2012 NISSAN LEAF — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
5/5
Safety Rating
71
Owner Complaints
0
Recalls
27
Service Bulletins
1
Investigation
Overview of the 2012 NISSAN LEAF
The 2012 NISSAN LEAF has received a total of 71 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. 27 technical service bulletins have been issued by Nissan North America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Service Brakes (22 complaints), Electrical System (14 complaints), and Air Bags (11 complaints).
Recalls for the 2012 NISSAN LEAF
There are no recalls on file with NHTSA for the 2012 NISSAN LEAF. No Active Recalls
Owner Complaints for the 2012 NISSAN LEAF
71 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2012 NISSAN LEAF. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 22 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Electrical System | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibilitywiper | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic Stability Control Esc | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Unknown Or Other | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical Systempropulsion Systemtraction Battery | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipmentotherownersserviceother Manual | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuelpropulsion System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hybrid Propulsion System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Latcheslockslinkageshoodlatch | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
High voltage battery keeps shorting out stalling while driving on interstate almost got hit by 18 wheeler a few times it's a very unsafe car to drive and I keep smelling something like an odor from the battery I've been trying to get help to do the door ship Nissan consumer affairs and seem to be getting nowhere and they're letting me drive a car with a high voltage battery problem that obviously has a short in it help me
Lithium batteries Depletion
Dealer is Mike Erdman Nissan Merritt Island Fl 32953 Airbag warning light flashing red on console. Paid $260 for diagnostic check on July 21, 2024. They cannot fix it as an airbag sensor on the passenger side seat is malfunctioning and the entire passenger side seat must be replaced and part is not available or is no longer in stock. They MAY be able to locate an entire seat Nissan Leaf 2012 somewhere, but if they do (and they said probably not) it will cost $4000.00. The seat is no longer made by Nissan and after market seats would not meet safety standards (they said). There is a published complaint list of well over 2000 Nissan Leaf owners regarding 2011 and 2012 Leaf owners who say there should be a safety recall as this issue has been known by Nissan and the 2013 and later models had safety changes installed for this issue but no safety recall was made for 2011 and 2012 models. I believe a safety recall to fix this issue is imperative.
My Nissan Leaf is showing a warning sign that front passenger side airbag is disabled. I see that this is a common complaint from many 2011-12 Nissan Leaf owners. I would like to add my name to the list of owners who had a similar complaint and please update if you make Nissan do a recall for this issue.
Car stops completely due to a defective battery should be recalled by dealer manufacturer
Safety Rating for the 2012 NISSAN LEAF
The 2012 NISSAN LEAF received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2012 NISSAN LEAF
Nissan North America, Inc. has issued 27 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2012 NISSAN LEAF. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
NTB12-013A — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN 2012 LEAF; SOFTWARE UPDATE Service Campaign ID # P1272 is no longer active. ï· Repair orders opened after this bulletinâs published date are no longer eligible for reimbursement under Campaign ID # P1272. ï· Discard all previous versions of NTB12-013.
NTB12-015A — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN 2011-2012 LEAF; SOFTWARE UPDATES Service Campaign ID # P1274 is no longer active. ï· Repair orders opened after this bulletinâs published date are no longer eligible for reimbursement under Campaign ID # P1274. ï· Discard all previous versions of NTB12-015.
NTB17-015c — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION INITIATIVE 2G TELEMATICS HARDWARE REPLACEMENT Customer Satisfaction Initiative ID # PC449 and PC450 are no longer active. ï· Repair orders opened after this bulletinâs published date are no longer eligible for reimbursement under Campaign ID # PC449 or PC450. ï· Please discard all previous versions of NTB17-015.
NTB14-059d — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2011-2016 LEAF; 24 KWH HIGH VOLTAGE REPLACEMENT BATTERY PACK This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB18-045b — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
2011-2015 LEAF; 12 VOLT BATTERY LOSES CHARGE AND/OR TELEMATICS SERVICES DO NOT WORK This bulletin applies only to vehicles equipped with a 3G Telematics Control Unit. This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB18-045a — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
2011-2015 LEAF; 12 VOLT BATTERY LOSES CHARGE AND/OR TELEMATICS SERVICES DO NOT WORK This bulletin applies only to vehicles equipped with a 3G Telematics Control Unit. This bulletin has been amended. The CLAIMS INFORMATION section has been revised. No other changes have been made. Please discard previous versions of this...
NTB17-015a — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION INITIATIVE 2G TELEMATICS HARDWARE REPLACEMENT This bulletin applies only to vehicles equipped with navigation system. This bulletin has been amended to correct the CO-PAY INFORMATION on page one. No other changes have been made. Please discard all previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB17-015a — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION INITIATIVE 2G TELEMATICS HARDWARE REPLACEMENT This bulletin applies only to vehicles equipped with navigation system. This bulletin has been amended to correct the CO-PAY INFORMATION on page one. No other changes have been made. Please discard all previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB17-038 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
2011-2017 LEAF; LABEL REQUIRED FOR BATTERY MODULE WARRANTY RETURN SERVICE INFORMATION LEAF battery modules that are replaced under warranty are required to have a return label affixed to the module being returned, with the repair date recorded on it. See Figure 1. The return label is included with the new...
Revision 2_PC449 — EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL
2G Telematics Hardware Replacement Customer Satisfaction Initiative The announcement from December 15, 2016 has been revised to include: - Campaign repair bulletin, NTB17-015, has been developed and is now available on NNAnet, and ASIST Please discard earlier versions of this bulletin.
Showing 10 of 27 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2012 NISSAN LEAF
NHTSA has opened 1 investigation into potential safety defects in the 2012 NISSAN LEAF.
Other Model Years of the NISSAN LEAF
- 2010 NISSAN LEAF — 1 complaint
- 2011 NISSAN LEAF — 117 complaints
- 2012 NISSAN LEAF (current)
- 2013 NISSAN LEAF — 120 complaints
- 2014 NISSAN LEAF — 45 complaints
- 2015 NISSAN LEAF — 138 complaints
- 2016 NISSAN LEAF — 49 complaints
- 2017 NISSAN LEAF — 23 complaints
Other NISSAN Models
- NISSAN ALTIMA — 20,037 total complaints
- NISSAN PATHFINDER — 10,111 total complaints
- NISSAN ROGUE — 9,608 total complaints
- NISSAN MAXIMA — 8,834 total complaints
- NISSAN SENTRA — 8,129 total complaints
- NISSAN MURANO — 7,410 total complaints
- NISSAN VERSA — 4,436 total complaints
- NISSAN FRONTIER — 4,425 total complaints