Capacity Loss on 2011-2012 LEAFs

[TimLee]

I feel sorry for the person that buys a 3 bar loser on the used car market no matter who the seller is.

I feel pretty sorry for the person who owns one that is only slightly more than 5 years old and has 35,000 miles on it and has less than 66.25% of original battery capacity. :shock:
And no hope or alternative from Nissan other than $100 per month in perpetuity to keep it above 66.25 % capacity, or the slim hope and prayer that a reasonable after market battery supplier develops.
Every day the 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / early 2014 Nissan LEAF looks more and more like badly flawed technology, without much OEM support.

Earlier posts from others more than a year ago indicated Carmax wasn't willing to buy LEAFs at all.

 

[Pipcecil]

Lost my third capacity bar today: 2 years 3 months; 44,733 miles, and 1 year 2 months from the previous bar loss. Actual range is around mid to upper 50's until VLBW (low 60's in perfect weather, no wind, and no climate control). I can only hope I loose that last bar before I hit 60k. At the current range it is really now impossible to commute to work without charging (roundtrip is 55 miles).

 

[smkettner]

^^^^
How many miles and months to go from 2 to 3 bar lost?
I am really counting on getting a new battery for mine but anticipating the 3rd bar loss has been suspenseful.
It would seem you will make it in the warranty period.

 

[dhanson865]

Lost my third capacity bar today: 2 years 3 months; 44,733 miles, and 1 year 2 months from the previous bar loss. Actual range is around mid to upper 50's until VLBW (low 60's in perfect weather, no wind, and no climate control).

^^^^
How many miles and months to go from 2 to 3 bar lost?
I am really counting on getting a new battery for mine but anticipating the 3rd bar loss has been suspenseful.
It would seem you will make it in the warranty period.

second bar lost according to the wiki on Aug 16, 2012 Pipcecil AKA Nathan Drozd Midlothian, TX 23652 miles
third bar lost at 44,733

net change 21,081 miles

 

[smkettner]

Thanks.

If it takes me 21,000 miles to lose the 3rd bar..... I will be out of luck on the warranty :|

 

[TomT]

It should be in the neighborhood of what it took you to go from 1 to 2...

How many miles and months to go from 2 to 3 bar lost?

 

[Pipcecil]

Mine started to slow a bit, but i haven't seen the temperature bars as I did the previous season. It was only 2 months (~1600 miles) between bar 1 and 2 versus 14 months and 21,000 miles between bar 2 and 3. If the trend continues, it will be close for my 4th bar. I am very very afraid of not hitting the warranty and dropping that 4th bar a month later.

 

[vrwl]

Mine started to slow a bit, but i haven't seen the temperature bars as I did the previous season. It was only 2 months (~1600 miles) between bar 1 and 2 versus 14 months and 21,000 miles between bar 2 and 3. If the trend continues, it will be close for my 4th bar. I am very very afraid of not hitting the warranty and dropping that 4th bar a month later.

You're already the QC king, but I'd QC even more to ensure you get that warranty replacement. Agree about the summer temps this year, last year I was hitting 7 temp bars regularly during the heat of the summer, this year I never went above 6 temp bars.

 

[smkettner]

It should be in the neighborhood of what it took you to go from 1 to 2...

How many miles and months to go from 2 to 3 bar lost?

My second bar loss was over the cooler months. I am anticipating losing the 3rd bar sooner as it is over the summer months. Then I have next summer to lose the 4th bar.

 

[dhanson865]

Can you imagine someone 50 miles short of the warranty limit with 3 bars lost charging the battery then running the heat and AC back and forth to discharge then charging again while sitting in the garage or in their driveway never moving even a single mile until they lose the 4th bar then driving to the dealership or even having the car towed to the dealer to be darn sure they don't go over the mileage?

Imagine wasting the time and energy to push it over the edge then having the car towed to the dealer to avoid adding miles on the odometer.

 

[mwalsh]

Imagine wasting the time and energy to push it over the edge then having the car towed to the dealer to avoid adding miles on the odometer.

Yes, but I can just as easily imaging saving thousands of dollars (assuming a battery pack was ever available to purchase). Or, looking at it another way, even giving me the continued use of my car at an expected comfort level.

 

[dhanson865]

Imagine wasting the time and energy to push it over the edge then having the car towed to the dealer to avoid adding miles on the odometer.

Yes, but I can just as easily imaging saving thousands of dollars (assuming a battery pack was ever available to purchase). Or, looking at it another way, even giving me the continued use of my car at an expected comfort level.

I think you are imagining the wrong part. It sounds like you are imagining it going successfully with no doubt. What I imagine is a stressed out owner wondering if he will be on the hook for those thousands of dollars as he tries to urge his car to lose a bar on command.

I'm imagining fear, anger, frustration, possible failure, you seem to be imagining relief, success, achievement. Or maybe you are ignoring the emotional aspect and are only paying attention to who pays?

I don't wish my scenario on any owner nor would I fault them for trying to get a warranty replacement for a 4 bar loser that might come it right on the wire or might even miss it by a few miles or days.

 

[Stanton]

Not that this is something I like to talk about, but ya'll are forgetting that you do have some control over HOW fast (or slow) you lose capacity bars. For all the trouble I go to parking in the shade, running a fan at night (in the heat of summer), etc., I can just as easily do the opposite: charge to 100%, let it sit in the sun, etc. (get the idea).
I can't tell you how much better I sleep since Nissan announced the 5yr/60k mile battery replacement warranty, and the "hot battery" news was the icing on the cake. Yes, they did it under duress, but this is why I bought my first EV from an established car manufacturer. At this point, I'm thinking that I will never have to BUY a new battery pack for my Leaf before the car is so old that I'll WANT to get newer technology (like 10 years).

 

[jimbennett]

Lost my first bar today, 15 months into a 39 month lease, just over 9000 miles.

Has been over 100 degrees in Redlands, CA-- I park in the shade, have noticed 7 temp bars twice. The pack temp, according to the ELM app, has been 85-95 most of the last three weeks. Has been charged to 100% about eight times, no quick charges.

Got a notice about a Nissan Leaf battery class action suit in the mail yesterday.

 

[TomT]

Well, there is always extended time in a paint booth at 100% charge... :lol:

Imagine wasting the time and energy to push it over the edge then having the car towed to the dealer to avoid adding miles on the odometer.

 

[mwalsh]

Has been over 100 degrees in Redlands, CA-- I park in the shade, have noticed 7 temp bars twice.

Here along the LA coast (work)/slightly inland OC (home), I haven't been higher than 6 TBs the whole of summer, even during the relatively benign "hot spells" we've had. The last couple of (unseasonably cool) days it's actually been 5 TBs almost the entire day, until within the final 10 miles of the homeward commute.

That said, AHrs have been dropping like a stone since the loss of capacity bar 12. And I think that, had it been a brutal summer, I would already be down to 10 bars. This is based on the loss of 2.5AHrs in 2.5 months, with there appearing to be a spread of ~4AHrs between capacity bars.

I guess the $1m question is...what kind of leveling will we see with the onset of cooler weather?

 

[TomT]

I've seen extended periods with battery temps consistently in the 90s this summer but have not yet seen 7 TBs...

Here along the LA coast (work)/slightly inland OC (home), I haven't been higher than 6 TBs the whole of summer, even during the relatively benign "hot spells" we've had.

 

[surfingslovak]

I've seen extended periods with battery temps consistently in the 90s this summer but have not yet seen 7 TBs...

Here along the LA coast (work)/slightly inland OC (home), I haven't been higher than 6 TBs the whole of summer, even during the relatively benign "hot spells" we've had.

Interesting. If I recall correctly, the battery temperature gauge adjusts with the declining capacity of the battery. This means that it will take some of the thresholds move a few degrees higher. This was in the first shop manual, I believe.

 

[leafwing]

Lost my first bar today, 15 months into a 39 month lease, just over 9000 miles.

Has been over 100 degrees in Redlands, CA-- I park in the shade, have noticed 7 temp bars twice. The pack temp, according to the ELM app, has been 85-95 most of the last three weeks. Has been charged to 100% about eight times, no quick charges.

Got a notice about a Nissan Leaf battery class action suit in the mail yesterday.

Many of us here feel your pain, but since you've leased, then it is not a long term problem fro you. I hope that you can make your daily commute without range anxiety.

 

[TomT]

Yes, correct. No one has ever determined, publicly at least, why such is the case though...

Interesting. If I recall correctly, the battery temperature gauge adjusts with the declining capacity of the battery. This means that it will make some of the thresholds move a few degrees higher. This was in the first shop manual, I believe.