The lawsuit, filed Sept. 24, 2025, asserts that Nissan marketed “fast-charge-ready” Leafs while concealing a design defect: internal lithium deposits in battery cells that raise resistance and heat during high-current DC charging. Because Leafs lack active thermal management, plaintiffs argue, the defect isn’t merely theoretical — it undermines safety and usability.
In October 2024, Nissan reportedly sent a letter to owners warning them not to use Level 3 fast chargers until a remedy is available. That effectively curtailed a key function of the cars, plaintiffs say. The lawsuit covers owners in California and Oregon under consumer protection statutes.
According to one plaintiff motion, “Nissan falsely advertised that the Class Vehicles were designed to be quickly charged at Level 3 stations,” while internally knowing some cells could overheat or catch fire.
In October 2025, Nissan announced a recall of 19,077 2021–2022 Leafs over the same overheating risk during DC fast charging. This builds on an earlier recall for the 2019–2020 models.
The root cause identified: excessive lithium deposition in battery cells, which increases internal resistance and triggers thermal buildup under fast charging stress.
But Nissan has yet to deploy a final fix. The proposed solution is software-based: the battery management system should throttle or suspend charging when cell temperature or internal resistance passes safe thresholds. Owner notifications are due to begin Oct. 24, 2025, advising against Level 3 use until updates are installed.
Observers warn that software alone may not fully mitigate a hardware defect, especially in cells already degraded. EV forums suggest owners expect the patch may effectively slow or cap charging rates to avoid overheating.
For Nissan, there’s reputational risk. The next-generation Leaf already signals a shift: Nissan plans to adopt liquid-cooled battery architecture to manage thermal stress more aggressively.
