- Certain 2021 and 2022 Nissan Leaf EVs are being recalled for a battery fire risk that occurs when using a DC fast charger.
- The new recall includes 19,077 U.S.-market vehicles that come on top of another 23,887 cars recalled for the same issue last year.
- In total, nearly 43,000 second-generation Leaf EVs have potentially dangerous high-voltage batteries. Nissan is still working on a fix.
Nissan has a growing battery problem. Nearly 43,000 second-generation Leaf electric vehicles sold in the United States are at risk of catching fire when using a DC fast charger due to an issue with their high-voltage batteries. On top of that, no fix is available yet, and owners are being advised not to frequent fast charging stations in the meantime.
Two separate recalls have been issued, covering model years 2019 through 2022, with the latest document being published on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website earlier this month. Nissan estimates that 1% of the affected vehicles actually have the defective battery.
The latest recall for this issue published by NHTSA includes 19,077 Leaf EVs built between June 15, 2021, and May 23, 2023. It comes on top of a different recall issued last year, which includes 23,887 Leaf EVs from the 2019 and 2020 model years.
Nearly 43,000 2019-2022 Nissan Leaf EVs are affected by the recalls.
According to NHTSA filings, the affected vehicles’ high-voltage lithium-ion batteries may generate excessive lithium deposits within their cells, which increases resistance and can potentially cause a fluctuation in the state of charge. When using a DC fast charger, the increased electrical resistance in the cells can create a lot of heat, and if charging continues, the battery may catch fire.
Both the 40- and 62-kilowatt-hour battery packs that have been manufactured in Smyrna, Tennessee, are covered under the two recalls. When Nissan announced the first recall in late 2024, it said it was working on a software update that would prevent a fire from occurring, but the company is saying the same thing now, in the second recall.
Nissan spokesperson Jannelle Grigsby told InsideEVs that “a software remedy will be available that will enable affected customers to resume Level 3 quick charging and final preparations for deployment are in process.” “Invitation to repair letters will be sent to customers when the software is available,” she said.
According to official documents published by the NHTSA, owners were initially informed that the fix would be available by November 2024. The deadline was later pushed to spring 2025, then to the third quarter of 2025. The fix is still not available, and now more vehicles have been added to the roster of fire-prone Leafs.
Granted, the previous-generation Nissan Leaf’s CHAdeMO fast-charging port is somewhat of a relic today, with most DC fast chargers in the United States having either a CCS or a NACS cable. That said, CHAdeMO chargers haven’t completely disappeared, and now many cars that have this type of port can’t use them because their battery might go up in flames.
When the long-awaited software fix finally becomes available, Nissan will notify owners to go to a dealer and get the free update. Until that happens, though, affected Leaf owners should refrain from using DC fast chargers and rely exclusively on Level 1 or Level 2 chargers.
