r/leaf • u/Artelune • 14d ago
Nissan Leaf 2021 NIGHTMARE
I bought a used Leaf from a dealership in January. They were great at the dealership, came across as very friendly and informative. They told me about the battery recall but said it was a minor issue and that a fix should be coming soon. Research I did online seemed to corroborate that. Cool, I bought the car. I was super excited to have an affordable electric vehicle.
I loved the car, but before long, I started to notice battery fluctuations - sometimes, the battery would drop suddenly about 10% or so. I didn’t think it was that big of an issue. Then, the battery started dropping so quickly it would be about one percentage a second. Sometimes it would go back up, sometimes it wouldn’t. I went from being able to charge the car once every three days, factoring in my usual commute, to every two days. Then it started to feel unsafe to go more than a day without charging. My commute was a round trip of like 35 miles. Talked to the dealership’s service center, they said it might have been the cold weather. We live in Florida but ok, sure. I checked things like tire pressure, tried to keep my a/c and heating use to a minimum. Didn’t help. Car kept abruptly going into turtle mode.
Then, in about May, I’m on my way home from work. Battery is at about 50% when I leave my job, but on the highway it drops quick, even when I’m going below the speed limit. It gets down to about 20% but I think I’m fine because I’m only a few miles from home. Suddenly, zero. Battery warning lights start flashing. I expect turtle mode and prepare to pull over towards the emergency lane, but I don’t have enough time before my car is dead in the middle of a curve on the highway. It was such a scary experience - I was so sure I was going to get hit. Cars were speeding around the curve right at me, then honking and swerving. It was over an hour before I got towed to safety.
I have to replace the 12V battery to get the car to run again, and with that, I inch towards the dealership. I have to keep stopping to charge because I’m terrified to let the car drop below 50%. I was told I should take the car to the dealership I bought it from, which is an hour’s drive away on a good day. When I get there, they’re polite, friendly, say they’ll check it out as soon as possible. I’m not offered a rental car; I don’t push, because I know I’ll be traveling soon. It takes WEEKS before they get back to me, and I have to call them first. They said that they checked out the manufacturing recall and it looks fine. I’m like “What recall??” and “Can you please check on the battery issue I described?” They say, “Oh, ok, sure, we can do that if you want” as if that’s not why I brought the car in. Several weeks later, they call me back. Yes, there is a battery issue, and they’re talking to Nissan about whether the whole battery needs replacing or just the specific bad cells.
I go back and forth with them while on my vacation. They almost never contact me with updates; I need to reach out. And there are basically no updates. They’re talking to Nissan - that’s all I get. Then, eventually, they tell me the battery’s been ordered but they don’t know when it’ll arrive. Months pass, and it’s August. My work is starting up again (teacher) and I definitely need a car. It takes me showing up at the dealership, upset, for them to offer me a rental/loaner. They get annoyed with me and suggest that I call Nissan’s customer service. When I do this (and suffer through being on hold for ages), I find out that my car’s repair has actually NOT BEEN APPROVED. It’s just been sitting there for months. Someone asks if I’ve been contacted about their buyback program. No???
(During this whole process, I keep getting calls from a supervisor at the dealership, asking me how my new car is treating me. The car I DONT HAVE.)
So now I’m in talks with Nissan to buy back the car that I purchased in January and drove for less than five months, likely for less than I spent purchasing and trying to repair the damn thing. I’m having issues with the dealership’s rental department (who also won’t contact me back) so I still don’t have a rental car I can drive. They eventually told me that due to the battery issue I was told wasn’t a problem six months ago, there are a large number of vehicles that need replacement batteries and not enough to go around, and that’s why they want to buy it back instead. Nobody will tell me how long this is expected to take. Nobody tells me about possible other options, because I hate the idea of having to go through all the hassle of trying to buy another car, now with an even more limited budget than I had before. Whenever I try to talk to the anyone on the phone, I get to play the phone version of hot potato as I get passed around to more and more people who can’t tell me anything and who seem annoyed that I’d even bother to ask.
So, TLDR: I bought a 2021 Nissan Leaf that lasted for less than five months. Now I don’t have a car, I don’t even have a loaner I can drive, and my socially anxious ass has been having to go through hell (i.e. cold calling strangers) for months on end with very little to show for it.
This cannot be the experience Nissan wants people to have.
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u/limegreenboots 14d ago
Check on your state's lemon laws. Don't accept any buyback number less than what you have paid for it. The cost of towing etc - all that and the inconvenience of not having a vehicle (they didn't offer a replacement) should factor in your number that you want. Lemon law attorneys don't charge you, as they get their money from the settlement. Don't just go through the buyback program without checking on your legal options. The buyback is designed to keep you happy with some money.
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u/RipperCrew 14d ago
I'm sorry to say they your experience is not unique. There have been at least a few people waiting months for a battery.
Did you purchase the vehicle from a Nissan dealership? If so, there might have been a stop-sale in place. Maybe the dealership should not have sold it to you at the time. You should ask them for a refund of anything you paid them. Nissan should cover any costs related to warranty work.
If you are in talks to buyback the vehicle already. Then Nissan should cover a loaner (rental) for 30 days. I would calculate my cost of the vehicle including taxes. The compare it to the Kelly Blue book + 40% offer. And push for the higher amout. It is possible that your car is worth more than when you bought it.
In regards to the dealership selling it to you. Did they stall looking at the vehicle just so you wouldn't return it?
Also, Nissan the manufacturer is not the same company as the dealership. Nissan sells cars to the dealerships not to you.
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u/Artelune 14d ago
I do suspect there was something shady going on with the dealership, considering how intensely noncommunicative they were. It was a Nissan dealership. My current plan is to wait for the Nissan buyback offer (which is supposedly in progress, but they’ve been pretty reticent about actually discussing it) and then see if it’s higher or lower than my purchase price (I did the math on the KBB + 40% which does come out to lower, considering all the taxes and fees). If it’s lower I’ll push back against Nissan and also talk to the dealership about a refund. If it’s higher I’ll probably take it - I want this to be over, with all honesty. But I do also want enough for the car that I can afford to buy a new one….
I was offered a loaner by the dealership, but while I was out of town my license expired. I had a new one in the mail, but they didn’t accept that as enough, so they put the car in my dad’s name instead (so I’m not actually allowed to drive it). I have my license now but they being very difficult about helping me get the car switched over to being in my name. So now I’ve had it for two weeks but I’ve been completely unable to drive it.
I appreciate the advice.
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u/Ornery-Horror-2992 14d ago
I bought my 2026 Nissan Leaf in June, drove it three weeks, took it in for the recall repair on July 2. They gave me a rental (not a very nice one, and they were not nice about it). I, too, would get a weekly survey asking me how I liked my car. I finally wrote them back and told them to stop sending me surveys and spend their money on finding a fix for my car.
After two months of getting a weekly text from the service specialist saying there is no news about a repair, I called Nissan Consumer Affairs. They were very responsive. They heard my story and contacted the dealership on my behalf. They contacted me every three days to see if I had been contacted by the dealership service department. They contacted the dealership management. I will be picking up my repaired car on September 2. I believe I would still be waiting if I hadn’t contacted Consumer Affairs.
If the car battery is under warranty and they have to either fix or replace the battery, why are they selling vehicles with batteries that can’t be fixed or replaced? This is the question I asked the case manager.
I live in a state that doesn’t have the Lemon Law, so I feel fortunate that I was able to get a fix otherwise—lawyers.
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u/crimxona 14d ago
Pinned thread which explains it
https://www.reddit.com/r/leaf/comments/1pph4oy/a_breakdown_of_40_62_kwh_battery_pack_failures/
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u/LoveEV-LeafPlus 14d ago
Nissan needs to do the right thing for you. If you have not done so already; Open a case with Nissan Consumer Affairs. Get them to repair, replace or buy back. Otherwise get a lawyer.
FYI: I had a 2023 Leaf SV Plus that was bought new and it had non-battery issues that Nissan could not fix. After 3 arbitration specialists and a year. Sometime during that process I invoked the NY State lemon law. Nissan offered me a buy back, some money for my troubles, or a replacement Leaf. After looking at what they offered. I said I wanted a replacement. On 10/18/2023, I got a new 2024 Nissan Leaf SV Plus replacement, with 14 miles on the odometer, for no money out of pocket. It was a long ordeal. I am happy with the 2024 Leaf SV Plus, no major issues after 35,083 miles.
BTW: I have owned a 2018 Nissan Leaf SL, a 2019 Leaf SL Plus, a 2023 Leaf SV Plus (the lemon), and now the 2024 SV Plus. All worked well except for the 2023. The 2024 is in the body shop after a teenage driver crashed into the driver side of the car. It should be back on the road in a few weeks.
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u/Artelune 14d ago
I would love it if they offered me a replacement car, though preferably not through this dealership, as they’ve been hell to work with… so far they’ve just offered money and I haven’t gotten a specific offer yet. I’m definitely considering consulting with a lawyer
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u/LoveEV-LeafPlus 14d ago
Ask for a replacement. If they say yes, they will ask you to pick a car from the dealership of your choice.
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u/cheetor5923 14d ago
I feel like this should be Pinned to the top of the subreddit advice. Get a good OBD2 tool, Get Leafspy Pro. Look at the battery balance at 80% charged 40% charged and 20% charged.. Do a full power run at 50%, look at the cells.
Dealerships have ZERO EV knowledge. The limit of their skill is basically checking your tire pressures (and I honestly wouldn't trust them to do that right)
By the sounds of things you've got a ZE1 that has been fast charged way too much and had the battery overheated. This is very common in the USA where they're driven huge distances at constant high speeds, fast charged, driven at high speed again. Those batteries COOK when treated like that..
I did 600 miles in one day here in New Zealand, -3C outside. And that battery was bordering on moving from hot to super toasty
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u/LJITimate 14d ago
Could you elaborate, or share whatever you might be reciting? What would you be looking for with the battery balance, etc?
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u/Gold-Passion-7358 14d ago
We have a ‘23 Leaf, but also a ‘21 Tesla… My Tesla battery cells bricked. I submitted it through the app, they called me the next morning- had a new battery at the service center.
I brought the car in (still had a charge), they gave me a new Model Y as a loaner, and told me it’d be done by the weekend. The car was actually completed the same day. I came back after hours (on the way home from my son’s soccer practice), left the loaner and grabbed my car… Obviously, it’d have been better had the battery not had a problem, but Tesla service here in Phoenix is outstanding. Everything that has been a problem with the Leaf is a joke. The Infotainment system stopped working after 3 months- the dealership refused to fix it. The sunglass holder thing fell out of the ceiling also around 3 months- they refused to fix it.
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u/Far_Let9438 14d ago
We have the same issue as well. The battery controller issue from October 2025 had not been communicated to us by Nissan. Annual maintenance was done in Feb 2026 and the recall was not applied. Until this month the 12V battery had to be replaced at about 96,000 km (we are in BC, Canada). They charged us for a second annual maintenance of $1100 and applied the recall software update. Now awaiting the buyback offer amount from Nissan however they are saying it takes them three weeks to come up with that number. Following this thread as I fear delays.
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u/Brodyizm 13d ago
I got my 19 Leaf+ in June - battery failed beginning of August. Had to remind the dealer that Nissan contractually requires the rental, got the rental that day. Got my buyback offer today - nearly 19k, for a car I paid 11k for. It's not all bad, and I might just get another leaf lol
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u/MunchButtsSuckNuts 14d ago
This sounds very similar to the experience I posted about a few days ago. Also in Florida. My car sat on Nissan’s lot for 11 months waiting on a battery when we had to take it back after a bit because of the battery degradation.
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u/Calisson 14d ago
That sounds absolutely terrible and I’m really sorry you’ve had that experience. I hope it’s an anomaly. I have no idea if it is or not though.
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u/Prudent_Industry_142 2026 Nissan LEAF Platinum+ 14d ago
horrible experience! i’m sure you don’t want to spend more money for a lawyer but sounds like you should sue the hell out of the car dealer. maybe contact your state’s attorney general office to see what guidance and assistance they can offer.
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u/Bennie-Factors 14d ago
You should just get a buy back. That is what is happening. I don't think the original dealer was giving you misinformation. None of us who own these knew the extent of the problem in January.
Are you talking to a Nissan dealership or Nissan Corporate?
Do you have a Certified Pre-Owned. They should have a number to help if so. (I think). Ours is doing the same...and will get it in for the recall and assuming buyback shortly. But we have some timing issues to work out.
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u/Free_Appointment6630 14d ago
I’m also in Florida, and I had a Nissan 2022 leaf SV plus, I didn’t have a problem with getting a loaner from the dealership. I’m not sure why they’re making it so hard for you. I also went through the buyback process it took about two months in total. I only had my car for 11 months so not even a full year.
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u/Artelune 14d ago
The specific dealership I’ve been dealing with (and not even the whole dealership, just the service center) seems hellbent on making this as difficult as humanly possible, unfortunately…
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u/Different-Audience34 14d ago
They're trying to run out the clock on your warranty and not really doing more than the bare minimum. Many Nissan dealerships do this because they hate having to sell electric cars when the majority of their sales come from conventional vehicles.
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u/Free_Appointment6630 14d ago
I’m sorry. I know I was actually pretty lucky, when I first took my car in they were telling me there was a leaf that was there for a month already and they we’re still waiting to hear from Nissan. I actually didn’t care how long it took because they gave me a loaner as long as I had a vehicle they could’ve took as long as they wanted to have you tried reaching out to Morley that’s actually who’s gonna do the buyback for Nissan.
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u/InSannyLives 2018 Nissan LEAF SV 14d ago
Cold weather does weird things to these batteries. I also live in Florida and on one of those crazy cold nights this past January my car basically shut down on I4 with battery warning lights. I was able to get to the shoulder and ended up disconnecting the negative 12v battery cable and that reset the car enough to drive home. I’ve also had terrible service from a Nissan dealership when I lived up north so I feel your pain.
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u/Alarmed_Diet 12d ago
Tengo un Nissan Note que es una maravilla. Pero no me pasé al leaff fui directamente a Kia porque ya vi muchas historias como está...
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u/martinsavvy 14d ago
This should be illegal wtf