2011 Nissan Leaf Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 29about this part
- Share
- 31%of 95 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 20,103miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 29 complaints about the electrical system of the 2011 Nissan Leaf, 31% of the 95 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 20,103 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“The range meter on the right side of the dash shows incorrect range. I understood when people would say it depends on how you drive, but no matter how I drive there is no possible way for me to get the range the car says I have. If it shows 55 miles I can be sure to get between 20 and 35 miles before being stranded. I contacted Nissan for a warranty or service concern and they claimed it not to be a manufacturer defect.”
NHTSA complaint #11190532, filed 2019-03, 89,000 miles“The problem is the battery, we where told by Nissan that there would be a slow loss of capacity and up to 20% loss at 5 years. This is only in hot climates like arizona, tx and ca. The car should have had a battery cooling system. Now after pay $40,000 for the car in the first year my driving range is down so much in my second year the car will be worthless to drive or sell.”
NHTSA complaint #10469914, filed 2012-08, 22,000 miles“This is not related to anything specific that happened to my vehicle, but it is related to consumer safety and protection. Nissan settled a class-action lawsuit and amended their battery replacement/repair warranty shortly after they introduced the LEAF to the us. Very soon after this amended warranty went into effect Nissan sent a letter to all LEAF owners and asked us to bring our car in for a software upgrade that would give us a better range display. …”
NHTSA complaint #10780631, filed 2015-10, 40,000 miles“I recently purchased a 2011 Nissan LEAF vehicle from a private party. I quickly noticed that my battery capacity was at 5 bars and the vehicle has 73300 miles. I also noticed the EV system warning light was on. I took the car to my local Nissan dealer and let them know that I was going to need a new battery but wanted to know the history of the vehicles battery because I believe that the degradation of the vehicles battery would fall into the severe category and because the vehicle was in between owners at the time no one took it in for a battery replacement. …”
NHTSA complaint #11324686, filed 2020-05, 73,300 miles“The Nissan LEAF is a 100% battery operated vehicle. There is a built-in battery capacity indicator that is displayed as 12 indicator bars. Each bar represents a % of the batteries capacity to hold a charge. Nissan claims that gradual capacity loss is normal and that driver should expect to have 80% of their capacity left after 5 years and 70% after 10. I lost my first bar at the beginning of april, second bar first week of june, and third bar first week of july. …”
NHTSA complaint #10469919, filed 2012-08, 20,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11004962May 21, 2024VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this…
- 11004961May 21, 2024CAN COMMUNICATION – NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- 11004960May 21, 2024CAN COMMUNICATION CODES – DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- 10242055Aug 16, 2023AV CONTROL UNIT EXCHANGE AND MAP SD CARD REPLACEMENT 8This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- 10239062Jun 16, 2023SILICONE-BASED LUBRICANT OR GREASE CAN DAMAGE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SERVICE INFORMATION Do not apply Silicone-based lubricants or grease to, or around, any interior electrical…
- 10239060Jun 16, 202312 VOLT BATTERY TESTING FOR IN-SERVICE VEHICLES SERVICE INFORMATION The following Service Information lists NNA procedural recommendations for establishing good connections while…
- 10235707Apr 27, 2023VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this…
- 10235710Apr 17, 2023INTELLIGENT KEY REPLACEMENT OR SWAPPING BETWEEN VEHICLES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin.
- 10227267Nov 22, 20223G TELEMATICS HARDWARE DEACTIVATION SERVICE INFORMATION The APPLIED VEHICLES that come equipped with a factory installed SOS switch, located near the overhead map lamp, also come…
- 10208946Feb 22, 2022CAN COMMUNICATION â NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 43% |
| 2024 | 2 | 40% |
| 2023 | 5 | 23% |
| 2022 | 62 | 65% |
| 2021 | 32 | 56% |
| 2020 | 123 | 74% |
| 2019 | 178 | 68% |
| 2018 | 19 | 28% |
| 2017 | 4 | 24% |
| 2016 | 13 | 36% |
| 2015 | 18 | 16% |
| 2014 | 6 | 18% |
| 2013 | 18 | 22% |
| 2012 | 15 | 26% |
| 2011 | 29 | 31% |
Other parts of the 2011 Nissan Leaf
35 complaintsBrakes
22 complaintsSeats
7 complaintsFuel system
5 complaintsVehicle speed control
5 complaintsOther or unknown
4 complaintsBody and structure
3 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
3 complaintsEngine
2 complaintsEquipment
1 complaintsSteering
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2011 Nissan Leaf
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology