MY LEAF DOES NOT RECOGNIZE OBDII CODE READERS

I have been using my Leafspy on my phone since I got the car.... Both with a WIFI and BLUETOOTH connector. Never had any problems... No need to worry about any OBDII codes or scanners..

I recently had a bunch of dash error lights go off, and Leafspy was able to tell me that the problem was an ABS wheel sensor. GREAT! I changed my ABS senor. All is well now...

Since I had the codes on my car, I decided to confirm the codes with my regular plug-in OBDII reader... NO CONNECTION. I tried a phone app (OBDII code reader) with the wireless connector (which works on Leafspy)...... NO CONNECTION.. Lastly, I bought a new OBDII code reader that is highly rated and tried it..... NO CONNECTION!!

All of my code readers work fine on my ICE cars... WHAT GIVES THAT THE LEAF DOES NOT CONNECT TO OBDII CODE READERS????!!!!!

LEAF (and most other EVs) is not truly OBDII compliant because it does not burn fuel and generate tailpipe emissions so it is not required to comply with the OBDII standards.

Does the OBD2 devices light up?

Do you have the car booted, in ready to drive mode?

Dala said:

Does the OBD2 devices light up?

Do you have the car booted, in ready to drive mode?

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Yes, My Leafspy has always worked fine. My regular OBD2 plug-in meter powers up, but cannot connect to read any codes or data... I get error messages that the cable is not connected properly. I tried it with 3 different code readers that work on my ICE cars....

SO... Leafspy seems to be the only game in town to get codes from the Leaf......

LEAF Spy Pro or Nissan's Consult 3+ (what the dealers use) are the only ones I am aware of that will read and clear error codes.

Had a bad experience with my 2018 Leaf. I bought an OBDII scanner on Ebay soon after getting my 2018 SL Leaf. I used it for a bit in the first month and put it aside. Six months later I got an error message show up saying SERVICE EV SYSTEM and a whole bunch of other malfunction lights came on. The dealer said that a processor had fried, and it was a typical issue when you plug in a non-Nissan device to the port.
The car was in the shop for almost a month awaiting the part from Japan. Now I see that the manual, on page 2 specifically says NOT not plug-in a 3rd party device to the data port. Based on what the dealer told me, I would suggest others avoid doing the same. Not worth it!!!!

BlueMapleLeaf said:

Had a bad experience with my 2018 Leaf. I bought an OBDII scanner on Ebay soon after getting my 2018 SL Leaf. I used it for a bit in the first month and put it aside. Six months later I got an error message show up saying SERVICE EV SYSTEM and a whole bunch of other malfunction lights came on. The dealer said that a processor had fried, and it was a typical issue when you plug in a non-Nissan device to the port.
The car was in the shop for almost a month awaiting the part from Japan. Now I see that the manual, on page 2 specifically says NOT not plug-in a 3rd party device to the data port. Based on what the dealer told me, I would suggest others avoid doing the same. Not worth it!!!!

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There are indeed some OBDII readers that cause problems. There are others that do not. There are a couple of topics on this issue here.

BlueMapleLeaf said:

Had a bad experience with my 2018 Leaf. I bought an OBDII scanner on Ebay soon after getting my 2018 SL Leaf. I used it for a bit in the first month and put it aside. Six months later I got an error message show up saying SERVICE EV SYSTEM and a whole bunch of other malfunction lights came on. The dealer said that a processor had fried, and it was a typical issue when you plug in a non-Nissan device to the port.
The car was in the shop for almost a month awaiting the part from Japan. Now I see that the manual, on page 2 specifically says NOT not plug-in a 3rd party device to the data port. Based on what the dealer told me, I would suggest others avoid doing the same. Not worth it!!!!

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It's saved me hundreds of dollars or more just from being able to clear codes. Well worth it imho. Just take the time to learn from the people who've already found what works.

BlueMapleLeaf said:

Had a bad experience with my 2018 Leaf. I bought an OBDII scanner on Ebay soon after getting my 2018 SL Leaf. I used it for a bit in the first month and put it aside. Six months later I got an error message show up saying SERVICE EV SYSTEM and a whole bunch of other malfunction lights came on. The dealer said that a processor had fried, and it was a typical issue when you plug in a non-Nissan device to the port.

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Disagree with the bolded part.

Not idea what you bought but the two I bought that I mentioned at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=506937#p506937 work fine with my current and previous Leaf. Have been using one or the other of them since July 2015.

LeftieBiker said:

There are indeed some OBDII readers that cause problems. There are others that do not. There are a couple of topics on this issue here.

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Yep, like some defective KW-902's (http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=23776).

BlueMapleLeaf said:

The dealer said that a processor had fried, and it was a typical issue when you plug in a non-Nissan device to the port.

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This is not typical behavior. I too have had a reader connected for over a year, and saved me hundreds of $$ and untold frustration clearing and fixing issues without having to involve the dealer.

For the benefit of everyone out there, would you mind posting the model number of the ODB reader that caused this problem? People will definitely want to avoid using it.

It is unlikely that failure of a module months after using an OBDII device is related to the previous use of that device. It is more likely that the module just failed. Another possibility is that something else in the car failed and caused the module to fail.

I have used Leaf Spy Pro with suitable Bluetooth OBDII adapter in the 2011 from October 2013 (just before traction battery was replaced) until January 2015 and have been using it with the 2015 beginning the day I purchased the car (drove across the street from the dealer to a shopping center before plugging it in) and remove it only when parking for extended time or taking the car back to the dealer. I also use a "GID Meter" which I purchased as a kit from the inventor and assembled in the fall of 2012 (both share the port using a wye cable). Leaf Spy Pro has saved me the inconvenience of having the car towed on several occasions when communication errors between the car and public charging stations resulted in EV System errors. The car would not charge at other stations without clearing the error codes so it would have required towing to the dealer if I could not clear those errors (happened with both 2011 and 2015 and L2 or DCQC charging).