Hatch Strut Failure

I went to open the back of my Leaf the other day only to discover that both struts for the hatch had completely failed. There was zero warning and I hadn't done anything unusual to damage either one. The struts had been working just fine up until that point (no slow closing or difficultly opening and closing the hatch). Needless to say I discovered just how heavy the hatch was.

Any recommendations on replacement struts? Also, anything I should know in order to keep this from happening in the future?

Thanks.

I would take a chance on some Amazon.com struts. I just checked, and there are several hits for "hatch struts Nissan Leaf"

You may have had one bad strut that forced the other to take all the load until it failed. The latch is heavy and those struts work hard.

All I can add is to make sure you orient the struts correctly. Ie, there is an up/down to them. They will work the same in either orientation but they will last longer if installed correctly.

The struts are fairly generic but you must match 1) the end types where they clip to the car 2) the length both extended and closed and 3) the weight they are meant to support/spring rate. The easiest thing is to buy some that are advertised for the Leaf although you can also search by the listed parameters if you don't get a lot of hits using the easy method. Sorry but I don't know how to calculate the weight spec so you may have to snag that off a website using the p/n of the current or replacement struts.

If I look closely I can see mine have been "weeping" fluid for quite some time. It's easy to overlook because the struts are black and the weeping just attracts a bit of dust, so still black. :lol: . So far they seem more than able to handle the load so I don't know that this is necessarily a sign of impending failure. I was taught that "a seal that doesn't leak, leaks".

I did look up replacements some time back and was surprised that they weren't super-expensive. I guess these things fail often enough that there's a large aftermarket.

kuroneko said:

I went to open the back of my Leaf the other day only to discover that both struts for the hatch had completely failed. There was zero warning and I hadn't done anything unusual to damage either one. The struts had been working just fine up until that point (no slow closing or difficultly opening and closing the hatch). Needless to say I discovered just how heavy the hatch was.

Click to expand...

Yours may have been leaking for a long time: https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=21422.

Nissan officially calls them hatch "stays".

https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=527606#p527606 is my final saga. At last check, one of my replacements is leaking and the other isn't. I'm out of warranty now.

I bought some cheap ones off Amazon for a Jetta Wagon. I guessed on the strength and need to pull the lid down with two hands.
Change one at a time because the lid is heavy and awkward One person alone.
Well worth the money.

I just bought replacement struts (stays) for my 2011 Leaf but I cannot figure out how to get to the clip on the top (part that attaches to body).
The way it is recessed between the taillight and body makes it impossible to get to.
Any help?
Thanks!

Either use a curved pick to pry the clip ring or just remove the two bolts holding the mounting bracket to the body. At least on my 2017 model those should work.

I figured out that if I removed the end that attaches to the hatch first, I could then swing the gas strut down and get somewhat better access to the spring clip.
It was easier to get off than on as the clip has to be pushed "down" at the top mounting point and it's tough to get even a small screwdriver in that position.
After an hour of struggle, I finally got both gas struts installed.
No more hatch falling on my head. HOORAY!

WAM said:

I figured out that if I removed the end that attaches to the hatch first, I could then swing the gas strut down and get somewhat better access to the spring clip.
It was easier to get off than on as the clip has to be pushed "down" at the top mounting point and it's tough to get even a small screwdriver in that position.
After an hour of struggle, I finally got both gas struts installed.
No more hatch falling on my head. HOORAY!

Click to expand...

Good tip, unfortunately gas shocks like these are basically a maintenance item and are prone to failure in a couple of years for heavy use to maybe 10 years for little-used struts. I got tired of replacing them on an old Geo Metro and purchased a plastic clip thing that clipped around the strut and would hold the hatch up even if the shock was shot. It automatically went into place upon opening the hatch but required you to lift the plastic prop piece when closing the lid. Kind of a nice idea but somewhat prone to breaking if someone didn't know to lift the rod and tried slamming the hatch.