AC is barely there or is this normal?

I have a 2013 S with QC. The weather starts to get hot during the day and I turned the AC on for the first time (other than de-fog) then noticed that there is barely any cool air coming out. I have it on for over 20 min and still feels like it's just fan blowing. Is this normal or should I take it in and get it checked?

Its not the coldest AC I've felt, but it should feel pretty cold if you have the car in D. In ECO it does cut back the power somewhat to conserve energy, so make sure you try it in D mode before taking it into the dealer for a checkup.

It works pretty well on my 2011. No problem getting cold air. Turn on the energy display and see how much the climate control is drawing. It should draw 1-3kW when the AC is working. Also, having it in ECO mode will reduce the output...it normally still keeps the car at temp, but it it's really hot andyou have it set cold, it might not always keep up in ECO. Putting it in D and lowering the temperature temporarily will cool the cabin quicker. If THAT doesn't get you cold air, I'd say something is wrong and take it in.

I've been very happy with the a/c performance in our 100 degree summer heat. Are you sure the temperature is set to something comfortable, like 70? Make sure the a/c button is lit (indicating that the compressor is engaged). If using manual mode, make sure the air is being directed through the dash vents. It should be pretty cold.

You know, I kind of noticed that yesterday with my car. After work the inside of my car was plenty hot, but it was only 55 degrees outside. I didn't want the street noise so I left my windows up and turned the ac on. It's performance was not very good, but improved as I drove faster. I think it has to do with the low outside temperature, because last summer it kicked out cold air like nobody's business, even though the car was stopped. I'm thinking maybe the external cooling fan was not on because of the low OAT and the condenser coil outside was not being cooled properly, because he ac worked fine when I got some speed up.

The AC in our 2012 is quite good. Even on Eco it's pretty effective. The condenser is not encumbered by sitting next to a boiling-hot radiator. So even 1kW gets you quite a bit of cooling. I've rarely seen the AC consume more than that except when first turned on in a very hot car and working to get down to the set point. I've heard the AC on the newer heat-pump models is not *quite* as efficient but still pretty good.

You should notice cool air at the vents within just a few seconds. Someone with a service manual can probably give you specifics as to what the difference between the inlet and outlet temperatures should be at various ambient temps.

I had the car in D and drove over 20 min. the temp inside the car was not lowered much. However turning on AC did draw power (reduced by ~4kw right away). I am going to try a few more times and if this still behaves the same, I will take the car in later this week. Thank you all.

What is the temperature set at for climate control?

My 2013 leaf S is at the dealer getting the A/C repaired right now.
It was not blowing cold air. The refrigerant had leaked out. They are replacing
A hose and the condenser. Only 5600 miles.

Man! I can't believe all the problems popping up on the 2013 models. My 2011 blows COLD (or hot) air, even in eco mode. I've never had ANY issues with the car in 2 yrs 9 mos and 18K miles, (except slow traction battery degradation, of course). Hardly any tire wear, no problems with the 12V battery, never in the shop except for the two recommended battery checks.
Since I don't have a regular commute, I may drive this sucker for the next 10yrs, or until the range gets down to less than 50%.

I got my car back today. The service advisor said that Nissan
Is aware of a connection issue on the condenser. The A/C works great now.

Jeff
2013 Leaf S

testboat said:

I got my car back today. The service advisor said that Nissan
Is aware of a connection issue on the condenser. The A/C works great now.

Click to expand...

Do you mean this issue is likely to affect other 2013 Leafs?

testboat said:

My 2013 leaf S is at the dealer getting the A/C repaired right now.
It was not blowing cold air. The refrigerant had leaked out. They are replacing
A hose and the condenser. Only 5600 miles.

Click to expand...

Taking the car in tomorrow, we will see if it's the same problem. Thanks.

xbox409 said:

Taking the car in tomorrow, we will see if it's the same problem. Thanks.

Click to expand...

The problem turned out to be "sideline from firewall to condenser cracked at fitting going to condenser. Replaced line and recharged, everything checked out."

Now the car has AC. :mrgreen:

derkraut said:

Man! I can't believe all the problems popping up on the 2013 models. My 2011 blows COLD (or hot) air, even in eco mode. I've never had ANY issues with the car in 2 yrs 9 mos and 18K miles, (except slow traction battery degradation, of course). Hardly any tire wear, no problems with the 12V battery, never in the shop except for the two recommended battery checks.
Since I don't have a regular commute, I may drive this sucker for the next 10yrs, or until the range gets down to less than 50%.

Click to expand...

+1

2013 S air conditioning stopped blowing cold air. Day 1 at dealer - diagnose refrigerant leak, order O-rings. Day 2, wait for O-ring parts. Day 3 - dealer called to say O-rings did not fix, actually cracked pipe between condenser and manifold, now waiting for pipe. Sounds like same problem others have had.
Disappointing that cracked pipe not noticed at beginning. Also disappointed having both the PDM replaced and now A/C failure in first year!

I'm taking my car in to the dealer tonight after work for the same problem.

They said its the line between the pump and the condenser and they ordered it. Im thankful for the info on this forum. The weather is still cool here and I would never have noticed it otherwise until summer hit and everybody would be coming in to complain about their ac and I'd need to get in line.

I just dropped my '13 off at the dealer tonight for the same issue. The AC was fine on Saturday and nothing at all today.

Welp, I just called my dealer back, it's loaner time. Yesterday they were saying it was an o-ring issue, I diplomatically asked them to give the hoses a good once over since they were already unhooked. Today they now say that the hoses are bad and they had to order some. Even better is that there are none in stock and they had to get them transferred in from a different dealer (which may take several days). I'm glad I asked them to check the hoses.....