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2015 Nissan Leaf: Problems, Recalls and MPG

What this means

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2015 Nissan Leaf, most recently filed April 2023. Owners have filed 110 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
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Recalls (4)

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2015 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 2015 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 2015 Nissan Leaf. Not checked against your VIN.
Recall 17V253000 Filed Apr 13, 2017

Front Passenger Air Bag may Deploy Improperly

Air bags
Official NHTSA text
Summary
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 LEAF and 2014, 2016 and 2017 Sentra vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error within the air bag inflators, the passenger frontal air bag may not properly deploy in the event of a crash.
Consequence
In the event of a crash, if the front passenger air bag doesn't deploy properly, it can increase the risk of injury to passengers.
Remedy
Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261.
66.9% repairedof 30,038 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 17V253000
Listed for 2015 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 2015 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

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 (110)

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

8involved a crash
0involved a fire
3injuries 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 2015 Nissan Leaf, by component (top 10). One complaint can list several components, so these add up to more than 110.Source: NHTSA ODI owner complaints · Retrieved Oct 6, 2026 · Report a data error

How 2015 compares with other Leaf years

Best and worst Leaf years →
2011201220132014201520162017201820192020
This year (2015)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), 2015 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
$650
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

2015 Nissan Leaf configurations with EPA data
Engine · transmissionDriveCity / Hwy / CombEPA $/yrCO₂ g/mi
Electric · AutomaticFront-Wheel Drive126 / 101 / 114$650—

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 2015 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

2015 Nissan Leaf FAQ

How many recalls does the 2015 Nissan Leaf have?

NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns: 23V296000 (visibility), 17V253000 (air bag), 16V244000 (air bag), 16V119000 (brake). Use NHTSA's VIN lookup to see whether a specific car was repaired.

What are the most common 2015 Nissan Leaf problems?

Owners filed 110 complaints with NHTSA. Service brakes (85), Electrical system (18), Unknown or other (9) are mentioned most. These are owner reports, not verified findings.

What mpg does the 2015 Nissan Leaf get?

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

What safety rating did the 2015 Nissan Leaf get?

NHTSA rated the 2015 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 2015 Leaf compare with other years?

Among the 2011–2020 Nissan Leaf model years at least five years old, the 2017 drew the fewest complaints (17) and the 2019 the most (259). The 2015 drew 110. 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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