Nissan Leaf loss of power problems

Filed Jul 3, 2026 · Electrical · WI

This recall appointment does not take 2 hours to complete. The dealer quoted me 1-2 days with an inability to offer a loaner vehicle. Several Leaf owners have completed the recall appointment and subsequently been left stranded because the car went into an undrivable mode leaving the owner stranded and incurring towing and rental fees for weeks without resolution. Nissan Consumer Affairs has denied to consider a buyback without taking the vehicle in for the recall notice even though the recall notice successfully being applied does not guarantee the car will not stop abruptly after that visit. Without the recall appointment, Nissan has limited my ability to safely fast‑charge, preventing me from using the full functionality of the vehicle. Nissan is conditioning buyback eligibility on my willingness to undergo the recall inspection, even though the recall remedy has repeatedly resulted in battery failure and sudden loss of power for other Leaf owners. This effectively forces me to expose myself to a known safety hazard in order to qualify for a remedy Nissan itself acknowledges may be required. I am being denied both safe vehicle operation and access to the promised buyback unless I accept a repair that may leave me stranded or without a functioning battery. Nissan recognizes the potential risk of the recall remedy by issuing a second notice dated 6/17/2026 that if the vehicle experiences this battery specific condition within 12 months after the date the software reprogram remedy was completed on the vehicle. Nissan will replace the battery or offer to re-purchase the car. Nissan has also recognized that batteries are rare at this time. I thought that a manufacturer must offer a remedy that was deemed Safe and this does not seem like it’s guaranteeing safety.

Filed Jun 12, 2026 · Acceleration, Fuel system · CA

The vehicle has experienced approximately ten+ incidents while driving at freeway speeds on dry roads where the traction-control indicator illuminated and the vehicle unexpectedly lost power. During these events, the vehicle would not accelerate normally despite accelerator input, and vehicle speed decreased significantly. The incidents occurred under normal driving conditions and were not associated with any apparent loss of traction. The vehicle was inspected by a Nissan dealership, but the concern could not be reproduced and no root cause has been identified. A case has been opened with Nissan North America. I am reporting this because unexpected loss of propulsion at highway speeds creates a potential safety hazard. The speed decreases from 70mph to around 30-40mph on the freeway suddenly.

Filed Jun 9, 2026 · Electrical, Fuel system · CA

I am reporting a critical safety hazard involving my 2021 Nissan Leaf S Plus (approx. 117,000 miles). Since January 2025, the vehicle has exhibited dangerous battery degradation and voltage sag during operation. On my 30-mile highway commute, while driving at normal highway speeds—especially on inclines—the vehicle would suddenly display a low-power warning, and the remaining battery percentage would instantly crash. This caused a sudden, dangerous loss of propulsion in high-speed traffic, creating severe crash risks. I primarily charged at home and rarely used DC fast charging. On May 22, 2026, while actively driving, the dashboard flashed: "Service EV system unable to restart after power off." I pulled over, and upon turning the car off, it completely bricked. The auxiliary electronics power up, but the vehicle permanently refuses to enter "READY" (Drive) mode due to a high-voltage safety lock. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Nissan dealer. The certified technician's diagnostic report confirmed that the high-voltage traction battery has completely failed and is internally damaged. Crucially, this vehicle is currently under an active, unremedied safety recall (the federal safety agency Recall 25V655 / Nissan R25C8) due to excessive lithium deposits that cause severe battery degradation, sudden power loss, and fire risks. The physical failure of my battery is a direct manifestation of this exact manufacturing defect. Nissan’s software-only "interim remedy" did not fix the hardware defect; it simply bricked my car after exposing my family to highway propulsion loss. Nissan must be held legally responsible for replacing these defective, recalled battery packs regardless of mileage, as they present a severe, systemic risk of catastrophic failure and traffic accidents.

Filed Jan 12, 2026 · Electrical, Transmission · CO

Nissan Leaf experienced large state of charge fluctuations while driving. State of charge was jumping up and down rapidly. Vehicle was taken in to Alpine Nissan in Federal Height, Colorado. Car was diagnosed with a cell imbalance across multiple cells which coincides with recall number R24B2 (NTHSA - 24V‑700). I have been trying for weeks to get Nissan Consumer Affairs to give me a solution for the car as its undrivable due to the safety defect. At this point I haven't been able to get anyone on the phone in the last week. The car has a serious loss of power risk and is a fire hazard. The defect is well documented in the recall. The raw battery data and invoice for battery replacement is attached. Case number with Nissan is #[XXX]. I cannot get a written statement from the manufacturer or the dealer that the car is safe to drive in its current state. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 31, 2025 · Electrical · 60,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2022 Nissan Leaf. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V655000 (Electric System). The contact stated that a week after purchasing the vehicle, the same type of battery was replaced for an unknown reason. The contact stated that after quick charging to 97% and almost seven months later, while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle lost power, and a turtle icon was displayed. The contact added that the message "Slow Down - Overheating" was displayed. The vehicle was taken close to the residence and turned off to allow it to cool down. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Filed Nov 25, 2024 · FL

I was driving on the highway and sped up slightly to get into the passing lane. Suddenly, the dashboard changed to “Service EV system no power” and the car completely dropped out of acceleration, de-accelerated and lost power. With no warning. With the momentum I already had, I was able to get to the shoulder, but if anyone had been behind me, I would have been hit.

Filed Mar 29, 2024 · Acceleration, Electrical · AZ

I was driving at 65 MPH on the freeway and the car was acting/driving normally. Without any warning at all, many lights appeared on the dashboard at the same time that the car placed itself into neutral and lost all power to drive. My speed was reduced so quickly without any notice and I had no pull out lane near me, so I was forced to move across 5 lanes of traffic in rush hour speeds of 60-85 MPH traffic in order to get to safety in a pull out lane while my car was quickly losing speed at 30 MPH and below. I tried to put the car back into drive but it was impossible and the dashboard read "EV maintenance needed". Of note, my entire battery was replaced less than 6 months prior and the Nissan Peoria (AZ) dealership reported no other issues with the vehicle. Upon inspection, the dealership reported the traction motor inverter needs replacement, and again there were no indications this was failing.

Filed Nov 30, 2023 · Electrical · CA

The car suddenly lost power during freeway driving. The brake system appeared compromised. Turning off 12v accessories - which includes safety critical functions such as the defrost blower - was necessary to restore functionality. This is caused by a defective DC-DC converter that fails to properly charge the 12V battery, risking and repeatedly causing sudden loss power, loss of braking, and loss of safety critical functions. This is not the result of damage to the DC-DC converter or other such damage. This is proven by the fact that activation of the wipers triggers the DC-DC converter to temporarily raise the charging voltage to a level sufficient to restore power and charge the 12v battery. Due to defective programming of the DC-DC converter, the power provided to the 12v battery and system quickly returns to unsafe low levels. The DC-DC converter has a sense line that senses the voltage of the 12v battery, but the programming of the converter is defective such that it does not actually maintain the battery at a healthy level. This is a commonly reported and discussed issue on Nissan Leaf ownership forums. Reprogramming of the DC-DC converter is necessary, but not available from Nissan. This issue also causes early degradation of 12v batteries, and replacement of the 12v does not cure the issue. The most recent occurrence of loss of power was 11/30/23, but it has happened repeatedly in the past.

Filed Oct 9, 2023 · Electrical, Fuel system · MA

While driving at highway speeds (65mph) on a cold day (10-20F), the car lost all drive power with no warning. Driver was able to coast to the road margin. In another situation this could have been a catastrophic accident. Driver called 911 for police protection and tow. At this point car was completely unresponsive but still on. The car could not be turned off, turned on, shifted into drive, or any other action performed. The car has shown at least 3 other cold weather failures at highway speeds with various error states (ranging from turtle mode, a complete loss of the info display, and sudden power losses). Our mechanic said "I almost died today, this car is not safe to drive on the highway".

Filed Mar 10, 2023 · Electrical · CA

On March 8, 2023, my 2016 NISSAN LEAF main EV battery failed at 75% charge power going up an incline on the freeway. The car shut down in the center lane with no warning at 60mph and could not be moved or shifted to be driven off the freeway. The car is available for inspection. My safety and the safety of others was put at EXTREME risk. I could have been killed or rear ended. I called 911 for the highway patrol and a county or city tow truck got me off the freeway. Previously, the main EV battery was diagnosed by the dealer as dropping in capacity to 8 bars in December 2022. I was told the car was safe to drive still although they did put in a warranty claim for a new battery which I was told was on back order and could take up to one year. Yet, I was told the car was 100% safe and drove it from December 2022 until this week. After the March 8 incident I had the car towed immediately to the dealer repair facility and the dealer service again confirmed the battery was compromised and told me not to drive the car anymore. So far NISSAN corporate has not asked to inspect the vehicle. The only warning the car gave was it was having a loss of power going up hills from December 2022 to this week but the car never showed a warning or gave a warning light on the dash.