NHTSA Complaint #11713352 — 2019 NISSAN LEAF

I am filing this complaint regarding the ongoing safety risk and lack of remedy for NHTSA Recall 24V-700, which affects my 2019 Nissan Leaf. This recall was officially initiated in September/October 2024 due to a risk of high-voltage battery fires during Level 3 (DC Fast) charging caused by lithium deposits in the battery cells. It has been approximately 16 months since Nissan issued the interim notification advising owners to stop using Level 3 quick charging. To date, no functional remedy has been provided. This delay has resulted in: 1. Unaddressed Fire Risk: The vehicle contains a known defect that can lead to a thermal incident. While Nissan’s interim "solution" is to avoid fast charging, the underlying hardware defect remains in the vehicle. 2. Loss of Essential Functionality: I am unable to use the advertised DC fast-charging capability of my vehicle. This severely limits the vehicle's utility for trips beyond its immediate range and forces me to rely exclusively on slower Level 1 or Level 2 charging, which is not always feasible. 3. Unreasonable Delay: Under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301, manufacturers are required to remedy safety defects within a reasonable time. A delay of over a year for a software-based fix (which Nissan has stated is the intended remedy) is unreasonable and leaves the consumer with a diminished and potentially hazardous product. I am requesting that the NHTSA investigate the cause of this extensive delay and compel Nissan to either provide an immediate repair, offer a vehicle buyback, or replace the defective battery modules, as the proposed software "patch" appears insufficient to address the physical cell degradation.