The electrically-driven intelligent brake unit failed on my 2015 Nissan Leaf. The brakes became inoperative: when pressing the brake pedal there is a loud compression/grinding noise and the pedal goes nearly to the floor with little braking force. The failure appeared suddenly after charging the vehicle; it had been working normally before. The vehicle had to be towed to a Nissan dealership. The dealer diagnosed codes U1000 and U110D stored in the ABS module for lost communication with the intelligent brake module, performed an inspection, and confirmed the intelligent brake unit failed. The dealer quoted $5,131.10 to replace the unit, which approaches the value of the vehicle. This is the same electrically-driven intelligent brake system that was the subject of safety recall 16V119000; the federal safety agency VIN lookup shows zero unrepaired recalls for this vehicle, indicating the recall remedy was previously completed, yet the unit failed catastrophically anyway. This failure mode is widely reported by other Leaf owners. Loss of braking without warning is a serious safety risk. The vehicle and failed component are available for inspection at the dealership.
2015 Nissan Leaf: ABS light or ABS activating
24 of the 111 complaints about the 2015 Nissan Leaf describe ABS light or ABS activating.
- owner complaints
- 24
- of this car's complaints
- 22%
- typical repair cost reported
- $4,600
- typical mileage
- 32,500
- recalls
- 1
ABS light or ABS activating by model year
What owners say
The car was parked in a parking lot, and when we turned it on and pulled out of the space, the brake light, ABS light, and other warning lights came on and the brakes went soft. We pulled back into the space and tried again, thinking it was a fluke and heard a strange noise coming from the car when it started. Again the lights came on and the brakes did not work. We had it towed to our normal mechanic and then to the dealership when the mechanic was unable to figure out what was wrong. The brakes looked to be in good repair. The Nissan dealership was unable to reproduce the problem and found only old codes in the system. The codes listed on the receipt were FFD high key cycle counts, C118A, U1000 (ABS, EV/HEV), P3195, B29C1 However, after I saw similar complaints related to the battery in this car and told them about it, they found that the 12V battery was leaking. They replaced the battery and flushed the brake line to be safe, but did not charge us the diagnostic fee since they were unsure if they fully fixed the issue. I had recently felt like the brakes took more pressure than normal (all the way to the floor) to stop on the highway once recently and so did my husband but we both thought we were imagining things. 2 years ago we had a similar issue happen but the mechanic just sent us back home after not being able to find anything. The codes on the receipt from 2024 are not very legible but I think they say "41000Gn Comm Circuit" "C118A EAS System" and "41100 Electronic Back Return."
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.
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 brought it to a Nissan dealership who identified that the entire intelligent brake unit needs replacing for $5,500, which is more than half of what I paid for the vehicle.
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. The cost to repair the brake system exceeds the value of the car. This put my safety at risk because I could not safely stop my vehicle. I was minutes away from merging onto the freeway. Had I been traveling at high speeds without any braking system, my life and others would have been at risk.
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 be replaced as that is what their computer stated as all the codes indicated that the module was defective. Codes and diagnostic report attached.
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 (luckily slightly uphill so we were able to stop in time). I cannot imagine what could have happened if losing our brakes would have happened any other time. We could have easily been injured or killed, as well as someone else. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer. The vehicle has been inspected by the local dealer and service center, same one the vehicle was purchased from. No warnings, messages, or other symptoms whatsoever. Afterwards, the ABS warning lights did come on.
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 Park and apply the emergency brake in the middle of the road in traffic to ensure it would stop. Cycled the car on and off multiple times to see if that would help reset the car but the problem persisted. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Putting other drivers on the road at risk if we were not able to stop the car could have caused property damage and personal injury to others on the road and my family who was in the car. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The problem has been reproduced 3 times but the last time being more severe and power cycling the car didn’t correct the issue like the prior two incidents. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? The vehicle is going to be inspected by myself and possibly the manufacturers dealership depending on my findings. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There was no prior warning all warnings come inline with the brake failure.
On Monday, 11/14/2022, while driving at 25 mph in approximately 28 degree temperatures, the brakes completely failed on my 2015 Nissan Leaf and the parking brake light, ABS light and traction control warning light suddenly illuminated on the dashboard. I glided to a stop in the breakdown lane, and while in both Drive and in Park when I pressed the brake pedal to the floor there were odd buzzing/knocking sounds towards the front of the vehicle (where the motor, etc. are located) and a vibration under foot accompanied by a clicking noise similar to that experienced during anti-skid braking. I turned the ignition on and off several times but the system malfunction was still present. I was able to drive 100 yards into a parking lot with minimal braking ability (the emergency brake served as a backup). I left the car parked, and when I returned two hours later to meet the tow-truck, the vehicle started normally with no lights on the dash. Brake functionality had returned, at least temporarily. I thus drove very carefully three miles home without incident. (However, had this occurred on the highway or while in traffic, a fatal accident could have occurred.) I have since found many reports from others who have experienced the same issue, which seems to be common enough to justify a recall, particularly as the brake failure reoccurs (see https://www.carproblemzoo.com/nissan/leaf/2015/service-brakes-problems.php). Tomorrow I bring the car to the dealer to diagnose the problem.
The intelligent brake control unit has gone bad. I was driving home and I was preparing to stop at a stop sign . I pressed on the brake pedal and the would not stop. Luckily there were no other cars or else I would have been involved in a car accident. I had the car towed home then I drove it to the Nissan dealership. They ran a diagnostic and they said that they found multiple codes for the brake booster. They recommend that the intelligent brake control unit be replaced. At the time of the incident, the abs light went on, and the traction motor light went on. When I pressed on the brake there was a squealing noise coming from the pedal. That was the first time that ever happened. I reached out to nissanconsumeraffairs.com for assistance to help with the cost of the part. They said that they could not help. My case number is [XXX] and the person that was my contact was [XXX]. Her number is [XXX]. I have read various accounts of where the same part has failed on many Nissan LEAFs. This should be a recall where this part should be fixed for free. It is putting many lives in danger. I hope that you can help me out as well as the many people that drive this car make and model. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2015 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated his wife was driving approximately 30 MPH as she was slowing for a traffic signal, the vehicle lost all brake function. The contact's wife safely steered the vehicle to the side of the road. The contact stated that he observed that the brake light, ABS light, and the traction control warning light were illuminated. Additionally, the contact noted that when he stepped on the brake pedal there was only a clicking sound and the pedal was depressed to the floorboard. The contact had the vehicle towed to his residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Service brakes
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
Recall number 16V119000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2015 Nissan Leaf abs
Is ABS light or ABS activating a common problem on the 2015 Nissan Leaf?
24 of 111 owner complaints about the 2015 Nissan Leaf (22%) mention ABS light or ABS activating. The model year with the most reports is 2015.
How much does it cost to fix ABS light or ABS activating on the 2015 Nissan Leaf?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $4,600 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2015 Nissan Leaf?
There is 1 recall and 3 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2015 Nissan Leaf
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