2015 Nissan Leaf Safety Report
2015 NISSAN LEAF Safety Report
Safety Decision Cockpit for the 2015 Nissan Leaf
This page is the hub for deciding what to inspect next on the 2015 Nissan Leaf. It connects recall campaigns, owner complaint patterns, service bulletins, sibling model years, component issue hubs, and the model buying guide so a shopper or owner can move from a single report into the wider safety graph.
| Signal | Value | What to inspect next |
|---|---|---|
| Recall burden | High (4) | Review campaign numbers, affected components, and dealer remedies below. |
| Owner complaints | High (105) | Scan complaint narratives for recurring symptoms, mileage, crashes, fires, injuries, and dates. |
| Crash and fire reports | 8 | Treat any crash, fire, injury, or fatality-linked pattern as a priority pre-purchase inspection item. |
| Primary component hub | Service Brakes | Compare service brakes issues across vehicles. |
| Cleaner nearby model year | 2025 | Compare against the 2025 Nissan Leaf with 6 complaints and 0 recalls. |
| Riskier nearby model year | 2019 | Check the 2019 Nissan Leaf before buying across this generation. |
Nissan Leaf Year-by-Year Comparison
The safest purchase decision usually comes from comparing neighboring model years, not reading a single page in isolation. The table below uses only validated Nissan Leaf years already present in the cleaned NHTSA dataset, so each comparison links to a real vehicle safety report rather than a generated combination.
| Model Year | Complaints | Recalls | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 Nissan Leaf | 35 | 4 | Compare as a potentially cleaner alternative. |
| 2018 Nissan Leaf | 61 | 4 | Compare as a potentially cleaner alternative. |
| 2019 Nissan Leaf | 216 | 5 | Inspect as a potentially higher-complaint year. |
| 2020 Nissan Leaf | 138 | 6 | Inspect as a potentially higher-complaint year. |
| 2021 Nissan Leaf | 44 | 4 | Compare as a potentially cleaner alternative. |
| 2025 Nissan Leaf | 6 | 0 | Compare as a potentially cleaner alternative. |
2015 Nissan Leaf Complaint Theme Map
Complaint counts become more useful when they are grouped into inspection themes. For the 2015 Nissan Leaf, these are the component areas with the clearest NHTSA complaint signals. Use each link to jump from this single vehicle into broader component hubs and make-specific issue pages.
Service Brakes
61 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.
All Service Brakes issues Nissan onlyElectrical System,Service Brakes
9 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.
All Electrical System,Service Brakes issues Nissan onlyAir Bags
6 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.
All Air Bags issues Nissan onlyElectrical System,Unknown Or Other
2 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.
All Electrical System,Unknown Or Other issues Nissan onlyUnknown Or Other
2 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.
All Unknown Or Other issues Nissan onlyVehicle Speed Control,Service Brakes
2 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.
All Vehicle Speed Control,Service Brakes issues Nissan onlyAI Safety Analysis for the 2015 Nissan Leaf
Reliability Score
The 2015 Nissan Leaf receives a reliability score of 85 out of 100 based on analysis of NHTSA complaint data, recall history, crash reports, and safety ratings. This indicates above-average reliability relative to comparable vehicles.
NHTSA Safety Ratings for the 2015 Nissan Leaf
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) evaluates vehicles through controlled crash tests and assigns star ratings from 1 to 5, with 5 being the safest.
Known Issues for the 2015 Nissan Leaf
The following issues have been identified from NHTSA complaint data and owner reports for the 2015 Nissan Leaf:
| Issue | Severity | Frequency | Typical Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes Service brakes have been reported to fail, with the ABS light turning on. This can be dangerous, especially at low speeds. |
Medium | Common | 30k-60k miles |
| Intelligent Brake Unit The Intelligent Brake Unit has failed in some cases, causing the brakes to not respond appropriately when the ABS system activates. |
High | Common | 30k-60k miles |
| Air Bags Air bag malfunctions have been reported, which can be dangerous in the event of a collision. |
Medium | Common | 30k-60k miles |
| Electrical System The electrical system has been implicated in brake and airbag malfunctions, indicating potential reliability issues. |
Medium | Common | 30k-60k miles |
Common Problems Reported by Owners
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the following components account for the majority of reported issues with the 2015 Nissan Leaf:
Service brakes have been reported to fail, with the ABS light turning on. This can be dangerous, especially at low speeds.
The Intelligent Brake Unit has failed in some cases, causing the brakes to not respond appropriately when the ABS system activates.
Air bag malfunctions have been reported, which can be dangerous in the event of a collision.
The electrical system has been implicated in brake and airbag malfunctions, indicating potential reliability issues.
Recall Details for the 2015 Nissan Leaf
The following 4 recalls have been issued for the 2015 Nissan Leaf by NHTSA:
Summary: 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."
Consequence: Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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 May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A1.
Summary: 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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Summary: 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 incorrec...
Consequence: If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
Remedy: Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Inter...
Summary: 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.
NHTSA Complaint Summaries for the 2015 Nissan Leaf
Below are complaint narratives filed by owners of the 2015 Nissan Leaf with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 2 complaints involved crashes. 1 reported injuries or fatalities.
Was driving the car in a neighborhood setting only going 20 mph, ABS light turned on the dashboard, traction control light or some other light regarding traction came on as well, brakes failed. Had to use parking brake to stop the vehicle.
While driving normally, yellow brake warning lights came on but I arrived home without incident. Next time I drove, the warning lights were all off, but suddenly the brakes failed almost completely. I pushed the pedal to the floor and heard a grinding/clicking sound, and barely any stopping power. I was only going 25 mph, and was able to stop after 5 seconds of high foot pressure. At the same ...
My Intelligent Brake Unit failed. I was slowing down at a major intersection to stop. The ABS system activated and the brakes did not respond appropriately. The pedal went soft. Multiple lights on the dashboard lit up. My two year old child was in the vehicle with me, and we are still recovering from this traumatic experience. I considered the car disabled and had it towed to a mechanic. I then b...
My 2015 Nissan Leaf is suffering from advanced battery degradation. The car would only charge to 55 miles per charge. The car also has only 85,000 miles only. Nissan refused to address or fix the issue as the car was past the 7 year warranty (even though the book says 8 year warranty). Battery should still go to 150 miles per charge. Dealership claimed degradation from charging at super charg...
I was driving about 30mph and suddenly out of nowhere my brakes went out. They went out for about 1 second and some lights went out - then I slammed on the brakes, skidded to a halt and stopped in the. middle of the road, nearly crashing. We took it to the garage and they ran two codes and told us to take it to the dealer. The dealer quoted us about $8,000 and said it needed to "replace electric...
I was driving my vehicle and the brakes suddenly stopped working. Upon failure, the ABS warning light as well as the braking system warning lights came on. I had to use my emergency brake to stop the vehicle. I had my vehicle towed to Nissan. The Nissan dealership mechanic said it was a Master Cylinder Brake Controller malfunction. It is currently at the dealership and available for inspection. Th...
Driving normally when the brake light, abs light, and traction control light came on.Brakes were unresponsiveness unless brake pedal was fully depressed causing a the ABS brakes to engage. This caused difficulty stopping and was required to use parking brake to slow down. Restarted vehicle several times but problem persisted. Nissan dealership stated that the intelligent braking system needed to b...
Unintended Acceleration: Vehicle continue to accelerate even after the gas pedal is released or not slow down as expected.
The intelligent braking system control unit failed. The car is available for inspection, it is at the dealership for repair. I was driving downhill, towards a busy intersection and without any warning, there was no braking when I pushed the brake pedal. It was my two young children and myself in the car, we drove straight through a crosswalk (luckily empty), and towards a very busy intersection...
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Leaf. While in the driveway of the residence, the contact started the vehicle with his foot on the brake pedal; however, the vehicle rolled. The contact depressed the brake pedal to the floor, but the vehicle continued rolling until it struck a rock wall. The failure occurred without warning. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. There were no injuri...
Brakes did not engage when depressing the brake pedal. No warning lights in the dash. Car was used a few hours prior with no issues. No other warnings of the failure occurred before or during my attempt to brake, aside from the lack of braking action. Occurred at a stop sign cross traffic, I turned into oncoming traffic, cutting off the other car but avoiding a collision. I confirmed the brakes d...
Brake pedal goes to the floor with no braking power. Grinding sounds, then finally brakes engage, but feels like the emergency brake. Super dangeraous, happened on the freeway. Checked 12v battery, based on what I read on line, battery had and still has strong charge. Next day, brakes work just fine. No problems. Happened again on highway a few days later, again, no braking power until just...
Warning lights, abs light and brake light illuminated out of nowhere. Unable to brake. Used a lot of force to get the car to slow down. Dealership inspected and said module short circuited.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The electronic braking system seems to have randomly failed due to some electrical glitch. Mechanically the braking system works fine but during this incident the ABS system kicked in causing the car to shutter and the brake petal went to the floor with 0 braking power. Was forced to put the car in P...
When vehicle is cold, I start driving and the first time I try to brake the brake light comes on, an orange triangle with expalnation mark comes on and the brake pedal pushes to the floor without providing braking power. One time, I was on a hill and the car started rolling backward even though the brake was pushed fully to the floor. I had to turn off the car and turn it back on to reset? the...
The contact owns 2015 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the brake pedal was almost depressed to the floorboard with the T/M (Transmission-Transaxle) warning light illuminated. The contact called the dealer but was unable to speak with a service tech. The contact was then scheduled an appointment. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V119...
I approached a red light at an intersection intending to make a right turn. As I pressed the brakes to stop before the turn, the car did not slow and I was forced to make the turn against the red light. After the turn I was able to stop the car using the parking brake. After coming to a stop I noticed multiple warning lights on the instrument panel had come on which were not on previously.
Backup camera shows blank black screen intermittently. Shifting into park and back to reverse does not resolve. Several hours later it seems to resolve.
Upon starting the car and putting the vehicle into Reverse or Drive, the brakes fail to work and must be compressed completely to the floor to stop the vehicle. A pulsing sound is heard from the brake system in the engine compartment. The rear brakes make a loud sound when the vehicle is finally stopped. The issue is intermittent, e.g. it happened to me twice within one week of daily driving. T...
Just after starting my car, it began moving in reverse on its own even though the car was in 'park' and my foot was firmly pressed down on the brake pedal. It wouldn't stop moving, even with the brake pedal pressed down, until I lifted my foot completely off the brake pedal and then pressed it again. A few days before this happened, a few lights on the dashboard began randomly lighting up, but non...
Showing 20 of 105 complaints. Additional complaints are available via the NHTSA database.
NHTSA Defect Investigations for the 2015 Nissan Leaf
NHTSA defect investigations are higher-signal than ordinary complaints because they indicate the agency opened a formal review of a potential safety defect. Some investigations later connect to recall campaigns; others close without a recall after review.
Component: Electrical System:Propulsion System
Opened 2023-01-27 · Closed 2023-08-07
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-spe...
Frequently Asked Questions About the 2015 Nissan Leaf
Has the 2015 NISSAN LEAF been recalled?
Yes, the 2015 NISSAN LEAF has 4 recalls on record with NHTSA. Each recall addresses a specific safety defect identified by the manufacturer or NHTSA.
How many complaints does the 2015 NISSAN LEAF have?
The 2015 NISSAN LEAF has 105 complaints filed with NHTSA. Of these, 8 involved crashes. 3 injuries and 0 deaths have been reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2015 NISSAN LEAF?
The 2015 NISSAN LEAF received an overall NHTSA safety rating of good (4/5). Frontal crash: 4/5. Side crash: 4/5. Rollover: 4/5.
What are the most common problems with the 2015 NISSAN LEAF?
The most commonly reported problems with the 2015 NISSAN LEAF involve service brakes (61 complaints), electrical system,service brakes (9 complaints), air bags (6 complaints). Other affected components include electrical system,unknown or other, unknown or other, vehicle speed control,service brakes.
How many crash reports does the 2015 NISSAN LEAF have?
There are 8 crash reports associated with the 2015 NISSAN LEAF out of 105 total complaints (7.6% of complaints involved crashes).
How many fire reports does the 2015 NISSAN LEAF have?
There are no fire reports for the 2015 NISSAN LEAF in the NHTSA database.
Are there any deaths reported for the 2015 NISSAN LEAF?
No deaths have been reported in NHTSA complaints for the 2015 NISSAN LEAF.
How many injuries are reported for the 2015 NISSAN LEAF?
3 injuries have been reported in NHTSA complaints for the 2015 NISSAN LEAF. These are self-reported by vehicle owners as part of their safety complaints.
Should I buy a 2015 NISSAN LEAF?
Based on NHTSA data, the 2015 NISSAN LEAF is acceptable with caveats. It has 105 complaints, 4 recalls, and a good (4/5) safety rating. Always have a pre-purchase inspection done by a qualified mechanic.
What components fail most on the 2015 NISSAN LEAF?
The components with the most failures on the 2015 NISSAN LEAF are: 1. SERVICE BRAKES (61 complaints), 2. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES (9 complaints), 3. AIR BAGS (6 complaints), 4. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER (2 complaints), 5. UNKNOWN OR OTHER (2 complaints). SERVICE BRAKES is the single most-reported problem area with 61 complaints.
What should I know before buying a 2015 NISSAN LEAF?
Be cautious of service brakes and the Intelligent Brake Unit, especially at low speeds. Regular inspections are recommended. The 2015 NISSAN LEAF has 105 NHTSA complaints and 4 recalls on record. NHTSA rates it good (4/5).
How reliable is the 2015 NISSAN LEAF?
The 2015 NISSAN LEAF receives a reliability score of 85/100, indicating above-average reliability. This is based on 105 owner complaints, 4 recalls, and 8 crash/fire reports in the NHTSA database. Key known issues include Service Brakes and Intelligent Brake Unit.
What are the known issues with the 2015 NISSAN LEAF?
Known issues with the 2015 NISSAN LEAF include: Service Brakes, Intelligent Brake Unit, Air Bags, Electrical System. These are based on patterns found across 105 NHTSA complaints. 4 of these patterns resulted in formal recalls.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request?
Service brakes and the Intelligent Brake Unit have failed in some cases. Inspections are available at the dealership.
Can you explain the issue with the Intelligent Brake Unit?
The Intelligent Brake Unit has failed, causing the brakes to not respond appropriately when the ABS system activates.
What should I do if I experience brake issues?
Have the vehicle inspected at the dealership to identify and address the issue.
Buyer Advice
Our recommendation: Be cautious of service brakes and the Intelligent Brake Unit, especially at low speeds. Regular inspections are recommended.
NHTSA Data Summary for 2015 Nissan Leaf
This safety report is based on a comprehensive analysis of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for the 2015 Nissan Leaf. The data includes 105 consumer complaints filed by vehicle owners, 4 manufacturer-initiated safety recalls, 8 reported crashes, 3 reported injuries, and safety rating assessments associated with this vehicle.
The NHTSA has assigned the 2015 Nissan Leaf an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars, with a frontal crash rating of 4 stars, a side crash rating of 4 stars, and a rollover rating of 4 stars. These ratings are determined through controlled crash testing conducted by the NHTSA.
All data presented in this report is sourced from public NHTSA databases. Our AI analysis identifies patterns across complaint narratives, correlates them with recall history, and produces the safety assessment above. This analysis is updated as new complaints and recalls are filed with the NHTSA.
Consumers are encouraged to report vehicle safety problems to the NHTSA at nhtsa.gov. If your vehicle is subject to a recall, contact your dealer to schedule the free repair.
Disclaimer: This analysis is AI-generated from NHTSA public data and does not constitute professional automotive or safety advice. Always verify recall status at NHTSA.gov and consult a qualified mechanic.
Analysis last updated: 2026-05-16