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Nissan says Leaf battery packs are nearly bulletproof

Like the old 1970s Schoolhouse Rock song (and an early-90s remake from hip-hop artists De La Soul), three, indeed, is the magic number. That's how many Nissan Leaf batteries have conked out in Europe during the past four-plus years. Out of about 35,000. I'd hate to be a member of that unlucky trio. The Japanese automaker says it has shut up the naysayers who once crowed that electric motors may be less reliable than gas- or diesel-powered engines. Nissan has done so by maintaining a 99.99 percent "battery success rate" in Europe. With only an on-board charger, inverter and motor, the Leaf's electric motor costs 40 percent less to maintain that gas- or diesel-powered engines. Nissan does seem to be getting more converts across the Pond. Nissan boosted European sales of the Leaf by about 33 percent last year to more than 15,000 units. Meanwhile, here in the States, sales jumped 34 percent last year to more than 30,000 vehicles, though early 2015 sales appear to be down as lower gas prices are leading American car shoppers to larger, more gas-swilling vehicles. Still, Nissan recently said it surpassed sales of 75,000 units in the US and we expect the March sales numbers to show that the Leaf has become the top-selling plug-in vehicle in US history. Take a look at Nissan Europe's press release below. Related Videos: Nissan LEAF battery reliably outperforms cynics, critics and alternatives Five years on, Nissan reports 99.99% battery success rate across Europe More reliable than a petrol or diesel engine, according to industry averages Nissan LEAF is the world's best-selling all-electric car, with over 165,000 sold globally Rolle, Switzerland, 23 March 2015: Five years and more than 35,000 European sales since the launch of its all-electric LEAF, proprietary data released by Nissan for the first time shows that 99.99 percent of its battery units remain entirely fit for purpose. The failure rate of the battery power unit is less than 0.01 percent - or just three units in total - a fraction of the equivalent industry-wide? figure for defects affecting traditional combustion engines. To prove the long-term reliability of the battery technology, Nissan tracked down a rather infamous early model, whose owner is still enjoying fault-free motoring in her LEAF three years on: http://youtu.be/6V1bJJwJhEg Electric vehicle advocate and presenter of online TV channel Fully Charged, Robert Llewellyn commented: "This comes as no surprise.

Feds Probe Nissan Cars For Unintended Acceleration

DETROIT (AP) - The U.S. government's road safety agency is investigating complaints that a trim panel can cause unwanted acceleration in Nissan Versa small cars. The probe covers about 360,000 Nissan Versa and Versa Note subcompacts from the 2012 through 2014 model years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted Saturday on its website that four drivers have complained that a trim panel near the gas pedal can trap the edge of a driver's shoe. This can stop the driver from releasing the gas pedal quickly and delay braking. There are no reports of crashes or injuries, although one driver complained of a close call at an intersection on June 9. As the driver accelerated to make a left turn, a plastic trim panel that covers the center console trapped the driver's shoe and stopped it from moving off the gas pedal, the complaint said. "I used my right hand to grab my leg and pulled harder, immediately braking hard, then backing my foot off the brake as I squealed and skidded around the corner, almost going over the curb and crashing," the driver wrote. The driver reported that the edge of the trim piece wasn't secured and trapped the sole of a leather work boot. Drivers who file complaints are not identified by NHTSA. Two of the four complaints were from drivers of rental cars, the agency said. A fifth complaint was filed in an unidentified foreign country, according to NHTSA. Investigations can lead to recalls but so far there are none in this case. Messages were left seeking comment Saturday from a Nissan spokesman. Related Gallery AOL Autos Test Drive: 2014 Nissan Versa Note Recalls Nissan unintended acceleration nissan versa nissan versa note

Japan court adds 10 more days to Ghosn's detention

A Japanese court on Sunday extended for 10 days the detention of ousted Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, who is facing new allegations of making the car maker shoulder $16.6 million in personal investment losses. The extension announced by the Tokyo District Court means Ghosn will remain in Tokyo's main detention center, where he has been confined since his arrest last month on initial allegations of financial misconduct. Ghosn was re-arrested on Friday based on suspicions that around October 2008 he shifted personal trades to Nissan to make it responsible for 1.85 billion yen ($16.6 million) in appraisal losses, prosecutors said. They said the move inflicted damage on Nissan by having it deposit a total of $14.7 million on four occasions between June 2009 and March 2012 into a related bank account. (Reporting by Daniel Leussink; editing by Darren Schuettler)Related Video: Government/Legal Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Nissan Renault