The Nissan Leaf is a very reliable and well constructed car

[LTLFTcomposite]

3300 miles, almost three months and no issues whatsoever, except that it needs washing.

I heard you can get electrocuted washing an electric car :lol:

 

[TomT]

That is why you should always dry clean them!

I heard you can get electrocuted washing an electric car :lol:

 

[Devin]

+1

I just passed 1500 miles in 6 weeks with no issues!

We did 105 miles of driving on Saturday from Van Nuys to Orange and back with about 3 hours of L1 in Orange. There was some traffic, which helped range, but we had the A/C on for most of the drive. Got the low battery warning with 7 miles to go according to the guessometer just as we pulled into the driveway at home.

Range anxiety? What's that?

 

[TangoKilo]

Devin, the L3 at Mitsu in Cypress might have been the boost you needed...

 

[mwalsh]

Devin, the L3 at Mitsu in Cypress might have been the boost you needed...

But, sadly, not on a Saturday.

 

[OrientExpress]

Hmm... there was a thread a few months ago with "complaints" on the exact opposite.

I found the thread:

Nissan Quality, Not Impressed

This thread seems to be a discussion about Nissan's assembly and materials choices rather than actual problems with the car. Nissan makes no apologies to the fact that they are cost driven to produce a quality product at the lowest possible cost. They seem to have done very well in that area.

 

[SteveInSeattle]

I think both threads have truth-- clearly people have taken things apart and found a few examples of shoddy assembly (missing screw, etc). Still, the BIG picture is that for a VERY new technology and the very first electric car with a proprietary lithium battery it looks like things are going very well. (Tesla uses hundreds of laptop batteries and did not produce their own cells as Nissan did). Nissan rolled the Leaf out slowly to prevent defects and it seems they have done a vey good job-- I have 2.5 months of trouble free driving and, yes, I do have a rattle that I need to hunt down and eliminate... but the leaf is clearly a BIG SUCCESS!

 

[BnBinSD]

After 2-1/2 months, 2,340 miles, zero problems. The car's drivability, maneuverability (in parking lots or winding mountainous roads), power, comfort, roominess for passengers and even surprisingly large objects (picked up a medium refrigerator with it!), smoothness and quietness make it a gem.

Compared to every other car I've owned or driven, none comes close to the pure joy I'm getting with the Leaf!

I just took a 1,000 mile round trip in a rental, a Chevy Malibu. Yuck!!! What a noisy, jerky transmission mess!

Took my Mom's 1994 Nissan Sentra in for a smog check - fret, will it pass or will I need to get some expensive repair? Slide back into the Leaf, power it on and realize - hmm, no such thing exists!

Yep, big, EV smile!

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

ok, 6923 miles no real issues other than 3rd party software config mis-steps. iow; Carwings registering the "correct" VIN on my account.

although i was in the VIN range, did not experience the A/C shutdown thing. but got the flash for the Range estimate thing.

i really did not expect to have issues as an EV had 70% fewer parts that can break over most cars, so the odds are pretty high of reasonable success.

now when dealing with any software controlled electronic device (and no i am not talking about your computer or smartphone) there is bound to be hiccups.

once, i went out to start it, and it did nothing, but i simply restarted the process and it worked fine. i am guessing i probably hit the start button before my foot was on the brake... but like any other thing, reboot, restart, go.

as far as the bash thread; that has nothing to do with realiability. it had to do with people wanting $30,000 luxury items installed for free...or batteries for free...one or the other

 

[jwatte]

The software had some bugs, and still has some of them left. Used to be, using the AC could fool your battery manager into turning off the entire car, needing a full reset at the dealer. Still some real bugs with the range estimator, and with the Carwings system.

The seat design is terrible for tall people, even though there's room in the cabin.

No daytime running lights.

...

Yeah, that's about it. Not bad for a first model year!

 

[Caracalover]

Not only reliable, but trustworthy.

Take it to the mountains, take it to the sea. And if you start out from up high, you could get there with more charge than when you left!!!

Now that is well constructed.

 

[LEAFfan]

I do have a rattle that I need to hunt down and eliminate... but the leaf is clearly a BIG SUCCESS!

Do you keep sunglasses or other glasses in the eyeglass holder? If so, check that first. With mine, I just put them in a different way and every little bump made a rattle that was hard to determine where it was coming from. When I put them in the other way, no more rattle.

 

[trentr]

I will wait a year or so to say if the LEAF is a very reliable and well constructed car. I have 2500 miles in 3 months, so far so good, but we will see. My previous car(Acura Integra) was trouble free for 11 yrs. I mean, nothing failed in that car. Now that is a very reliable car.

 

[Caracalover]

I will wait a year or so to say if the LEAF is a very reliable and well constructed car. I have 2500 miles in 3 months, so far so good, but we will see. My previous car(Acura Integra) was trouble free for 11 yrs. I mean, nothing failed in that car. Now that is a very reliable car.

Yes, but how many smog checks did you have to take it in for - not to mention oil changes, etc. etc.

Sorry, just venting on how long I had to wait to drive electric, and now those things stand out more and more. I am at around 4500 miles, and I used to change the oil on a new car at 1500, and then 3000 or so after that. Nice to not have that or stopping at a gas station in my life any more. My wife's car also needs to be smog checked GRRR.

I have had a slight ratttle as well on a couple of accasions. I believe it is from the plastic surrounding the center consule, and it only occours after the car has been in the hot sun for hours, and then the cabin is cooling at max. It is not sun glasses or anything like that, nor is it consistent enough to worry about. Touching the plastic stops it, so I am pretty sure that is where it is coming from, and likely it is a flexing from the temperature change that causes it.

 

[TomT]

No offense, but changing oil that frequently on a modern car is just throwing money away and needlessly creating toxic waste disposal... Those change intervals are left over from old-style oils and the days of leaded fuel (which created sulfuric acid in the oil).

I am at around 4500 miles, and I used to change the oil on a new car at 1500, and then 3000 or so after that. Nice to not have that or stopping at a gas station in my life any more.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

No offense, but changing oil that frequently on a modern car is just throwing money away and needlessly creating toxic waste disposal... Those change intervals are left over from old-style oils and the days of leaded fuel (which created sulfuric acid in the oil).

I am at around 4500 miles, and I used to change the oil on a new car at 1500, and then 3000 or so after that. Nice to not have that or stopping at a gas station in my life any more.

reducing the interval on the first oil change on a new car is a common, accepted and in many circles, recommended. this eliminates possibility of increased wear from metal shavings from the wear of a new engine. so a few thousand miles is ok in my book. after that, i would go no more often than then manufacturers recommended intervals which is usually 5,000 for standard oil, 10,000+ for synthetic.

 

[Volusiano]

I notice a lot of people went with the Wet Okole seat covers because of their concern for the OEM seats not being up to normal wear and tear and get dirty easily. I wonder if those who don't go with any seat cover option can comment on their impression of the seats' durability after they've had it for a while?

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I notice a lot of people went with the Wet Okole seat covers because of their concern for the OEM seats not being up to normal wear and tear and get dirty easily. I wonder if those who don't go with any seat cover option can comment on their impression of the seats' durability after they've had it for a while?

its a micro fiber cloth similar to what i had in my 2006 Prius which took some MAJOR abuse as far as spills. my Son was born when that car was 6 months old and it took the full brunt of spills of all kinds.

it all came out. i have no seat covers and so far so good. not great, but spills cleaned right away seem to come up pretty easy with just water for the most part. i carry a few bottles of water with me all the time and always have hand towels, napkins, etc. with a 4 year old, its pretty much required

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

I notice a lot of people went with the Wet Okole seat covers because of their concern for the OEM seats not being up to normal wear and tear and get dirty easily. I wonder if those who don't go with any seat cover option can comment on their impression of the seats' durability after they've had it for a while?

I shared those concerns but have not gotten around to finding a decent cover. so far, with a 2 year old and a 4 month old the scuffs and food spills have come out and it seems to be holding up better than expected. At first it was very fuzzy, causing a lot of static shock, now it's more normal looking. I'll tell you what I think in another 50K miles. I would have gone for leather in a heart beat if the upgrade were an option.
g

 

[Herm]

its a micro fiber cloth similar to what i had in my 2006 Prius which took some MAJOR abuse as far as spills. my Son was born when that car was 6 months old and it took the full brunt of spills of all kinds.
it all came out.

Its made from recycled PET plastic, ground up coke bottles.. have you ever seen anything that would permanently stain that plastic?