Grabby Brakes?

[johnr]

I had the NTB12-086a update done last Friday, and I'm VERY happy about it. I would strongly recommend every 2011 Leaf owner to get this update! Seriously Nissan should make it a recall or at least notify every 2011 Leaf owner about it, but unfortunately they don't seem to believe it's that important. For me, it seems to have finally gotten rid of that grabby brakes problem!! And as a bonus, it also has solved the annoyance of the brakes letting up just prior to coming to a complete stop - now I can stop very smoothly.

My only complaint is that I had to put up with the problem for the last year or so without any clue there was a fix available.

 

[rlewis123]

My brand new 2013 Leaf has the grabbing brakes issue. Is there a fix for 2013 cars yet? It is really bad.

 

[TomT]

No, the update currently only applies to the 2011 and 2012.

My brand new 2013 Leaf has the grabbing brakes issue. Is there a fix for 2013 cars yet? It is really bad.

 

[rlewis123]

That is too bad. The problem seems to be the brakes grab or they stop working and the car wants to coast into intersections. A real safety issue for sure because you can't modulate the brakes. It does it the same in any combination of ECO, D or B settings.

 

[QueenBee]

That is too bad. The problem seems to be the brakes grab or they stop working and the car wants to coast into intersections. A real safety issue for sure because you can't modulate the brakes. It does it the same in any combination of ECO, D or B settings.

The brakes being grabby is a completely different issues than the brakes not working...

 

[planet4ever]

That is too bad. The problem seems to be the brakes grab or they stop working and the car wants to coast into intersections. A real safety issue for sure because you can't modulate the brakes. It does it the same in any combination of ECO, D or B settings.

The brakes being grabby is a completely different issues than the brakes not working...

Agreed. I have had low speed grabby brakes on both my 2011 and 2013, but never a problem with the brakes not working.

It may have been on a different thread that someone identified the same trigger sequence as I have. I apply the brakes lightly to slow, then release momentarily and reapply with roughly the same pedal travel and pressure, but this time the car lurches to a hard stop.

Ray

 

[QueenBee]

That is too bad. The problem seems to be the brakes grab or they stop working and the car wants to coast into intersections. A real safety issue for sure because you can't modulate the brakes. It does it the same in any combination of ECO, D or B settings.

The brakes being grabby is a completely different issues than the brakes not working...

Agreed. I have had low speed grabby brakes on both my 2011 and 2013, but never a problem with the brakes not working.

It may have been on a different thread that someone identified the same trigger sequence as I have. I apply the brakes lightly to slow, then release momentarily and reapply with roughly the same pedal travel and pressure, but this time the car lurches to a hard stop.

Ray

Yep, exactly. The brake firmware update on my 2011 did not completely resolve it for me but it has essentially become a non-issue although it has occurred after the update.

 

[GeekEV]

It may have been on a different thread that someone identified the same trigger sequence as I have. I apply the brakes lightly to slow, then release momentarily and reapply with roughly the same pedal travel and pressure, but this time the car lurches to a hard stop.

Yep, exactly. The brake firmware update on my 2011 did not completely resolve it for me but it has essentially become a non-issue although it has occurred after the update.

That's mostly the way it works on my 2011 as well, but it was never 100%. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn't. I was never able to predict it accurately. But when it DOES occur, it was always under those circumstances.

 

[johnr]

That is too bad. The problem seems to be the brakes grab or they stop working and the car wants to coast into intersections. A real safety issue for sure because you can't modulate the brakes. It does it the same in any combination of ECO, D or B settings.

You have to call Nissan at their EV hotline, they'll ask you to go to your dealership, the dealership will say everything is performing as designed, then you'll have to call the 800 number again to tell them it hasn't been resolved, and back and forth. It will take several visits to the dealership. You have to be persistent, as Nissan obviously doesn't think this is a serious problem, but it should pay off if you persevere. If everyone who's experiencing this issue calls Nissan and doesn't give up until the problem is resolved, they will have to do something about it.

 

[johnrhansen]

If you shift into neutral at 10 mph, and just use the friction brakes it stops nice and smooth.

 

[dgpcolorado]

If you shift into neutral at 10 mph, and just use the friction brakes it stops nice and smooth.

Same with the car at 100% and no regen IME.

Grabby at high or low speeds? There's a (temporary?) fix if it happens at low, which is: Turn off traction control, inch forward, hold and press down the brakes FULLY for about 30 seconds. That's it. Mine used to be super grabby on/off style at low speeds, but now they're normal.

I have no idea why this would work but I tried it a week ago and haven't had severe "grabbiness" since. Much thanks.

It is a long, expensive trip to the dealer so I plan to wait until my battery check in January before requesting the grabby brake TSB update.

 

[TimLee]

If you shift into neutral at 10 mph, and just use the friction brakes it stops nice and smooth.

Just don't mess up and shift into neutral below 7 mph.
I messed up and did that one day. It is definitely not a good thing.

 

[RegGuheert]

If you shift into neutral at 10 mph, and just use the friction brakes it stops nice and smooth.

Just don't mess up and shift into neutral below 7 mph.
I messed up and did that one day. It is definitely not a good thing.

+1

After I did that two different times, I went back to using "hold left" for accessing neutral. No chance of accidentally backing into the car behind you that way... (Plus the kids insisted!)

 

[johnrhansen]

If you shift into neutral at 10 mph, and just use the friction brakes it stops nice and smooth.

Just don't mess up and shift into neutral below 7 mph.
I messed up and did that one day. It is definitely not a good thing.

you mean if you do it by switching to reverse while going forward?

 

[planet4ever]

If you shift into neutral at 10 mph, and just use the friction brakes it stops nice and smooth.

Quite true when you are coming up to a stop sign or stop light, but that isn't terribly convenient when you are inching along in a stop-and-go traffic jam, or in a line of cars each of which must stop at a stop sign.

I had both of those situations arise today, and I had turned off the "VDC" switch to see what effect that would have on my grabby brake complaints. It worked! Or, at least, it was MUCH better. So now I find myself asking what value I am getting out of that system. From what the manual says, the limited slip feature is still operational with VDC off. I'm not a race driver who is obsessed with oversteer or understeer; indeed I am a cautious driver on dry roads and a very cautious driver on (infrequent) wet roads. So why shouldn't I drive all the time with VDC off?

There are two restrictions I don't like in the implementation: a) It is always on when you first power the car up. b) When it is off there is always a yellow triangle displayed in the "eyebrow". I have used that triangle to alert me to look elsewhere in the dash for a potential problem.

Ray

 

[TomT]

Because, in an emergency or unseen situation, it can make the difference between staying in control and losing control. Even the most cautious driver can't anticipate such situations... Except on a race course, I would never turn off vehicle stability control.

indeed I am a cautious driver on dry roads and a very cautious driver on (infrequent) wet roads. So why shouldn't I drive all the time with VDC off?

 

[QueenBee]

Because, in an emergency or unseen situation, it can make the difference between staying in control and losing control. Even the most cautious driver can't anticipate such situations... Except on a race course, I would never turn off vehicle stability control.

indeed I am a cautious driver on dry roads and a very cautious driver on (infrequent) wet roads. So why shouldn't I drive all the time with VDC off?

Agreed, but you must not have driven a car with VDC in snow. It's hard to keep your momentum with it on.

 

[kubel]

Because, in an emergency or unseen situation, it can make the difference between staying in control and losing control. Even the most cautious driver can't anticipate such situations... Except on a race course, I would never turn off vehicle stability control.

If I'm stuck in the snow or am trying to take off from a dead stop on ice (particularly uphill), there's no way I'm going to get my car to go without disabling stability control. Might as well have the parking brake on. Also, it tends to take the fun out of the car if I am exploring the cars limits.

 

[69800]

I would like to add my observations. My 2012 just turned 2 with 20k miles. It have never had any dealer upgrades. My brakes get grabby every year once the temperature drops to around freezing and stays that way as long as the weather is cold.
In the spring summer with warm days, I have never had the grabby brake problem.. Definitely temperature related on my car.

 

[planet4ever]

My brakes get grabby every year once the temperature drops to around freezing and stays that way as long as the weather is cold.

Is that high speed grabby or low speed grabby? They seem to be independent phenomena. We don't have "real" cold weather here, and I have never experienced grabbiness above 5 mph. But it has been a problem when crawling up to a stop sign in a line of cars, any time of the year and in both my 2011 and my 2013.

I would think any kind of grabby brakes would be a disaster waiting to happen if you were driving on ice or snow. I'm sure glad I have never experienced that.

Ray