2016 Nissan Leaf brakes problems

Filed Jul 28, 2026 · Brakes · NV

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 came up with tire as well...almost all warnings lit up and the brake pedal went to the floor and I had to press the brakes very hard and car would not stop but eventually did on side of road. Very bad loud grinding malfunctioning sound. When I was getting it towed I tried to turn on just to confirm still broken status, however car ran perfectly till the next incident with same diagnosis. Nissan 777 has given me 4 different diagnostic problems with estimates at $5,900 master cylander, $3,800 brake assemble and a verbal one saying it is the actuator. Their parts dept is incompetent as nissan has been about this issue for 6 months now. This is by far a traffic safety issue and nissan is failing to recognize the problems with this nissan leaf. Reddit has several people claiming same issue and nissan is ignoring it.

Filed Nov 5, 2024 · Brakes, Electrical · MD

On Friday, November 1, at about 3 pm, the brakes failed pulling away from the curb in a forward direction after loading equipment into the vehicle. Really stomping the brakes as though they had a fluid problem did get them to engage. I think the problem occured again backing out of my driveway prior to Monday the 4th when I fixed the problem. Again, really slamming the brake peddle got the brake to engage. You may look at the vehicle if you wish. On Friday, I was at a large senior center party and there were many pedestrian with limited mobility near the exit. An out of control vehicle could have been very dangerous. I applied experience from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles with brake problems and that fortunately worked, but brake fluid was NOT the problem and there is no clear documentation of the problem in the owner's manual. This problem is an EV problem. I can't really take the vehicle to the dealership because they have failed to perform warranty service and refused to do so in the time required by MD law. To determine the cause of the problem, I checked the brake fluid level which was normal, brake wear, which was little, checked the owners manual in detail (nothing clearly stated) and then searched the internet. By Monday the 4th, I had seem a reditt post that said a dead cell in the 12-volt battery could cause a confusion in the vehicle between the regenerative braking system and the hydrolic braking system. There had been some odd behavior at startup. The dash info would flash up with missing numbers then come on normally. And, at shutdown a few time, the lights left on buzzer would sound even though the lights were off. I checked the 12-volt battery voltage and it was low, about 10 volts consistent with a bad cell. I ordered a NAPA battery said to fit the vehicle, and replaced the defective battey which seems to have fixed the problem. The NAPA store confirmed a bad cell in the old battery. No clear warnings of the problem showed.

Filed Apr 23, 2024 · Brakes · CA

Drove home at 7PM mild day (65-70 degrees). Stopped the car and turned it off for an hour. Had to leave home at 8PM. Turned on the car and backed up the driveway. Tried to stop but break wasn't working.. Pressed all the way that ABS started trickling. Used the hand break to stop the car. Turned off the car and turned it back on. This is when I noticed all the dashboard lights are on including break and ABS and had the same break not working issue.. Pulled the car into the driveway slowly and turned it off till tomorrow morning.. Started the car tomorrow morning and everything was back to normal and driving without an issue.

Filed Mar 22, 2024 · Brakes · 93,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2016 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The brake pedal had to be pushed to the floor to activate the service brakes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed electronically driven intelligently braking unit and the electronically driven intelligently braking unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

Filed Oct 24, 2022 · Brakes · NM

Vehicle is 2016 Nissan Leaf. Odometer reading 42,537. On August 28, 2022 in a shopping center parking lot under fair weather conditions and temperatures in the 80s, upon starting car, brake system control light and ABS indicator light both illuminated. Pulled car back into parking spot. Brakes did not work. Used emergency brake to stop vehicle. 9/11/2022 Inspection by Melloy Nissan. [XXX], Service manager, reported that vehicle has two faulty components: brake control assembly and actuator assembly that require replacement. Stated that technician called Nissan USA. Other vehicle on East Coast had same problem that was fixed with this repair. Cost of parts $4,099. Cost of labor $900. Total repair cost $5,000. Service manager advised owner that vehicle is not safe to drive. 9/27/2022 Inspection by Reliable Nissan. [XXX], Service manager, reported that vehicle has error codes for electrically driven intelligent brake system. Stated that other Nissan Leaf had recently been repaired for same problem at Reliable Nissan. Cost of part (brake control assembly) $2,792. Cost of labor $700. Total cost $3,854. Service manager advised owner that vehicle is not safe to drive. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Filed Jan 23, 2021 · Brakes · 48,713 miles · CA

The nissan leaf was being driven on a 35 MPH road in a hilly area. While going approximately 25 MPH on a downhill curve coming up to a red light the driver applied the brakes and they did not engage with normal pressure. The driver then pushed the brake peddle all the way down to the floor before the vehicle begin to slowly stop causing the vehicle to go 10 feet past a red light into an intersection. The driver drove out of the intersection and tested the brakes again with the same results. The drivers spouse arrived to test the vehicle and verified the same results. The only way home was a very steep down hill so tow truck was called to pick up the vehicle and bring it to the nissan dealership the tow truck driver also verified the brakes were not engaging when he loaded the vehicle on the flatbed. When the vehicle arrived at the dealership and unloaded from the tow truck the brakes started working. The dealership tested the vehicle and verified the brakes passed inspection. Feeling unsafe to drive the vehicle the owner tried to convince the dealership to test more. They were not able to reproduce the issue. The owners reported to nissan of america customer service. Nissan of america said they had not heard of this type of issue and that if the dealership couldn't find anything there was nothing they could do. Since the dealership and corporate can not fix the car and do not want to further investigate the vehicle was towed to the owners house where it now sits unused.

Filed Aug 9, 2020 · Brakes · 30,000 miles · CA

During conditions of low 12v battery charge, the vehicle will occasionally start, go into a drive mode ("r" or "d") but the brakes will not operate. I stress that this only happens when the 12v battery has low charge, but not too low that the vehicle will refuse to start. I am not the only person to report this. Note the comment about brakes failing in this posting: https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=12959&p=588304#p587949

Filed Oct 7, 2019 · Brakes · 29,000 miles · FL

No brakes at startup. No previous problems. Drove 20 miles night before. Brake pedal went to floor while backing out of garage.

Filed Jul 25, 2019 · Brakes · 21,000 miles · CA

Brake stopped working while I was driving on san thomas expressway in santa clara city in california; I immediately switched to "park" and also used manual brake, eventually I managed to stop it; since it's blocking a lane, police came and towed the car to the dealership. Mileage is estimate since the car is still being repaired in the dealership.

Filed Nov 18, 2018 · Brakes · 13,700 miles · IL

I haven't had an accident due to the brakes not working, but I have had similar issues that others are reporting. I've learned to not follow close at all. Mine is only at low speeds that I've noticed the lack of brakes. Seems random, cannot determine a specific speed or conditions that are common. It has happened since the beginning. Only at 13700 miles currently.