Accident in leased 2018 Leaf

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NoReleaf

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 9, 2018
Messages
66
Location
Wheaton, Illinois, USA
So I was in a minor accident with my Leaf the other day (evening). First accident for me in over 10 years, and the first one ever where I was not unquestionably blameless. Imagine making a left turn at an intersection and being clipped rear passenger side just even with the tail light by a 2001 Suzuki Vitara going 35-40 MPH, at an approximate 90 degree angle. The damage certainly isn't minor, but at least it is not terribly extensive. No glass, not even lights (OK, plastic), no doors. The rear panel is toast (and pretty much everything it was attached to is affected), the passenger side blind spot thingamajig was vaporized, and there is a dent deep enough to have widened the rear passenger door crack a bit and caused a little paint chip there. Could have been worse.

My question is mainly to do with the leased vehicle issue. This is my first lease. My understanding is that I need to notify the financing entity NMAC of the accident. Beyond that, I don't know what's different about this situation than the usual report to your insurance company and work it out with them (there were no citations issued and no injuries). If anyone else who has had accident in a leased vehicle can point out anything else I need to be especially aware of in this situation, please do.

Aside from making my Leaf whole and beautiful again as soon as possible - my main interest - I also have to consider how this is going to affect the end of lease strategy. It's an extra reason to want the best repair job possible. So the next question is: Is there are a reason to believe a Nissan dealership is the best choice for the repair? Is the quality of such a repair any less dicey than any other collision shop, and is it simply wiser to go with Nissan because it would reduce the chance of controversy over the car's condition when the end of the lease is upon me?
 
I don’t think there’s an obligation to notify NMAC. You want a body shop that is certified in electric car repairs. I would think using a Nissan dealership would be best to cover you when turning in the lease. They do an inspection at lease end. You would be liable for any damage that is not properly repaired at that time.

The worst thing you could do is take it to a body shop that decides to bake it to cure the paint. That would potentially damage the battery.
 
Sorry to hear this and glad you are ok. I totally agree that you should bring it back to Nissan for repairs so that there will be no disputing the quality of the repair at lease turn-in. I found this on the NMAC website but don't know if it applies specifically to leased vehicles.
Hope it helps.

https://www.nissanfinance.com/nmac/articles/en_US/FrequentQuestion/My-vehicle-has-been-involved-in-an-accident-and-has-sustained-damage-What-should-I-do/?ln=en_US

NoReleaf said:
So I was in a minor accident with my Leaf the other day (evening). First accident for me in over 10 years, and the first one ever where I was not unquestionably blameless. Imagine making a left turn at an intersection and being clipped rear passenger side just even with the tail light by a 2001 Suzuki Vitara going 35-40 MPH, at an approximate 90 degree angle. The damage certainly isn't minor, but at least it is not terribly extensive. No glass, not even lights (OK, plastic), no doors. The rear panel is toast (and pretty much everything it was attached to is affected), the passenger side blind spot thingamajig was vaporized, and there is a dent deep enough to have widened the rear passenger door crack a bit and caused a little paint chip there. Could have been worse.

My question is mainly to do with the leased vehicle issue. This is my first lease. My understanding is that I need to notify the financing entity NMAC of the accident. Beyond that, I don't know what's different about this situation than the usual report to your insurance company and work it out with them (there were no citations issued and no injuries). If anyone else who has had accident in a leased vehicle can point out anything else I need to be especially aware of in this situation, please do.

Aside from making my Leaf whole and beautiful again as soon as possible - my main interest - I also have to consider how this is going to affect the end of lease strategy. It's an extra reason to want the best repair job possible. So the next question is: Is there are a reason to believe a Nissan dealership is the best choice for the repair? Is the quality of such a repair any less dicey than any other collision shop, and is it simply wiser to go with Nissan because it would reduce the chance of controversy over the car's condition when the end of the lease is upon me?
 
As long as the shop that fixes it realizes that it is a leased vehicle, and promises in writing to provide a repair that will meet lease return standards, you don't need to use a Nissan dealership shop to fix it. They often contract that out anyway. If you are worried, have NMAC do a lease return pre-inspection before the body shop's warranty period ends.
 
SageBrush said:
I would notify NMAC. You want to know now if they have any demands.

Not comparable directly because it wasn't NMAC, but our first leased Prius was in a similar parking lot crash. We used an independent shop that knew it was leased, and who guaranteed a repair that would pass return inspection. It did. More comparably, my 2013 Leaf was in a fender bender in which only the other car was visibly damaged. I didn't make any attempt to replace the very slightly dinged parts on it, and it too passed the return inspection, with no deductions for damage. The lease return inspectors, who are usually third parties, look for visible signs of repaired damage; if there are none, they don't get out the micrometers.
 
LeftieBiker said:
SageBrush said:
I would notify NMAC. You want to know now if they have any demands.

Not comparable directly because it wasn't NMAC, but our first leased Prius was in a similar parking lot crash. We used an independent shop that knew it was leased, and who guaranteed a repair that would pass return inspection. It did. More comparably, my 2013 Leaf was in a fender bender in which only the other car was visibly damaged. I didn't make any attempt to replace the very slightly dinged parts on it, and it too passed the return inspection, with no deductions for damage. The lease return inspectors, who are usually third parties, look for visible signs of repaired damage; if there are none, they don't get out the micrometers.
Anecdotes are not useful here.

Face it, OP is asking if he can keep Nissan in the dark to reduce the chance that he will be asked to pay damages. Ethics aside, my answer to him is that he has to weigh the risks of non-disclosure.
 
Anecdotes are not useful here.

Seriously? Are you going to apply Aristotelian logic then, and just deduce the correct answer? Have you ever read the NMAC turn-in inspection requirements? I have. Have you ever turned in a Leaf that was in an accident? I have. Have you ever turned in any leased car that had been damaged and then repaired? My household has.
 
LeftieBiker said:
Anecdotes are not useful here.

Seriously? Are you going to apply Aristotelian logic then, and just deduce the correct answer? Have you ever read the NMAC turn-in inspection requirements? I have. Have you ever turned in a Leaf that was in an accident? I have. Have you ever turned in any leased car that had been damaged and then repaired? My household has.
Seriously. Your anecdote does not tell him anything about his obligations. Perhaps you just got lucky and dodged a bullet of non-disclosure.

OP can call, or read his contract VERY carefully with the help of a lawyer. Or play stupid. His choice.
 
OP can call, or read his contract VERY carefully with the help of a lawyer. Or play stupid. His choice.

He can read the NMAC inspection parameters (posted often in the end of lease topic - I can post the link here, later) and make sure the car meets them. All he needs is a reputable body shop that regularly deals with leased vehicles and will guarantee passage in writing, as I noted earlier. You are shooting wildly from the hip on this.
 
Hey now, everyone. (And thanks for all the responses.) Anecdotes are welcome. Opinions are welcome. Both experience and speculation are welcome.

If I implied that I would rather avoid disclosure of the accident to NMAC, I did not mean to. Not the issue. I see specific language in my lease contract about disclosure - what is missing is any detail about how to go about it. I've called NMAC twice already (phone menu no help, on hold for a live person forever) and will contact them one way or the other.

I was really wondering whether anyone had had a "should have gone to a Nissan dealership instead" or "wouldn't take it to a Nissan dealership again!" experience with post-accident repair.

After a conversation with someone with my insurance company, I feel more confident that they will back me up if I find the repair unsatisfactory in some way - wherever I take it. I think I'll just go with the insurance company's choice of repair shop. Now that I'm thinking a bit more clearly about it, I don't think anything substandard about the repair would be waiting around to bite me in two and a half years.
 
I was really wondering whether anyone had had a "should have gone to a Nissan dealership instead" or "wouldn't take it to a Nissan dealership again!" experience with post-accident repair.

As with most other services, the quality will vary quite a bit from dealership to dealership. If you do use a Nissan dealer to repair the damage, make sure that you check them out - and the same applies to independent shops - on Yelp and other similar sites, first.
 
https://www.nissanfinance.com/nmac/arti ... /?ln=en_US

Thanks for the link, nrvous. I have no idea what they mean with "for us to endorse your insurance check" - as far as I know, I will pay my deductible upon collection of my vehicle and the rest is between insurance company and repair shop, no check to "endorse" - but I'll find out soon enough.
 
If you do use a Nissan dealer to repair the damage, make sure that you check them out - and the same applies to independent shops - on Yelp and other similar sites, first.

Yeah, did it. Mixed reviews for both, no consensus. That one guy who was great to someone was a bum to someone else. I've been to the one shop for an estimate already. They seem alright.
 
NoReleaf said:
https://www.nissanfinance.com/nmac/arti ... /?ln=en_US

Thanks for the link, nrvous. I have no idea what they mean with "for us to endorse your insurance check" - as far as I know, I will pay my deductible upon collection of my vehicle and the rest is between insurance company and repair shop, no check to "endorse" - but I'll find out soon enough.
Your finance company or bank will be the “loss payee” and will need to endorse the settlement. On larger claims they will commonly inspect the repairs before endorsing.
 
NoReleaf said:
I was really wondering whether anyone had had a "should have gone to a Nissan dealership instead" or "wouldn't take it to a Nissan dealership again!" experience with post-accident repair.

I believe this was mentioned earlier, but most dealerships do NOT have their own body repair facilities. They contract out to a local body shop for that.

After a conversation with someone with my insurance company, I feel more confident that they will back me up if I find the repair unsatisfactory in some way - wherever I take it. I think I'll just go with the insurance company's choice of repair shop. Now that I'm thinking a bit more clearly about it, I don't think anything substandard about the repair would be waiting around to bite me in two and a half years.

Just make sure that they warranty their work for at least the time you have remaining on your lease. I had the paint of a repair I had done crack on me a year later, because they laid the paint on so thick.
 
Sadly, this is exactly the information I was looking for just now. I too have a 2018 Leased LEAF, 6 months almost to the day, and I crushed the front bumper. Thanks for all the wisdom found here.

Good luck with your repair as well.
 
My advice would be to go to a body shop that guarantees their work. I have a 2019 leaf that was rear ended on my 6th day of ownership with less than 500 miles on the odometer (not leased). I opted to go to a body shop that was not dealer associated (but owned by a company that also owns dealerships). They offered a "lifetime" warranty on their work. If you go to a similar place then if it does not pass inspection you can return to the body shop to have fixed for free.

My accident sounds like there was similar damage, the entire right rear quarter panel was crushed, but mine did chip the tail light. Once the interior was removed they also discovered that there was damage to the interior trunk panels. Dont forget that there are also sensors (maybe dependent on trim/options) behind the bumper and those can add up quickly. Also, the car will need a pre and post scan, which most body shops should be able to do either in house or with a sub-contractor. In my case they needed to cut out the entire quarter panel, which extends almost all the way to the roof and about half way under the door.
 
EeveeSF said:
Sadly, this is exactly the information I was looking for just now. I too have a 2018 Leased LEAF, 6 months almost to the day, and I crushed the front bumper. Thanks for all the wisdom found here.

Good luck with your repair as well.

Someone hit me in a high school parking lot, and left a kink in the bottom of my front bumper. I took off the undershield, and heated it very, very gently from the inside with a heat gun, until I could push the kink out with a gloved hand. Now it's just a paint scratch. There are huge amounts of empty space inside that front bumper.
 
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