Could this happen to those of us who leaf leased?

[bamamarc77]

Seems like the conventional wisdom is that leasing insulates us from long term battery issues moreso than buying, but suppose you return your leaf after 3 years with less battery capacity than nissan predicted. Could they charge you an extra usage fee analogous to the extra fees charged for mileage or condition of ice cars upon lease return?
hope not.
Happy Monday!
marc

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Seems like the conventional wisdom is that leasing insulates us from long term battery issues moreso than buying, but suppose you return your leaf after 3 years with less battery capacity than nissan predicted. Could they charge you an extra usage fee analogous to the extra fees charged for mileage or condition of ice cars upon lease return?
hope not.
Happy Monday!
marc

I am not aware of any such terms in the lease agreement. The only problem could be if they detected you abused the vehicle somehow. It would be a stretch to construe just living in Arizona as abuse.

 

[RegGuheert]

Could they charge you an extra usage fee analogous to the extra fees charged for mileage or condition of ice cars upon lease return?

I suppose they could, but I would refuse to pay it. Instead I would recommend that you inform them that gradual loss of battery capacity is normal, no matter how much the capacity drops.

 

[GlennD]

Since battery capacity is not covered under the warranty or guaranteed it would be hard for Nissan to penalize those of us who leased. Battery issues but not capacity would be covered under the 3 year warranty and since a 36 month lease is really a 35 month I feel there should be no problem.

 

[TomT]

Since they have never officially gone on record with a prediction, that would be a hard claim to make... But no, since there is nothing in your lease contract, it is their problem entirely.

Seems like the conventional wisdom is that leasing insulates us from long term battery issues moreso than buying, but suppose you return your leaf after 3 years with less battery capacity than nissan predicted. Could they charge you an extra usage fee analogous to the extra fees charged for mileage or condition of ice cars upon lease return?
hope not.

 

[bamamarc77]

Reg's answer is perfect!

 

[Herm]

Batteries are wear items, if you abuse them and wear them out prematurely you will be charged.. same as if you try to return the car with bald tires.

 

[N1ghtrider]

It is not abuse for the battery to lose capacity in 36,000 miles. I will be defending that position if anyone needs some free legal advice/

 

[evnow]

Simple - a few days before the lease ends, go to the dealer and complain about capacity loss. They will come back and say it is normal. Use that when you return the car ;-)

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

the lease stipulates you are responsible for damages caused by excessive use, improper use, anything considered beyond normal wear and tear, etc. they have a complete usage and charge history to review.

now, how likely are they to enforce it. unless you do a "tesla brick" stunt, you will probably be fine.

this does bring up a question; has anyone known of anyone who was charged extra for a lease? i know one guy who leased regularly and trashed his vehicles. he never washed them, was always full of trash, drove like an idiot, etc. but he never got dinged. in fact; he was usually given some sort of discount if he immediately leased a new vehicle which he always did.

 

[evnow]

in fact; he was usually given some sort of discount if he immediately leased a new vehicle which he always did.

I believe that is the trick. As long as you bring in more money to the dealer, he will look the other way.

I shouldn't have any problems, given that when I finish my lease, I'll probably have half the miles allowed

 

[Herm]

It is not abuse for the battery to lose capacity in 36,000 miles. I will be defending that position if anyone needs some free legal advice/

It is if you live in Phoenix.. at least use an insulated car cover and AC the garage. You can also periodically wet the car cover to keep the temps down.

 

[EdmondLeaf]

It is if you live in Phoenix.. at least use an insulated car cover and AC the garage. You can also periodically wet the car cover to keep the temps down.

I use AC in garage, but honestly doing so kill whole purpose of owning Leaf. AC power use is 3 x more what Leaf is using. Now I am experimenting with battery cooling and just cooling battery only takes about 5 kWh. Where is my TMS