Headaches

Straight to the point here.

I get the following symptoms when I drive the 40kWh NIssan LEAF.
Headaches.
Tingling scalp.
Facial twitching, mostly around my eyes.

You can dismiss me as crazy, a luddite or an anti-EV activist. If so, please stop reading now and do not comment. I have no interest in debating with you.

If anyone is still reading then let me start at the beginning.

I work in the retail car sector in a managerial non-selling role. I have done this for decades.
Electrification is the most exciting thing that I'll see happen to the automobile industry in my lifetime.
I have been encouraging my sales teams to embrace to change that EVs will bring. From advances in reliability and performance to styling and running costs we will not see anything like this again. For a well educated and enthusiastic salesman the coming years should be a boom time as people rush to buy EV's.

I myself have had my sights set on a 40kWh LEAF from well before it was announced. When I finally got my hands on it early Feb 18 I was the first person in my town with one. I loved every last thing about it. The E-Pedal is a work of art. Any car without an E-Pedal just ins't good enough any more.
It was my only car. I used it everywhere I went. I forced everyone I met to go for a drive in it with me. I couldn't imagine a future where I wasn't driving it.

Then after a few weeks the headaches began. At first I thought it was the new phone I had purchased. (my old phone wasn't compatible with the car) So i reverted back to my old phone. The headaches continued. I considered my diet and cut out all things that are known to cause headaches. By now it was late march and still the headaches persisted but now they were accompanied by twitches in the outside corners of my eyes.
At this point I hadn't even thought that the car might be the cause.
Then came a point in April where I had to drive well over 200 miles in one day in my car. I drove about 90 miles and DC charged back up to 90+% then drove a further 130+ miles. For the final 60 miles I was not in a good way. My scalp was tingling, my eyes were twitching my head was painful from my temples along the side of my head and round behind my ears.
At that point i realised it had been the car causing the issues.
It took several days of not driving the car for the pain to subside completely.

After about a week I started to think it must all have been in my head. So I went back to driving the LEAF (because I love it). The headaches started again, but still I thought that it couldn't really be the car and it must have been something else.
Then I needed to repeat the same 200 mile journey. This time I did the first part as the driver and the second part as the passenger. The headaches, eye twitching and scalp tingling returned. There was no doubt now that the car was causing the problems.
That day I stopped driving the LEAF. I have from time to time taken short trips in LEAFs but now I know what to look out for I can feel and see the results after just a few minutes/miles in the car. It's become a bit of a joke in the office when i ask people to watch my eyelids twitch when I've been for a quick spin around the block while going for lunch. (only when there are no other cars available).

I have experimented with other EVs to see if they have the same effect on me.
The Renault ZOE does.
The BMW i3 and the Tesla S do not. Or if they do it may be to a lesser degree.

I can't work out why the Tesla and the i3 don't seem to cause the symptoms
Could it be motor placement? The materials the cars are constructed from?
Types of motor? Voltages?


I've kept all of this quiet as if my issue became known to my customers it would cause a credibility issue especially as I've been such a strong advocate of EVs.
I've spoken at length with Nissan (at manufacturer level) in the country where I live.
They have investigated things but unfortunately have said that until I can find 5 or 6 other people who are experiencing the same issue that it does not warranty further investigation on their part. But they do have all of my finding on file for future study.

It was Nissan themselves that suggested I try using the internet to try and track down more people like me. Initially I was reluctant as I'm keen not to draw any attention to this as its embarrassing but Nissan insisted that I try.

So, if there is anyone else out there who has experienced similar issues, please let me know.

I do have a 2012 Nissan Leaf I bought in 2015, I have the exact same syntoms as you, one of my eyes will twitch and got headaches, problems is I noticed this more since 2017, I dont believe is the car, I think something more seriously is going on in this country, other people I know have the same syntoms and they dont have a leaf, from all the e.coli recalls in food and all the flu deads, I think a really bad virus is going around that is causing all this, but who knos maybe is the car, if you ever find any answers post it here to let us know.

On another forum, it was mentioned that the Tesla (at least the Model 3, not sure about the others) and the i3 don't have AM radios because the type of motors they use emit a RF noise that makes AM radios unusable in these vehicles. Perhaps that difference is why you're having the exact opposite reaction, that this type of motor doesn't bother you but the ones in Leafs do?

I'm not an engineer but I know this forum does have some, perhaps they can shed more light on this.

Since it appears you are in Europe (we don't get any Renaults here in North America, much less the Zoe), have you tried the VW eGolf or Opel Ampera-E? And perhaps PHEVs like VW's GTE series, or Kia Niro, etc?

Also, do Leafs in your region have available WiFi hotspot functionality? If so you might want to try turning that off first. (I got this from a show on Netflix called "Afflicted" which follows several persons with chronic mysterious illnesses. One woman is so badly affected by radio waves that she cannot have cell phones or WiFi in her home and seeks relief by moving to an area where such devices are banned as they affect nearby telescopes.)

I am a fleet manager managing over 80 vehicles, I am also a Leaf owner with a 2011 gen 1 Leaf that I have owned for 4 years.

Within our organisation we have interest groups and one group, the Eco group, have been pushing for EV's as company vehicles. 8 days ago I took delivery of 7 new 2020 40kw Leafs. They went mostly to members of the Eco group.

After 4 days one of advocates for EVs rang me, he was almost in tears. He has been with the company for over 10 years and I respect him. He has always had a company vehicle and his vehicle has always been well looked after. He would drive approx 25,000kms per year.

He had collected his new Leaf, taken it home, put his wife and children in it and they had all gone for a drive. When he got home he had a slight headache but though nothing of it. Over the next 3 days every time he drove the Leaf he developed a headache. On the day before he contacted me he had had to go on a long trip, his headache became so bad he could hardly drive. When he got home he was in a really bad way and it took him a long time to recover. This is a health and safety issue so I had to act promptly and I had to get his old VW Golf back from the dealer until I can resolve the problem.

The main supplier of the vehicles has no idea what to do (although they treated my complaint seriously) and if I try to ring Nissan at their head office in New Zealand, I go round in circles with their phone system. I eventually left a message with their fleet team simply asking them to call me, but no response.

Firstly - Has anyone any idea how or who I should contact, and secondly - Any idea what I do what an 8 day old Leaf that's leased for 48 months and now no one in the company wants !!

I purchased my Leaf back in August 2020 and about 2 and a half weeks ago I noticed a headache in my right temple area and slight pain in my lower jaw. Like others I thinking it was the stress of the CoVid-19 pandemic but it only occurred after driving the car for a while. I was beginning to wondering if I was being "poisoned" by EMF being generated by this car and its electrical systems.

Seems that I am not the only one affected. Does anyone know it this caused by the battery, traction motor, electrical systems or the telematics?

One experiment you could try is sitting in the car for an extended period with all the systems powered down and see if the symptoms recur. You might have become sensitized to some compound that is outgassing from the car's interior materials or assembly adhesives. Especially so with a new car having that "new car smell". I've had headaches from odiferous newly installed carpet until the smell went away with time.

I agree with RicW. The outgassing can last for months, even longer. My 2009 VW Jetta was unbearably fragrant, especially when left out in sunlight for extended periods.
Sensitivity to this odor probably varies from human to human.

Too bad the original poster hasn't returned. It's easy to be skeptical about a single post, especially from a totally new member to the forum.

I am a purveyor of fine luncheon meats specializing in clients who live above the 40th floor of high-rise buildings. In my spare time I design future circuitry for EVs that don't exist yet in this dimension.

As I got out of my LEAF after my last drive, I felt something odd in my left foot. Having over 60 years experience in footwear, I quickly removed my left sneaker and sock. I was amazed to discover a right-foot where my left foot had previously been. It tingled and around the toes danced traces of St. Elmo's Fire.

I have never had this happen before in any car. Nissan refuses to take my calls.

Nubo said:

I am a purveyor of fine luncheon meats specializing in clients who live above the 40th floor of high-rise buildings. In my spare time I design future circuitry for EVs that don't exist yet in this dimension.

As I got out of my LEAF after my last drive, I felt something odd in my left foot. Having over 60 years experience in footwear, I quickly removed my left sneaker and sock. I was amazed to discover a right-foot where my left foot had previously been. It tingled and around the toes danced traces of St. Elmo's Fire.

I have never had this happen before in any car. Nissan refuses to take my calls.

Click to expand...

I too have had this left-foot replacement problem. Are there special shoes for Nissan LEAF drivers? Buying two pairs of shoes is getting expensive.

Well now that you brought it up , my a$$ hurts when I drive for a while , then come to find out its right where my wallet is !!! Turns out after my 6 months of ownership its getting worse . Would you believe I'm saving so much money from not buying gas my wallet is getting bigger.

I forgot to inform that I have a used 2018 Leaf with about 12,000+ miles, I wish I could locate and talk to the previous owner and see if they experienced headaches. I will state for the record the car does still have that new material and compound car smell and that could be a cause.

wjdavidsonjr said:

I forgot to inform that I have a used 2018 Leaf with about 12,000+ miles, I wish I could locate and talk to the previous owner and see if they experienced headaches. I will state for the record the car does still have that new material and compound car smell and that could be a cause.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately the "cloth" seats used in the Leaf have a virtually 100% plastic content. I have the leather seats in my 2018, and while I don't like leather seats, there is/was little out-gassing compared to my 2013.

gncndad said:

I agree with RicW. The outgassing can last for months, even longer. My 2009 VW Jetta was unbearably fragrant, especially when left out in sunlight for extended periods.
Sensitivity to this odor probably varies from human to human.

Too bad the original poster hasn't returned. It's easy to be skeptical about a single post, especially from a totally new member to the forum.

Click to expand...

I am the original poster. (Slight variation to my user name as I've set up a new account. I was unable to access the original account)
I had forgotten that I'd written the first post.

I've now spent 2 1/2 years trying to understand why I feel the way I do.

I can say with 100% certainty that it has nothing to do with outgassing. I've been in the car industry my entire working life and I know about new car smells. When you spend enough time around new cars from different manufacturers it becomes possible to identify the brand simply by the smell. So far I've not felt any ill effects from petrol and diesel cars from those same manufacturers as the EVs.

However there is a chemical that valets use to deodorize used cars that does make me feel ill. It's the pink one that smells like bubblegum. Don't know what it's proper name is, for 20+ years I've simply referred to it as the bubblegum spray and everyone seems to know what I mean.

Back to EVs.

I've now tested a wide range of EVs and sill the only 2 that I didn't notice inducing headaches have been the BMW i3 and the Telsa S.
I'm beginning to think that because I drove them immediately after the Renault ZOE that my ZOE headache was masking the effect from the BMW and the Tesla. I plan to test them again fresh to make sure.


Each time I get a new EV the pattern repeats. (latest car was the VW ID.3)
1. I drive the car.
2. I try and convince myself that this one will be OK.
3. After 5 miles or so the headache begins.
4. I try and ignore it and hope that it will go away.
5. I persevere for about a week.
6. I throw the towel in and go back to driving an ICE car.


The headaches seem slow to build initially but are even slower to subside. It's 3 days for the pain to stop and around a week for me to feel normal again.
They also are accumulative. Each time I drive an EV the pain increases. If I drive an EV each day by the end of a week all I can think about is getting out of the vehicle even on journeys as short as 3 miles.
It feels dangerous to drive when my focus is not on driving.

I'm in the UK and this is having a financial impact on me too.
Company Car BiK Tax on EVs is 0% this year, 1% next and 2% in 2022.
While an average ICE vehicle can be 26,27,28%.
I won't show the calculations but in short this has already cost me £2370 in 2020
and will cost me £2310 in 2021 and a further £2853 in 2022.
In 3 years I will have had to pay £7263 simply because I cannot drive EVs
This figure does not include an approximate £2800 on fuel over the same 3 years period. (I only drive about 6,000 miles per year).
[Using £1.20 per litre. 35mpg imp. as an average]

Added together these headaches are hitting me in the pocket to the tune of £10,000 over 3 years (£3,333 per year!)
Not being able to drive an EV upsets me because I'm so pro-EV. But the financial cost is rubbing salt in the wound.


PHEVs also have the same effect when running on battery only. They may also have a lesser effect long term when using the ICE but I've not bothered to drive them long enough to work that part out. I'm not a PHEV fan. I see them as a dead end and a distraction from proper EVs.


While I don't announce my issues to everyone I have become a bit more vocal about it with the manufacturers.
It's been discussed in detail with Nissan, Renault, Hyundai, KIA, Volkswagen and to a lesser degree with many others.
I've offered to be a test subject should they encounter other people like me and need to conduct experiments.
I may be 1 in 1,000 or 1 in 10,000 but I cannot be unique. With the increase in EVs sales I expect more stories like mine to appear.
When this happens the manufacturers cannot claim ignorance.
In many cases they've known about my issues for years. Some even joke with me about it.
If it was happening to someone else I could maybe see the funny side of it.


The headaches are very similar to the headaches that are cause by prolonged mobile phone use. Which I also experience.
I'd like to know if people who experience mobile phone headaches have tried driving EVs.
Should cars come with a SAR rating?
The SAR rating on mobiles are there for a reason.
While the EV car headaches aren't as severe or stabbing as mobile phone headaches they go on for much longer.

I'm convinced that one day with enough people experiencing this that it will become a area of concern and cars will designed to prevent it.

Try a Leaf with leather interior. The ONLY thing I like about my SL's leather seating is that, unlike the 2013 SV with recycled plastic seats I drove for 5 years, it doesn't outgas from the seats. If you are convinced it's the drive system, though, that likely won't matter.

Since you are losing real money, perhaps worth investing a couple hundred on an EMF detector and a decent VOC air quality tester (one that does a range of particulate sizes plus Formaldehyde. Amazon has a few.

Also spend some time in a local Harbor Freight store. A utopia of off-gassing smells,

A test for out gassing would be to keep the windows open; depends on your climate. I had a relative who would get headaches almost instantly if any kind of solvent was opened somewhere else in the house.

What about ultrasonic sound? Lots of references out there on this causing headaches. You could try a good set of hearing protection over ear plugs.

I am certain it's nothing to do with chemicals.
I've driven PHEVs and ICE models of the same car. Built in the same factory with the same seat fabrics, door panels, dashboard etc.
Because of my job I have driven thousands of vehicles. I've not had a reaction to any interiors.


But I do like the idea of getting an EMF detector. It seems like a simple option to try.
I'd imagine that the cars have to undergo testing for EMF during the type approval process but I would like to know if there is a measurable difference between EV and ICE.
If there is, it could be a quicker way for me to find an EV that I can drive. It would also enable me to test different ways of negating the effect.
I've had colleagues suggest that I get a suit of chain mail armour.


Ultra/Infra sound is something I hadn't considered.
I'll give ear protection a try. But because of the similarity to the mobile phone headaches my feeling is that the issue is caused by the EMF.


One EV that I've driven that I don't recall causing any issues was the Renault Twizzy.
I've often wondered if it was because I didn't drive it for long enough or if it was because that it had a much less powerful motor.
They are not very common and I don't know when/if I'll get another change to test one.

If it's the power of the motor then it might explain why the 110kW LEAF seemed to affect me more than the the older 80kW.
And why the 150kW ID3 and eNiro were worse than the LEAF.
If this does turn out to be the case then at least there will be a future where i can drive a low powered EV. (I'm looking at you SEAT Minimo )
But then that wouldn't explain why I didn't experience any issues in the Tesla S P100D.


I'll post back here if I can uncover any answers.

MendicantBios2, I am also in UK and when I bought my current house I hired an EMI meter through https://www.powerwatch.org.uk/. This was because there is a 132kV power line about 100 metres away and I was concerned about possible EMI. Barely measurable and far below the true sceptics 'safe' levels as it happens, but the powerwatch website is about as anti-EMI as I have found and I've worked with a few peri-fruitcakes! As a short term stop-gap, failing hiring a meter, take a portable radio in the car and tune to AM, FM, and DAB. The weaker the station the better to give any interference a fighting chance. I find the LED lighting in my kitchen wipes out FM.

Don't be tempted by a cheap EMI meter - I've tried one and it was rubbish. You'll need a professional quality unit which you might benefit from hiring as you won't use it often. A lady of my acquaintance smells gas whenever a microwave oven is used in her presence. I've tested her and she is not faking. Nerve centres in the brain can be affected by RFI, especially very high frequencies in the gigahertz range.

An old colleague of mine is heavily into the effects of various electro-magnetic frequencies and if he's still at the address I have, he might have some knowledge. I'll try and contact him.

@MendicantBios2
I'm sorry to hear of your troubles and hope you find an EV that doesn't negatively impact your health. It's regrettable that your issues have been treated so dismissively by Nissan and others.

@MendicantBios2 I'm sorry but the email I had/have for my old friend is now dead. As far as I know he is still around but the only address I have now is a physical one gleaned from Companies House. I have posted an enquiry on a website called www.powerwatch.org.uk It's worth a look anyway.