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2014 Nissan Leaf: Problems, Recalls and MPG

What this means

NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2014 Nissan Leaf, most recently filed April 2023. Owners have filed 34 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes. In NHTSA crash tests it earned 4 stars overall.

Data summary generated from official records. Methodology Data: NHTSA, DOT, EPA · Refreshed Oct 6, 2026
Caution Fewer than 50 complaints filed. With this few reports, patterns may not be meaningful.
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Recalls (6)

NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2014 Nissan Leaf. Check whether yours was repaired with NHTSA's free VIN lookup ↗

Only NHTSA and your automaker know whether your specific car was repaired. PlainVIN shows every recall campaign listed for a model year, with the official text and how many cars have been fixed so far.

Check on NHTSA ↗
Listed for 2014 Nissan Leaf. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 23V296000 Filed Apr 26, 2023

Incorrect Information in Owner's Manual/FMVSS 103

Equipment · other · owners/service/other manual
Official NHTSA text
Summary
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2017 LEAF vehicles. The Owner's Manual instructions for defroster operation are incorrect and may result in reduced defroster performance under specific conditions. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."
Consequence
Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Nissan will mail an addendum with updated instructions on how to operate the defroster, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A1.
100% repairedof 94,343 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 23V296000
Listed for 2014 Nissan Leaf. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 16V244000 Filed Apr 26, 2016

Passenger Air Bag may not Deploy due to OCS Error

Air bags · sensor · occupant classification
Official NHTSA text
Summary
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
Consequence
If the passenger frontal air bag does not deploy as intended in the event of a crash, the passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
Remedy
Nissan will notify their owners. Chevrolet City Express owners will be notified by General Motors. Dealers will reprogram the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) and OCS Electronic Control Unit (ECU) in Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue, and Sentra vehicles, and replace the OCS ECU in LEAF, NV200, NV200 Taxi, Pathfinder, Infiniti Q50, JX35, and QX60 and Chevrolet City Express vehicles, free of charge. Interim notices were sent to owners on May 31, 2016. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669, Infiniti customer service at 1-888-833-3216 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
77.1% repairedof 3,296,947 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 16V244000
Listed for 2014 Nissan Leaf. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 16V119000 Filed Feb 29, 2016

Brake Relay may Freeze in Cold Temperatures

Service brakes
Official NHTSA text
Summary
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.
Consequence
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.
77.7% repairedof 46,859 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 16V119000
Listed for 2014 Nissan Leaf. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 14V263000 Filed May 16, 2014

Circuit Board Voltage may Result in Shutdown

Hybrid propulsion system · inverter
Official NHTSA text
Summary
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014 Nissan LEAF vehicles manufactured April 15, 2014, through April 24, 2014. Due to a problem with the motor control circuit board, the inverter may fail, causing the vehicle shut down.
Consequence
An unexpected vehicle shut down increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inverter, free of charge. The recall began in July 2014. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
98.5% repairedof 196 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 14V263000
Listed for 2014 Nissan Leaf. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 14V192000 Filed Apr 16, 2014

Front Member Missing Welds/FMVSS 208, 305

Structure
Official NHTSA text
Summary
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 28, 2014, through March 12, 2014. The front structural member assembly may be missing welds, which could reduce the structural integrity of the vehicle if the vehicle is involved in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection," and 305, "Electric-Powered Vehicles: Electrolyte Spillage and Electrical Shock Protection."
Consequence
Missing welds may effect the vehicle's integrity in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the vehicle's occupants.
Remedy
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will inspect to see if any of the welds are missing. Any vehicle missing welds will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on June 2, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
84.8% repairedof 211 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 14V192000
Listed for 2014 Nissan Leaf. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 14V138000 Filed Mar 25, 2014

Air Bag may not Detect Passenger in Seat

Air bags · frontal
Official NHTSA text
Summary
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
Consequence
If the OCS does not detect an adult occupant in the passenger seat, the passenger airbag would be deactivated. Failure of the passenger airbag to deploy during a crash (where deployment is warranted) could increase the risk of injury to the passenger.
Remedy
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will update the OCS software, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
86.8% repairedof 989,701 vehicles
Manufacturer report to NHTSA · Source: US DOT recall completion data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026
Check your VIN on NHTSA or ask a dealer to check campaign 14V138000

PlainVIN shows public government records for education. It isn't a vehicle inspection or legal advice. Check your own VIN with NHTSA or your dealer.

Owner complaints (34)

34 complaints filed with NHTSA (owner reports, not verified findings). The service brakes is mentioned most often.

3involved a crash
2involved a fire
2injuries reported
0deaths reported

As reported by owners in their complaints. These are reports, not NHTSA findings.

Most-reported components

Complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2014 Nissan Leaf, by component (top 10). One complaint can list several components, so these add up to more than 34.Source: NHTSA ODI owner complaints · Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 · Report a data error

How 2014 compares with other Leaf years

Best and worst Leaf years →
2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
This year (2014)Other yearsStill collecting reports

Counts are owner reports, not failure rates. Higher sales years tend to draw more reports. Owners are still filing reports for recent model years, so these counts will grow. Source: NHTSA ODI, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Crash tests: 4 stars overall

Overall★★★★☆
Frontal crashDriver 5★ · Passenger 3★★★★★☆
Side crashDriver 5★ · Passenger 3★★★★★☆
Side pole★★★★★
RolloverRollover risk 10.9%★★★★☆
Front seat of a modern car with the seat belt buckled across the passenger seat
Compare fairly. Compare stars only between vehicles of similar size and weight. Ratings apply to the tested configuration.

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP), 2014 Nissan Leaf 5 hb fwd, retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Fuel economy: up to 114 mpg combined

114
mpg combined
126
city
101
highway
EPA annual fuel cost
$700
CO₂ tailpipe
—
EPA class
Midsize Cars

What it costs you to run

$573per year
$48per month
132gallons a year

Miles ÷ 114 mpg × $4.354 (EIA US average regular, week of Oct 5, 2026, all taxes included). Source: EPA · EIA.

EPA label estimates from lab tests; your mileage will vary.

Specs by configuration

2014 Nissan Leaf configurations with EPA data
Engine · transmissionDriveCity / Hwy / CombEPA $/yrCO₂ g/mi
Electric · AutomaticFront-Wheel Drive126 / 101 / 114$700—

Source: EPA fuel economy data, retrieved Oct 6, 2026. Configurations are listed when EPA and NHTSA records match.

Used blue SUV on a sunny dealer lot with its hood open and a clipboard on the fender

Looking at a 2014 Leaf for sale?

Print a one-page buyer's checklist: each recall campaign with a box to tick when the seller shows proof of repair, the top complaint areas to inspect, crash stars, MPG, and a link back to this page.

All Leaf years

Where to next

2014 Nissan Leaf FAQ

How many recalls does the 2014 Nissan Leaf have?

NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns: 23V296000 (visibility), 16V244000 (air bag), 16V119000 (brake), 14V263000 (hybrid propulsion system), 14V192000 (structure), 14V138000 (air bag). Use NHTSA's VIN lookup to see whether a specific car was repaired.

What are the most common 2014 Nissan Leaf problems?

Owners filed 34 complaints with NHTSA. Service brakes (18), Electrical system (6), Air bags (4) are mentioned most. These are owner reports, not verified findings.

What mpg does the 2014 Nissan Leaf get?

EPA rates the Electric · Automatic version at 126 city, 101 highway and 114 combined mpg.

What safety rating did the 2014 Nissan Leaf get?

NHTSA rated the 2014 Nissan Leaf 5 hb fwd 4 stars overall, with 4 stars frontal, 4 stars side and 4 stars rollover (10.9% rollover risk).

How does the 2014 Leaf compare with other years?

Among the 2010–2019 Nissan Leaf model years at least five years old, the 2010 drew the fewest complaints (1) and the 2019 the most (259). The 2014 drew 34. Counts are owner reports, not failure rates.

How this page was madeSources, processing, limits, review and changes

Processing

  • Complaints are counted per component. One complaint can list several, so component totals add up to more than the total.
  • Fuel cost = miles per year ÷ EPA combined mpg × EIA weekly price for your region.

Limitations

  • Complaint counts are owner reports, not verified findings or failure rates. There is no sales denominator.
  • Recall campaigns are listed for the model year. Only NHTSA and the automaker know whether a specific car was repaired.
  • Recent model years are still collecting reports.

Review

Data compiled automatically from the official files listed here.

Changelog

  • 2026-10-06 Data refreshed from the official files.
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