Most common 2018 Nissan Leaf problems
Share of the 67 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Nissan Leaf complaints by model year
Best Leaf years: 2017, 2024, 2014. Years to avoid: 2019, 2020, 2022, 2015, 2011. Compare all years →
2018 Nissan Leaf recalls (4)
Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2022 LEAF vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness.
Vehicle speed control
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 LEAF vehicles. The vehicle may accelerate unintentionally if the driving mode is changed ("D" to "B"; e-Pedal "On"; or "ECO" mode) after disengaging the cruise control.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the vehicle control module (VCM), free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
Equipment › Other › Owners/service/other manual
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 LEAF vehicles. The Owner's Manual instructions for defroster operation are incorrect, and may result in reduced defroster performance under specific conditions.
Remedy: 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 April 1, 2023.
Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2018 Nissan Leaf:
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.
What 2018 Nissan Leaf owners say
Brakes
The incident occurred at a stop sign where I was waiting behind one other vehicle. The vehicle ahead of me accelerated from the stop sign to turn into traffic, but abruptly slammed on their brakes. I had began accelerating up to the stop sign and was unable to stop before impacting the car in front of me. As soon as I saw the vehicle was braking, I immediately slammed on the brake pedal. Braking did not immediately occur. My wife said she was afraid that I had slammed the gas pedal because she could hear my foot hit the brake pedal and neither of us felt any braking. The Nissan Leaf was in Eco Mode and ePedal at the time of the incident. I believe that the transition from regenerative braking to mechanical braking delayed the stopping of my vehicle. …
I was stopped at a light, in a long line of cars, my foot on the brake, a few feet away from the car in front of me, and the same in back. All of a sudden, the car started moving, accelerating, jerking forward. I was shocked, pushed down on the brake, nothing happened. starting pulling the car out of line because I was going to hit the car in front of me. I was pumping the brake, and NOTHING HAPPENED. Clipped the car in front's rear left bumper, wrecked my front right bumper. Finally pulled into the turn lane and finally the brakes caught. It was like someone had taken a gizmo and turned on my car (like the OnStar mess a few years ago.). Nothing like this has ever happened to me, in any car, including this one, until 5/12 at 2:00 pm. It was terrifying.
Electrical system
The contact owns a 2018 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that after his wife had parked in a parking garage, the vehicle was restarted and driven in 17-degree Fahrenheit weather when the vehicle lost motive power. The "Service EV System, No Power" message was displayed. The contact's wife pulled over and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The contact stated that the battery had previously been replaced. The dealer determined that the failure was caused by a frozen battery. After the battery had thawed, the battery was able to be recharged. No repair was recommended. The contact related the failure to the variable voltage control system and the 12-Volt battery amp-hours (Ah). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 79,545.
Car was descending towards Kailua on the [redacted] on Oahu, HI. Dash lit up with warnings and acceleration and brake pedals stopped working. Brake pedal went to the floor with erratic pulsing sensation and very little brake power. Driver drove car into jersey wall to slow and stop vehicle. Battery state was 60% and battery was replaced under warranty about 1 year ago. While waiting for tow, powered on vehicle and symptoms remained as far as I could check. Brakes had no power and had to use ebrake to keep vehicle from rolling.
Driver assistance
The incident occurred at a stop sign where I was waiting behind one other vehicle. The vehicle ahead of me accelerated from the stop sign to turn into traffic, but abruptly slammed on their brakes. I had began accelerating up to the stop sign and was unable to stop before impacting the car in front of me. As soon as I saw the vehicle was braking, I immediately slammed on the brake pedal. Braking did not immediately occur. My wife said she was afraid that I had slammed the gas pedal because she could hear my foot hit the brake pedal and neither of us felt any braking. The Nissan Leaf was in Eco Mode and ePedal at the time of the incident. I believe that the transition from regenerative braking to mechanical braking delayed the stopping of my vehicle. …
On [redacted], I was slowly pulling into my driveway, took my foot off the accelerator and turned the steering wheel slightly to the right as the driveway is L shaped. Suddenly, the car sped up towards the garage door. I looked down quickly to see if I'd somehow pressed the accelerator by accident but I had not. I slammed on the brakes as hard as I could but the car kept going and smashed into the garage door and the corner of the garage, causing close to $20k in property damage. The hood and front bumper were badly caved in at the point of impact and pieces of the undercarriage were on the ground. The air smelled like rubber and there were tire marks on the driveway here I had slammed on the brakes. The airbags did not deploy. The Automatic Braking System did not work. There were no warning messages or lamps. …
2018 Nissan Leaf engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric | Single-speed | FWD | 125 / 100 / 112 MPGe | 151 mi |
EPA ratings. Class: Midsize car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2018 Nissan Leaf a good car?
Based on 67 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2018 Leaf rates average: 1.4× as many complaints as a typical year of the Leaf at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2018 Nissan Leaf?
The brakes — 19 complaints, 28% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the electrical system (19) and driver assistance (13).
How many recalls does the 2018 Nissan Leaf have?
There are 4 recalls for the 2018 Nissan Leaf, the most recent from February 2, 2024 (camera). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Nissan Leaf?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2017, 2024 and 2014. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2019, 2020, 2022, 2015 and 2011. See the full Nissan Leaf years comparison.
At what mileage do 2018 Nissan Leaf problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 8,000 miles; 92% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.