
The LEAF is an electric vehicle. Some of the
vehicle’s systems operate differently and
have different operating characteristics
than vehicles equipped with an internal
combustion engine. It is important to care-
fully review the entire owner's manual for
this reason. The main difference is the LEAF
is powered by electricity. The LEAF does not
require and it is not capable of using gaso-
line like a vehicle powered by a traditional
internal combustion engine. The LEAF uses
electricity stored in the lithium ion (Li-ion)
battery. The vehicle’s Li-ion battery must
be charged with electricity before the ve-
hicle can be driven. As the vehicle operates,
the Li-ion battery gradually discharges. If
the Li-ion battery becomes completely dis-
charged, the vehicle will not operate until it
is re-charged.
This vehicle uses two types of batteries.
One is the 12-volt battery that is the same
as the battery in vehicles powered by
gasoline engines, the other is the Li-ion
battery (high voltage).
The 12-volt battery provides power to the
vehicle systems and features such as the
audio system, supplemental restraint sys-
tems, headlights and windshield wipers.The Li-ion battery provides power to the
electric motor (traction motor) that moves
the vehicle.
The Li-ion battery also charges the 12-volt
battery.
The vehicle must be plugged in for the Li-
ion battery to be charged. Additionally, the
vehicle system can extend the vehicle
range by converting driving force into elec-
tricity that is stored in the Li-ion battery
while the vehicle is decelerating or being
driven downhill. This is called regenerative
braking. This vehicle is considered to be an
environmentally friendly vehicle because it
does not emit exhaust gases, such as car-
bon dioxide and nitrogen oxide.WARNING
Your vehicle contains a sealed Li-ion
high voltage battery. If the Li-ion bat-
tery is disposed of improperly, there is a
risk of severe burns and electrical
shock that may result in serious injury
or death and there is also a risk of envi-
ronmental damage.
CAUTION
To prevent damage to the Li-ion
battery:
• Do not expose the vehicle to extreme
ambient temperatures for extended
periods.
• Do not store the vehicle in tempera-
tures below −13°F (−25°C) for more
than seven days.
• Do not leave the vehicle for more
than 14 days where the Li-ion battery
available charge gauge reaches a
zero or near zero.
• Do not use the Li-ion battery for any
other purpose.
THE EV (Electric Vehicle) SYSTEM LI-ION BATTERY
EV-2EV Overview

Once a child outgrows the height or weight
limit of the harness-equipped forward-
facing child restraint, NISSAN recommends
that the child be placed in a commercially
available booster seat to obtain proper
seat belt fit. For a seat belt to fit properly, the
booster seat should raise the child so that
the shoulder belt is properly positioned
across the chest and the top, middle por-
tion of the shoulder. The shoulder belt
should not cross the neck or face and
should not fall off the shoulder. The lap belt
should lie snugly across the lower hips or
upper thighs, not the abdomen.
A booster seat can only be used in seating
positions that have a three-point type seat
belt. The booster seat should fit the vehicle
seat and have a label certif ying that it com-
plies with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards or Canadian Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards. Once the child has
grown so the shoulder belt is no longer on
or near the face and neck, the lap belt can
be positioned properly across the lower
hips or upper thighs, use the seat belt with-
out the booster seat.A booster seat should be used until the
child can pass the seat belt fit test below:
• Are the child’s back and hips against the
vehicle seatback?
• Is the child able to sit without slouching?
• Do the child’s knees bend easily over the front edge of the seat with feet flat on the
floor?
• Can the child safely wear the seat belt (lap belt low and snug across the hips and
shoulder belt across mid-chest and
shoulder)?
• Is the child able to use the properly ad- justed head restraint/headrest?
• Will the child be able to stay in position for the entire ride? If you answered no to any of these ques-
tions, the child should remain in a booster
seat using a three-point type seat belt.
NOTE:
Laws in some communities may follow
different guidelines. Check local and
state regulations to confirm your child is
using the correct restraint system before
traveling.
LRS2690
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-21

WARNING
• Radio waves could adversely affect
electric medical equipment. Those
who use a pacemaker should contact
the electric medical equipment
manufacturer for the possible influ-
ences before use.
• If the light does not illuminate when
the power switch is placed in the ON
position, have the vehicle checked. It
is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN certified LEAF dealer as soon
as possible for this service.
• If the light illuminates while driving,
avoid sudden steering maneuvers or
abrupt braking, reduce vehicle
speed, pull off the road to a safe loca-
tion and stop the vehicle as soon as
possible. Driving with under-inflated
tires may permanently damage the
tires and increase the likelihood of
tire failure. Serious vehicle damage
could occur and may lead to an acci-
dent and could result in serious per-
sonal injury or death. Check the tire
pressure for all four tires. Adjust the
tire pressure to the recommended
COLD tire pressure shown on the Tire
and Loading Information label to
turn the low tire pressure warning light OFF. If the light still illuminates
while driving af ter adjusting the tire
pressure, a tire may be flat or the
TPMS may be malfunctioning. If you
have a flat tire, replace it with a re-
placement tire as soon as possible. If
no tire is flat and all tires are properly
inflated, have the vehicle checked. It
is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN certified LEAF dealer for this
service.
• When using a wheel without the
TPMS such as a spare tire, the TPMS
will not function and the low tire
pressure warning light will flash for
approximately 1 minute. The light will
remain on af ter 1 minute. Have the
system checked. It is recommended
that you visit a NISSAN certified LEAF
dealer as soon as possible for tire re-
placement and/or system resetting.
• Replacing tires with those not origi-
nally specified by NISSAN could af-
fect the proper operation of the
TPMS.CAUTION
• The TPMS is not a substitute for the
regular tire pressure check. Be sure
to check the tire pressure regularly.
• If the vehicle is being driven at
speeds of less than 16 mph (25 km/h),
the TPMS may not operate correctly.
• Be sure to install the specified size of
tires to the four wheels correctly.
Master warning light
There are two types of master warning
lights: yellow and red. These lights illumi-
nate if any warning lights or indicator lights
are illuminated or if various vehicle infor-
mation warnings appear in the vehicle in-
formation display.
This light illuminates when a yellow
warning light within the vehicle information
display is illuminated or when a message is
displayed on the vehicle information
display.
2-22Instruments and controls

5 Starting and driving
Precautions when starting and driving..........5-4
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) .......................................5-4
Avoiding collision and rollover ................5-7
Off-roadrecovery ............................5-8
Rapid air pressure loss .......................5-8
Drinking alcohol/drugs and driving ...........5-9
Push-button power switch ......................5-9
NISSAN Intelligent Key® system ..............5-10
Operating range for EV start function .......5-10
Power switch operation ......................5-11
Power switch positions ......................5-12
Emergency EV shut off ......................5-12
NISSAN Intelligent Key® battery
discharge ................................... 5-12
NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer System .........5-13
Before starting the EV system ..................5-13
Starting the EV system ......................... 5-14
Driving the vehicle .............................. 5-14
Electric shif t control system .................5-14
Parking brake .................................. 5-18
Pedal type ................................... 5-19
Switch type (models with electronic
parking brake system) ......................5-19
e-Pedal system ................................ 5-21
e-Pedal system operation ...................5-21e-Pedal system limitations
..................5-24
System malfunction ......................... 5-24
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) .................5-25
LDW system operation ......................5-26
How to enable/disable the LDW system .....5-27
LDW system limitations .....................5-27
System temporarily unavailable .............5-28
System malfunction ......................... 5-29
System maintenance .......................5-29
Intelligent Lane Intervention (I-LI) ...............5-30
I-LI system operation ........................ 5-31
How to enable/disable the I-LI system ......5-32
I-LI system limitations .......................5-33
System temporarily unavailable .............5-34
System malfunction ......................... 5-35
S
ystem maintenance ....................... 5-35
Blind Spot Warning (BSW) .......................5-36
BSW system operation ......................5-37
How to enable/disable the BSW system .....5-38
BSW system limitations .....................5-39
BSW driving situations .......................5-40
System temporarily unavailable .............5-43
System maintenance .......................5-44
Intelligent Blind Spot Intervention (I-BSI) ........5-45
I-BSI system operation ......................5-47
How to enable/disable the I-BSI system .....5-48

To dry brakes, drive the vehicle at a safe
speed while lightly tapping the brake pedal
to heat up the brakes. Do this until the
brakes return to normal. Avoid driving the
vehicle at high speeds until the brakes
have dried.
Parking brake break-in
Break in the parking brake shoes whenever
the stopping effect of the parking brake is
weakened or whenever the parking brake
shoes and/or rotors are replaced, in order
to assure the best braking performance.
This procedure is described in the Genuine
NISSAN Service Manual, and it can be per-
formed by a certified repair facility. It is rec-
ommended that you visit a NISSAN certi-
fied LEAF dealer.
ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS)
WARNING
• The ABS is a sophisticated device, but
it cannot prevent accidents resulting
from careless or dangerous driving
techniques. It can help maintain ve-
hicle control during braking on slip-
pery surfaces. Remember that stop-
ping distances on slippery surfaces
will be longer than on normal sur-
faces even with ABS. Stopping dis-
tances may also be longer on rough,
gravel or snow covered roads, or if
you are using tire chains. Always
maintain a safe distance from the ve-
hicle in front of you. Ultimately, the
driver is responsible for safety.
• Tire type and condition may also af-
fect braking effectiveness.
– When replacing tires, install the
specified size of tires on all four
wheels.
– For additional information, see
“Wheels and tires” (P. 8-25). The ABS controls the brakes so the wheels
do not lock during hard braking or when
braking on slippery surfaces. The system
detects the rotation speed at each wheel
and varies the brake fluid pressure to pre-
vent each wheel from locking and sliding.
By preventing each wheel from locking, the
system helps the driver maintain steering
control and helps to minimize swerving
and spinning on slippery surfaces.
Using the system
Depress the brake pedal and hold it down.
Depress the brake pedal with firm steady
pressure, but do not pump the brakes. The
Anti-lock Braking System will operate to
prevent the wheels from locking up. Steer
the vehicle to avoid obstacles.
WARNING
Do not pump the brake pedal. Doing so
may result in increased stopping
distances.
Starting and driving5-163

•If traction motor control related
parts are not NISSAN recommended
or are extremely deteriorated, the
indicator light may illuminate.
• When driving on extremely inclined
surfaces such as higher banked cor-
ners, the VDC system may not oper-
ate properly and the
indicator
light may illuminate. Do not drive on
these types of roads.
• When driving on an unstable surface
such as a turntable, ferry, elevator or
ramp, the
indicator light may
illuminate. This is not a malfunction.
Restart the EV system af ter driving
onto a stable surface.
• If wheels or tires other than the
NISSAN recommended ones are
used, the VDC system may not oper-
ate properly and the
indicator
light may illuminate.
• The VDC system is not a substitute
for winter tires or tire chains on a
snow covered road.
BRAKE FORCE DISTRIBUTION
During braking while driving through turns,
the system optimizes the distribution of
force to each of the four wheels depending
on the radius of the turn.
WARNING
• The VDC system is designed to help
the driver maintain controllability
but does not prevent accidents due
to abrupt steering operation at high
speeds or by careless or dangerous
driving techniques. Reduce vehicle
speed and be especially careful when
driving and cornering on slippery
surfaces and always drive carefully.
• Do not modif y the vehicle’s suspen-
sion. If suspension parts such as
shock absorbers, struts, springs, sta-
bilizer bars, bushings and wheels are
not NISSAN recommended for your
vehicle or are extremely deterio-
rated, the VDC system may not oper-
ate properly. This could adversely af-
fect vehicle handling performance,
and the
indicator light may flash
or both theandindicator
lights may illuminate.
• If brake related parts such as brake
pads, rotors and calipers are not
NISSAN recommended or are ex-
tremely deteriorated, the VDC sys-
tem may not operate properly and
both the
and theindicator
lights may illuminate. •
If EV system control related parts are
not NISSAN recommended or are ex-
tremely deteriorated, both the
andindicator lights may
illuminate.
• When driving on extremely inclined
surfaces such as higher banked cor-
ners, the VDC system may not oper-
ate properly and the
indicator
light may flash or both theandindicator lights may illuminate.
Do not drive on these types of roads.
• When driving on an unstable surface
such as a turntable, ferry, elevator or
ramp, the
indicator light may
flash or both theandindi-
cator lights may illuminate. This is
not a malfunction. Restart the EV
system af ter driving onto a stable
surface.
• If wheels or tires other than the
NISSAN recommended ones are
used, the VDC system may not oper-
ate properly and the
indicator
light may flash or both theandindicator lights may illuminate.
• The VDC system is not a substitute
for winter tires or tire chains on a
snow covered road.
5-166Starting and driving

• The predicted charging time displayedon the meter and navigation system (if
so equipped) increases when the Li-ion
battery warmer (if so equipped)
operates.
• Vehicle range may be substantially re- duced in extremely cold conditions (for
example under -4°F (-20°C)).
• Using the climate control system to heat the cabin when outside tempera-
ture is below 32°F (0°C) uses more elec-
tricity and affects vehicle range more
than when using the heater when the
temperature is above 32°F (0°C).
• Climate control performance is re- duced when using the Climate Ctrl.
Timer or Remote Climate Control while
the Li-ion battery warmer (if so
equipped) operates (for models with
40 kWh battery model). Set only the
charging timer [End Time] when charg-
ing in cold weather. The vehicle auto-
matically determines when to start
charging to fully charge the Li-ion bat-
tery, even if the Li-ion battery warmer
operates. Charging ends before the set
end time if the Li-ion battery is fully
charged.FREEING A FROZEN DOOR LOCK
To prevent a door lock from freezing, apply
deicer through the key hole. If the lock be-
comes frozen, heat the key before inserting
it into the key hole or use the remote key-
less entry key fob.
ANTIFREEZE
In the winter when it is possible that the
outside temperature will drop below 32°F
(0°C), check the antifreeze to ensure proper
winter protection. For additional informa-
tion, see “Cooling system” (P. 8-5).
12-VOLT BATTERY
If the 12-volt battery is not fully charged
during extremely cold weather conditions,
the 12-volt battery fluid may freeze and
damage the 12-volt battery. To maintain
maximum efficiency, the 12-volt battery
should be checked regularly. For additional
information, see “12-volt battery” (P. 8-9).
DRAINING OF COOLANT WATER
If the vehicle is to be lef t outside without
antifreeze, drain the cooling system. Refill
before operating the vehicle. For additional
information, see “Cooling system” (P. 8-5).
TIRE EQUIPMENT
SUMMER tires have a tread designed to
provide superior performance on dry
pavement. However, the performance of
these tires will be substantially reduced in
snowy and icy conditions. If you operate
your vehicle on snowy or icy roads, NISSAN
recommends the use of MUD & SNOW or
ALL SEASON tires on all four wheels. It is
recommended that you visit a NISSAN cer-
tified LEAF dealer for the tire type, size,
speed rating and availability information.
For additional traction on icy roads, stud-
ded tires may be used. However, some U.S.
states and Canadian provinces prohibit
their use. Check local, state and provincial
laws before installing studded tires.
Skid and traction capabilities of studded
snow tires, on wet or dry surfaces, may
be poorer than that of non-studded
snow tires.
Tire chains may be used. For additional in-
formation, see “Tire chains” (P. 8-34).
5-174Starting and driving

8 Do-it yourself
Maintenance precautions.......................8-2
Motor compartment check locations ...........8-4
Cooling system .................................8-5
Checking coolant level .......................8-6
Changing coolant ............................8-6
Reduction gear fluid .............................8-7
Brake fluid .......................................8-7
Windshield-washer fluid .........................8-8
12-volt battery ...................................8-9
Jump starting ................................ 8-11
Windshield wiper blades ........................8-12
Cleaning .................................... 8-12
Replacing ................................... 8-12
Rear window wiper blade ...................8-14
Brakes ......................................... 8-14
Brake pad wear warning ....................8-14Fuses
.......................................... 8-15
Motor compartment ........................ 8-15
Passenger compartment ...................8-18
NISSAN Intelligent Key® battery replacement . . . 8-19
Lights .......................................... 8-21
Headlights .................................. 8-22
Fog lights (if so equipped) ...................8-22
Exterior and interior lights ...................8-23
Wheels and tires ............................... 8-25
Tire pressure ................................ 8-25
Tire labeling ................................. 8-29
Types of tires ................................ 8-33
Tire chains .................................. 8-34
Changing wheels and tires ..................8-35
Emergency tire puncture repair kit ..........8-38