- Nissan is recalling more than 80,000 Leaf EVs in the US to fix problems with the vehicle’s control module software.
- As reported by Bloomberg News, the problem can cause sudden acceleration after going out of cruise control or can cause the electric motor to stop working while driving.
- The recall affects several Nissan models and nearly a million total vehicles outside the US, but in this country only Leaf models 2018 through 2022 are affected, Nissan said.
Nissan will recall the 2018 Leaf EV through 2022 to fix problems with the vehicle’s control module. It is reported that the problem can cause a short circuit that can cause the electric motor to stop while the vehicle is being driven or can cause the vehicle to suddenly accelerate after going out of cruise control.
A Nissan spokesperson explained the issue to Car and Driver this way: “When certain actions are taken immediately after turning off the cruise control (including Smart Cruise Control and Pro-PILOT), some e-POWER and electric vehicles may experience unwanted acceleration.” The spokesperson did not elaborate on the “specific actions” other than to say: “These actions were discovered in internal vehicle testing and are not normally performed in the real world. Nissan has not received any reports of issues or accidents.”
Worldwide, several Nissan models produced between 2017 and 2023, totaling nearly one million vehicles, are included in the recall, but in the US only the Leaf is affected. Nissan said the recall will include 80,952 US Leaf EVs from model years 2018 to 2023.
A Nissan spokesperson said Car and Driver that the company would install updated vehicle control module software, which would require the owner to take the vehicle to a dealership.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not yet published documentation on the recall, but potentially affected Leaf EV owners can check Nissan’s recall website or the NHTSA recall site to see if their vehicle is affected.
Digital Director
Laura Sky Brown has been involved in automotive media for a very long time, and she sees it as her calling to preserve the legacy and help ensure continued high quality. Car and Driver. He was one of the first staff members at Automobile Magazine in the 80s and has worked for many other car magazines and websites as a writer, editor and copy editor since then. It’s been his privilege to edit a lot of great automotive journalism over the years, including those he currently writes for C/D.
