2016 Nissan Leaf: brake failure

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 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 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 13, 2018 · Brakes · 14,000 miles · LA

Tl* the contact owns a 2016 nissan leaf. While driving in reverse, the brakes failed to engage when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was towed to premier nissan of metairie (located at 6636 veterans memorial blvd, metairie, la 70003, (504) 455-5800) to be diagnosed, but a failure code could not be found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: 33554796. The approximate failure mileage was 14,000.

Filed May 24, 2018 · Brakes · 20,000 miles · TX

I had a brake failure at power on issue on my 2016 nissan leaf sl. Nothing on the dash alerted me. The brakes did work, but it seemed like no vacuum assist, so had to press really hard. Towed to a dealer. Replaced the 12v battery. Very scary, I rolled out into an intersection and luckily I was not in an accident or ran over a pedestrian.

Filed Feb 11, 2018 · Brakes · 12,000 miles · MN

On 6 occasions the brakes failed to work on first contact when attempting to come to a full stop at either a stop light or a stop sign on city streets. Releasing the brake pedal and reapplying the brakes finally brought the car to a stop. This happened to both my husband and myself and happened on both straight flat roads and downhill roads. This happened in both regenerative and non-regenerative braking but the worst failure happened in non-regenerative braking.

Filed Jun 27, 2017 · Brakes · 12,000 miles · CA

While approaching an intersection in a busy area of san diego county, the brakes failed on my nissan leaf. The brake shuddered under my foot, much like anti-lock brakes do when they're engaged. After I felt the shuddering, the brake pedal went down but the vehicle did not decelerate as it normally would in response to braking. I tried the brake pedal a few times with no response, but the vehicle's momentum slowed enough for me to avoid a collision and continue on the road. As I came to a second intersection, I again tried the brakes and the vehicle did not respond. I used the emergency brake to stop the leaf at the intersection. I located an uphill driveway to a corporate parking location, and drove the vehicle very slowly to a parking spot. I intended to park the car and call a towing service, but when I once again tried the brake pedal the nissan leaf responded to the brakes and stopped in the parking spot. Because I was close to work and the brakes had re-engaged, I drove the vehicle to the parking lot at my office and later that day called nissan's consumer affairs line for the leaf (877‑664‑2738). I reported the issue to nissan, and they had the vehicle towed to a nearby nissan dealership. At this point in time, nissan is working with mossy nissan in poway, ca to try to diagnose the problem. Nissan opened case #27170321 on the issue. This is a fairly new vehicle (bought in september 2016), and I don't think there are any physical problems with the brake pads or mechanism. My best guess is that an electric/controller failure occurred with regenerative braking.