NHTSA complaint: 2022 NISSAN LEAF — SERVICE BRAKES
I had an accident that totaled the Leaf the day after I bought it. It was dark. The road was more congested than usual and a dog ran out into the road. According to eye witnesses, three vehicles including two Honda SUVs (the first vehicle that stated the whole mess didn't stay) managed to brake to a complete stop without rear ending one another. The Nissan Leaf could not brake quickly enough and I rear ended a CR-V with enough force that the Leaf airbags deployed and I could tell the Leaf was totaled at the scene. The emergency braking system never engaged and the brake pedal felt the same from beginning to end. I was not tailgating. The Leaf felt enough like my 2020 Kia Niro that I made the mistake of not being more cautious with a vehicle that was new to me. Bottom line: I expected the Leaf to behave in an emergency the same as a vehicle I had been driving without incident for 18 months and it didn't. My 2020 Kia Niro does not have emergency braking and I hadn't planned to test it out with the Leaf. Being dark, I saw the instant the vehicle in front of me slammed on their brakes and slammed on mine, but it felt the Leaf wasn't slowing down fast enough. Not nearly as quickly as the Honda.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation