NHTSA Complaint #11637211 — 2020 NISSAN LEAF

The defrost in my Nissan Leaf with does not function at all when the temperature is below around 10 degrees Fahrenheit. I found this out by having my windshield rapidly frost over while driving down the highway at over 65 MPH, almost causing a multi-vehicle accident because I could not see out of any of my windows. When I departed for my trip the vehicle had defrost functionality, but the ambient temperature must have dropped during my trip to the point where I can only assume the heat pump became disabled by the vehicle control systems, leaving only the Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater to supply defrost functionality. I assume that my PTC heater is somehow inoperative and thus resulted in the rapid frosting without any warning or indication to the driver. I see this as a critical safety concern as it affects vehicle visibility and defrost performance to where the vehicle no longer meets FMVSS Standard 103. Driving in ambient temperatures around the point at which the heat pump becomes disabled can cause rapid frosting of the vehicle windows with zero warning or indication of the defrost functionality being compromised. Since it only happens in extreme cold, I assume the issue is related to the Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) heater that is supposed to kick in when the vehicles heat pump becomes ineffective below a specific ambient temperature. I tried the process outlined in NTHSA recall 22V-048, but it still does not supply any defrost functionality. Conducting a quick internet search has resulted in numerous other Leaf owners experiencing similar issues with their loss of defrost functionality and vehicle heat in extreme cold ambient temperatures. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by a dealer or the manufacturer. I was lucky and did not get into an accident, but other owners of this vehicle may not be so lucky. I feel that Nissan is hiding a known defect here since there was already a recall related to Defrost performance.