2015 Nissan Leaf Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2015 Nissan Leaf ranks 4th worst of 16 model years with a complaint index of 80 and an Avoid verdict. NHTSA logged 110 complaints, 77% concerning brakes, plus 8 crashes and 4 recalls, with a median failure mileage of 27,000.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 80/100
- #4 of 16 Leaf years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 110
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 4
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 8
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 3
- Top issue
- Brakes
- NHTSA overall rating
- 4 / 5 ★
- EPA combined MPG
- 114
- 126 city / 101 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 3 / 0
Top 2015 Nissan Leaf problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Brakes85 (77%)
- Electrical System18 (16%)
- Engine10 (9%)
- Other9 (8%)
- Airbags8 (7%)
- Transmission & Powertrain3 (3%)
- Fuel System2 (2%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires2 (2%)
- Visibility & Wipers2 (2%)
- Structure & Body1 (1%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Brake pedal reportedly travels to the floor with little to no stopping power, sometimes at low speed while parking.
- Owners describe sudden unintended acceleration when the brake pedal is pressed, occasionally leading to a collision.
- Passenger airbag warning shows disabled even with a passenger seated and belted, described as inconsistent across multiple owners.
- Airbags reportedly did not deploy in a front-end collision involving another vehicle.
- Some owners report the headrest position could not be adjusted to a comfortable position.
- One owner described a brief acceleration surge just before the car came to a full stop when braking.
2015 Nissan Leaf recalls
4 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- 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.
- NHTSA 17V253000Apr 13, 2017Airbags30,038 vehicles
Air bags
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error within the air bag inflators, the passenger frontal air bag may not properly deploy in the event of a crash.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the front passenger air bag doesn't deploy properly, it can increase the risk of injury to passengers.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
- 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.
2015 Nissan Leaf fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 126 MPG
- Highway
- 101 MPG
- Combined
- 114 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.
2015 compared with other Leaf years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2015 Nissan Leaf reliable?
- NHTSA data gives the 2015 Leaf a complaint index of 80, the 4th highest among 16 model years, and it carries an Avoid verdict relative to other Leaf years. Brakes account for 77% of its 110 complaints.
- What is the biggest problem with the 2015 Nissan Leaf?
- Brakes are the top problem area, with 85 complaints making up 77% of all reports and 7 of the year's 8 recorded crashes. Median mileage at failure for brake complaints was 32,500.
- Does the 2015 Nissan Leaf have a brake recall?
- Yes. Recall 16V119000 covers 2013-2015 Leaf vehicles built November 19, 2012 to July 31, 2015, where a relay inside the electronic brake booster could malfunction in very cold temperatures.
- How does the 2015 Leaf compare to other Leaf years?
- The 2015 Leaf's complaint index of 80 is worse than most other years except 2019 (100), 2020 (93), and 2022 (87), all of which are also rated Avoid. Years like 2017, 2024, and 2025 rate Best with much lower complaint indexes.
- Were there airbag issues on the 2015 Nissan Leaf?
- Yes. NHTSA received 8 complaints about airbags for the 2015 Leaf, and two recalls (17V253000 and 16V244000) address passenger air bag inflator and related software issues.