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SteeringPart report

2013 Nissan Leaf Steering Problems

Complaints
4about this part
Share
5%of 81 total for the year
Median mileage
5,880miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the steering of the 2013 Nissan Leaf, 5% of the 81 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 5,880 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“On nov 18. 2016, my wife was driving Nissan LEAF 2013 on the highway under a rainy day, the vehicle suddenly gradually stopped (highway 680 to highway 580 at california state). My wife couldn't make it move even press accelerator until she stopped the engine and restarted again. It is very dangerous for her to have such experience on the highway. Later I checked the manual, it is said because of Nissan's vdc function. However it is not proper to stopped the car when it is driving. Today, I also experienced the same problem. …”

NHTSA complaint #10934017, filed 2016-12, 32,000 miles

“Vehicle began to vibrate and steering became difficult. My spouse stopped the vehicle on the side of the road to look for a problem. She found that air was escaping the front left tire out of the sidewall. She then drove the car to a safe stopping point and called for roadside assistance. It was found that the sidewall had blown out on the front left tire. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and was replaced. It was found that the rim was not damaged. The sidewall of the bridgestone ecopia tire had failed after 5,800 miles. …”

NHTSA complaint #10538582, filed 2013-09, 5,880 miles

“The contact owns a 2013 Nissan LEAF. The contact stated that while reversing, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver and the brakes failed to respond without warning. The vehicle crashed into another vehicle. A police report was not filed. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was taken a dealer where the failure was unable to be replicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 200 and the current mileage was 3,000. The VIN was not available.”

NHTSA complaint #10596607, filed 2014-06, 200 miles

“Red triangle warning light comes on will not go out when car is on and when drivers seat belt is ingaged both triangle red light and seat belt light flashes all doors are closed and secure including hatch”

NHTSA complaint #11143876, filed 2018-10

Related service bulletins

Steering: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202315%
201857%
201626%
201426%
201345%
201111%

Other parts of the 2013 Nissan Leaf

Brakes
32 complaints
Electrical system
18 complaints
Air bags
17 complaints
Other or unknown
10 complaints
Vehicle speed control
5 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
5 complaints
Fuel system
4 complaints
Seat belts
4 complaints
Wheels
4 complaints
Electronic stability control
3 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
3 complaints
Engine
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2013 Nissan Leaf

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 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