Car has far too many useability problems

[Den]

My list of the '13's usability problems:
lack of recirculate option in Floor-Defrost mode

Not true. it goes automatically to fresh air when you switch to floor-defrost (as when switching to any other defrost mode, just because fresh air is needed for defrost), but you can switch it back to recirculate.

 

[LeftieBiker]

My list of the '13's usability problems:
lack of recirculate option in Floor-Defrost mode

Not true. it goes automatically to fresh air when you switch to floor-defrost (as when switching to any other defrost mode, just because fresh air is needed for defrost), but you can switch it back to recirculate.

I can't!

 

[LeftieBiker]

If you've never used the rear-window washer before, it can take a very long time for the fluid to reach the back when you first push down on the lever.

The problem is that they warn you can burn out the unit if you leave it engaged for over 30 seconds.

Another problem is that the factory fluid will have frozen solid if you're weather's like mine.

Either mine was defective from the start, or it's the above situation. I have no working rear window washer...

 

[Reddy]

interesting, that's news to me. I didn't know that there was a rear window squirter :lol:

 

[epirali]

interesting, that's news to me. I didn't know that there was a rear window squirter :lol:

Neither did I, it was like a toy surprise when I read this. It works great!

 

[CayenneSJLEAFy]

+10 with Stoaty.

The biggest one for me was the battery longevity (or lack thereof). After 29 months and 44K miles, I could only go 54 miles before I hit VLBW (~25 GIDs) in warm weather. In most cases it's 52 miles to VLBW.

The scary part is that my '14 Volt can go 44 miles before the ICE kicks on. This is with the front defroster running. 44 miles is when LBW would come on our LEAF (even having charged to 100%).

Our LEAF had tires at 42 PSI (replaced with Michelin MXV4s at 20K miles), parked in the shade during the summer, and outside, overnight at L1. 4.8 kw/mile. Tried everything I can to extend the battery life, but still kept degrading.

 

[ninahunt]

You have made an excellent points especially car eats up tires in a hurry.

 

[hill]

It eats up the Ecopias, which are/were a product that wore too quickly & have little to do with the car they sit under. Your 2nd set of tires will wear according to what you purchase.
.

 

[Stoaty]

It eats up the Ecopias, which are/were a product that wore too quickly & have little to do with the car they sit under. Your 2nd set of tires will wear according to what you purchase.

Depends on how you drive. I have 25,000 on my original tires, tread has decreased from 10/32 to 8/32. Tires look to last at least 50,000 miles.

 

[Msquared]

To the OP...the one on your list that stood out to me was "eats up tires." I personally hate the Ecopias. I'm in Oregon, so due to the rainy weather, I seem to spin my tires on any sort of pavement that isn't rough, and they also lose traction around curves. The combo of low rolling resistance tires coupled with the torque has me thinking I may be buying new tires for this thing before my 36,000 mile lease period is up. Plus, during a recent snow storm, I probably taxed the tires a bit more trying to get out of my hilly driveway with chains. I could definitely smell some rubber through my ventilation.

 

[johnr]

Thanks to all who have left helpful suggestions and have sympathized with my experiences! I'm glad to know that apparently Nissan has listened to some of these concerns and has made improvements in the later year models. However, as many of these issues severely impact the safety and useability of the vehicle I'm quite upset that Nissan is not doing anything to fix them for the MY2011 owners such as myself. In my case, I have talked with Nissan about these issues and for the most part they insist that the car is behaving nominally as it's supposed to and there's nothing wrong with it, and it's like pulling teeth to try and convince them otherwise.

I've been to the dealership to try and address the wobbling concern, and the technicians did notice that the car seems unusually wobbly, but since their diagnostic tools didn't indicate anything amiss they simply dismissed it as a tradeoff due to the heavier weight of the vehicle. The fact is, I don't remember the vehicle being wobbly like this at the very beginning, so I think it's probably been happening very gradually - so maybe something on the suspension got out of adjustment, but they couldn't find anything amiss - and with all the long hours I've wasted at the dealership and on the phone with Nissan trying to get this resolved I don't know what more to do.

 

[cwerdna]

^^^
If you have legitimate safety complaints, file them at http://www.safercar.gov/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

As for wobbling, have you driven another '11 or '12 Leaf like that of someone else here on MNL or a used one on the dealer's lot, just for comparison?

Can you try another, hopefully better dealer? I've known of some dealers w/notoriously bad service departments, which I avoid.

Obviously, many of the issues you've complained about can't be addressed by a dealer. For some, Nissan has provided no remedy for the '11 and '12 owners (e.g. no % SoC indicator) and in some cases, the limitation still exists (e.g. GPS lockout). Others require redesigned systems and parts (e.g. "charging port door cannot be opened from outside", fixed in '13+ w/there being a button to open it via the fob).

I have no issue w/push-button start-stop. I'm used to it as my 06 Prius (bought in January 06) has it. Love it. I wouldn't want to go back to a stupid key I have to insert and turn.

BTW, http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=13861" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; was one of the many discussions we've had on A-pillars. This issue is not Leaf specific.

 

[DaveEV]

The suspension on the '11 LEAF is definitely underdamped which leads to unwanted undulations going over humps especially noticeable during spirited driving.. After 27k miles I can't tell a big difference over time, though. Supposedly, people have reported that the '13+ LEAF has firmer damping, the struts/shocks should be a drop-in replacement on earlier cars. Personally, I'm saving up for a set of coilovers.

 

[dgpcolorado]

...Personally, I'm saving up for a set of coilovers.

Does that mean that you are keeping your wilting LEAF, as opposed to trading up to something with a longer range? You have a lot of options in California.

 

[mwalsh]

The suspension on the '11 LEAF is definitely underdamped which leads to unwanted undulations going over humps especially noticeable during spirited driving.. After 27k miles I can't tell a big difference over time, though. Supposedly, people have reported that the '13+ LEAF has firmer damping, the struts/shocks should be a drop-in replacement on earlier cars. Personally, I'm saving up for a set of coilovers.

Is the OP still on the OEM tires? Tires with a stiffer sidewall help a lot. The Michelin MXV4s, for example. The downsides with the MXV4s include lost range and a bit of tramlining.

 

[DaveEV]

...Personally, I'm saving up for a set of coilovers.

Does that mean that you are keeping your wilting LEAF, as opposed to trading up to something with a longer range? You have a lot of options in California.

I am not planning on selling it any time soon, just doesn't make sense as I have another vehicle (Prius) for longer trips. Even if I did, I'd still probably be able to get about half the cost back selling the coilovers to someone else. Still not sure I want to spend the money on the lEAF, though. We'll see.

If Nissan comes out with a battery pack upgrade, I would consider it, but realistically the car works fine for me nearly all the time as I rarely need to charge away from home as it is, I just don't drive more than 50 miles/day that often. I should generate a histogram of how far the car is driven on a daily basis, would be interesting. One drawback is that a common drive is in the 55 mile range round trip (mostly freeway at indicated 65 mph) which puts me around LBW which of course doesn't leave much room for side-trips. The first year I used to almost get that kind of distance on a 80% charge!

With more charging infrastructure in place (which is still slowly going in) things will be easier. Reliable QC stations scattered around every 15 miles would let one drive without worrying too much about range. I would like to replace the Prius with something that plugs in and can do longer trips, though. A Model S like vehicle would be ideal, but the cost is too high, so I'm hoping for something slightly roomier than the Prius with 25+mi EV range and low-40+ mpg in charge sustaining mode. C-MAX Energi was promising for a good short range EV + long range capable trip car, but the battery takes up too much trunk space.

 

[dgpcolorado]

...With more charging infrastructure in place (which is still slowly going in) things will be easier...

I just found out yesterday that three towns in my area got grants for L2 charge stations. If they do go in that will completely change the utility of my LEAF as the battery degrades; I don't mind waiting a half to an hour for some extra miles on longer trips in winter when the range declines. Thus far the only charge station in my area, besides the one in my garage, is 92 miles and three mountain passes (8000 feet cumulative elevation gain) away at the Nissan dealer. [When my LEAF was new I did it on a single charge; that is no longer possible.]

Nevertheless, since seeing that Supercharger map I have a serious case of "Tesla envy". With a Tesla I could make trips to Denver (300 miles, lots of mountains) and Portland Oregon to visit family (1100 miles). That would change everything: it makes an EV practical as an "only car". I wonder if the 48 kWh Model E will be able to use the Supercharger network without frying the battery?

 

[cgaydos]

...With more charging infrastructure in place (which is still slowly going in) things will be easier...

I just found out yesterday that three towns in my area got grants for L2 charge stations.?

You're in the general Ridgeway area, right? What were the towns? Any word on Salida or Canon City getting an L2?

 

[dgpcolorado]

I just found out yesterday that three towns in my area got grants for L2 charge stations.

You're in the general Ridgeway area, right? What were the towns? Any word on Salida or Canon City getting an L2?

Montrose, Ouray, Mountain Village (near Telluride). No idea about Salida or Cañon City. I'm not really clear on the grant source either. (This was second hand info, but the source is in the position to know since he works for the local power co-op and is active in our local energy group.)

 

[kubel]

I agree with the complaints, but considering the LEAF is the first mass produced affordable electric vehicle and these are first-generation problems, I would say it's not doing too bad. The car is far from perfect, but all things considered, I think Nissan did a hell of a job with the LEAF.

When you consider the LEAF is the Model T of the electric car, you have to give it a little slack for not being perfect. The car has plenty of room to mature, but it's off to a good start.