Last year we bought a used 2017 leaf that we absolutely adored ...until yesterday. After unplugging it from a nightly charge, my partner discovered the dashboard lit up with parking brake errors. The car was started and we couldn't shift gears or shut it off.
The good: contacted Nissan roadside assistance and they had a tow truck out within the hour. Once at the dealership the over-the-counter diagnosis was that it was probably a bad 12v battery. An hour later, the diagnosis was a recall issue and a battery recharge. Total: under $10 I was pretty happy.
The bad: several hours later, a call from the dealership revealed it was a bad battery that needed replacing. Total now: $266 ($145 battery plus $121 labor). Less happy. :roll:
The ugly: the following day the dealer reported having the same issue that morning that we had had. They traced the problem to a bad VCM which is outside its warranty. New total: $1,400. :shock:
I asked how certain they were that this was the last thing they'd find and the service guy seemed sure (he sounded pretty sure the last few times, too). I asked how often they run into issues with the VCM and he said it was rare.
This is the first time in over 25 years that I've had an issue with a car that required a trip to any garage or dealership. It's also the most expensive repair I've needed in ~30 years. These days cars simply are so reliable that with reasonable maintenance (e.g., regular oil changes for gas cars) they can go 20 years or more without any major issues.
So my question to you kind folks: how often do you need to make repairs to your LEAF? Is my situation exceptional, or do these things happen more often than anyone would like to admit? How many of you have suffered a defective battery or VCM?
Many thanks in advance...!
The good: contacted Nissan roadside assistance and they had a tow truck out within the hour. Once at the dealership the over-the-counter diagnosis was that it was probably a bad 12v battery. An hour later, the diagnosis was a recall issue and a battery recharge. Total: under $10 I was pretty happy.
The bad: several hours later, a call from the dealership revealed it was a bad battery that needed replacing. Total now: $266 ($145 battery plus $121 labor). Less happy. :roll:
The ugly: the following day the dealer reported having the same issue that morning that we had had. They traced the problem to a bad VCM which is outside its warranty. New total: $1,400. :shock:
I asked how certain they were that this was the last thing they'd find and the service guy seemed sure (he sounded pretty sure the last few times, too). I asked how often they run into issues with the VCM and he said it was rare.
This is the first time in over 25 years that I've had an issue with a car that required a trip to any garage or dealership. It's also the most expensive repair I've needed in ~30 years. These days cars simply are so reliable that with reasonable maintenance (e.g., regular oil changes for gas cars) they can go 20 years or more without any major issues.
So my question to you kind folks: how often do you need to make repairs to your LEAF? Is my situation exceptional, or do these things happen more often than anyone would like to admit? How many of you have suffered a defective battery or VCM?
Many thanks in advance...!