kolmstead
Well-known member
I suspect that this problem is operator error/lack of understanding, but it will affect others, so here's the description:
Monika took the LEAF to work today. First drive on her own. Problem arose right away; the car refused to go into Reverse or Drive. It came out of P, into N, but that was all. I watched and gave suggestions through the window (door open gives door ajar alarm, and we already had enough red and yellow warnings). I noticed that both caution triangles, red and yellow, were remaining lit in the upper (speedometer) display. After Monika gave up, I climbed in, went through my usual startup routine, and the LEAF responded perfectly. I had Monika get in, and she drove away.
I called her when she was two blocks away and asked her to stop and restart the car. It had occurred to me that one big difference between us was the fob. The one she was using hasn't been used before. She complied, and the LEAF again wouldn't go into Drive. I drove over and swapped fobs. No improvement. I got in and the car behaved normally on my second try. So it did fail for me, also.
I have occasionally had problems before, always when I "rush" the start sequence. It usually works; I can be in Drive and moving long before the startup chime ends. But once in a while I get errors and the car won't go. And I got one battery error by leaving car "on" but in Park too long while I used an ATM. Don't understand that one at all. It cleared on restart.
Anyway, lacking any more data right now, I'm guessing that Monika attempts to move the shifter to Drive a little sooner than I usually do, and the LEAF doesn't like it. I verified that she had her foot on the brake and seatbelt fastened when she pushed the go button; that definitely wasn't the problem.
If you encounter something like this, watch the displays for clues. The two triangles in the upper display are your first hint, and there may or may not be something down in the message area under the bubblemeter. You will have to put the car in Park, turn power off and then back on. When I waited until all warnings or meter tests had finished before I shifted to Drive, the car was happy, and Monika went on her way. Needless to say, I'll keep my phone with me today!
-Karl
Monika took the LEAF to work today. First drive on her own. Problem arose right away; the car refused to go into Reverse or Drive. It came out of P, into N, but that was all. I watched and gave suggestions through the window (door open gives door ajar alarm, and we already had enough red and yellow warnings). I noticed that both caution triangles, red and yellow, were remaining lit in the upper (speedometer) display. After Monika gave up, I climbed in, went through my usual startup routine, and the LEAF responded perfectly. I had Monika get in, and she drove away.
I called her when she was two blocks away and asked her to stop and restart the car. It had occurred to me that one big difference between us was the fob. The one she was using hasn't been used before. She complied, and the LEAF again wouldn't go into Drive. I drove over and swapped fobs. No improvement. I got in and the car behaved normally on my second try. So it did fail for me, also.
I have occasionally had problems before, always when I "rush" the start sequence. It usually works; I can be in Drive and moving long before the startup chime ends. But once in a while I get errors and the car won't go. And I got one battery error by leaving car "on" but in Park too long while I used an ATM. Don't understand that one at all. It cleared on restart.
Anyway, lacking any more data right now, I'm guessing that Monika attempts to move the shifter to Drive a little sooner than I usually do, and the LEAF doesn't like it. I verified that she had her foot on the brake and seatbelt fastened when she pushed the go button; that definitely wasn't the problem.
If you encounter something like this, watch the displays for clues. The two triangles in the upper display are your first hint, and there may or may not be something down in the message area under the bubblemeter. You will have to put the car in Park, turn power off and then back on. When I waited until all warnings or meter tests had finished before I shifted to Drive, the car was happy, and Monika went on her way. Needless to say, I'll keep my phone with me today!
-Karl