rear shocks already bad on 2015 SL

Hello,

I purchased a 2015 Nissan leaf SL back in Sept 2014 and use it mainly for commuting. It's got around 5000 miles on it and I noticed a clunking sound from the right rear of the car gradually getting worse and some fluid on my driveway under the right rear wheel. Took it to the dealer today and was told both rear shocks are leaking and need to be replaced. Has anyone else had problems with their rear shocks going out so soon? I find it highly unusual because I've had vehicles with over 80k miles on them with no issues with the shocks or struts.

Thanks, Mark

ml2015 said:

Hello,

I purchased a 2015 Nissan leaf SL back in Sept 2014 and use it mainly for commuting. It's got around 5000 miles on it and I noticed a clunking sound from the right rear of the car gradually getting worse and some fluid on my driveway under the right rear wheel. Took it to the dealer today and was told both rear shocks are leaking and need to be replaced. Has anyone else had problems with their rear shocks going out so soon? I find it highly unusual because I've had vehicles with over 80k miles on them with no issues with the shocks or struts.

Thanks, Mark

Click to expand...

This is something new.

Are they claiming this is a consumable/wear and tear item not covered under warranty?

I got my 2015 at almost exactly the same time and although I've had nothing "catastrophic" like this, I have occasionally heard (when just pulling out on my first drive of the day) a slight thump coming from what sounds like the rear axle area. It has only happened once in a while, and isn't loud, so I was never quite sure if I was imagining it. But now I am going to pay closer attention. I do almost always have 50lbs or more in the hatch area, which would no doubt add to the problem if it exists. But it shouldn't exist... not for a five-month-old car, should it?! And if it does, it sure should be covered by warranty!

ps. I'm a fairly conservative driver -- avoiding potholes and rough roads, slowing way down for speed bumps, etc.

Thanks for the responses. The dealer overnighted the shocks and kit and I picked up the car this afternoon. It was completely covered under warranty and I was told by the service rep that the shocks must have been defective. I don't have any extra weight in the car and mainly just drive in stop and go freeway traffic. Previously I was leasing a 2013 Leaf SV and didn't have any issues with it which is why I purchased a 2015 SL. Hopefully nothing else will go wrong with it.

Regards, Mark

I also hear an occasional groan from the rear suspension first thing in the morning coming out of the drive. Our 2015 SV has 6000 miles. I'll watch for spots underneath but haven't noticed any.

I noticed last week that my right rear shock absorber is leaking. The left one is fine.
The car is a '13 SV with 17,000 km. The "in service" date is August 2014, so only 6 months.

I'll stop by the dealer this week and see what they say.

Had this experience with my 2013 SV. Here's a link to that thread.http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=13744" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The dealership took a look at my leaky rear shock absorber and declared that it was just "sweating", which is normal.

I Googled the term and found several references that say that manufacturers will not warrantee a shock that is just sweating, which is a minor leak past the seal. They will replace them only when the sweat becomes a leak and the shock fails.

I'm going to clean it up and wait to see how this sweating progresses.

I don't have a '15, but it seems like a rear shock absorber is leaking oil on my '13. I noticed oil spots in the passenger side rear corner awhile back so I put down cardboard in the garage weeks ago. Sure enough there are fresh oil spots there.

My Leaf is barely driven now due to lockdown and us being discouraged from going to the office unless we have to be there (long story). Leaf gets often backed out onto driveway to have the battery cool down overnight. It's driven back into the garage in the morning.

I'm at ~68K miles. Car was built 5/2013.

Looking on rockauto it's $42 for kyb shocks . Thats a pretty good quality brand . Does anyone know who makes the OEM shocks ? Anyone have any other experience on other brands ? I also have a fee noises from my suspension but I believe primarily up front. 44 psi probably doesn't help.

The shocks on my 2015 were not leaking and still providing normal damping when I traded it in at 82k miles.

2011 w/65k miles. Rear shocks are fine--no reported seepage and certainly have not failed.

One of the front shocks makes a squeak when I hit a bump or pothole in cold weather. The shock is failing, but not yet failed and will have to replace the strut eventually. Incidentally, both 2011's I've owned have the front shock squeak.

Lothsahn: I'm curious. All of the VW/Audis I've owned (30 years) had cool weather creaking, from the lower control arm bushings. Are you absolutely sure the struts are making the noise?