Any EV owners have a 'break down' yet?

NIMAN

Ok, a slightly strange question but it would be a standard one for ICE owners.

I appreciate that there isn't an awful lot to go wrong with an EV compared to an ICE, but has anyone had anything go wrong?

Excluding running out of juice, flat tyres etc?
Any major battery issues, or such like.

KCross

None for me so far after 12 months with a 24kWh Leaf(151).

The 12V battery going dead seems to be a common issue with the earlier Leaf(2011-2013). Seems to be a combination of software needing to be updated and the DC/DC inverter(?) giving trouble.

Havent heard of anything much in the 2014+ model.

jimmycrackcorm

Spotted a new leaf getting towed back to the owners house by recovery truck a few months ago.

NIMAN

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

Spotted a new leaf getting towed back to the owners house by recovery truck a few months ago.

Yeah but I'm sure they just ran out of charge, rather than anything major wrong with the battery.

ELM327

Nope for me in my 24kWh leaf.
Range anxiety is invented by GM when they were marketing the Volt.

My leaf handles my 120km round trip daily without issue.

cros13

I cracked my tire sidewall within 12 hours of picking up my i3...since then nothing.

goz83

My 2014 Leaf needed front wipers, because the original ones were not at 100%. Shame on you Nissan

NIMAN

goz83 wrote: »

My 2014 Leaf needed front wipers, because the original ones were not at 100%. Shame on you Nissan

I think that falls out of the remit of my question to be fair.;)

So basically, are there many recorded cases of major battery failure since EVs started to appear on our roads.

macnab

NIMAN wrote: »

are there many recorded cases of major battery failure since EVs started to appear on our roads.

The only ones i know of are Gen 1 Leafs in locations with extreme heat, ie 50°C in somewhere like Death Valley Nevada.

DrPhilG

Nothing major for me in nearly 2 years, and don't think I've heard of others having issues either.

One flat battery, due to my own over confidence in passing a charger.

Had a warranty repair on the brake pads, issue was spotted at the service.

isnottheword

Driving a 141 Leaf - 7 months in - and only 2 issues. 2x sidewall punctures requiring tyre replacements which both occurred in the first few weeks. Didn't have a bottle of 'gunk' - and not a big fan of that stuff anyway - so I ordered a compact spare with jack and wheelbrace off ebay.

No other issue since.

cros13

NIMAN wrote: »

So basically, are there many recorded cases of major battery failure since EVs started to appear on our roads.

Nissan's last public stats (March 2015) had three failures out 35,000 vehicles sold in europe. That failure rate was five times lower than the number of Nissan combustion cars that required full engine replacements under warranty.

http://www.hybridcars.com/european-nissan-leaf-batteries-post-few-failures/

zilog_jones

I've heard of some failures with Toyota/Lexus hybrids and PHEVs (inverters, chargers, etc.) but not any BEVs. By far the most common issue is the 12V auxiliary batteries - they tend to be smaller than what's in an ICE car and can go flat easily with lights left on, doors left open, etc., and if they're on the way out can cause erratic behaviour or weird errors.

Evd-Burner

cros13 wrote: »

Nissan's last public stats (March 2015) had three failures out 35,000 vehicles sold in europe. That failure rate was five times lower than the number of combustion cars that required full engine replacements under warranty.

http://www.hybridcars.com/european-nissan-leaf-batteries-post-few-failures/

That is very impressive. Mechanics will need to start thinking about how they should upskill!

BoatMad

Evd-Burner wrote: »

That is very impressive. Mechanics will need to start thinking about how they should upskill!

The days of car mechanics will go the way of TV repair shops

Nissan suspension is very simple and stiff that the components will probably last forever. There is almost no brake pad and disc wear in 21 months/41k. Tyres will need to be replaced soon though.
We had a puncture last year requiring a recovery and a new tyre as the damage was too bad to patch. Next time I visit a scrap yard I will buy a spacesaver and jack.

BoatMad

samih wrote: »

Nissan suspension is very simple and stiff that the components will probably last forever. There is almost no brake pad and disc wear in 21 months/41k. Tyres will need to be replaced soon though.
We had a puncture last year requiring a recovery and a new tyre as the damage was too bad to patch. Next time I visit a scrap yard I will buy a spacesaver and jack.

at 48K km, pads good to 100KM said garage , tyres wearing very evenly as well

macnab

samih wrote: »

Nissan suspension is very simple and stiff that the components will probably last forever. There is almost no brake pad and disc wear in 21 months/41k. Tyres will need to be replaced soon though.
We had a puncture last year requiring a recovery and a new tyre as the damage was too bad to patch. Next time I visit a scrap yard I will buy a spacesaver and jack.

My first Leaf (MY11) failed its first NCT on front shock imballance. Both shocks were within tolerance of the guidelines, but the imbalance was outside tolerance.
I would blame QC for that as I presum the car left the factory with a mismatched pair of shocks.

KCross

macnab wrote: »

My first Leaf (MY11) failed its first NCT on front shock imballance. Both shocks were within tolerance of the guidelines, but the imbalance was outside tolerance.
I would blame QC for that as I presum the car left the factory with a mismatched pair of shocks.

One bad pothole could cause that.

The mark 1 Japanese suspension is much softer than the later Euro so will need to work harder. The early cars ride much better so it's not a bad thing.

pwurple

Nothing yet, over 2 years.

peposhi

In my previous 24kW I had to change the heat pump under warranty as the heating was not working.
Other than that, currently on a second Leaf - nothing else.