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Free public service · Official NHTSA & EPA data

2016 Nissan Leaf

Verified July 23, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
4
of 5 stars
Recalls
4
on record
MPG
combined

Open recalls on record

4 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.

Vehicle Summary

2016 Nissan Leaf

4 recalls
35 complaints
4/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Check all recalls are completed
Review consumer complaints
Verify no crash-related complaints
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
4
Owner complaints
35
Complaints citing a crash
1

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalised by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

4 Recalls on Record

These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

4 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 16V436000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

    Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 24, 2016, to March 23, 2016, and Sentra vehicles manufactured February 9, 2016, to March 4, 2016. The wiring harness connector may disconnect from the dual-stage passenger air bag.

  • 17V253000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS

    Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error within the air bag inflators, the passenger frontal air bag may not properly deploy in the event of a crash.

  • 16V244000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

    Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.

  • 23V296000high

    Equipment issue

    EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

    Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2017 LEAF vehicles. The Owner's Manual instructions for defroster operation are incorrect and may result in reduced defroster performance under specific conditions. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."

Consumer complaints

35 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

35
Total
1
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries

Most reported components

  • BRAKES15
  • ENGINE6
  • ELECTRICAL5
  • FUEL SYSTEM4
  • AIR BAGS3

Normal Range

35 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 1 report involves a crash.

Most reported problems

brake problems (soft pedal, noise, failure)15
engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)6
electrical issues (battery, wiring, infotainment)5

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Unknown
Drive type
Unknown
Engine
0L 0-cyl
Fuel type
Unknown
Transmission
Unknown
Seats
0

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Adjacent model years

All Nissan Leaf years

Common problems

Nissan Leaf problems

673 owner complaints analysed

Systems recalled

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation DP22005

    Pedestrian alert sounds

  2. Recall

    Recall 23V296000

    Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.

  3. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation DP22005

    Pedestrian alert sounds

  4. Recall

    Recall 17V253000

    In the event of a crash, if the front passenger air bag doesn't deploy properly, it can increase the risk of injury to passengers.

  5. Recall

    Recall 16V436000

    If the wiring harness disconnects, the passenger air bag may not to deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.