AutoUtility currently tracks 36 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Nissan Leaf. Brakes & Traction Control issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 16 complaints (44.4% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 1 filing cites a crash, 1 cites a fire.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
16 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
13 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
8 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
3 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
6 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
Formal engineering analyses and preliminary evaluations opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME intermittently AT FIRST ... NOW permanently AND CANNOT BE DIAGNOSED BY NISSAN. IHAD TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE WHILE ON THE FWY AT 60MPH, THE DASH LIGHTS FOR ALL BRAKE COMPONENETS CAME UP WITH TIRE AS WELL...ALMOST ALL WARNINGS LIT UP AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND I HAD..."
"When turning left there is a plasticky sticking feeling and sound like a plastic bushing is coming apart. this causes the steering to momentarily bind. this happens most often when making gentle curves on the highway. the feeling causes you to overcorrect the steering wheel. there are many..."
"On January 9, a little after 12:30 pm, on Indian Head Highway (MD route 210) northbound near the Manokeek exit, after limiting drive power owing to battery degradation and cold weather (about 30 F) drive power and power steering failed entirely. There was no warning to pull over so I suspect this..."
"On Friday, November 1, at about 3 pm, the brakes failed pulling away from the curb in a forward direction after loading equipment into the vehicle. Really stomping the brakes as though they had a fluid problem did get them to engage. I think the problem occured again backing out of my driveway..."
"Drove home at 7PM mild day (65-70 degrees). Stopped the car and turned it off for an hour. Had to leave home at 8PM. Turned on the car and backed up the driveway. Tried to stop but break wasn't working.. Pressed all the way that ABS started trickling. Used the hand break to stop the car. Turned off..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Nissan Leaf | 109 | 8 | 4 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Nissan Leaf Current Page | 36 | 1 | 4 | Current |
| 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 → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 14 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 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2016 Nissan Leaf
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2016 Nissan Leaf is Brakes & Traction Control, appearing in 16 records (44.4% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Electrical System (13) and Fuel & Propulsion System (8).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 36 consumer defect complaints and 4 safety recall campaigns for the 2016 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.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Nissan Leaf, 1 filing cites a crash, 1 cite smoke or fire, and 0 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.
NHTSA ODI records list 1 formal defect investigation involving the 2016 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.
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.