Photo: IFCAR / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
2013 Nissan Leaf: common problems and reliability
One of the weaker Leaf years.
81 owner complaints, most about service brakes. 5 recalls.
Should I buy a 2013 Leaf?The 2013 Nissan Leaf has 81 owner-filed NHTSA complaints and 5 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 2013 model year
Source: NHTSA complaints and recalls filed for 2013 Nissan Leaf vehicles (US, public record).
The Year Score compares this year with other Leaf years only. How we score it
Is 2013 a good year for the Leaf?
Across the 17 Leaf model years we track, complaint volume runs from 1 (2010) to 383 (2019). With 81 complaints, the 2013 Leaf sits above 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
Recalls affecting the 2013 Leaf
service brakes
Campaign 16V119000Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 LEAF vehicles manufactured November 19, 2012, to July 31, 2015. During very cold temperatures, the relay inside the electronic brake booster may freeze, requiring the driver to exert more effort to slow the vehicle down.
electrical system:software
Campaign 14V138000Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra, model year 2013 NV200 (aka Taxi) and Infiniti JX35 and model year 2014 Infiniti Q50 and QX60 vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the occupant classification system (OCS) software may incorrectly classify the passenger seat as empty, when it is occupied by an adult.
air bags:sensor:occupant classification
Campaign 16V244000Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF, Sentra, and Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60, QX60 Hybrid, and Q50 Hybrid, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue and Infiniti Q50, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Murano Hybrid, and Chevrolet City Express, 2014-2015 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles. In these vehicles, the front seat passenger Occupant Classification System (OCS) may incorrectly classify an adult passenger as a child or classify the seat as empty despite it being occupied. As a result, the passenger frontal air bag may be turned off and not deploy in the event of a crash.
air bags
Campaign 13V069000Nissan is recalling certain model year 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, and Infiniti JX35 vehicles. Sensors within the passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) may have been manufactured out of specification. This may cause the system to malfunction and permanently suppress the passenger airbag.
Show 1 more recall
equipment:other:owners/service/other manual
Campaign 23V296000Nissan 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."
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 2013 ranks against the rest.
Compare the Leaf against its rivals
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