2018 Nissan Leaf reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2018 Nissan Leaf holds 66 complaints after 9 years, a rate of 5 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Leaf years here — over the median of the other years, which is 4. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Camera, Speed control, and Owner's manual.

2012 Nissan Leaf — Photo by Vauxford, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Service brakes (19 of 66), then Electrical system (18) and Forward collision avoidance (13). Those filings include 9 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 3 that report an injury.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 Leaf has 0 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2019 has 259 complaints, 5 per year. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2017. The 2018 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2019.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2018 Nissan Leaf. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2024-02-02 · NHTSA campaign 24V071000

Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2022 LEAF vehicles. Damage to the camera harness can cause distortion or loss of the rearview camera display image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Remedy Dealers will inspect the rearview camera and harness for damage and replace them as necessary. If no damage is found, the dealer will apply protective tape and reroute the rearview camera harness. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 9, 2024. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23D7.

Recall Speed control 2023-07-17 · NHTSA campaign 23V494000

Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 LEAF vehicles. The vehicle may accelerate unintentionally if the driving mode is changed ("D" to "B"; e-Pedal "On"; or "ECO" mode) after disengaging the cruise control.

Remedy Dealers will reprogram the vehicle control module (VCM), free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 30, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R23A6.

Recall Owner's manual 2023-02-02 · NHTSA campaign 23V048000

Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2023 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."

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 April 1, 2023. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1-800-867-7669. Nissan's number for this recall is R22C5.

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2019-09-12 · NHTSA campaign 19V654000

Summary Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Nissan Altima, Armada, Frontier, Kicks, Leaf, Maxima, Murano, NV, NV200, Pathfinder, Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Titan, Titan Diesel, Versa Note and Versa Sedan vehicles, as well as Infiniti Q50, Q60, QX30 and QX80 vehicles. Additionally included are 2019 Nissan GT-R and Taxi and Infiniti QX50, QX60, Q70, Q70L vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Remedy Nissan will notify owners in phases, having dealers update the back-up camera settings software, free of charge. The recall began November 11, 2019 and all affected VINs should be activated. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1-800-867-7669 or INFINITI customer service at 1-800-662-6200.

Complaints by component (66 total)

Service brakes

Electrical system

Forward collision avoidance

Fuel and propulsion system

Speed control

Engine

Air bags

Steering

Structure

Powertrain

Visibility and wipers

Seat belts

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Equipment

Tires

Wheels

Show 8 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"vehicle brakes went out on the driver during normal operation."
Service brakes · filed 2026-08-03
"vehicle was being driven like normal with no warning lights or icons. vehicle was bring driven at 35 miles an hour when suddenly the ABS fault message appeared on the dash, the dash started beeping and brakes became…"
Service brakes · filed 2026-07-31
"This is the second high-voltage traction battery failure on this vehicle. The original HV battery failed and was replaced by Nissan under warranty at an authorized dealer on XXX, at approximately 59,000 miles. The…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-07-16
"Car was fast charged on July 9th. 2026. After fast charging from 13% to 80%, and driving for a few miles, the overheating warning came on and car was forced to stop on the side of a busy highway until the engine cooled…"
Electrical system, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-07-11
"Fail component: mechanical linkage (transmission rod) between the motor and the wiper arms. The ball pops out of the socket resulting in the wipers not working despite motor running. This happened with full speed wipers…"
Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-05-31

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2018 Nissan Leaf BEV 5 HB FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Leaf	—	Automatic (1-speed)	Front-wheel drive	125	100	112 MPG / 151 mi range	$700

Specs and fitment

2nd generation (ZE1), 2018–present

Body styles Hatchback

Tire size 205/55R16, 215/50R17 (trim dependent)

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Next year 2019 Nissan Leaf See every Nissan Leaf model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Nissan Leaf reliable?

What are common problems with a 2018 Nissan Leaf?

Is the 2018 Nissan Leaf more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2018 Nissan Leaf been recalled?

The 2018 Nissan Leaf has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2018 Nissan Leaf?

Owners have filed 66 complaints about the 2018 Nissan Leaf with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Nissan Leaf get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 Nissan Leaf is 112 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

Does the Nissan Leaf use engine oil?

Battery-electric versions have no conventional engine oil change; follow the owner's manual for reduction gear and other fluids.

What generation is the 2019 Nissan Leaf?

2nd generation / ZE1 (2018-on).

What tire sizes does a Nissan Leaf use?

Common US sizes include 205/55R16 and 215/50R17 depending on trim.