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Total NHTSA Complaints
109
Owner filings recorded
#1 Reported Problem
Brakes & Traction Control
84 reports (77.1%)
Crash Incident Reports
8
Filings citing a crash
Fire & Injury Reports
3
0 fire • 3 injury filings
Defect Investigation Analysis

Executive Problem Findings

AutoUtility currently tracks 109 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2015 Nissan Leaf. Brakes & Traction Control issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 84 complaints (77.1% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 8 filings cite a crash, 3 report one or more injuries.

Methodology Notice: Consumer complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Filings are not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and do not constitute an audited component failure rate.
Incident & Severity Profile
  • • Total Owner Reports: 109 complaints submitted under federal penalty.
  • • Primary Subsystem: Brakes & Traction Control accounts for 77.1% of submissions (84 reports).
  • • Secondary Systems: Electrical System (17), Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (8).
  • • Crash Incidents: 8 filings cite an impact or collision.
  • • Thermal Incidents: 0 filings cite smoke or fire.
  • • Reported Casualties: 3 injury filings • 0 fatality filings.
Category Distribution

Reported Defect Categories for 2015 Nissan Leaf

Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records

Brakes & Traction Control
84
77.1%
Electrical System
17
15.6%
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
8
7.3%
Air Bags & Restraints
8
7.3%
Engine & Cooling
3
2.8%
#1 77.1% SHARE

Brakes & Traction Control

84 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 7 Crash 🩹 2 Injury
⚠️ 1 Associated Recall Campaign
#2 15.6% SHARE

Electrical System

17 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

✓ 0 Incidents
#3 7.3% SHARE

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech

8 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 1 Crash
#4 7.3% SHARE

Air Bags & Restraints

8 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.

⚠️ 1 Crash 🩹 1 Injury
⚠️ 2 Associated Recall Campaigns
Deterministic Text Analysis

Recurring Symptoms Identified in Owner Reports

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

Brakes & Traction Control 14.7%

Reduced Braking / Brake Pedal to Floor

16 complaint narratives describe this symptom.

NHTSA Narrative Match
Federal Oversight

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)

Formal engineering analyses and preliminary evaluations opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

ODI Action #DP22005 CLOSED Defect Petition (DP)
Opened: 2023-01-27 • Closed: 2023-08-07
Subject / Subsystem
Pedestrian alert sounds
Affected Component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM
Recall Linkage
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 of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
Consumer Filings

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2015 Nissan Leaf

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Brakes & Traction Control ODI #11756786
Filed: 08/13/2026
Defect Report

"The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the brakes failed to engage while the brake pedal was depressed. The brake and master warning lights were illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions; however, the contact stated..."

Brakes & Traction Control ODI #11755341
Filed: 08/06/2026
Defect Report

"The car was parked in a parking lot, and when we turned it on and pulled out of the space, the brake light, ABS light, and other warning lights came on and the brakes went soft. We pulled back into the space and tried again, thinking it was a fluke and heard a strange noise coming from the car when..."

Other / Miscellaneous ODI #11733370
Filed: 04/23/2026
Defect Report

"Visor on driver side fall down on face causing blockage. Paint is pealing off of vehicle."

Brakes & Traction Control ODI #11733315
Filed: 04/23/2026
Defect Report

"This is the third time my brakes have failed while driving, which seems to have something to do with the 12-volt battery. At least at first, I disconnected my 12-volt battery and reconnected it; this fixed the issue, at least for a while. The other day, I was driving down a road near my house and..."

Brakes & Traction Control ODI #11704452
Filed: 12/11/2025
Defect Report

"Was driving the car in a neighborhood setting only going 20 mph, ABS light turned on the dashboard, traction control light or some other light regarding traction came on as well, brakes failed. Had to use parking brake to stop the vehicle."

Multi-Year Trend

Complaint History for Nissan Leaf

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Nissan Leaf Current Page 109 8 4 Current
2016 Nissan Leaf 36 1 4 View 2016 Problems →
2017 Nissan Leaf 0 0 2 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Nissan Leaf 66 9 4 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Nissan Leaf 253 4 5 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Nissan Leaf 162 1 6 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Nissan Leaf 53 2 4 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Nissan Leaf 90 7 4 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Nissan Leaf 19 6 3 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Nissan Leaf 5 0 0 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Nissan Leaf 7 0 0 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Nissan Leaf 0 0 2 View 2026 Problems →
Exhaustive System Audit

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2015 Nissan Leaf

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 26 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Injury Entries Fatality Entries
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 62 6 0 2 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 11 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 6 1 0 1 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 2 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 2 1 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR,TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
Search Intelligence

Quick Answers: Common Problems & Reliability Questions for the 2015 Nissan Leaf

Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2015 Nissan Leaf

What are the most common reported problems with the 2015 Nissan Leaf?

In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2015 Nissan Leaf is Brakes & Traction Control, appearing in 84 records (77.1% of submitted filings).

Secondary reported categories include Electrical System (17) and Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (8).

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Is the 2015 Nissan Leaf a reliable vehicle?

AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 109 consumer defect complaints and 4 safety recall campaigns for the 2015 Nissan Leaf.

Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.

Source: NHTSA ODI & Safety Recalls Databases

Are there crash, fire, or injury reports associated with the 2015 Nissan Leaf?

Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2015 Nissan Leaf, 8 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 3 report one or more injuries.

Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Consumer Logs

Has NHTSA formally investigated defects on the 2015 Nissan Leaf?

NHTSA ODI records list 1 formal defect investigation involving the 2015 Nissan Leaf (all closed).

Federal defect investigations are formal engineering evaluations opened when safety defect trends emerge, and do not by themselves establish a confirmed defect or mandatory recall.

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Registry
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.