Nissan Leaf self-reports battery problem with Carwings, surprising driver

Nissan is putting a new spin on the term "Smart car." Best known as Daimler AG's two-seat minicar badge, the adjective can also be used to describe one particular Seattle-area Nissan Leaf. Owner Rob Greenlee was notified by his local Nissan dealer that his 2011 Leaf had an issue with one of its battery cells after the vehicle's Carwings navigation system communicated the problem to the dealer, Green Car Reports says.

Greenlee, who himself didn't see any sort of vehicle-instrument notification of the problem on the dashboard, had about 17,000 miles on the car and said the two-week repair was covered under Nissan's warranty.

The report marks a bit of bright news for Nissan and its Carwings feature. Late last year, Nissan reported connectivity issues between the vehicles and the drivers' smartphones, which are sometimes used to remotely charge the vehicles or control the car's temperature systems.