20,000 Nissan Leaf Owners Advised to Cease Fast Charging Due to Fire Hazard Alert | Carscoops

      The battery may overheat during DC fast charging sessions, heightening the fire risk.

      Nissan is issuing a recall for nearly 20,000 Leaf EVs due to this concern.

      The batteries can heat up quickly during Level 3 charging.

      A software update is being developed, but owners should refrain from fast charging immediately.

      Nissan is preparing to introduce the redesigned Leaf, but the previous model is facing a new recall affecting 19,077 EVs from the 2021 and 2022 model years.

      The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the lithium-ion battery can overheat when utilizing DC fast charging, which significantly raises the risk of a battery fire.

      Reason for the Issue

      While a timeline of events has not been made public, the government states that Nissan identified “excessive lithium deposits” within the Leaf’s battery cells. This accumulation can elevate electrical resistance and may lead to fluctuations in the state of charge.

      During DC fast charging, this increased electrical resistance may cause “rapid heating of the battery,” potentially resulting in a fire if charging continues.

      Impacts Both Battery Variants

      The issue seems to affect Leaf models that have both the 40 and 62 kWh battery options. Due to the seriousness of the problem, owners are strongly urged not to utilize Level 3 chargers until the matter is resolved.

      This presents a challenge since a solution is not currently available. Nissan is, however, working on new software designed to prevent potential “thermal incidents.”

      Owners will first receive a letter later this month informing them whether their vehicle is part of the recall. A second notice will be sent once the software becomes available, at which point vehicles will need to be brought to a dealership for the update.