[NEWS] Nissan recalls 51 new Leaf EVs

The list of "joys" of stupid electric cars continues to grow.  :-\


    Nissan Recalls 51 New Leaf EVs For Spontaneous Combustion,
    Even When Not Plugged In
    ----------------------------------------------------------
    People have been debating whether or not spontaneous human
    combustion is real for hundreds of years. However, spontaneous
    combustion in cars is quite real, both ones powered by internal
    combustion and electricity. EV fires are typically caused
    either by charging issues or battery damage; the new Nissan
    Leaf, however, may self immolate completely on its own, which
    has led to a NHTSA recall.

    The issue stems from a defect inside the battery itself, both
    the standard version and the one with the optional heat pump.
    From the recall report:

        "Based on preliminary information, damage to the
         edges of the battery cell cathode material in the
         subject batteries may have occurred during the
         supplier's manufacturing process. If a cathode
         with a torn edge is assembled into a battery cell,
         the damaged portion of the cathode may fold onto
         itself, potentially resulting in an internal short
         circuit within the battery module."

    That is what electrical engineers typically refer to as "bad."
    A short circuit leads to a fire, which leads to more cells
    shorting out in a chain reaction. That's why EV fires are so
    difficult to put out. Nissan and its battery supplier worked
    together, quickly discovered the problem, and determined exactly
    which cars are at risk. There have been no reported accidents or
    injuries related to these fires.

    Telematics narrow it down
    Nissan first became aware of this issue when a Leaf at a
    dealership in Osaka, Japan, spontaneously caught fire on
    February 19, 2026. It was outside, turned off, and not plugged
    into a charger at the time. Nissan reviewed telematics data from
    the burnt Leaf and found "electrical characteristics that were
    outside the expected specification range" in one battery module
    before the fire. Nissan then began reviewing data from other
    vehicles to find similar anomalies in them.

    On March 2, a second Leaf burned in the same way outside a
    Nissan dealer in the U.S. Nissan brought the wreck to its Field
    Quality Center for investigation. It narrowed the problem down
    to the battery pack, and sent it to the battery supplier for
    further analysis. On March 10, the supplier discovered the
    cathode damage, figured out how it might have occurred, and
    changed its production process to avoid the issue in the future. 
    Meanwhile, Nissan and the supplier were able to identify
    51 battery packs that might have been manufactured with this
    issue, and matched them by VIN to the 51 cars they went into,
    which are the only cars included in this recall.

    Nissan recommends that owners park their Leaf outside and not
    attempt to charge it. Owners may bring their car to a dealer, who
    will provide another car to use until it can replace the affected
    battery modules or the entire battery pack with one that does not
    have this defect at no charge.


    
<https://www.jalopnik.com/2139505/nissan-recalls-51-new-leaf-evs-spontaneous-combustion/>