , which according to my calculations I have. But Nissan does Nissan math, each bar is weighted and the software update made adjustments that are mysterious to most. Nissan misrepresented the Leaf and with the poor battery chemistry failed to deliver as promised, and now these cars are practically being given away. …
The range meter on the right side of the dash shows incorrect range. I understood when people would say it depends on how you drive, but no matter how I drive there is no possible way for me to get the range the car says I have. If it shows 55 miles I can be sure to get between 20 and 35 miles before being stranded. I contacted Nissan for a warranty or service concern and they claimed it not to be a manufacturer defect.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a loss of power without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle had been charged the entire night. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer stated that due to the vehicle being involved in a class action lawsuit, they would not repair the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 36,769.
I borrowed a Leaf from a co-worker to drive overnight. I parked in my driveway (not by a plug) and plugged the 110v charger into an extension cord to charge the battery. I awoke at midnight to a strong burned plastic/ozone type smell in my bedroom, which is above the garage. I went to the garage and found the extension cord was overheating, melting the plastic insulation from the wiring. I disconnected it, opened doors for a while to air out the house and went back to bed. Glad I had enough battery to get to work the next morning. My concern is that I assumed the car charger was self regulating so it wouldn't be a problem using an extension cord. As a borrower, I didn't read an owner's manual or any information warning me to avoid an extension cord. I'm very strong auto-technology based, yet still made this dumb mistake. …
I have run into what I believe is a small design flaw. Scenario: 1) Leaf is parked in condo parking garage with gentle uphill slope on parking space. 2) startup sound is turned off. 2) forget the Leaf is still plugged in to av l2 evse. 3) put foot on brake, push start button. 4) shift into reverse, not looking at dash screen to see warning that Leaf won't start. 5) press down on parking brake lever to disengage parking brake. 6) press accelerator. Result: the Leaf doesn't start since it is still plugged in to evse. The Leaf shifts out of park into neutral after step #4. Once parking brake is off and foot is on accelerator, there is nothing to keep the Leaf from rolling back. If it rolls far enough it will damage either the l2 connector to the car or the evse or both. Comment: this is not a hypothetical, it has happened to me 3-4 times in the last year. …
NHTSA investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
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.
Electrical complaints in other Leaf years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2011 Nissan Leaf?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the electrical system of the 2011 Nissan Leaf, 31% of the model year's 95 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2011 Nissan Leaf electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2011 Nissan Leaf. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2011 Nissan Leaf electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 20,000 miles, and 61% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.