2013 Nissan Leaf: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
81 NHTSA owner complaints · 5 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2015 Leaf, a CAUTION at 65 with 109 complaints, 85 of them Service Brakes; buy a 2012, 2014 or 2018, which score 94, 84 and 78. Every other scored year is a BUY, and the whole record holds only 442 complaints. Read the full note on the model page. 2013 specifically: a year the record favours — 81 complaints, score 75/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Chevrolet Volt, Bolt EV and Nissan Leaf: the years to avoid, including 2013 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 81 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 6.23
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
On 3 occasions the brakes have randomly failed when traveling. In 2 cases, stopping ability was non-existent except for the use of the parking brake. In the other case, stopping was significantly decreased. 13-Jan-2025, when traveling straight on a 40mph road towards a busy intersection, when the brakes were applied to slow to the intersection they failed and a red indicator light came on. Stopping ability was si…
I put the car in park as I was pulling in without turning it off to grab trash from the curb and take it to the car, but the car keep accelerating. I jumped in and slammed on the bricks but it hit the brick wall to the house. I see more recent years were recalled for "unintended acceleration" and "brake issues"
The contact owns a 2013 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a whistling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure was unofficially diagnosed as a failed air condition hose or a failed air condition line connector. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, however, the contact …
Recalls: 5 campaigns (4 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 13V069000 | Air Bags | Nissan 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. |
| 14V138000 | Electrical System:Software | Nissan 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. |
| 16V244000 | Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification | Nissan 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… |
| 23V296000 | Equipment:Other:Owners/Service/Other Manual | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2017 LEAF vehicles. |
| 16V119000 | Service Brakes | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 LEAF vehicles manufactured November 19, 2012, to July 31, 2015. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a compact car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 115 MPGe · estimated annual energy cost $650 · EPA range 75 mi
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Service Brakes32 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140
- Electrical System18 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Air Bags17 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
- Unknown Or Other10 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Vehicle Speed Control5 complaints · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$520–$1,150
- Seat Belts4 complaints · typical job: Pretensioner or retractor replacement (1.5 h labour + parts)$360–$800
Other Nissan Leaf years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2013 Nissan Leaf?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Service Brakes (32 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2013 Nissan Leaf a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 75/100, computed from 81 NHTSA complaints and 5 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2013 Nissan Leaf's most common problem?
32 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2013 Nissan Leaf sit in the Service Brakes group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles: about 3.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $580–$1,140 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2013 Nissan Leaf cost to run per year?
About $3,118 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $15,590 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2013 Nissan Leaf have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 5 recall campaign(s) for the 2013 Nissan Leaf, 4 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 01/03/2013. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other compacts of about the same age.
What will a 2013 Nissan Leaf really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 81 complaints, 5 recalls on record
- 81 NHTSA complaints on record (6.2/yr of exposure) — in line with a typical year of this model (6.3/yr)
- 5 recall campaigns, 4 touching safety-critical systems