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BrakesPart report

2016 Nissan Leaf Brakes Problems

Complaints
16about this part
Share
44%of 36 total for the year
Median mileage
20,000miles
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 16 complaints about the brakes of the 2016 Nissan Leaf, 44% of the 36 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 20,000 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.

“Brake stopped working while I was driving on san thomas expressway in santa clara city in california; I immediately switched to park and also used manual brake, eventually I managed to stop it; since it's blocking a lane, police came and towed the car to the dealership. Mileage is estimate since the car is still being repaired in the dealership.”

NHTSA complaint #11234686, filed 2019-07, 21,000 miles

“I had a brake failure at power on issue on my 2016 Nissan LEAF sl. Nothing on the dash alerted me. The brakes did work, but it seemed like no vacuum assist, so had to press really hard. Towed to a dealer. Replaced the 12v battery. Very scary, I rolled out into an intersection and luckily I was not in an accident or ran over a pedestrian.”

NHTSA complaint #11097873, filed 2018-05, 20,000 miles

“I haven't had an accident due to the brakes not working, but I have had similar issues that others are reporting. I've learned to not follow close at all. Mine is only at low speeds that I've noticed the lack of brakes. Seems random, cannot determine a specific speed or conditions that are common. It has happened since the beginning. Only at 13700 miles currently.”

NHTSA complaint #11152331, filed 2018-11, 13,700 miles

“My 2016 LEAF sl was damaged in a fairly low speed collision during heavy office rush traffic (around 7:30am in the morning). When the car in front of me suddenly stopped, I also braked hard. At that time I heard ABS like sound but the car did not actually stop, it kept on going and hit the car in front of me. I was too stressed out at the moment therefore I did not have time to think. Later on, I spent some time searching internet with search queries like 'Nissan LEAF brake problem' or 'Nissan LEAF did not brake' etc. I found multiple mentions of experiences very similar to mine. …”

NHTSA complaint #11084606, filed 2018-04, 14,000 miles

“While approaching an intersection in a busy area of san diego county, the brakes failed on my Nissan LEAF. The brake shuddered under my foot, much like anti-lock brakes do when they're engaged. After I felt the shuddering, the brake pedal went down but the vehicle did not decelerate as it normally would in response to braking. I tried the brake pedal a few times with no response, but the vehicle's momentum slowed enough for me to avoid a collision and continue on the road. As I came to a second intersection, I again tried the brakes and the vehicle did not respond. …”

NHTSA complaint #11001701, filed 2017-06, 12,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Brakes: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2023313%
202288%
202112%
202032%
2019104%
20181928%
2017212%
20161644%
20158577%
20141853%
20133240%
20122239%
20112223%

Other parts of the 2016 Nissan Leaf

Electrical system
13 complaintsFuel system
8 complaintsAir bags
3 complaintsEngine
3 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
3 complaintsSteering
2 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2016 Nissan Leaf

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 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