Nissan LEAF are typically quite reliable cars. However, they did have their fair share of problems throughout the years. In this article, we wrote extensively about all the common problems you´ll run into with a Nissan LEAF. Today, we´ll look specifically at the battery problems. Here is a quick summary:
Nissan LEAF have had problems with losing 25% of their battery range in their first five years. Furthermore, quick charge failure, corroding battery plates, and unnecessary ´low battery´ warning messages are common battery problems.
However, that certainly doesn´t tell us everything about the battery problems on a Nissan LEAF. Below, we´ll give you a detailed look at the potential issues, what caused them and how you can fix them. Read on!
1. Battery Degradation
One of the most annoying problems with battery electric vehicles is the fact that battery degradation is a real issue.
In the image below, you can see the expected degradation of a Nissan LEAF in the first five years of its life. A 5-year-old LEAF has already lost 34 miles (20% of its range).
This study was conducted in 2020, mainly involving the newer Nissan LEAF. However, the older LEAFs had smaller batteries and were expected to lose around 25% of their battery range in the first five years.
There´s very little you can do about this ´problem´ as a Nissan LEAF owner. However, replacing a Nissan LEAF battery must happen about every eight years (they have eight years of warranty or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first).
A car running without a battery won’t last long, and a battery pack replacement will set you back $6,500 – $7,500, so this is something to consider when you´re in the market for a LEAF.
2. Corroding Battery Bonding Plates
One of the first problems is also one of the most prevalent ones. 2011 – 2019 LEAF have received a couple of service bulletins because of the lithium-ion battery bonding plates. These plates and the mounting bolts that hold them in place were prone to corrosion.
Especially plates used in areas where road salt was extensively used were prone to this failure. Nissan issued a voluntary service campaign for this. The affected vehicles are the 2011 – 2017 models and the 2018 – 2019 models with 40kWh battery only. Dealers replaced the bonding plates as well as the mounting bolts.
3. Underestimated Driving Distance
Nissan issued a voluntary service campaign for 19,514 LEAFs in 2018, which involved the 2016 – 2017 model years. Specifically, they recalled the models with a 30kWh battery to reprogram the battery controller. Nissan found out that the driving range gauge and the batter capacity level gauge indicated a lower range/capacity than the actual amount that was in the battery, leading to the following situations:
The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the “Low Battery Mode” warning message was displayed while the battery was fully charged, which caused the vehicle to inadvertently decelerate.
Source
This was due to a design issue that caused improper capacity calculation. The battery controller was reprogrammed, and this did fix the issue.
4. EV Battery Warning Light On
2018 – 2019 Leaf with a 40kWh battery pack had an annoying problem with the EV battery warning light turning on. Furthermore, DTC B2902-42 was stored in the computer, which indicates a problem with the power delivery module. However, it turned out that this was a software problem, and the power delivery module was reprogrammed.
5. Quick Charge Not Working
2018 – 2019 Nissan LEAF had a persistent problem with the quick charge setting. This option would fail on the LEAF after many back-to-back quick charges, or the quick charge would take very long. DTC U1009-96 would also be stored in the vehicle’s computer, indicating a problem with the communication of the quick charger.
This issue applied to vehicles with a 40kWh battery; as with most LEAF problems, this required reprogramming of the battery controllers, which did fix the issue.
6. Power Delivery Module Failure
This isn´t specifically a problem with the battery, but it could be interpreted as one by owners, and that´s why we mention it here. Nissan issued a technical service bulletin for the 2019 Nissan LEAF to replace the power delivery module. This module is an integrated unit with a charger for charging alternating current to a high-voltage battery. As the name implies, it´s responsible for power delivery.
In the documentation, Nissan doesn´t provide a reason for the TSB. However, since it has to do with the power delivery problems with acceleration or complete lack of power delivery could indicate problems with this model in the 2019 model year.
Did you know the Nissan Leaf also had problems with its automatic emergency braking system? Click that link to read more about that!
Hi! My name is Stefan; I’m the owner and lead writer at TheDriverAdviser.com.
I’m an active writer on this blog myself, as well as a novice car mechanic. For the really technical stuff, I find writers with experience as a mechanic or who have studied mechanical engineering.
Read more about our fantastic team on our about page!