Oct 19 2015
Nissan LEAF Battery Under-Engineered Range Capacity Loss Severe #nissanfail

As an owner of a 2011 Nissan LEAF we have experienced severe battery range loss, in the neighborhood of 60% loss from the original full charge range. In a little over 4 years the range has dropped from over 100 miles on a full charge to well under 60 miles on a full charge.

The thermal management on the Nissan LEAF is defective and poorly designed. Nissan rushed to get this lower cost air cooled battery technology they knew was inferior to market, so that they could increase their profits and rush the LEAF to market.  Perhaps Nissan calculated the risk of lawsuits, but the cost to their reputation by owners who have been screwed over is not a value which can be measured, it has tarnished their image and many would never purchase another Nissan vehicle or product ever again.

Nissan has refused to acknowledge a problem with our vehicle saying that it is normal.  Not sure what part of this is normal, this is considered severe battery loss. No other manufacturer has acted in a hostile manner to customers of technology which is supposed to be way more reliable. We hear stories from GM/Chevy, Tesla, etc. they all stand behind their products. They also engineered their vehicles to not experience such severe battery capacity loss. I can see the Ahr rating drop for every 100 miles I drive, it drops about .1.  Currently at around AHr 44.16, from others online the range for the 9th capacity bar to drop off the dash is between 41 and 43. We will see if this happens.

Kudos for other car manufacturers for standing behind their products, and shame on Nissan for hiding behind their poor design and then trying to cover it up and not communicating with the public. Perhaps that is why you can buy a Nissan LEAF for under $10,000. The Nissan LEAF has one of the worse resale values of any car on the market and Nissan has made this worse by the way they are handling this issues.

 

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