Collision Avoidance complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
My front collision system will sporadically start flashing when there is nothing in front of me. One time a dealer was able to read a code saying that it overheated, and told me that was a known issue with no solution. It was 100F, but I have had the same issue at 35F. The dealership and corporate cannot tell me how the safety system will respond with this error, either disabling my crash prevention system or possibly automatically breaking for no reason. I have taken it to the dealership 4 times. One refused to even try to read the code as it was happening. Another read the code but refused to record it. The other times they kept the car for a total of 8 days and didn't even look at the component. It seems like they know that this safety issue exists and have no plans to address it. …
The car (2023 Nissan Leaf SV Plus) was being driven down an urban street during daylight hours and in good weather (no precipitation). The car was being driven in the middle lane, between the right lane and the left turn lane, and at slow speed, as it had been stopped for a stop light. There was a truck parked in the right lane with a "cherry picker" on it that was involved in tree trimming. The truck was not moving. As the Nissan Leaf started to accelerate from the stoplight, the car suddenly applied it's brakes, rapidly slowing the car to a stop, and almost causing the car following to strike the Leaf from behind.
I had an accident that totaled the Leaf the day after I bought it. It was dark. The road was more congested than usual and a dog ran out into the road. According to eye witnesses, three vehicles including two Honda SUVs (the first vehicle that stated the whole mess didn't stay) managed to brake to a complete stop without rear ending one another. The Nissan Leaf could not brake quickly enough and I rear ended a CR-V with enough force that the Leaf airbags deployed and I could tell the Leaf was totaled at the scene. The emergency braking system never engaged and the brake pedal felt the same from beginning to end. I was not tailgating. The Leaf felt enough like my 2020 Kia Niro that I made the mistake of not being more cautious with a vehicle that was new to me. …
I was driving on the highway when the car in front of me applied their breaks - I took my foot off of the accelerator but the car did not slow down. I applied the breaks but they did not work - in fact, the car seemed to accelerate. I heard the collision alarm sound but the automatic emergency braking system did not engage or stop the car, so I crashed into the car in front of me. Air bag deployed and then the car filled with smoke from the batteries but I couldn't get out as the power locks didn't work or allow me to open the door. The EMT's had to break the rear window to get me out of the car
The contact owns a 2021 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V071000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while attempting to reverse, the back over prevention camera failed to function. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
This vehicle failed to have airbags deployed in this accident on 3.23.2022, as photographs that are larger than 10MB will upload, but the Estimate did upload. BUT the car was spun nearly if not fully 360 after hit by a truck in a lane change of a blind spot that spun the car and into concrete barriers. HORRIBLE. Totaled Vehicle. this is the SECOND accident both under USAA on September 03, 2021, with another Police Report and Freeway accident from Front End when freeway traffic came to a sudden stop, and into the barrier. AGAIN no Air Bag Deployed. Warning systems failed.
The contact owns a 2020 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V700000 (Electrical System), 24V071000 (Back Over Prevention) and 23V494000 (Vehicle Speed Control); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle control module (VCM) had failed and was replaced several times; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start. The contact also stated that the rear driver's side seat belt was locked and inoperable. The Local dealer, Edison Nissan (401 US-1, Edison, NJ 08817), and an unknown dealer were contacted for the recall repairs and informed the contact that a technician for the Nissan Leaf was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. …
About 3 months ago, I took this car in after receiving a recall notice for unexpected acceleration while on adaptive cruise control even though this was an issue I had never experienced before. But on monday, driving in stop and go traffic in light rain (intermittent wipers on slow setting), all of a sudden the car started accelerating directly towards the car 20 feet or so in front of us; the brakes had to be manually slammed on to bring the car to stop with now only 2-3 feet or so between the two cars. This was very alarming. When I spoke to the dealership about them needing to fix this safety issue and how I thought it must be related to the recall, they said it could not be given it first happened 3 months later and I would have to pay for an evaluation and if they found anything wrong for the repair. …
Related recalls (3)
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.
Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020 LEAF electric vehicles. Under certain circumstances, the images for the back-up camera can disappear while in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. This recall began August 31, 2020. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which Nissan Leaf years have collision avoidance problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2018 (13), 2019 (13), 2020 (12) and 2021 (8) model years. Collision Avoidance complaints make up 19% of all complaints for the 2018.
Is there a recall for Nissan Leaf collision avoidance problems?
Yes — 3 recalls, including 24V-071 (camera, Feb 2, 2024); 20V-412 (camera, Jul 17, 2020); 19V-654 (camera, Sep 12, 2019). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Nissan Leaf collision avoidance problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 12,000 miles; 92% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the automatic emergency braking (23 mentions), followed by the warnings (13).
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.