EV system warning light and no go w/ 100% charge

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dznit

Active member
Joined
Jul 10, 2011
Messages
43
2.15.18 = first time stranded: warning light ON: "EV system warning light" Yellow car outline w/ "!" mark thru center
pp2-16 leaf owner manual 2011 Leaf. 79,000 miles 1 owner, Nissan replaced battery pack about 2 years ago

* (car was 100% charged) unusual new noise when starting Leaf: a buzz/grunt noise for 1-2 seconds
(from the dash or from under the hood)
* car will not go, only park or nuetral
* car will not turn OFF (w/ foot on brake & push start/stop button = chime w/o any change in status)
* things that work: windows, radio, AC blower
* things that will not work: Car: Forward or Reverse, AC compressor (& car will not turn OFF)

towed to Nissan dealer, repairman started car and drove it! Seemed to be OK, "EV system warning light" OFF
Dealer will check further today.

Comments?
 
I wonder if the main contactor for the high-voltage battery was having difficulty pulling in. Perhaps if it is getting warn out and/or the 12-V battery voltage is a bit low, this could be a problem.
 
* Spoiler alert: Traction Motor Inverter failure!
------------------------------
The 12v battery is original. If the 12v battery is the problem, this would be the first sign of 12v battery
problem. My understanding is (correct me if I'm wrong) : if the 12v battery is bad, the car might not even
start and the 12v accessories would not function properly.

The car did start and 12v accessories were working: windows, AC fan, power brakes & steering.

6:00 PM No answer from from Nissan dealer today. If it was the 12v battery, I think the Nissan dealer
would have zeroed in on that very quickly.

Note: The car remained "ON" for about 4 hours before being delivered to Nissan. I did (over several hours
waiting for flatbed toe truck) try to Re-start (or turn off) many times: no change in status: EV system
warning light & no forward or reverse and no "OFF". I did NOT try holding the Start button down for extended
time, nor did I push it several times in rapid succession.

------------------------------
* Update: Nissan dealer called (6:15 pm) WOW!
* 12v battery should be replaced (not the main problem)
* Traction Motor Inverter failure!

My extended warranty lapsed last summer.

Total cost for parts, labor & tax is ---> $5,662.49
(unless more problems are found)

12v battery: $ 159.95
Traction Motor Inverter $3,888.61
Labor " 6.5 hr $ 845.00
Disconnect High Voltage Systems $ 260.00
Longlife coolant $ 130.00
shop fees $ 53.69
tax $ 325.24


... 25KW power wall project? (still 12 bars & no: car accidents or turtles & only 3 quick charges)

------------------------------ ??? ------------------------------
http://www.lemonauto.com/complaints/1_nissan_recalls_2.htm

NEWS: Nissan is recalling certain 2014 Nissan LEAF vehicles; MOTOR CONTROL CIRCUIT BOARD
Report Receipt Date: MAY 16, 2014
NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V263000
Component(s): MOTOR CONTROL CIRCUIT BOARD
Potential Number of Units Affected: 196

JUNE 2014 -- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2014 Nissan LEAF vehicles
manufactured April 15, 2014, through April 24, 2014. Due to a problem with the motor control circuit board,
the inverter may fail, causing the vehicle shut down. An unexpected vehicle shut down increases the risk of
a crash. Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inverter, free of charge. The recall is
expected to begin on July 7, 2014. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov.


https://www.autoevolution.com/news/2014-nissan-leaf-recalled-for-faulty-traction-motor-inverter-83310.html

2014 Nissan Leaf Recalled for Faulty Traction Motor Inverter 2 Jul 2014

The vehicles were built over a nine-day span from April 15, 2014 through April 24, 2014, and the cause of the
recall is a supplier defect that had motor inverters that weren’t up to spec installed in customer vehicles.
The danger is, of course, that if your vehicle shuts down unexpectedly while you’re driving, it could cause a
crash. Unlike the missing spot weld recall, which may or may not have applied to the vehicle, all vehicles
listed on this recall are affected and have the potential to fail at any time.

Looking at the various recall information, this seems to be a very complex and in-depth repair procedure, too,
as the warranty claim pays 4.9 hours. Between this recall of 196 Leafs and the previous recall of 276 Leafs
in North America, it would appear that Nissan is still working out some bugs in the Leaf’s new production line
in Smyrna, TN. Fortunately, Nissan and its supplier were able to locate the potential problem quickly to limit
the scope of the recall, but despite the recall notice being issued in early May, Nissan isn’t expected to
start repairing affected vehicles until next week.

Owners of affected cars can contact Nissan customer service at 1-800- 647-7261 or the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration either using the Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or by
visiting http://www.safercar.gov.
 
The 12v battery is original. If the 12v battery is the problem, this would be the first sign of 12v battery problem. My understanding is (correct me if I'm wrong) : if the 12v battery is bad, the car might not even start and the 12v accessories would not function properly.

The car did start and 12v accessories were working: windows, AC fan, power brakes & steering.

That isn't necessarily how it works. The 12 volt battery could power the 12 volt accessories at a lower voltage that would still mess with the electronics that run the drivetrain. Still, given the known inverter issue it seems that the inverter is the likely culprit. I hope that you can get this done as a recall repair and not have to pay for it out of pocket, but unless the recall was extended at some point it doesn't seem likely. There WAS a PDM recall that affected more cars, but I don't remember if it included MY 2011 cars.

Anyway, what I suggest you do is first (and ONLY) have the 12 volt battery replaced with a freshly-charged new one, and see if the problem mysteriously vanishes...
 
I suspect your 12-volt battery and no other real issues. When the 12-volt battery gets weak, CAN Bus communication between some or all of the various computer modules can be corrupted. Many ominous error codes (Diagnostic Trouble Codes or DTCs) can be triggered. The noise under the hood was likely from the electronic brake controller and ABS system (especially if you felt pulsing in the brake pedal). I have also had glitches during traction battery charging corrupt CAN Bus communication and cause the symptoms described in the original post. Sometimes, the DTCs cannot be cleared without disconnecting and reconnecting the 12-volt battery several times along with using a scan tool such as LEAF Spy Pro or Nissan's Consult 3 Plus to attempt to clear codes multiple times. Don't let the dealer replace expensive components at your expense without replacing the 12-volt battery, clearing DTCs, and attempting to drive (and charge) the car.

Edited to add: The traction motor inverters in 2011 and 2012 models are completely different than the units used in later cars so it is not likely that the 2014 recall would apply to your 2011.
 
New 12 battery. Works! Back on the road!

Thanks to: RegGuheert, LeftieBiker and espesially GerryAZ which stated: the 12v battery could be the root of
the problem, and may be the only problem. I had Nissan dealer replace battery (12v) & clear alarms.
Drove Leaf home ~30 miles ... no issues. Time will tell if this is the end of this problem.

If I knew this ahead of time I would try to jump the 12v to see if Leaf would fully boot up. If jump didn't
work & the 12v battery was more than three years old I would just replace the battery myself and save a toe
charge & dealer costs. Overall if this cures the problem, I'm a happy puppy!

I hope this might help someone else if similar events happen to them.
 
dznit said:
New 12 battery. Works! Back on the road!

Thanks to: RegGuheert, LeftieBiker and espesially GerryAZ which stated: the 12v battery could be the root of
the problem, and may be the only problem. I had Nissan dealer replace battery (12v) & clear alarms.
Drove Leaf home ~30 miles ... no issues. Time will tell if this is the end of this problem.
Amazing, isn't it, that Nissan apparently doesn't bother to include adequate checks of the 12V power supply in their diagnostics/trouble codes/whatever?
 
GerryAZ said:
Edited to add: The traction motor inverters in 2011 and 2012 models are completely different than the units used in later cars so it is not likely that the 2014 recall would apply to your 2011.
Indeed. OP should look at https://web.archive.org/web/20131203080858/http://articles.sae.org/11993/ and http://saegtl.org/ev/data/uploads/ev-content/gtlev_tp_2014-01-1879.pdf.

And, tens of thousands of Leafs had been built between model years 2011 and the affected 2014 Leafs of a totally different design.

Also, if one goes to https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls#vehicle and looks up 2014 Leaf, recalls, and looks at "May 16, 2014 NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V263000 Circuit Board Voltage may Result in Shutdown...", one can look at the PDFs associated with it like https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2014/RCRIT-14V263-4401.pdf and https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2014/RCDNN-14V263-3192P.pdf.

OP can note that under the hood of a '13 to '15 Leaf very little like that of an '11 to '12.
 
1 month UPDATE:

12v battery replacement seems to solve my problem ... no issues so far!
 
dznit said:
New 12 battery. Works! Back on the road!

eplace the battery myself and save a toe
charge & dealer costs. Overall if this cures the problem, I'm a happy puppy!

I hope this might help someone else if similar events happen to them.
Sorry but this bugged me..... it SHOULD be tow charge... not toe
 
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