EV system warning light while driving; won't restart

Welp, after a couple of years of ownership stuff appears to have started to go wrong with my 2014 Leaf (30,000 miles, full battery bars). I could use some help figuring out what is going on here. Thanks in advance.

I was driving to work today, and suddenly the EV System Light popped on (yellow/orange light of a car with an "!" in the middle).

The Car still drove , with no driveability problems. No other lights came on except the master warning light by the speedometer (looks like an orange triangle). I got off the freeway, pulled into a parking space at my office, and turned off the vehicle. I then tried to turn it back on to see if the light was still there.

At that point the car wouldn't start again.

When I pushed down the brake and hit the start button the dash lights all lit up, including the warning lights, but there was no chime. The battery meter would come on and show the same amount of battery as before (~80%). The LED display in the center showed the brake and the start button, but depressing both wouldn't start the vehicle. When I moved the gearshift I could get park and neutral, but not reverse or drive.
I tried starting it a couple more times over the course of the morning and it did not start. It's been taken to the dealer by tow truck and they're not going to get to looking at it until the morning.

Anyone have an idea what's going on here? I'm not sure what to make of this. Thoughts?

I can’t speak to the earlier problem but the latter could be a dead 12 volt. If you had a voltmeter, you could've confirmed the voltage of the 12 volt at the times when you tried to power back on.

Mine 5/2013 built ’13 had its 12 volt bite the dust in Oct 2015: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=440106#p440106 and some replies between it and http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=440419#p440419.

Well, I guess that makes sense on the startup. Like, perhaps there was enough juice to get going that morning and then the alternator (or whatever is supposed to be the alternator) couldn't keep up, causing the system to realize it had a problem and ultimately shut down?

cwerdna said:

I can’t speak to the earlier problem but the latter could be a dead 12 volt. If you had a voltmeter, you could've confirmed the voltage of the 12 volt at the times when you tried to power back on.

Mine 5/2013 built ’13 had its 12 volt bite the dust in Oct 2015: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=440106#p440106 and some replies between it and http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=440419#p440419.

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Is there a reading in LeafSpy that would alert us to when the 12V is about to die? At least in my ICE the turn over of the engine on startup gives my wife a clue of doom. Plus MB comes out and changes the battery without labor charges.

I shudder to think what Nissan offers in situations like this

Jedlacks said:

cwerdna said:

I can’t speak to the earlier problem but the latter could be a dead 12 volt. If you had a voltmeter, you could've confirmed the voltage of the 12 volt at the times when you tried to power back on.

Mine 5/2013 built ’13 had its 12 volt bite the dust in Oct 2015: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=440106#p440106 and some replies between it and http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=440419#p440419.

Click to expand...

Is there a reading in LeafSpy that would alert us to when the 12V is about to die? At least in my ICE the turn over of the engine on startup gives my wife a clue of doom.

Click to expand...

There is the 12 volt bus voltage in the lower left, but it may not be accurate at all unless you calibrate your dongle (which I haven't). It was WAY low when my was in that bad state w/bad 12 volt battery.

Priuses also suffer from the lack of starter turning over the ICE slowly or clicking and not turning the ICE at all. ICE on Priuses isn't started by the 12 volt nor is there a dedicated starter motor. It's started by the big HV battery via one of the MGs (motor/generators) in the transaxle. So, when the 12 volt is bad, weird stuff happens or that car won't go into READY mode reliably or at all.

Sdubya said:

Well, I guess that makes sense on the startup. Like, perhaps there was enough juice to get going that morning and then the alternator (or whatever is supposed to be the alternator) couldn't keep up, causing the system to realize it had a problem and ultimately shut down?

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Leaf has no alternator. 12 volt bus and (crappy) 12 volt battery charging comes from the DC to DC converter.

Makes sense.

Any reason I should be worried about it being the big 23k battery?

Sdubya said:

Any reason I should be worried about it being the big 23k battery?

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23k? You mean the big HV battery ($5,500 + tax and labor to replace)? If so, not really. It's covered for 8 years/100K against defects (and 5 years/60K for capacity... need to lose 8 bars within that period to receive a replacement for gradual capacity loss).

Fair enough. I was late on a battery check, so that makes me nervous. But I guess that only counts on degradation, right? Which is definitely not what this is as I had full bars.

Battery check is for users so they know they are not doing stupid things too often.
Doing those checks is optional as there is no requirements in warranty terms to do them
and if there were those requirements they have to be free (you can't ask money for giving warranty).

Hope it's 12V battery. Cheap to fix, 100-200$ and 5 minutes. Don't accept anything more

arnis said:

Hope it's 12V battery. Cheap to fix, 100-200$ and 5 minutes. Don't accept anything more

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If it is the 12 volt, it should be covered by the warranty at this point.

Update: dealer has tried the 12 V battery, it's not the source of the problem.

Vehicle still will not start for them either. They are going to put me in a loaner for a couple of days, and have someone from Nissan come in and look at it.

This is not exactly reassuring.

Ok, I suppose that code does not allow main pack contactors to close.
This is why you were able to continue driving. Interesting, what is the error code.

Hi Sdubya,

Is your battery problem resolved?

I am having exact same issue and dealer doesn't know what is the problem. My LEAF is 2015, 17K mile. I had it (as a brand new) for less than two years.

Any information would be helpful.

Thank you very much,

2012 Leaf with 38,950 miles. My EV System Warning Light appeared this morning. I immediately checked the 12vdc battery; a new one was installed at AutoZone a couple months back. That battery shows full charge and a separate VDC meter indicated 13.75 volts with no load. The regular starting procedure checklist was followed, the vehicle started normally, and I then drove the vehicle 6.5 miles in ECO drive. I travelled at speeds between 0 and 40, then made a maximum run at 95 mph for two city blocks. All appeared normal except for the warning light. After this morning's return to base, I contacted Nissan of Cool Springs and was advised to bring the vehicle to them at 0800 hours tomorrow. I'll post results herein after said visit.

I experienced a situation very similar to this. I brought my '13 Leaf to Downtown Nashville Nissan last fall and they replaced the LBC. Warranty covered it. No issues since then.

CWO4Mann said:

2012 Leaf with 38,950 miles. My EV System Warning Light appeared this morning. I immediately checked the 12vdc battery; a new one was installed at AutoZone a couple months back. That battery shows full charge and a separate VDC meter indicated 13.75 volts with no load. The regular starting procedure checklist was followed, the vehicle started normally, and I then drove the vehicle 6.5 miles in ECO drive. I travelled at speeds between 0 and 40, then made a maximum run at 95 mph for two city blocks. All appeared normal except for the warning light. After this morning's return to base, I contacted Nissan of Cool Springs and was advised to bring the vehicle to them at 0800 hours tomorrow. I'll post results herein after said visit.

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First update: arrived at Dealer at 0800. I explained that the LBC/BMS light had come on. The technician proffered a sign-in contract sheet and stated that the "diagnostic fee" would be $157.50 plus an additional $57.00 for "testing the battery system with a printed report". Technician stated that the "diagnostic fee" would be waived if the problem "was still under warranty". Technician also stated that the battery system test was at no cost only for the first two years of ownership. My vehicle was delivered December 11, 2011; thus should be covered by warranty for power train system. I have a letter notice from Nissan which states warranty was extended to 9 years or 100,000 mile. More to follow after phone call from dealer.

CWO4Mann said:

CWO4Mann said:

2012 Leaf with 38,950 miles. My EV System Warning Light appeared this morning. I immediately checked the 12vdc battery; a new one was installed at AutoZone a couple months back. That battery shows full charge and a separate VDC meter indicated 13.75 volts with no load. The regular starting procedure checklist was followed, the vehicle started normally, and I then drove the vehicle 6.5 miles in ECO drive. I travelled at speeds between 0 and 40, then made a maximum run at 95 mph for two city blocks. All appeared normal except for the warning light. After this morning's return to base, I contacted Nissan of Cool Springs and was advised to bring the vehicle to them at 0800 hours tomorrow. I'll post results herein after said visit.

Click to expand...

First update: arrived at Dealer at 0800. I explained that the LBC/BMS light had come on. The technician proffered a sign-in contract sheet and stated that the "diagnostic fee" would be $157.50 plus an additional $57.00 for "testing the battery system with a printed report". Technician stated that the "diagnostic fee" would be waived if the problem "was still under warranty". Technician also stated that the battery system test was at no cost only for the first two years of ownership. My vehicle was delivered December 11, 2011; thus should be covered by warranty for power train system. I have a letter notice from Nissan which states warranty was extended to 9 years or 100,000 mile. More to follow after phone call from dealer.

Click to expand...

Important Second Update: Dealer called advising that one of the two coolant pumps has failed. Price to replace is $1,150+. Technician stated repairs are NOT covered by warranty since coolant pumps are not part of the power train coverage (8 years, etc). Technicians stated, after I asked him about driving with one pump, advised that it "would not cool properly". He advised against driving with only one pump.

Questions for the group:

1. Is the Technician correct that the pump system is not covered by power train warranty?

2. How accessible is the pump for repair. In other words could I do it myself? I've done lots of Engine work, including water pump, power steering pumps and complete engine swaps. Hopefully I wouldn't need to pull the engine as I did on my Porsche 928.

Dealer still has the car, said it would be 4-7 days to obtain parts, etc.

Give me some ideas here, guys and gals, please.

Regards,

Dave

Dave,
From what I have heard, water pumps are covered by 3yr/36k miles. Mine went out past the 60 months, so I didn't pursue it at dealer.

I posted this thread about my recent waterpump replacement experience:
http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=24152

It wasn't a terrible job to do, was easier than the water pump job on a normal car since no belts or pulleys. I purchased the replacement off E-Bay, but there are other sources out there. Be sure to get right part number, it looks like part numbers changed from the 2012 - 2013. Also, the 2 waterpumps have different part numbers, have to isolate which one failed and which part to replace.

I do recommend LEAF Spy Pro if you are doing service work like this on your car, as it will read the DTCs/Error codes. The error specified which pump had failed on mine.

Good luck with it!

A big thank you! The P/N on the Stealer's ticket is 21581-3NAOA, $681.91 plus $220 labor plus the other "shop" BS charges totaling close to $1,200.00.

I've looked on eBay plus Google and found a lot of different suppliers ranging in price fro $175 to $550.

Can you recall/recommend a supplier?

Many thanks,

Dave