Does a salvage title void a LEAF's traction battery warranty?

[rlmalisz]

I believe the answer is "yes". There's a 2017 SL wth 30kwh battery, 49K miles, 10 bars locally. The seller is asking $11K, say the damage was rear end collision requiring a fair amount of rear end body work. If the battery warranty would still hold, I'd seriously consider this beast...once I can slap LeafSpy on it and see where it is in that 10th bar, it might be fair game for a replacement battery in the next three years. But if the battery is an orphan, it's not worth it to me.

I asked this question in a FB group and got the "no" answer, but know there's a lot more expertise and experience here. Should I bug the guy for the VIN and run it by Nissan?

--Richard

 

[Stanton]

I believe the answer is "yes". There's a 2017 SL wth 30kwh battery, 49K miles, 10 bars locally. The seller is asking $11K, say the damage was rear end collision requiring a fair amount of rear end body work. If the battery warranty would still hold, I'd seriously consider this beast...once I can slap LeafSpy on it and see where it is in that 10th bar, it might be fair game for a replacement battery in the next three years. But if the battery is an orphan, it's not worth it to me.

Don't take this the wrong way, but who cares if it voids the battery pack warranty? As long as you can get a "reading" on it (e.g. LeafSpy), you know what you've got (right down to the cells). Assuming you want to replace your pack (like I did--with a salvage pack), you are going to void even more of your warranty when you install the (required) CAN-bridge.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Yes because a warranty ONLY applies to the vehicle and its components. No vehicle, no warranty

 

[cwerdna]

It would void it. Search https://www.nissanusa.com/content/dam/Nissan/us/manuals-and-guides/leaf/2017/2017-Nissan-LEAF-warranty-booklet.pdf for salvage.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I believe the answer is "yes". There's a 2017 SL wth 30kwh battery, 49K miles, 10 bars locally. The seller is asking $11K, say the damage was rear end collision requiring a fair amount of rear end body work. If the battery warranty would still hold, I'd seriously consider this beast...once I can slap LeafSpy on it and see where it is in that 10th bar, it might be fair game for a replacement battery in the next three years. But if the battery is an orphan, it's not worth it to me.

Don't take this the wrong way, but who cares if it voids the battery pack warranty? As long as you can get a "reading" on it (e.g. LeafSpy), you know what you've got (right down to the cells). Assuming you want to replace your pack (like I did--with a salvage pack), you are going to void even more of your warranty when you install the (required) CAN-bridge.

The OP was asking if Nissan would replace that pack under warranty when it dropped to eight bars.

 

[Stanton]

I believe the answer is "yes". There's a 2017 SL wth 30kwh battery, 49K miles, 10 bars locally. The seller is asking $11K, say the damage was rear end collision requiring a fair amount of rear end body work. If the battery warranty would still hold, I'd seriously consider this beast...once I can slap LeafSpy on it and see where it is in that 10th bar, it might be fair game for a replacement battery in the next three years. But if the battery is an orphan, it's not worth it to me.

Don't take this the wrong way, but who cares if it voids the battery pack warranty? As long as you can get a "reading" on it (e.g. LeafSpy), you know what you've got (right down to the cells). Assuming you want to replace your pack (like I did--with a salvage pack), you are going to void even more of your warranty when you install the (required) CAN-bridge.

The OP was asking if Nissan would replace that pack under warranty when it dropped to eight bars.

And to that I would answer: I wouldn't waste time/money "upgrading" to a 30 kWh pack. I wouldn't bother for anything less than a 40 kWh pack...which (based on anecdotal data) may very well outlast it's warranty period.

 

[LeftieBiker]

And to that I would answer: I wouldn't waste time/money "upgrading" to a 30 kWh pack. I wouldn't bother for anything less than a 40 kWh pack...which (based on anecdotal data) may very well outlast it's warranty period.

30kwh packs that fail under warranty are now replaced with 40kwh packs.

 

[GaleHawkins]

I believe the answer is "yes". There's a 2017 SL wth 30kwh battery, 49K miles, 10 bars locally. The seller is asking $11K, say the damage was rear end collision requiring a fair amount of rear end body work. If the battery warranty would still hold, I'd seriously consider this beast...once I can slap LeafSpy on it and see where it is in that 10th bar, it might be fair game for a replacement battery in the next three years. But if the battery is an orphan, it's not worth it to me.

I asked this question in a FB group and got the "no" answer, but know there's a lot more expertise and experience here. Should I bug the guy for the VIN and run it by Nissan?

--Richard

Call the National Leaf Representative hotline. Thankfully we got our 40 kWh battery Feb 2020 at 25K miles 8 months before it got totalled. After 15K miles on it SOH is at 94.96% when I reconnected the 12v negative battery cable long enough to pull a new SOH reading with LSP today.

Our 2016 Leaf SL dropped the 4th bar 5 weeks after we bought it. Try to have the VIN before calling a National Leaf Rep so she can tell you if the required BMS update has been done.

Hope it works out that you. If you can buy a new 40 kWh Leaf for $20K after rebate it would be less stressful I expect. I haven't heard of any 40 kWh packs triggering a warranty claim.

 

[GerryAZ]

The warranty terms in the owner manuals for all three of my LEAFs (2011, 2015, and 2019) clearly state that all warranties are void if vehicle is ever issued a salvage title or declared a total loss by insurance. Here is the language from the 2019 Warranty Information Booklet:

SALVAGE TITLE
This limited warranty does not apply to any
vehicle, and is rendered void if the vehicle
is (or ever has been) issued a “salvage” or
similar title under any state’s law; or has
ever been determined to be a “total loss”
or equivalent by any insurance company,
such as by payment of a cash payment
of claim in lieu of repairs because of a
determination that the cost of repairs
exceeded the actual cash value of the
vehicle.

 

[GaleHawkins]

The warranty terms in the owner manuals for all three of my LEAFs (2011, 2015, and 2019) clearly state that all warranties are void if vehicle is ever issued a salvage title or declared a total loss by insurance. Here is the language from the 2019 Warranty Information Booklet:

SALVAGE TITLE
This limited warranty does not apply to any
vehicle, and is rendered void if the vehicle
is (or ever has been) issued a “salvage” or
similar title under any state’s law; or has
ever been determined to be a “total loss”
or equivalent by any insurance company,
such as by payment of a cash payment
of claim in lieu of repairs because of a
determination that the cost of repairs
exceeded the actual cash value of the
vehicle.

Thanks. That's logical.

There was some talk at Division level of doing a buy back of my 2016 Leaf SL that i had just purchased from Nissan for $13.5K vs giving me a new 40 kWh battery but the National Leaf Rep cleared that problem up with up with one email.