2014 NISSAN LEAF Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 NISSAN LEAF. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE DEFROSTER DID NOT GENERATE AN ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF HEAT TO DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,000.

MY NISSAN LEAF HAS HAD MAJOR ISSUES WITH THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR. IF THERE IS ANY AMOUNT OF ACCUMULATED SNOW, EVEN A SMALL AMOUNT, AN AMOUNT ON OTHER CARS I HAVE DRIVEN DOES NOT STOP THE WIPERS OR BREAK THE WIPER'S MOTOR. IN LESS THAN ONE YEAR MY WIPER'S MOTOR HAS BROKEN THREE TIMES. THE LAST TIME THE MOTOR BROKE I WAS COMING HOME IN A SNOW STORM. I COULDN'T SEE BECAUSE THE WIPERS QUIT WORKING. I TRIED TO SLOWLY PULL OVER BECAUSE I WAS ON A BUSY STREET. I HIT A PEDESTRIAN BECAUSE I COULD NOT SEE AND WAS AFRAID TO STOP ON A BUSY ROAD. NISSAN REPAIR SHOP BASICALLY TOLD ME THERE CAN BE NO SNOW ON YOUR WINDSHIELD OR THE WIPERS MOTOR WILL BREAK. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE ACCUMULATED SNOW ON THE WIND SHIELD. AS I SAID, I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH ANY OTHER CAR. I FEEL LIKE WINDSHIELD WIPERS SHOULD BE ABLE TO HANDLE AN 1/8 OF AN INCH OF SNOW WITHOUT BREAKING THE MOTOR. YOU COULD BE DRIVING AND SNOW COULD DROP FROM A TREE ONTO YOUR CAR. *TR

BRAKE FAILURE. PRESSING ON BRAKES WITH NORMAL PRESSURE HAD NO EFFECT. PRESSING ON PEDAL VERY HARD WOULD STOP THE CAR. WHEN DOING SO THERE WAS A NOISE THAT I BELIEVE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS IF THERE HAD BEEN A PEDESTRIAN AROUND. TOOK TO DEALER. THEY SAID THE BRAKING CONTROLLER HAD FAILED. THEY REPLACED AND IT APPEARS NORMAL NOW. THIS VEHICLE HAD THE COLD WEATHER BRAKE CONTROLLER UPDATE APPLIED TO IT APPROXIMATELY A MONTH EARLIER.

NISSAN DID NOT NOTIFY ME OF THIS RECALL OF THE LEAF WHICH WAS EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 26, 2016. WHEN I CALLED NISSAN REGARDING THEIR LACK OF NOTIFICATION ON THIS ISSUE, THE COMPANY, MOREOVER, DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECALL CITING A 'SERVICE NOTICE' HAS BEEN IN EFFECT SINCE OCTOBER 15, 2015 OF WHICH I ALSO DID NOT RECEIVE NOTIFICATION! COULD YOU PLEASE FOLLOW UP ON THIS RECALL WITH NISSAN AND INFORM ME OF THEIR RESPONSE. THANK YOU. *TR

CHILD LOCKS ISSUE: MY FAMILY AND I WERE GOING TO A RESTAURANT, AND, UPON ARRIVAL, MY MOTHER WAS UNABLE TO EXIT. I REALIZED THAT THE CHILD LOCK DEVICE LEVER IN OUR 2014 NISSAN LEAF WAS OUT OF THE CHILD-UNLOCKED, OR NORMAL-EGRESS, POSITION. I ALSO REALIZED THAT THIS WAS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. I INVESTIGATED THE DOOR CHILD-LOCK MANUAL LEVER ON THE LEAF AND INVENTED A DEVICE TO KEEP THE LEVER POSITION IN THE CHILD-UNLOCKED CONDITION UNTIL WE DESIRED TO REPOSITION IT (WHEN TRAVELING WITH SMALL CHILDREN). I ALSO INVENTED THE ALTERNATE DEVICE, THAT IS, TO MAINTAIN THE CHILD-LOCKED POSITION. THIS DEVICE WAS DESIGNED TO RESTRAIN THE LEVER AND INDICATE THE CHILD-LOCK CONDITION AT A GLANCE; THIS IS WHY THE LEVER KNOB IS VISIBLE WHEN THE OBJECT IS INSTALLED AND COLORS WERE USED TO AFFIRM THE STATUS. FOR OUR NISSAN LEAF, I USED A GREEN RUBBER INSERT FOR THE CHILD-UNLOCKED POSITION, AND A RED RUBBER INSERT FOR THE CHILD-LOCKED POSITION. THIS INVENTION, ALONG WITH SEVERAL VARIATIONS TO ACCOMMODATE DIFFERENT ACTUATORS AND INDICATION PARADIGMS FOR INDICATING STATUS, WAS RECENTLY SUBMITTED TO THE US PATENT OFFICE, AND IS THUS ?US PATENT PENDING.? I CONTACTED BOTH NISSAN AND TOYOTA AND THEY REPLIED WITH NO INTEREST. PLEASE CONTACT ME AND I WILL SHARE DETAILS, INCLUDING DRAWINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF MY FIXES. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THERE IS AN AIR BAG LIGHT THAT ILLUMINATES WHEN THERE IS WEIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SEAT BUT THE AIR BAG WILL NOT BE DEPLOYED, MAYBE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE THINKS THERE IS A DOG, SMALL CHILD, OR INANIMATE OBJECT SITTING IN THE SEAT. THE TROUBLE IS THAT THE "AIR BAG DISABLED LIGHT" OCCASIONALLY TURNS ON WHEN MY TEENAGE SONS SIT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE DEALER SAYS IT IS BECAUSE MY SONS DO NOT ALWAYS SIT SQUARELY TO THE BACK OF THE SEAT; THAT IS, THEY OCCASIONALLY SLOUCH IN THE SEAT. I HAVE VIDEOS OF THIS BEHAVIOR WHICH I CAN SEND TO YOU, SO YOU CAN DETERMINE IT IS IS SOMETHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO LOOK INTO. NISSAN'S RESPONSE IS AKIN TO STEVE JOBS SAYING OF THE IPHONE 4, "YOU'RE HOLDING IT WRONG." I THINK NISSAN SHOULD BUILD THEIR SENSORS FOR THE WAY PEOPLE SOMETIMES SIT IN THEIR SEATS, NOT AS THE WAY THEY WOULD LIKE THEM TO SIT UNDER IDEA CIRCUMSTANCES. THEY PROBABLY HAVE ONE SENSOR AT THE BACK OF THE SEAT, WHEN THEY ACTUALLY NEED ANOTHER IN THE MIDDLE AND MAYBE ONE AT THE FRONT TO BETTER JUDGE THE WEIGHT OF THE OBJECT IN THE SEAT.

THIS IS A GENERAL COMPLAINT ABOUT RECENT-MODEL HEAD RESTS. IT IS NOT LIMITED TO OUR CAR. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I THINK SOMEONE AT THE TRANSPORTATION BOARD IS OVERLY ZEALOUS IN THIS. MOST NEW CARS TODAY HAVE THE HEADRESTS VERY FAR FORWARD. IT SEEMS AS IF THE TRANSPORTATION BOARD WANTS THE HEADREST TO TOUCH THE HEAD. I DO NOT LIKE THIS. MY HEAD IS JOSTLED WHEN THE HEADREST TOUCHES MY IT. I THINK EVEN ONE HALF INCH AWAY IS TOO CLOSE, AS THEN IT TOUCHES MY HAIR. THE RESULT OF HAVING IT SO FAR FORWARD IS THAT IT PUSHES MY HEAD FORWARD, TOWARDS MY CHIN, AND MY NECK AND BACK HURTS. AND UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE, I AM SURE, IS THAT MY WIFE AND I PUSH THE SEATS FORWARD AND THE BACK OF THE SEATS BACKWARDS. THIS HELPS TO KEEP THE HEADREST BACK A LITTLE BIT. BUT, I THEN HAVE TO TILT MY HEAD FORWARD TO KEEP IT VERTICAL, SO IT STILL IS A BIT UNCOMFORTABLE. I THINK YOU DO NOT REALIZE THAT IF YOU MAKE THINGS TOO UNCOMFORTABLE FOR PEOPLE, THEY WILL FIND WAYS AROUND IT AND NEGATE YOUR SAFETY SYSTEM. I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS. AND, I HOPE YOU WILL CORRECT THE ERROR AND PUSH HEADREST BACK IN THE NEAR FUTURE. *TR

WHENEVER OUTSIDE TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW +/- 38F, THE REGENERATIVE BRAKE SYSTEM BEHAVES VERY AGGRESSIVELY IN THE SENSE THAT THE SLIGHTEST USE OF THE BRAKES RESULTS IN A VERY JERKY BEVAHIOUR OF THE CAR, BRAKING VERY ABRUPTLY AND HARD. USUALLY, A SECOND TAP ON THE BRAKE RESOLVES THE ISSUE TEMPORARILY, BUT THE SYMPTOM COMES BACK SOON AFTER. THIS IS NOT ONLY AN INCONVENIENCE, BUT ALSO POSES POTENTIAL ACCIDENTS IF A CAR BEHIND THE LEAF IS NOT EXPECTING A HARD BRAKING. CONTACTED THE NISSAN DEALER WITH THE SYMPTOMS, REPLY WAS THAT THIS IS NOT KNOWN TO NISSAN.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 NISSAN LEAF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE ON AN INCLINE AND THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE ROLLED DOWN HILL. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL HESITATED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,400. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

WHEN MY 90LB DAUGHTER AND 130LB WIFE SITS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT OF OUR MY14 NISSAN LEAF, THERE IS NO CONSISTENCY WITH WHETHER THE AIRBAG WILL BE ON OR OFF. OFTEN, THE AIRBAG IS ON WITH MY DAUGHTER AND OFF WITH MY WIFE. THE DEALER HAS "RESET" THE AIRBAG FOUR TIMES AND SAYS "IT'S WORKING AS EXPECTED". I'VE SPOKEN WITH NISSAN ELECTRIC CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND THEY SAID THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO AND THEY REFUSED TO LET ME TALK TO THEIR SUPERVISOR. *TR