AI Damage2020 Nissan Leaf: common problems
Owners of the 2020 Nissan Leaf filed 167 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and fuel/propulsion system. The maker issued 91 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 167
- involving a crash
- 1
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 91
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 74% of all complaints
- 2 Fuel/propulsion system 21% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 8% of all complaints
- 4 Engine 5% of all complaints
- 5 Forward collision avoidance 4% of all complaints
- 6 Backover prevention 3% of all complaints
- 7 Visibility 2% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 2% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 123 complaints (74% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 52.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 35 complaints (21% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 1.
- Powertrain: 14 complaints (8% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 10.
- Engine: 8 complaints (5% of all).
- Forward collision avoidance: 7 complaints (4% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 8.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- electric
- automatic, 1-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 167 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 123 | 0 | 52 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 35 | 0 | 1 |
| Powertrain | 14 | 0 | 10 |
| Engine | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Backover prevention | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Service brakes | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Structure | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Air bags | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Equipment | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Lane departure | 0 | 0 | 5 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
"automatic braking system failed to engage" on a offramp lane from freeway 5 southbound to crown valley parkway off ramp while traveling approximately 25mph I rear ended a vehicle that was at dead stop and that vehicle rear ended a second vehicle.
During the charging session, the high-voltage traction battery severely overheated, physically expanded/swelled, and tripped a major vehicle fault sensor. The dealership confirmed the battery was permanently damaged and rendered the vehicle entirely inoperable.
Vehicle: 2020 Nissan Leaf SV, VIN [[XXX]], ~55,000 miles Recall: R24B2 / NHTSA campaign 24V700000 (battery may overheat during Level 3 charging — fire risk) I brought my vehicle to Conicelli Nissan (Conshohocken, PA) for the R24B2 recall software update.The vehicle has been held at the dealership since on or about XXX…
However, as soon as we drove away the dash lit up with warning lights. We were on the freeway so we pulled over. It was a dangerous situation. We called the dealership and they required us to bring the car back. So we slowly and carefully drove the car a few miles back to the dealership.
My 2020 Nissan LEAF is subject to open safety recall 24V700 / R24B2 for a high-voltage lithium-ion battery defect that poses a fire risk during Level 3 quick charging. On [XXX], I brought the vehicle to an authorized Nissan dealer for the recall remedy.
The dealership released an unsafe vehicle back to me that remains a documented thermal and fire risk. The Nissan Nissan Safety Recall 24V-700 / Campaign R24B2 states that vehicles that experience this situation after the recall remedy was performed will have the battery replaced or vehicle repurchased.
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.
While driving with cruise control set to a certain speed (i do not recall the exact speed it was set to) I pressed the button that lowers the current speed it is set to, but instead of lowring by one mph it raised the speed, pressing again raised the speed again.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 391 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (top 19% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Leaf has 53 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 167, above average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- *****Dealer Announcement***** Nissan is committed to delivering the highest levels of product quality and…
*****Dealer Announcement***** Nissan is committed to delivering the highest levels of product quality and customer satisfaction. In support of this commitment, Nissan is implementing a Lithium-ion Battery Post-Remedy…
- CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other…
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
- TELEMATICS SERVICE INFORMATION HINT
This bulletin applies to vehicles equipped with a 4G network compatible TCU. TCUs compatible with 3G network only are no longer supported. SERVICE INFORMATION The APPLIED VEHICLES that come equipped with a factory…
- AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING WARNING LIGHT BLINKING APPLIED SYSTEMS
Vehicles equipped with a lane camera (see Figure 1) SERVICE INFORMATION If the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) warning light or is blinking (but not illuminated steadily) or the customer states it is blinking, and…
- INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE AND AEB/FEB WARNING LIGHT ON OR RADAR OBSTRUCTION MESSAGE DISPLAYED…
INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL INOPERATIVE AND AEB/FEB WARNING LIGHT ON OR RADAR OBSTRUCTION MESSAGE DISPLAYED WITH DTC C1A16 OR C2582 IF YOU CONFIRM IMPORTANT: The purpose of ACTION (on the next page) is to give you a…
- VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN 2018-2025 LEAF; HVAC REPROGRAM CAMPAIGN ID #
P4A17 APPLIED VEHICLES: 2018-2025 LEAF (ZE1) Check Service COMM or Dealer Business Systems (DBS) National Service History to confirm campaign eligibility. INTRODUCTION Nissan is conducting this voluntary service…
- *****Dealer Announcement***** Nissan is conducting a service campaign on certain specific MY2018-2025…
*****Dealer Announcement***** Nissan is conducting a service campaign on certain specific MY2018-2025 Nissan LEAF vehicles identified in Service Comm and National Service History – Open Campaigns. On affected vehicles…
- LANE CAMERA AIMING VEHICLE REFERENCE VALUES NOT IN ESM SERVICE INFORMATION If the lane camera requires…
LANE CAMERA AIMING VEHICLE REFERENCE VALUES NOT IN ESM SERVICE INFORMATION If the lane camera requires aiming, the values in Table A on page 4 must be used. For all other models/model years, consult the Electronic…
- DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed…
- VEHICLE WILL NOT START AND DTCS P31E7 AND P0AA6 STORED IN EV/HEV CONTROL MODULE This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- DTC C1A17-49 OR C2580-49 STORED IN LASER/RADAR This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
- VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended
See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NHTSA lists 91 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Nissan Leaf?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, fuel/propulsion system, powertrain. Total complaints: 167. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (20%), overheating, coolant loss (10%), warning lights, check engine (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2020 Nissan Leaf?
NHTSA lists 91 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2020 Nissan Leaf from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2020 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.