2016 Nissan Leaf Recalls, Complaints & Specs
4 safety recalls list the 2016 Nissan Leaf, and owners have filed 36 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
4 safety recalls for the 2016 Nissan Leaf
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
-
Owners/service/other manual (equipment) and defroster/defogger/hvac system (visibility)
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…
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…
-
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.
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.
-
Inflator module (air bags) and electrical system: wiring
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.
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…
-
Occupant classification (air bags)
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,…
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,…
36 owner complaints filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 2016 Nissan Leaf have filed 36 complaints with NHTSA; 1 describe a crash and 1 describe a fire. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 28,269 miles. Complaints peaked in 2018 with 6 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME intermittently AT FIRST ... NOW permanently AND CANNOT BE DIAGNOSED BY NISSAN. IHAD TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE WHILE ON THE FWY AT 60MPH, THE DASH LIGHTS FOR ALL BRAKE COMPONENETS CAM”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, July 28, 2026 · Service brakes
“When turning left there is a plasticky sticking feeling and sound like a plastic bushing is coming apart. this causes the steering to momentarily bind. this happens most often when making gentle curve”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, April 10, 2025 · Steering
Fuel economy and specs
EPA ratings for the 2016 Nissan Leaf (Leaf (24 kW-hr battery pack), Leaf (30 kW-hr battery pack)). Ranges cover every tested configuration.
| Combined | 112–114 MPGe |
|---|---|
| City / Highway | 124–126 / 101 |
| Fuel | Electricity |
| EPA class | Midsize Cars |
| Transmission | Automatic (A1) |
Compare Nissan Leaf model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Nissan Leaf model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 Nissan Leaf | 0 | 1 |
| 2011 Nissan Leaf | 0 | 95 |
| 2012 Nissan Leaf | 0 | 57 |
| 2013 Nissan Leaf | 5 | 81 |
| 2014 Nissan Leaf | 6 | 34 |
| 2015 Nissan Leaf | 4 | 110 |
| 2016 Nissan Leaf | 4 | 36 |
| 2017 Nissan Leaf | 2 | 17 |
| 2018 Nissan Leaf | 4 | 66 |
| 2019 Nissan Leaf | 5 | 259 |
| 2020 Nissan Leaf | 6 | 167 |
| 2021 Nissan Leaf | 4 | 56 |
| 2022 Nissan Leaf | 4 | 95 |
| 2023 Nissan Leaf | 3 | 20 |
| 2024 Nissan Leaf | 0 | 5 |
| 2025 Nissan Leaf | 0 | 7 |
| 2026 Nissan Leaf | 2 | 2 |
Checking a specific 2016 Nissan Leaf
How do I know if my 2016 Nissan Leaf has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 4 campaigns currently list the 2016 Nissan Leaf; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Nissan dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 16V244000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
Other Nissan models
- Altima15,472 complaints
- Pathfinder7,355 complaints
- Rogue7,322 complaints
- Maxima6,955 complaints
- Murano5,958 complaints
- Sentra5,954 complaints
- Frontier3,357 complaints
- Versa3,325 complaints
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.