2016 NISSAN LEAF — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

When turning left there is a plasticky sticking feeling and sound like a plastic bushing is coming apart. this causes the steering to momentarily bind. this happens most often when making gentle curves on the highway. the feeling causes you to overcorrect the steering wheel. there are many complaints online of similar issues from 2016 Nissan leafs. The issue occurs near daily since purchasing the car back in 2023. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On January 9, a little after 12:30 pm, on Indian Head Highway (MD route 210) northbound near the Manokeek exit, after limiting drive power owing to battery degradation and cold weather (about 30 F) drive power and power steering failed entirely. There was no warning to pull over so I suspect this is an undocumented failure mode. After the car was towed home, it would not charge when plugged in until after I disconnected the 12 v battery and reconnected it after about ten minutes. It would then charge and after a few minutes I checked and it would send power to the wheels and power steering again. The state of charge of the lithium ion battery was about 86% throughout. This was not a failure of the on board 12 v battery charging system or 12 v battery which the tow truck driver tested as good, it is quite new. After the reset of disconnecting the 12 v battery and reconnecting, the terminals show higher voltage when the car is on than when it is off. Attached please find a picture of the warning lights after the car failed. Note that the battery light is for the 12 volt battery but there is nothing wrong with it. Also atteched, voltmeter readings when the car is off and on showing that the 12 volt battery recharging system is working. This car may or may not have an optional battery warmer, but its range of operation is well below the 30 F temperature when the failure occured. The car is more that two years overdue for warranty lithium ion battery replacement owing to manufacture delay.

On January 9, a little after 12:30 pm, on Indian Head Highway (MD route 210) northbound near the Manokeek exit, after limiting drive power owing to battery degradation and cold weather (about 30 F) drive power and power steering failed entirely. There was no warning to pull over so I suspect this is an undocumented failure mode. After the car was towed home, it would not charge when plugged in until after I disconnected the 12 v battery and reconnected it after about ten minutes. It would then charge and after a few minutes I checked and it would send power to the wheels and power steering again. The state of charge of the lithium ion battery was about 86% throughout. This was not a failure of the on board 12 v battery charging system or 12 v battery which the tow truck driver tested as good, it is quite new. After the reset of disconnecting the 12 v battery and reconnecting, the terminals show higher voltage when the car is on than when it is off. Attached please find a picture of the warning lights after the car failed. Note that the battery light is for the 12 volt battery but there is nothing wrong with it. Also atteched, voltmeter readings when the car is off and on showing that the 12 volt battery recharging system is working. This car may or may not have an optional battery warmer, but its range of operation is well below the 30 F temperature when the failure occured. The car is more that two years overdue for warranty lithium ion battery replacement owing to manufacture delay.

On January 9, a little after 12:30 pm, on Indian Head Highway (MD route 210) northbound near the Manokeek exit, after limiting drive power owing to battery degradation and cold weather (about 30 F) drive power and power steering failed entirely. There was no warning to pull over so I suspect this is an undocumented failure mode. After the car was towed home, it would not charge when plugged in until after I disconnected the 12 v battery and reconnected it after about ten minutes. It would then charge and after a few minutes I checked and it would send power to the wheels and power steering again. The state of charge of the lithium ion battery was about 86% throughout. This was not a failure of the on board 12 v battery charging system or 12 v battery which the tow truck driver tested as good, it is quite new. After the reset of disconnecting the 12 v battery and reconnecting, the terminals show higher voltage when the car is on than when it is off. Attached please find a picture of the warning lights after the car failed. Note that the battery light is for the 12 volt battery but there is nothing wrong with it. Also atteched, voltmeter readings when the car is off and on showing that the 12 volt battery recharging system is working. This car may or may not have an optional battery warmer, but its range of operation is well below the 30 F temperature when the failure occured. The car is more that two years overdue for warranty lithium ion battery replacement owing to manufacture delay.

On Friday, November 1, at about 3 pm, the brakes failed pulling away from the curb in a forward direction after loading equipment into the vehicle. Really stomping the brakes as though they had a fluid problem did get them to engage. I think the problem occured again backing out of my driveway prior to Monday the 4th when I fixed the problem. Again, really slamming the brake peddle got the brake to engage. You may look at the vehicle if you wish. On Friday, I was at a large senior center party and there were many pedestrian with limited mobility near the exit. An out of control vehicle could have been very dangerous. I applied experience from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles with brake problems and that fortunately worked, but brake fluid was NOT the problem and there is no clear documentation of the problem in the owner's manual. This problem is an EV problem. I can't really take the vehicle to the dealership because they have failed to perform warranty service and refused to do so in the time required by MD law. To determine the cause of the problem, I checked the brake fluid level which was normal, brake wear, which was little, checked the owners manual in detail (nothing clearly stated) and then searched the internet. By Monday the 4th, I had seem a reditt post that said a dead cell in the 12-volt battery could cause a confusion in the vehicle between the regenerative braking system and the hydrolic braking system. There had been some odd behavior at startup. The dash info would flash up with missing numbers then come on normally. And, at shutdown a few time, the lights left on buzzer would sound even though the lights were off. I checked the 12-volt battery voltage and it was low, about 10 volts consistent with a bad cell. I ordered a NAPA battery said to fit the vehicle, and replaced the defective battey which seems to have fixed the problem. The NAPA store confirmed a bad cell in the old battery. No clear warnings of the problem showed.