Sudden death! Leaf goes into neutral, battery instantly dies

2011 leaf, 38,000 miles, 10 capacity bars
Just cruising along 50 mph with about 2/3 charge and suddenly the car goes into neutral, a bunch of warning lights come on, and the battery instantly goes to zero charge indicated on the dash gauges. I coasted off the road, turned the car off and on repeatedly, but no change. Will not go into gear...just park or neutral. Checked fuses. 12v battery systems still working. Leaf spy is indicating 140 gids.

Has anyone experienced a similar sudden, catastrophic leaf death? I guess we'll be having it towed to the dealer...

Here is link to dash photo:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gl31z1c4wtlz3oj/photo may 14, 7 38 12 am.jpg?dl=0

Here is a link to LeafSpyPro DTC codes:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/t0009m1kp66os79/dtc_leafspy.jpg?dl=0

You can post a picture by linking to it on another site, like imageshack.

Low voltage in the 12V system would be a nice simple explanation. Hope it is nothing worse.

Please keep us informed.

Edit- You can read the error codes with the LeafSpy app. Would provide more specific information. Where are you located?

Might want to pay for leaf spy pro and get the DTC's and post them here. My guess is the HV battery fuse or one of the HV contactors went. If you had a cell failure you'd probably see the turtle light.

Here is a photo of the Leaf Spy DTC codes:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/t0009m1kp66os79/dtc_leafspy.jpg?dl=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We've seen this before, if you search on here you should find one of the other reports. The 12v battery is likely failing. If it is low, the whole electronics package can go wonky.

The P0AA0 error code is related to the main contactor. The DC-DC converter should maintain the 12-volt system while driving so even if the 12-volt battery failed, the car should have kept running. The service manual for the 2011 lists numerous causes for the P0AA0 error code ranging from some failure in the inverter to a positive ground on the HV battery. Whatever it is should be covered by the 5-year, 60,000-mile EV system/powertrain warranty so get it towed to the dealer and let us know what they find.

Gerry

Nissan diagnosed low 12v battery voltage and replaced the 12v battery. So far the car is working. What a strange failure mode.

basher said:

Nissan diagnosed low 12v battery voltage and replaced the 12v battery. So far the car is working. What a strange failure mode.

Click to expand...

It is scary that the car died while driving because the DC-DC converter should have been keeping the 12-volt system voltage within tolerance even with a weak 12-volt battery. I hope you didn't have an intermittent failure of something else that caused the main contactor to open.

Gerry

basher said:

Nissan diagnosed low 12v battery voltage and replaced the 12v battery. So far the car is working. What a strange failure mode.

Click to expand...

If you haven't already, please file a safety complaint w/NHTSA at http://www.safercar.gov/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

GerryAZ said:

It is scary that the car died while driving because the DC-DC converter should have been keeping the 12-volt system voltage within tolerance even with a weak 12-volt battery.

Click to expand...

I agree that a weak 12V battery would not cause this. But perhaps a shorted cell would. It seems the DC/DC converter has enough current capacity to maintain the voltage even with a shorted cell, but perhaps the car detects the high current flowing into the battery and decides it is better to shut down the car than to roast the 12V battery. (Or perhaps it blew the fuse on the side of the battery coming from the DC/DC converter.)

Another possibility is a loose connection somewhere. If that was the case, hopefully it was just a battery terminal and all is now fixed.

RegGuheert said:

Or perhaps it blew the fuse on the side of the battery coming from the DC/DC converter

Click to expand...

I'm suspicious of this or an outright DC/DC failure. Check your 12V battery voltage after the car boots up to make sure it's not hanging around in the low 12V range!!! :shock:

GerryAZ said:

basher said:

Nissan diagnosed low 12v battery voltage and replaced the 12v battery. So far the car is working. What a strange failure mode.

Click to expand...

It is scary that the car died while driving because the DC-DC converter should have been keeping the 12-volt system voltage within tolerance even with a weak 12-volt battery. I hope you didn't have an intermittent failure of something else that caused the main contactor to open.

Gerry

Click to expand...

I would hazard a guess that if the 12 volt battery has a major failure (cell short), then it basically turns into a heater at that point. So all the power from the DC/DC converter is being used by the 12 volt battery to warm up like an eye on a stove. Probably as others have mentioned, a fail safe to prevent vehicle damage, at least one was able to safety pull the vehicle over.

2011 Vehicle, probably has the original stock 12 volt battery in it? Was the battery replaced under warranty or was the owner charged?

If it is a fail safe to prevent further damage to the 12-volt battery, there should be some advance warning before opening the main HV DC contactor. The main contactor should only open while on the road for severe issues. I hope the original poster submits a safety complaint to NHTSA.

In any case, after reading this thread, I will be periodically checking my 12-volt battery even more carefully than I have been and will replace it at the first sign of weakness.

Gerry

GerryAZ said:

In any case, after reading this thread, I will be periodically checking my 12-volt battery even more carefully than I have been and will replace it at the first sign of weakness.

Click to expand...

I am told a load test is the only way to test a 12V lead acid battery and that voltage with no load is not sufficient. Can anyone here confirm that one way or another? As I am on my original 2011 12V battery I too feel compelled to run down to the local tire store that sells batteries and get a free test.

knightmb said:

GerryAZ said:

basher said:

Nissan diagnosed low 12v battery voltage and replaced the 12v battery. So far the car is working. What a strange failure mode.

Click to expand...

It is scary that the car died while driving because the DC-DC converter should have been keeping the 12-volt system voltage within tolerance even with a weak 12-volt battery. I hope you didn't have an intermittent failure of something else that caused the main contactor to open.

Gerry

Click to expand...

I would hazard a guess that if the 12 volt battery has a major failure (cell short), then it basically turns into a heater at that point. So all the power from the DC/DC converter is being used by the 12 volt battery to warm up like an eye on a stove. Probably as others have mentioned, a fail safe to prevent vehicle damage, at least one was able to safety pull the vehicle over.

2011 Vehicle, probably has the original stock 12 volt battery in it? Was the battery replaced under warranty or was the owner charged?

Click to expand...

It was the original stock Nissan 12V battery, and no it wasn't under warranty. Set me back $300 for the diagnosis, battery and labor to install the battery (!!). But Nissan did pay for my tow.

basher said:

It was the original stock Nissan 12V battery, and no it wasn't under warranty. Set me back $300 for the diagnosis, battery and labor to install the battery (!!). But Nissan did pay for my tow.

Click to expand...

On my 2012 the 12v battery has a sticker on it that says 84 month warranty...

While that is generally true in ICE vehicles due to the need to be able to provide cranking amperage, it is less important in an EV... That said, it is a good test to see what condition the battery is actually in and is more indicative than a simple voltage test...

JimSouCal said:

I am told a load test is the only way to test a 12V lead acid battery and that voltage with no load is not sufficient. Can anyone here confirm that one way or another? As I am on my original 2011 12V battery I too feel compelled to run down to the local tire store that sells batteries and get a free test.

Click to expand...

danowpg said:

basher said:

It was the original stock Nissan 12V battery, and no it wasn't under warranty. Set me back $300 for the diagnosis, battery and labor to install the battery (!!). But Nissan did pay for my tow.

Click to expand...

On my 2012 the 12v battery has a sticker on it that says 84 month warranty...

Click to expand...

We had a lot of discussion about the 12 volt battery warranty at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=414010#p414010" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Read from that post on. I guess I misunderstood how long the original was covered for vs. the replacement...

TomT said:

While that is generally true in ICE vehicles due to the need to be able to provide cranking amperage, it is less important in an EV... That said, it is a good test to see what condition the battery is actually in and is more indicative than a simple voltage test...

JimSouCal said:

I am told a load test is the only way to test a 12V lead acid battery and that voltage with no load is not sufficient. Can anyone here confirm that one way or another? As I am on my original 2011 12V battery I too feel compelled to run down to the local tire store that sells batteries and get a free test.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Thanks. Time for a trip to Firestone for a free battery test (if they still offer).

JimSouCal said:

GerryAZ said:

In any case, after reading this thread, I will be periodically checking my 12-volt battery even more carefully than I have been and will replace it at the first sign of weakness.

Click to expand...

I am told a load test is the only way to test a 12V lead acid battery and that voltage with no load is not sufficient. Can anyone here confirm that one way or another?

Click to expand...

A single voltage measurment after resting for an hour or so (hood already up, no doors open, no ELM327 installed, not plugged in to EVSE) will give you an idea of the SOC of the battery, but not it's health. If you then take a second reading 24 hours later (without touching the car in between) you then get a measurment of voltage slope. You can compare that to measurements that I have taken for a healthy 2011 LEAF OEM 12V battery.

Based on my measurements, if your resting battery voltage after 24 hours is below 12.2V, your battery is heading South. Below 12.0V, and you need to take some action soon, such as charging and/or desulfating it with an external trickle charger.