Odd problem report - accelerator stopped working (?)

So we've had our Leaf now for a couple months, only about 2K miles on it. Today our sitter took it to pick up the kids at school. On the way home she had a problem which I'm going to try and describe here. I'm hoping someone may have a clue what might have happened.

So the story given to me is thus:

No problems getting to school and doing the pick up. On the way home, while driving about 30mph, there was a single 'beep' then the accelerator just stopped working. Car stayed powered on, no error message was noted (she may not have looked though, I don't know), but she was only able to coast into a parking lot that thankfully was handy. Once in there she tried to push the accelerator "all the way down" but nothing happened. She turned the car off, then back on again and everything seemed normal both driving around the lot then on the way home.

Anyone heard of such an event? Suggestions?

Thanks.

May have accidentally shifted into neutral.

91040 said:

May have accidentally shifted into neutral.

Click to expand...

+1

Ok... now I'll have to go see how to shift into N and how it could accidentally be done....

Thanks for the consideration! The simplest explanation is often the right one eh?

Most likely shifted it into reverse at a speed above 7 mph which causes the vehicle to Beep and go into Neutral.
Is used by many LEAF drivers to save energy going down appropriate grades.
Once she turned vehicle off and back on she put it back in Drive.

Slow1 said:

Ok... now I'll have to go see how to shift into N and how it could accidentally be done....

Thanks for the consideration! The simplest explanation is often the right one eh?

Click to expand...

The normal way to shift into Neutral is to hold shifter to the left, but that takes somewhere between one and three seconds. Aggravating long especially tedious when entering automated car wash.
Unlikely that was done accidentally.

But shifting into Reverse above 7 mph it is nearly instantaneous Neutral.

Just don't do it below 7 mph. LEAF will come to sudden very bad for the equipment stop.

I think bumping the park button at speed would shift into neutral too. That seems more likely than accidentally pulling the shift handle to the left, then forward.

EVDRIVER said:

91040 said:

May have accidentally shifted into neutral.

Click to expand...

+1

Click to expand...

+2

Well, I'm accepting the "accidental neutral" theory as the most likely.

Additional info (after asking the 'right' questions) - it appears my 12yo was in the front seat working on her homework. Her binder "might" have been up against the shifter (she of course is quite certain that it didn't cause any issues) which would make sense to have pushed it out of place.

Thank you again everyone for the info! Very helpful.

Slow1 said:

Once in there she tried to push the accelerator "all the way down" but nothing happened.

Click to expand...

If the Leaf is in Neutral Or Park, nothing will happen. Its not like an ICE car where you can rev the engine.

They should have had the VSP noise maker follow the pedal instead of the speed, then you could "rev" it up, or whine, or is it a whistle

BrockWI said:

They should have had the VSP noise maker follow the pedal instead of the speed, then you could "rev" it up, or whine, or is it a whistle

Click to expand...

Too bad we can't replace the VSP with our own "car"-tone, like in a cellphone. I would record the wind blowing through the trees in a storm and use that; after all, it is a Leaf.