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CarsLore / Nissan / Leaf / 2012

2012 Nissan Leaf

57 owner complaints — #8 of 17 Leaf model years. 0 recalls, 25 service bulletins.

57complaints · 6 crashes, 0 fires
0recalls
25manufacturer bulletins
13,920 mimedian mileage at failure

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2012 Nissan Leaf, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

  • Service brakes22
  • Electrical system15
  • Air bags11
  • Vehicle speed control4
  • Seat belts3
  • Visibility/wiper3
  • Engine2
  • Electronic stability control (esc)2
  • Unknown or other2
  • Seats2

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 6 injuries and 0 deaths reported

Compared with other years

’10’12’13’16’19’22’2557’10’12’13’16’19’22’2557
201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

New York safety inspections

At its first New York inspection the 2012 Nissan Leaf failed the safety check 4.82% of the time — 91% more often than the average 2012 passenger car (2.52%). Median odometer at inspection: 56,884 miles.

560first inspections
4.82%failed on safety
56,884 mimedian odometer
0.0%2.1%4.1%’11’12’13’15’17’19’21’23’25’264.8%0.0%2.1%4.1%’11’12’14’17’20’23’264.8%

NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count

Registered new in Europe in 2012

2,763 new Nissan Leaf cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2012; the largest markets were the United Kingdom (695), France (524), Germany (451).

Average mass
1,622 kg
Average power
80 kW
Fuel type recorded
Electric 100%

European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement

In the Netherlands

122 first registered in 2012 are on Dutch roads; 26% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €35,653.

81.1%had an APK defect recorded since June 2022
93.5%logical odometer history
0.0%with a recall still open

Most common APK defects

Colours

White 48%Black 21%Grey 16%Blue 12%

RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording

In the United Kingdom

397 cars built in 2012 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 78 more were declared off the road (SORN).

397licensed, end of 2025
84%of those still registered are on the road

Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0

MOT test results in Great Britain

In 2023, 490 of these cars first registered in 2012 took their annual MOT test. 66% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2012 the figure was 66%.

66%passed first time
66%all cars from 2012
56,100 miaverage mileage at the test (all cars 87,300 mi)
Failed onThese carsAll cars from 2012
Suspension17.8%12.2%
Brakes8.8%7.7%
Steering7.1%2.3%
Tyres7.1%7.0%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment5.3%14.3%
Visibility5.3%5.0%

DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail

In Finland

59 of these cars first registered in 2012 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 126,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.

Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0

In New Zealand

1,244 2012 cars are on the New Zealand register; 98% arrived as used imports, 1% were sold new in New Zealand.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA 5-star results for 1 variant; 1 of 1 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VariantOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
2012 Nissan Leaf 5 HB FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆11.0 %
Electronic stability control
Standard
Forward collision warning
No
Lane departure warning
No
Best overall rating
5 / 5

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain

Recalls

No recall campaigns cover the 2012 Nissan Leaf.

Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words

Service bulletins

What Nissan told its dealers about the 2012 Nissan Leaf: known faults, fixes and updates.

BulletinSummary
11009068DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin. IF YOU CONFIRM DTC B00A0-00 (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR UNIT) is stored, AND OCS zero point reset cannot be performed, (continued on the next page)
11004962VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
11004961CAN COMMUNICATION NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
11004960CAN COMMUNICATION CODES DIAGNOSTIC TIPS AND GUIDELINES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
11001201WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
11001194REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
11001191WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
10243708DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
10242055AV CONTROL UNIT EXCHANGE AND MAP SD CARD REPLACEMENT 8This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
10239062SILICONE-BASED LUBRICANT OR GREASE CAN DAMAGE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SERVICE INFORMATION Do not apply Silicone-based lubricants or grease to, or around, any interior electrical components. To avoid the risk of death or severe personal injury, do not directly spray Silicone-based lubricant or grease, or inadvertently overspray Silicone-based lubricant or grease onto any interior electrical components. These types of lubricants can be detrimental to the proper operation of electrical components.
1023906012 VOLT BATTERY TESTING FOR IN-SERVICE VEHICLES SERVICE INFORMATION The following Service Information lists NNA procedural recommendations for establishing good connections while performing 12V battery testing. These recommendations are expected to promote uniformity during the connection process, therefore reducing the number of incorrect Test with DCA and Replace results. HINT: If 12 volt batteries are allowed to discharge for a prolonged period of time, battery life may be drastically reduced. This condition may lead to premature battery replacement and customer dissatisfaction.
10235710INTELLIGENT KEY REPLACEMENT OR SWAPPING BETWEEN VEHICLES This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Discard all previous versions of this bulletin.
10235707VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
10235698HEADLAMP, FOG LAMP, OR REAR COMBINATION LAMP FOGGING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
10234044DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
10233904CLICKING NOISE FROM FRONT OR REAR AXLE DURING TAKE-OFF/ACCELERATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
10233896ABS/VDC CAN DIAGNOSIS INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
10232658REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
10232657WHEEL BEARING COLLISION DAMAGE This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
10232656WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
10232652DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
102272673G TELEMATICS HARDWARE DEACTIVATION SERVICE INFORMATION The APPLIED VEHICLES that come equipped with a factory installed SOS switch, located near the overhead map lamp, also come equipped with a wireless communication device called a Telematics Communication Unit (TCU). AT&T discontinued its U.S. 3G network coverage on February 22, 2022. As a result, automakers that utilize AT&Ts 3G network connection, including Nissan Group, have had connectivity services affected. NissanConnect Services are no longer available on the APPLIED VEHICLES listed above.
10222714CLICKING NOISE FROM FRONT OR REAR AXLE DURING TAKE-OFF/ACCELERATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
10213158DTC B00A0-00 STORED This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
10208946CAN COMMUNICATION NETWORK DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHART This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)

NHTSA investigations

DP22005 · Electrical system:propulsion systemopened 27 Jan 2023 · closed 7 Aug 2023

Pedestrian alert sounds

PE19015 · Air bags:frontalopened 9 Oct 2019 · closed 1 Jun 2020

Front Occupant Classification System Mat

DP19002 · Air bags:sensor:occupant classificationopened 16 Aug 2019 · closed 16 Oct 2019

Front Occupant Classification System Mat

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation