NHTSA Complaint #10625730 — 2012 NISSAN LEAF

AN ANIMAL RAN IN FRONT OF THE CAR. AFTER A HARD APPLICATION OF BRAKES AND SUBSEQUENT RELEASE OF BRAKE PEDAL, THE CAR CONTINUED TO STOP, COMING TO A FULL STOP IN THE STREET WITHOUT DRIVER INPUT. THE CONDITION CAN BE REPEATED, IF YOU STEP ON THE BRAKE PEDAL HARD ENOUGH. THE BRAKES FUNCTION NORMALLY IN TYPICAL DRIVING. THE PROBLEM ONLY MANIFIESTS ITSELF IN EMERGENCY OR UNUSUALLY HARD BRAKING AS ENCOUNTERED IN COLLISION AVOIDANCE OF CARS, PEDESTRIANS, OR OTHER OBSTACLES. A SECOND INCIDENT ALSO OCCURRED AT 30 MPH. AN ONCOMING CAR APPEARED IN MY LANE ON A BLIND CURVE. THE ABRUPT BRAKING RESULTED IN THE LEAF STOPPING UNEXPECTEDLY AND COMPLETELY IN THE CURVE. DUE ONLY TO THE VIGILANCE OF THE DRIVER FOLLOWING BEHIND US, WE WERE NOT REAR ENDED. I HAD STOPPED APPLYING THE BRAKE LONG BEFORE THE LEAF WAS STOPPED, AS THE DANGER HAD PASSED. FROM 40 MPH, A HARD APPLICATION OF THE BRAKES, AND THE RELEASE OF THE BRAKE PEDAL FULLY AT 35 MPH, WILL RESULT IN THE CAR COMING TO A FULL STOP IN THE ROAD. APPLICATION OF THROTTLE IMMEDIATELY AFTER RELEASE OF THE BRAKE PEDAL AT APPROX 35 MPH WILL RESULT SLIGHT MITIGATION OF BRAKING, BUT ONLY AFTER A DELAY. THE CAR WILL STILL CONTINUE TO SLOW DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY AND PUT THE OCCUPANTS IN SIGNIFICANT DANGER FROM FOLLOWING TRAFFIC. I TESTED ANOTHER 2012 LEAF AND EXHIBITED IT THE SAME BEHAVIOR WHILE A 2014 DID NOT, INSTEAD, REACTING NORMALLY TO HARD BRAKING.