2014 Nissan Leaf: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
34 NHTSA owner complaints · 6 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. 2014 specifically: a year the record favours — 34 complaints, score 84/100. 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 2014 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 34 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 2.83
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
The contact owns a 2014 Nissan Leaf. The contact stated that while his wife was reversing from the garage, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately. Additionally, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,…
Complete braking system failure. After putting the car into reverse, only the emergency brake and parking system were functional. Once taken out of park, the vehicle was effectively free-rolling and nearly hit a structure. While in-gear, the brake sensation was that of having ABS actively working, and the brake needed to be smashed to the floor to get any functional braking. The fearful part was the car was still a…
The power steering has intermittently been de-activating. There is a warning light that comes on (yellow triangle with an exclamation mark). When this happens it causes the steering wheel to feel like it’s pulls in a direction. After we suddenly lose power steering with no warning we’re left to drive a car with no power steering until it suddenly re-engages. There has been no rhyme or reason to when this happens.…
Recalls: 6 campaigns (3 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 14V192000 | Structure | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014 LEAF vehicles manufactured February 28, 2014, through March 12, 2014. |
| 14V263000 | Hybrid Propulsion System: Inverter | Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014 Nissan LEAF vehicles manufactured April 15, 2014, through April 24, 2014. |
| 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 114 MPGe · estimated annual energy cost $700 · EPA range 84 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 Brakes18 complaints · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles (3.0 h labour + parts)$580–$1,140
- Electrical System6 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Air Bags4 complaints · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$600–$1,700
- Unknown Or Other3 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Steering2 complaints · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement (5.0 h labour + parts)$1,020–$2,500
- Vehicle Speed Control2 complaints · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$520–$1,150
Other Nissan Leaf years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2014 Nissan Leaf?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Service Brakes (18 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2014 Nissan Leaf a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 84/100, computed from 34 NHTSA complaints and 6 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2014 Nissan Leaf's most common problem?
18 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2014 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 2014 Nissan Leaf cost to run per year?
About $3,033 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $15,168 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 2014 Nissan Leaf have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 6 recall campaign(s) for the 2014 Nissan Leaf, 3 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 16/04/2014. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other compacts of about the same age.
What will a 2014 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.
Thin evidence — 34 complaints, 6 recalls on record
- 34 NHTSA complaints on record (2.8/yr of exposure) — better than a typical year of this model (6.3/yr)
- 6 recall campaigns, 3 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality