2013 Nissan Leaf - Trottle stuck, gas pedal useless

I have leased a 2013 Leaf SL on June 1st. After one month and 1300 miles driven, I have experienced a worrisome issue while I was taking my daughter to gym.
All in a sudden, the power was reduced to a trickle while driving in ECO mode. Gas pedal was not operative, I could release it or floor it and it would not make any difference. I did not know what to do as I was in the middle of the road, so I pressed to ECO button to return to D mode. The car started to accelerate quite rapidly, all my itself.
It was pretty scary. I even tried to stop and start the car, to no luck.
I was able to drive the car back home by pressing on and off the ECO button and then got the car towed to the Nissan Dealer where I bought the car and got a rental car from them.
I will keep you posted. This was a very scary experience and an issue that should not happen in any car.

Your's is the first report on something like this. Do please keep us up-to-date on the fix and state where you are. Thanks!

HighDesertDriver said:

Your's is the first report on something like this. Do please keep us up-to-date on the fix and state where you are. Thanks!

Click to expand...

I sure will keep you posted. Maybe it's a problem with my car only, a one off software issue. I just wanted to let everybody know, just in case someone else experiences something similar.

sfiorini said:

pressed to ECO button to return to D mode. The car started to accelerate quite rapidly, all my itself.

Click to expand...

something isn't right with this description, the ECO button has NOTHING to do with the shift selector, either she meant B mode or something is missing from the story

I experienced a weird braking issue last week, but am hesitant to post about it, since no one else has reported it, and I'm hoping it was just me being crazy, as I haven't been able to replicate it.

I was slowing down from 45 mph as I was approaching a red light, but right before the light is a bridge which jolts the car a tiny bit when entering/leaving that bridge. As I crossed that bridge, and felt that first minor bump, I lost a good deal of braking power, to the point I had to push the pedal really hard. The best way to describe it is that I lost all regen based braking assist, as it feels similar to when I'm charged 100% and use the brakes (which means you are using mechanical brakes only). However, I only had around 60% or so left on my battery.

I'm just posting it here, just in case it's related, but until it happens again, I'm going to chalk it up to a glitch in the matrix/operator error (somehow).

There is so much software in this car, i'm not saying it is impossible for stuff like this to happen, but hopefully in your case it was a weird combination or maybe hitting the cruise control resume function (not even sure if it has this, haven't checked) or some other weird accidental trigger.

Definitely look forward to any updates you may have.

This is a good time to bring up Emergency Stopping. In the LEAF you have two ways to shut the car off in an emergency.

The first is to press and hold the power button for a few seconds until the car shuts off.

The second is to press the start button rapidly three times.

I’ve never done either one, so I don’t know if the car goes into Neutral or Park when it shuts off. I would hope that at speed it would go into Neutral and as speed drops (<10 mph?) it would go to Park. Anyone want to try it out?

Lion,

Your braking trouble actually seems reasonable. The Leaf uses an electronic brake force controller for the majority of its braking. The pedal is mostly just to indicate how much braking the EBC should deliver, not to actually create hydraulic pressure.

If your bump was strong enough to shake the brake pedal, then the sensor could have registered an invalid reading and the EBC could have disabled itself. A whole lot of speculation here. Others have reported similar situations where the EBC seems to have shut off and they had to use a lot of force on the brake pedal to stop. The good news is that normal braking was restored by either fully releasing the pedal, or by powering the car off and back on.

I recommend that you take your car into the dealer for a complementary safety inspection (we are talking about the braking system here). The least that will happen is that Nissan will get one more notch in the complaint column for “braking issues” and if they get enough, they put more money into improvements for future cars.

If you don’t want to go to the dealer, then consider calling 877-NO GAS EV or 877-664-2738. That is the number for EV sales and support. They will be happy to listen to your concerns and open a ticket for tracking. As with many call centers, you probably won’t get any serious help from them, but if there’s help to be had, they can start you down the right path.

I experience this at a bump approaching a stop sign. The nav screen shows that the regen falls off drastically at that point. Maybe something to do with traction control?

FairwoodRed's information is interesting as well.

lion said:

I experienced a weird braking issue last week, but am hesitant to post about it, since no one else has reported it, and I'm hoping it was just me being crazy, as I haven't been able to replicate it.

I was slowing down from 45 mph as I was approaching a red light, but right before the light is a bridge which jolts the car a tiny bit when entering/leaving that bridge. As I crossed that bridge, and felt that first minor bump, I lost a good deal of braking power, to the point I had to push the pedal really hard. The best way to describe it is that I lost all regen based braking assist, as it feels similar to when I'm charged 100% and use the brakes (which means you are using mechanical brakes only). However, I only had around 60% or so left on my battery.

I'm just posting it here, just in case it's related, but until it happens again, I'm going to chalk it up to a glitch in the matrix/operator error (somehow).

There is so much software in this car, i'm not saying it is impossible for stuff like this to happen, but hopefully in your case it was a weird combination or maybe hitting the cruise control resume function (not even sure if it has this, haven't checked) or some other weird accidental trigger.

Definitely look forward to any updates you may have.

Click to expand...

apvbguy said:

sfiorini said:

pressed to ECO button to return to D mode. The car started to accelerate quite rapidly, all my itself.

Click to expand...

something isn't right with this description, the ECO button has NOTHING to do with the shift selector, either she meant B mode or something is missing from the story

Click to expand...

I am sorry but there is nothing wrong with my description. That was the actual car behavior. The dealer just left me a message that the car is ready and they had to replace some kind of assembly. I will post the correct findings once I get the dealer paper.

I am an enthusiast of the electric car movement not a critic, but when I found an issue of this potential gravity, I think I should report it. I am sure it was something small given that they fixed it within 24 hours. I will let you know more later.

sfiorini said:

apvbguy said:

sfiorini said:

pressed to ECO button to return to D mode. The car started to accelerate quite rapidly, all my itself.

Click to expand...

something isn't right with this description, the ECO button has NOTHING to do with the shift selector, either she meant B mode or something is missing from the story

Click to expand...

I am sorry but there is nothing wrong with my description. That was the actual car behavior. The dealer just left me a message that the car is ready and they had to replace some kind of assembly. I will post the correct findings once I get the dealer paper.

I am an enthusiast of the electric car movement not a critic, but when I found an issue of this potential gravity, I think I should report it. I am sure it was something small given that they fixed it within 24 hours. I will let you know more later.

Click to expand...

I didn't say that you shouldn't report ANY incident you have in your LEAF but it would be helpful if your description was more accurate, pressing the ECO button only turns the ECO mode on and off, it has nothing to do with putting the car into D mode.
I would be interested in hearing what the dealer found and repaired

sfiorini said:

apvbguy said:

sfiorini said:

pressed to ECO button to return to D mode. The car started to accelerate quite rapidly, all my itself.

Click to expand...

something isn't right with this description, the ECO button has NOTHING to do with the shift selector, either she meant B mode or something is missing from the story

Click to expand...

I am sorry but there is nothing wrong with my description. That was the actual car behavior. The dealer just left me a message that the car is ready and they had to replace some kind of assembly. I will post the correct findings once I get the dealer paper.

I am an enthusiast of the electric car movement not a critic, but when I found an issue of this potential gravity, I think I should report it. I am sure it was something small given that they fixed it within 24 hours. I will let you know more later.

Click to expand...

Well....imho, you did the right thing. Braking is rather important on an automobile, don'tcha think?

All,
I got the car back and they fixed it.

Here's the technician description which confirmed mine:
"THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE IN ECO MODE. TOOK IT OUT INTO REGULAR OR REVERSE AND IT RACES"

The repair description is:
"1388 INTERNAL FAILUR OPEN CIRCUIT. CONSULT TEST CODES"
"P2122,2127,2138, REPLACE THROTTLE ASSEMBLY PFP 18002-3RA0A"

Hopefully it was a one off. The car runs just fine now.

Thanks for the update. I'm happy it was diagnosed and repaired promptly.

derkraut said:

Thanks for the update. I'm happy it was diagnosed and repaired promptly.

Click to expand...

+1

I am even more surprised that they had the part party in stock. You may have used this week's allotment of good fortune.

This raises a question. In most vehicles, the brakes can override the engine if the throttle gets stuck on Full, and stop the car, albeit with some difficulty. Is this true of the Leaf? IOW, if the throttle position unit fails in the open position as happened above, will the brakes be able to overcome the motor's torque and stop the car? Two wheeled EVs often have brake light-activated switches that disable the motor or throttle, even when they have regen. I assume that since the original poster didn't mention being able to stop the car with the brake, the Leaf doesn't have that override, although I wouldn't bet against it. Does anyone know?

Glad OP came out OK. I don't think I would have continued using the vehicle knowing I can accelerate only by pressing eco on or off, particularly with precious cargo`.

Last thing Nissan needs is Toyota's stuck throttle PR nightmare along with the casualties. I'm sure corp is investigating the faulty assembly thoroughly.

To answer a previous question. The brakes were able to overcome the throttle, so I had two ways of keeping the car speed at guard: One was the brakes and the other the ECO button. I just choose the ECO button to "preserve" the brakes.
My wife came immediately to pick-up my daughter as I stopped at a CVS, then I was able to return home alone where I called for a tow.

91040 said:

I experience this at a bump approaching a stop sign. The nav screen shows that the regen falls off drastically at that point. Maybe something to do with traction control?

FairwoodRed's information is interesting as well.

lion said:

I experienced a weird braking issue last week, but am hesitant to post about it, since no one else has reported it, and I'm hoping it was just me being crazy, as I haven't been able to replicate it.

I was slowing down from 45 mph as I was approaching a red light, but right before the light is a bridge which jolts the car a tiny bit when entering/leaving that bridge. As I crossed that bridge, and felt that first minor bump, I lost a good deal of braking power, to the point I had to push the pedal really hard. The best way to describe it is that I lost all regen based braking assist, as it feels similar to when I'm charged 100% and use the brakes (which means you are using mechanical brakes only). However, I only had around 60% or so left on my battery.

I'm just posting it here, just in case it's related, but until it happens again, I'm going to chalk it up to a glitch in the matrix/operator error (somehow).

There is so much software in this car, i'm not saying it is impossible for stuff like this to happen, but hopefully in your case it was a weird combination or maybe hitting the cruise control resume function (not even sure if it has this, haven't checked) or some other weird accidental trigger.

Definitely look forward to any updates you may have.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

I started a new thread here, as I didn't want to hijack the OP's thread.

sfiorini said:

All,
I got the car back and they fixed it.

Here's the technician description which confirmed mine:
"THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE IN ECO MODE. TOOK IT OUT INTO REGULAR OR REVERSE AND IT RACES"

The repair description is:
"1388 INTERNAL FAILUR OPEN CIRCUIT. CONSULT TEST CODES"
"P2122,2127,2138, REPLACE THROTTLE ASSEMBLY PFP 18002-3RA0A"

Hopefully it was a one off. The car runs just fine now.

Click to expand...

That was a quick follow-up, thanks for sharing!