2013 Nissan Leaf brakes problems

The 2013 Nissan Leaf has 32 brakes complaints filed with NHTSA — 27% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

Brakes complaints

27%

Share of year

Crash-involved

Related recalls

Brakes complaints by year

Leaf brakes complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

16V119000BrakesFebruary 29, 2016 · 46,859 units

Defect

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 LEAF vehicles manufactured November 19, 2012, to July 31, 2015. During very cold temperatures, the relay inside the electronic brake booster may freeze, requiring the driver to exert more effort to slow the vehicle down.

Consequence

If the brake relay fails, longer distances or additional brake effort would be required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the Intelligent Brake Control Unit software, free of charge. The recall began on March 28, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.

What owners report

“I put the car in park as I was pulling in without turning it off to grab trash from the curb and take it to the car, but the car keep accelerating. I jumped in and slammed on the bricks but it hit the brick wall to the house. I see more recent years were recalled for "unintended acceleration" and…”
Complaint filed with NHTSA · Brakes · December 11, 2024 · crash

Common questions

How many brakes complaints does the 2013 Nissan Leaf have?

NHTSA has 32 complaints about the 2013 Nissan Leaf brakes — 27% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2013 Nissan Leaf brakes?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the brakes: 16V119000.

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.