Photo: IFCAR / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
2012 Nissan Leaf: common problems and reliability
One of the better Leaf years.
57 owner complaints, most about service brakes. No recalls.
Should I buy a 2012 Leaf?The 2012 Nissan Leaf has 57 owner-filed NHTSA complaints and 0 recalls on record. The most-reported areas are service brakes and electrical system. Owners most often flag severe battery degradation and cold-weather performance loss (gen1: 2011-2013): rapid loss of battery capacity, "lizard" battery issues, catastrophic range loss in cold weather, leading to unusable vehicles.
Safety record for the 2012 model year
Source: NHTSA complaints and recalls filed for 2012 Nissan Leaf vehicles (US, public record).
The Year Score compares this year with other Leaf years only. How we score it
Is 2012 a good year for the Leaf?
Across the 17 Leaf model years we track, complaint volume runs from 1 (2010) to 383 (2019). With 57 complaints, the 2012 Leaf sits about the same as the model's median of 57.
These are raw NHTSA complaint totals, not adjusted for how many cars sold or how long each model year has been on the road. Older and higher-selling years accumulate more complaints.
Where owners report problems
What owners say across generations
Sentiment is sharply divided by generation and use case.
- Very frequentSevere battery degradation and cold-weather performance loss (Gen1
2011-2013): Rapid loss of battery capacity, "lizard" battery issues, catastrophic range loss in cold weather, leading to unusable vehicles.
Owner insights cover all generations of the Leaf. See the full Leaf owner picture and every model year.
Other Leaf model years
Compare every Leaf year side by side to see how 2012 ranks against the rest.
Compare the Leaf against its rivals
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