- Safety
- 5
- 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
2021 Nissan Leaf
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 4
- Owner complaints
- 51
- Complaints citing a crash
- 2
These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized 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 We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.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.
Safety recalls
4 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 23V048000high
Equipment issue
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 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."
Consequence
Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Nissan will mail an addendum with updated instructions on how to operate the defroster, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 1, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R22C5.
- 23V494000high
Vehicle speed control
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 LEAF vehicles. The vehicle may accelerate unintentionally if the driving mode is changed ("D" to "B"; e-Pedal "On"; or "ECO" mode) after disengaging the cruise control.
Consequence
Unintentional acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will reprogram the vehicle control module (VCM), free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A6.
- 24V071000high
Rear-visibility system issue
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2022 LEAF vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Consequence
A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 9, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23D7.
- 25V655000high
Electrical issue
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2021-2022 LEAF vehicles equipped with a Level 3 quick charging port. The lithium-ion battery may overheat during Level 3 charging.
Consequence
A quick charging battery that overheats increases the risk of a fire.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Owners are advised not to use Level 3 quick charging until the remedy is completed. Dealers will update the battery software, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed June 16, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan's Customer Service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R25C8. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning October 4, 2025.
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2021 Nissan Leaf.
Frontal crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 4 / 5
Side crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
- Side pole
- 5 / 5
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 10.7%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
What the ratings mean
NHTSA gives the 2021 Nissan Leaf 5 out of 5 stars overall. NHTSA does not publish enough comparable results for this class and year to rank it against peers.
NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.
NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 10.7% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.
Fuel economy & emissions
The EPA holds no fuel-economy record for this model year.
The EPA does not publish a record for every model year.
Consumer complaints
51 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 51
- Total
- 2
- Crashes
- 3
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
Most reported components
- ELECTRICAL23
- ENGINE8
- OTHER8
- VISIBILITY4
- FUEL SYSTEM3
Notable Issues
51 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 1 report involves injuries. 2 reports involve a crash.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2021 Nissan Leaf, newest first.
- Recall
A quick charging battery that overheats increases the risk of a fire.
- Recall
A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Investigation closed
NHTSA closed investigation DP22005
Pedestrian alert sounds
- Recall
Unintentional acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.
- Recall
Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Investigation opened
NHTSA opened investigation DP22005
Pedestrian alert sounds
Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.
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
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Recall
A quick charging battery that overheats increases the risk of a fire.
- Recall
A rearview camera that does not properly display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Investigation closed
NHTSA closed investigation DP22005
Pedestrian alert sounds
- Recall
Unintentional acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.
- Recall
Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.