YearToAvoid

2013 Nissan Leaf Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Caution

Complaint Index

73/100

#5 most-complained of 16 Leaf years

The 2013 Nissan Leaf has 81 NHTSA complaints, 5 recalls, and a complaint index of 73, ranking 5th worst out of 16 model years. Brakes are the top problem area at 40% of complaints, giving it a Caution verdict relative to other Leaf years.

Complaints
81
Recalls
5
Crashes / fires
11 / 1
Injuries / deaths
4 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
4 / 5 ★
EPA combined MPG
115
129 city / 102 hwy

Top 2013 Nissan Leaf problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Brakes32 (40%)
  2. Electrical System18 (22%)
  3. Airbags17 (21%)
  4. Other11 (14%)
  5. Engine7 (9%)
  6. Suspension, Wheels & Tires7 (9%)
  7. Fuel System4 (5%)
  8. Seat Belts4 (5%)
  9. Steering4 (5%)
  10. Structure & Body4 (5%)

What owners report

  • Owners report brakes failing to respond or going to the floor at speeds around 25 to 50 mph, leading to rear-end collisions.
  • Some describe brakes locking on after medium pressure and not releasing even after taking the foot off the pedal.
  • One owner reported a melted charging port and fumes while the car was plugged in for charging at 9,400 miles.
  • Airbags reportedly failed to deploy in a rear-end crash where the brakes failed, while in another case airbags deployed unexpectedly after the vehicle jerked and hit a curb.
  • One owner reported difficulty steering while reversing combined with brakes that failed to respond, resulting in a crash.
  • A tie rod or suspension defect was noted after a front tire turned perpendicular to the car, causing an airbag deployment.
2013 Nissan Leaf complaints: complaints filed per quarter112013 Q22014 Q22015 Q22016 Q42017 Q42019 Q12020 Q32023 Q4
116 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2013 Q2 to 2025 Q1; peak 2013 Q3 (11).

2013 Nissan Leaf recalls

5 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 23V296000Apr 26, 2023Other94,343 vehicles

    Equipment:other:owners/service/other manual

    Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2017 LEAF vehicles. The Owner's Manual instructions for defroster operation are incorrect and may result in reduced defroster performance under specific conditions. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."

    Risk: Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.

    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 May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A1.

  2. NHTSA 16V244000Apr 26, 2016Airbags3,296,947 vehicles

    Air bags:sensor:occupant classification

    Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.

    Risk: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.

  3. NHTSA 16V119000Feb 29, 2016Brakes46,859 vehicles

    Service brakes

    Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 LEAF vehicles manufactured November 19, 2012, to July 31, 2015. During very cold temperatures, the relay inside the electronic brake booster may freeze, requiring the driver to exert more effort to slow the vehicle down.

    Risk: If the brake relay fails, longer distances or additional brake effort would be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Intelligent Brake Control Unit software, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

See all 5 recalls for the 2013 Nissan Leaf →

2013 Nissan Leaf fuel economy and fuel cost

City
129 MPG
Highway
102 MPG
Combined
115 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$650
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Electricity
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2013 compared with other Leaf years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2011Caution6095099
2012Good4757099
2013Caution73815115
2014Good33346114
2015Avoid801104114

All Nissan Leaf years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Nissan Leaf reliable?
Compared to other Leaf model years, the 2013 has a Caution verdict, with a complaint index of 73 and 81 complaints, ranking 5th worst out of 16 years.
What is the biggest problem with the 2013 Nissan Leaf?
Brakes are the top problem area, accounting for 40% of complaints (32 of 81), with a median failure mileage of 36,000 miles and 7 related crashes.
Does the 2013 Nissan Leaf have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 5 recalls for the 2013 Leaf, covering airbags (3 recalls), brakes, and a defroster owner's manual correction. None are do-not-drive recalls.
How does the 2013 Leaf compare to other years?
The 2013 Leaf's complaint index of 73 is higher than 2012 (47), 2014 (33), 2016 (27), and 2017 (13), but lower than 2015 (80) and 2019 (100), which rank Avoid.
What is the fuel economy of the 2013 Nissan Leaf?
The EPA rates the 2013 Leaf at 115 MPG combined (129 city, 102 highway) with an annual fuel cost of $650.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.