I can't embed more than 3 quotes, so I'm combining all my previous post's with my new one:
I lost my first bar. I expected some degradation in capacity, so my driving habits have not been impacted. I did report this issue to the Nissan dealer and was told this is expected.
Not sure how to add this to the spreadsheet:
Car Details:
Silver Nissan Leaf 2011
Date car purchased: 5/31/2011
Date bar disappeared: 8/24/2012
Mile's when bar disappeared: 21,085
Environment:
- San Diego Coastal and Inland climate (60's - 90's).
Car Charging info:
- 1 month of 100% charging via L2, thereafter 80% L2.
- (5/31 - 2/1) Nightly charge, except weekends where it typically charged just once for the entire weekend.
- (2/2 - Present) Charge twice a day 80% L2. Night and when I arrive to work.
- Garaged at home and uncovered at work.
MISC Info:
- Turtled once, but made it to an outlet.
- Mostly highway driving 55mph - 65mph.
- 4.5 KWH
- Manufactured Date: 4/11[/quote]
Lost my second bar: 7/8/2013.
Mileage: 36,360
Still performing a L2 charge twice a day 80% L2. Night and when I arrive to work.[/quote]
Lost my third bar: 6/13/2014.
Mileage: 52,109
Performing a L2 charge twice a day to %100. Once in at 1:10am and at work.
I didn't expect to lose this third bar until 60,000+, so I'm convinced it has more to do with heat causing the battery to degrade. The more often you charge to %100 the hotter the battery. Luckily, my commute is only 60 miles total, but I don't appreciate the stress of whether I'm going to make it or choosing between running the A/C.
I have my battery test coming up this weekend. I'll try to remember to post the results.[/quote]
The test cost was almost $100 and provided meaningless information. My test results were 5 stars for everything again. According to Nissan Escondido, my battery is degrading as expected. I disagree with their assessment and conclusion. The battery should not have degraded as quickly and severely as it has, especially in the climate and conditions I wrote about above.
In my opinion, as an early adopter, a recall should be made by Nissan for all 2011 Leaf batteries based on accelerated battery capacity loss I am experiencing and what others have reported.[/quote]
Lost my Fourth bar around: 1/6/2015.
Approximate Mileage was around: 61,150
Performed an L2 charge twice a day to 100%. Once in at 1:10am and at work.
Temperature is not at all high here in San Diego (I'm west of the 15 highway), so the ambient temperature only plays part of the problem. In my opinion: The Nissan Leaf 2011 model has a battery defect. Specifically, it does not tolerate heat from more than one L2 charge a day OR extreme outside temperatures.
I took my car to the dealership, shortly after I noticed the 4th bar was gone. The dealership refuses to accept any responsibility and Nissan Corporate refuses to honor the warranty, since I brought the car into the dealership after 60,000 miles. According to the Warranty Manual the next step is Arbitration, then possibly Small Claims Court.
I drive approximately 65 - 80 miles a day, but require at least two L2 charges to do so. Without my work L2 charger, I would be stranded. I no longer have the range to make it to my son or daughter's extracurricular activities for school or sports, or if there is an emergency at home then I can't get there until I complete a charge at work. I now get around 45 - 50 miles, during a combination of highway and service street driving, off a single L2 charge.
Based on all the literature and educational information that Nissan provided at event's that I attended and their website information, I expected at worst case to be at 65 miles on the eighth year of ownership. This is a HUGE disappointment to me, like so many other's, who were misled into thinking that this car's range would last 8 - 10 year's.
