What are the most common problems with the 2017 Nissan Leaf?

Owners have filed 17 complaints with NHTSA. The most frequently reported area is air bags (4 complaints), followed by electrical system (4).

How many 2017 Nissan Leaf complaints mention a crash or fire?

2 of 17 complaints report a crash and 0 a fire; 1 injuries were reported in total. Complaints are unverified reports from owners.

2017 Nissan Leaf recalls and problems

2 recalls and 17 owner complaints on file with NHTSA for the 2017 Nissan Leaf.

recalls

owner complaints

complaints mentioning a crash

mentioning a fire

Recalls apply to specific production ranges. To see whether a particular car still has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Repairs for safety recalls are free at authorised dealers.

2017 Nissan Leaf recalls

Equipment: other, owners/service/other manual · Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system

NHTSA campaign 23V296000 · reported April 26, 2023 · Nissan North America, Inc. · 94,343 vehicles potentially affected

The problem: 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."
The risk: Reduced defroster performance can limit visibility out of the windshield, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: 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.

Air bags

NHTSA campaign 17V253000 · reported April 13, 2017 · Nissan North America, Inc. · 30,038 vehicles potentially affected

The problem: 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.
The risk: 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.
The fix: 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.

Most reported problems

Areas named in owner complaints to NHTSA. One complaint can name several areas.

Air bags4
Electrical system4
Fuel/propulsion system3
Power train3
Unknown or other3
Service brakes2
Structure2
Visibility/wiper2
Engine1
Forward collision avoidance1

What owners report

Recent complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. These are unverified accounts from owners, not findings.

Jun 25, 2026 · Engine
The manufacturer-installed 40kWh replacement battery has suffered an internal high-voltage isolation short to the vehicle chassis (Codes P0AA6/P31E7), creating an immediate fire and shock hazard. The component failed just 2 years after installation in 2024. Nissan is refusing to repair this severe safety defect…

May 8, 2026 · Power train
The reduction gear/transaxle failing. Metal in fluid leads to increased noise. Drivetrain will eventually fail and unsafe to drive. Case #56669999 was filed with Nissan Consumer Affairs and they have denied assistance for out of warranty repair. While the car is outside the number of years in the warranty, at 37K…

Feb 9, 2026 · Air bags · crash reported
My son and I were in a major crash on a freeway, we were hit by a semi-truck, sent into a spin, hit by another vehicle and stopped by slamming into freeway guardrail. The car was totaled. My son was driving and airbags on the drivers side all deployed but nothing deployed on the passenger side at all.

Apr 23, 2024 · Air bags
Airbag light flashing. Airbag might not deploy in event of accident. Nissan service stated "code B00A0 triggered in SRS control unit. Failure within OCS circuit. Recommends replacement of OCS SENSORS and Control Unit." Stated my VIN is not included in all the other OCS recalls.

Jun 8, 2023 · Air bags
My Nissan LEAF's airbag warning light is flashing, so I took it to the local dealer called Mike Rezi Nissan in Atlanta, GA area. They inspected it, and came back with the OCS control unit & sensor failure report, and wanted a thousand dollars to replace them. While there is a OCS recall for multi Nissan models, and my…

Leaf model years compared

Year	Recalls	Complaints	Crashes	Fires
2014	6	34	3	2
2015	4	110	8	0
2016	4	36	1	1
2017	2	17	2	0
2018	4	67	9	1
2019	5	260	4	2
2020	6	167	1	0

Across all years, the 2019 Leaf has the most complaints (260). All Nissan Leaf years →

Questions

Does the 2017 Nissan Leaf have any recalls?: Yes. NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2017 Nissan Leaf, the most recent reported on April 26, 2023 (Equipment: other, owners/service/other manual, Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system). Check a specific car by its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What are the most common problems with the 2017 Nissan Leaf?: Owners have filed 17 complaints with NHTSA. The most frequently reported area is air bags (4 complaints), followed by electrical system (4).
How many 2017 Nissan Leaf complaints mention a crash or fire?: 2 of 17 complaints report a crash and 0 a fire; 1 injuries were reported in total. Complaints are unverified reports from owners.

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint data, updated October 27, 2026. Latest complaint received June 25, 2026.