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2016 Nissan Leaf
NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2016 Nissan Leaf, covering equipment and air bags, and 13 consumer complaints received since 2016.
The component named most often is service brakes: 437.5 of every 1,000 component mentions for this year, above the 76.8 per 1,000 across all 2016 model-year vehicles and against 319.8 per 1,000 for the Nissan Leaf line as a whole.
That is fewer than the average of 17.3 complaints per model year across the 15 Nissan Leaf model years on this register; 1 complaint reported a crash and 0 a fire.
Complaints were received in the largest number in 2018 (6); the most recent in the file is dated 18 Nov 2018.
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation has opened 1 investigation naming this model year.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA. Recall text is the manufacturer's Part 573 report as filed with NHTSA. Complaint file through 15 May 2019; recall file through 29 Sep 2026.
Recalls by model year:
Recall campaigns
Defect, as filed: 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.
Filed by Nissan North America, Inc. (manufacturer campaign R23A1); components: equipment:other:owners/service/other manual; visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac system.
Defect, as filed: 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.
Filed by Nissan North America, Inc..
Defect, as filed: 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.
Consequence: If the wiring harness disconnects, the passenger air bag may not to deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wiring harness connector for proper engagement and, if necessary, replace the passenger air bag module and main body harness, free of charge. The recall began on August 9, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
Filed by Nissan North America, Inc.; components: air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module; electrical system:wiring.
Defect, as filed: 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.
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. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
Filed by Nissan North America, Inc..
Each entry links to the NHTSA record. NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are free of charge at an authorised dealer; check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Complaints by component
Component mentions per 1,000 for the 2016 Nissan Leaf (black) against all 2016 model-year vehicles in the file (yellow). A complaint can name more than one component.
| Per 1,000 component mentions | 2016 | Leaf line | All 2016 vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 437.5 | 319.8 | 76.8 |
| Air Bags | 187.5 | 127.9 | 48.1 |
| Electrical System | 187.5 | 162.8 | 100.4 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 125 | 23.3 | 43.9 |
| Engine | 62.5 | 20.3 | 119.7 |
| Component | Mentions | Per 1,000 | Line | All 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes | 7 | 437.5 | 319.8 | 76.8 |
| Air Bags | 3 | 187.5 | 127.9 | 48.1 |
| Electrical System | 3 | 187.5 | 162.8 | 100.4 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 2 | 125 | 23.3 | 43.9 |
| Engine | 1 | 62.5 | 20.3 | 119.7 |
13 unique complaints, 16 component mentions; 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported by complainants. Complaint narratives are not republished.
Complaints by year received
Investigations
| Action | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Recall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DP22005 | Defect petition | Pedestrian alert sounds | electrical system:propulsion system | 27 Jan 2023 | 7 Aug 2023 | 22V063000 |
Other Nissan Leaf model years
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints | Units in campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 NHTSA | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | 67 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | 39 | — |
| 2013 | 5 | 60 | 4,509,888 |
| 2014 | 6 | 21 | 4,428,257 |
| 2015 | 4 | 48 | 3,468,187 |
| 2016 | 4 | 13 | 3,425,683 |
| 2017 | 2 | 4 | 124,381 |
| 2018 | 4 | 6 | 1,417,635 |
| 2019 | 5 | 1 | 1,443,339 |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | 220,816 |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | 207,882 |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | 207,882 |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | 131,649 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 3,839 |
Model years with a single campaign and fewer than 25 complaints have no page here; the NHTSA link opens the agency's record for that year.
All Nissan Leaf model years · Nissan: 46 model lines
Questions and answers
How many recalls does the 2016 Nissan Leaf have?
4 NHTSA recall campaigns name this model year; the most recent, 23V296000, was reported to NHTSA on 26 Apr 2023 and concerns equipment:other:owners/service/other manual. Across all model years the Nissan Leaf line has 20 campaigns.
Is there an open NHTSA investigation into the 2016 Nissan Leaf?
NHTSA's investigation file lists 1 action naming this model year; the table above shows each action's opening and closing dates. An action with no closing date was still open when the file was produced.
What component do owners of the 2016 Nissan Leaf complain about most?
Service Brakes: 7 of 16 component mentions (437.5 per 1,000). Next is air bags with 3. Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
How do I get a recall repaired?
NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are performed free of charge by the manufacturer's authorised dealers. Each campaign's remedy text above is the manufacturer's statement as filed with NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation recall, complaint and investigation flat files, public domain, downloaded 29 Sep 2026. Complaint counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; component figures count each component a complaint names. The NHTSA record linked from each campaign is authoritative.
Provenance
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Defects Investigation flat files (recalls, complaints, investigations), public domain, files dated 29 Sep 2026 (recalls) and 15 May 2019 (complaints). Complaints since 1 Jan 1995. Counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; per-1,000 rates divide a component's mentions by all mentions for the same group. Errors in processing are corrected at the next daily build; see corrections and the methodology.