Car completely frizzed out and died while driving on the freeway

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
D

drewying

New member
Joined
Aug 7, 2016
Messages
2
Had the oddest experience today. Was wondering if anyone had seen anything like it.

I was driving on the freeway in my 2013 Leaf at about 60 mph, battery charged at 76% when suddenly I lost acceleration. It wasn't "turtle" mode, no turtle indicator, rather I just couldn't accelerate. The status panel changed from showing the battery percentage to a message flashing "STOP the car immediately."

I immediately pulled over (luckily I was in the right lane) and turned on my hazards. As soon as I came to complete stopped the status panel message changed to "Turn on parking brake NOW". As soon as I did that the car just... "turned off the motor" and refused to anything.
My audio was still playing. Indicator lights were on. I could interact with everything For the most part seemed normal with the exception that the "motor wasn't running".

My first thought was to turn the car on and off, which I did. Everything seemed normal, it even made the start up chime indicating it was "turning on the motor", except I couldn't shift out of P. The car was stuck.

At this point I tried power cycling one more time, and then things just went crazy. The status dash started cycling through the various screens. Various indicator lights started flashing on and off. The car made lots of random beeping. My audio turned on and off. Subsystems just went bonkers. And this whole fritz going faster and faster, freaking me out. The worst part was I couldn't turn off the car. Pushing the ignition button just did... nothing. The car just continued to accelerate the fritz.

At this point I was pretty freaked out that maybe my battery might catch on fire or something and I jumped out, the car continuing to fritz.

The fritz kept going for about two minutes until the car suddenly shut itself off, leaving just the hazards blinking. That lasted for about another minute until the hazards froze. No blinking, just frozen. They lasted in a frozen state for about 5 minutes until they too shut off, leaving the car completely dead.

I called roadside assistance and got the car towed to a Nissan dealership. Hopefully they can look at it tomorrow.

Any ideas? My best guess is that something happened with my 12v battery while I was driving. Like it shorted out.

Anyone hear of anything like this before?
 
The last set of symptoms sounds almost certainly like a bad 12 volt.

The first set of issues, if caused by a bad 12 volt are certainly scary.

FWIW, the 12 volt on a '13 is likely on its last legs, esp. if not in a rainy area as running the wipers causes the DC to DC converter to up the voltage to 14.x volts and leaves it elevated there for awhile, better keeping the 12 volt charged and in better shape.

FWIW, the 12 volt on my used '13 Leaf (built 5/2013, I bought it in July 2015) died in Oct 2015. I couldn't get the car into ready, it was below 11 volts and the dealer replaced it for free under the 3 year/36K warranty.
 
Check the rest voltage of the 12 volt battery. If it is below 12.2 volts it could be the culprit. FWIW, a low 12 volt battery doesn't usually cause problems while driving, because the DC-DC converter will power the subsystems while the car is On. However, a completely failed 12 volt battery that is acting like a big resistor might cause that behavior. I seem to recall at least one similar case, involving a bad (not just undercharged) 12 volt battery...
 
drewying: It's helpful if you post your region in your signature.

Sounds like a 12V battery to me, as well. We had similarly bizarre issues, although AFTER the car had stopped. The car refused to shut off, and just started buzzing and blinking...
 
In 8 years I don't recall ever reading about a "STOP the car immediately" message. Is that a thing?

Also, doesn't the 2013 have a foot-operated parking brake? Seems weird to say "Turn on parking brake NOW".
 
nubo i can confirm that i have seen that message once as well. mine was caused by an OBD dongle/device that was feeding bad packets onto the CANBUS though, so i had to clear faults with leafspy and was then able to continue on my merry way (And not plug in that obd device).

i agree though, it sounds like your 12v battery is on it's way out, though usually that manifests itself with a dead car after parking it overnight, rather than something like this. Hopefully it is nothing more serious. Take the battery to an autoparts store to have it tested.

Marko
 
want to add that i had a very similar thing happen today and im pretty sure it was caused by the obd2 device i was using.
Was driving ~20, touched the brakes to turn into a parking lot and the car freaked.
Cant recall 100% but it was something like "Traction Failure, take to dealership"
I had just purchased leaf spy pro and was using it to monitor the system. I had left the device plugged in over night and during my drive to work and while parked at work.
It would not let me into D or R, only N and P.

I decided to remove the obd2 device. press the start button and was able to drive again.... now i drive over to put air in the tires and reconnect the obd2 device and the car again would not go into D or R until i removed the device and restarted!
had several DTCs that ill post asap.

also, there is this:
https://flipthefleet.org/2019/nissan-advise-not-to-use-aftermarket-obd2-devices/
 
twood2k said:
want to add that i had a very similar thing happen today and im pretty sure it was caused by the obd2 device i was using.
Was driving ~20, touched the brakes to turn into a parking lot and the car freaked.
Cant recall 100% but it was something like "Traction Failure, take to dealership"
I had just purchased leaf spy pro and was using it to monitor the system. I had left the device plugged in over night and during my drive to work and while parked at work.
It would not let me into D or R, only N and P.

I decided to remove the obd2 device. press the start button and was able to drive again.... now i drive over to put air in the tires and reconnect the obd2 device and the car again would not go into D or R until i removed the device and restarted!
had several DTCs that ill post asap.

also, there is this:
https://flipthefleet.org/2019/nissan-advise-not-to-use-aftermarket-obd2-devices/
Click to expand...

For your safety, throw that OBD2 device in the trash. It's either broken or causing a firmware fault, but your safety and the safety of others is worth more than the $20 to replace it.

This is the ODB2 device I use:
https://bafxpro.com/products/obdreader

I have had no issues. I've also opened the BAFX ODBII reader and unsoldered pin 16 (power) and resoldered it to pin 8 (accessory power). I'm not good at soldering, but it was super easy and took me only about 10 minutes. That way, my ODB reader is only powered when the car is on. This may avoid the issue you linked, as the device is powered off every time the car is shut down and thus is not "permanently" attached.

The soldering is easy because the inside of the reader has giant, well spaced pins to solder on (like this picture):
http://www.fadvisor.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/obd2_03.jpg

Keep in mind that this modification only works on Leafs (and maybe other Nissan vehicles). Pin 8 is accessory power in a Leaf, but it might be something else or even damage a different car. Since my reader will never leave my Leaf, this is not a concern for me.
 
kinda obvious but,
thanks, I stopped using it while the car is in motion.
im going to purchase a new device soon.
 
I recently purchased a 2014 Leaf S and I experienced the same issue where the EV system completely shut down on me 4 times in row on the highway only when driving at speed 65 mph+ (I believe when cruising at 67 mph). Turtle and EV System icons lit up on the dash + "Stop vehicle immediately" message on display. Once had to pull over because the car did not reboot itself. I replaced what seemed to be a "bad" 12 volt battery and ran a test on nearby highway and I still had the same (scary and dangerous) issue. Replacing the 12 v battery did not resolve the issue. I have an appointment next week with a local Nissan dealership but I was hoping to read about what solution if any drewying had reached with his similar problem reported on this post.

I came across a recall on some 2014 models on the NHTSA website "An unexpected vehicle shut down increases the risk of a crash." but not sure if my vehicle's issue matches or if it qualifies for the recall (0 recall repairs due when I run my VIN#). Also an article mentioned: << Nissan North America is recalling 196 2014 Nissan Leaf electric cars because the inverter may fail, causing the vehicle to shut down, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "Due to a problem with the motor control circuit board, the inverter may fail, causing the vehicle to shut down," said NHTSA in its summary of the problem. "An unexpected vehicle shutdown increases the risk of a crash."
>>

I'm new to this vehicle and forum. A bit concerned that I might have acquired a bad apple. When/if my problem is resolved I'll report it here ASAP. Any input welcome.

In advance, thank you!
 
drewying said:
Had the oddest experience today. Was wondering if anyone had seen anything like it.

I was driving on the freeway in my 2013 Leaf at about 60 mph, battery charged at 76% when suddenly I lost acceleration. It wasn't "turtle" mode, no turtle indicator, rather I just couldn't accelerate. The status panel changed from showing the battery percentage to a message flashing "STOP the car immediately."

I immediately pulled over (luckily I was in the right lane) and turned on my hazards. As soon as I came to complete stopped the status panel message changed to "Turn on parking brake NOW". As soon as I did that the car just... "turned off the motor" and refused to anything.
My audio was still playing. Indicator lights were on. I could interact with everything For the most part seemed normal with the exception that the "motor wasn't running".

My first thought was to turn the car on and off, which I did. Everything seemed normal, it even made the start up chime indicating it was "turning on the motor", except I couldn't shift out of P. The car was stuck.

At this point I tried power cycling one more time, and then things just went crazy. The status dash started cycling through the various screens. Various indicator lights started flashing on and off. The car made lots of random beeping. My audio turned on and off. Subsystems just went bonkers. And this whole fritz going faster and faster, freaking me out. The worst part was I couldn't turn off the car. Pushing the ignition button just did... nothing. The car just continued to accelerate the fritz.

At this point I was pretty freaked out that maybe my battery might catch on fire or something and I jumped out, the car continuing to fritz.

The fritz kept going for about two minutes until the car suddenly shut itself off, leaving just the hazards blinking. That lasted for about another minute until the hazards froze. No blinking, just frozen. They lasted in a frozen state for about 5 minutes until they too shut off, leaving the car completely dead.

I called roadside assistance and got the car towed to a Nissan dealership. Hopefully they can look at it tomorrow.

Any ideas? My best guess is that something happened with my 12v battery while I was driving. Like it shorted out.

Anyone hear of anything like this before?
Click to expand...

Hi drewying, was your issue reported here resolved? I am interested in the outcome as I am having similar issues with my 2014 Leaf S right now. - Thanks
 
As others have said, craziness due to a 12 battery on its last legs or worse (if that is indeed the cause) is not expected during driving unless there was a short. A defective 12v converter would let the 12v battery discharge although I don't know if the LEAF diagnostics would pick up the problem prior to starting a drive.
 
if you're getting shutdown / turtle during driving (with a load on the battery) then my hunch would be that there is a weak or dying cell, which is pulling the whole pack down and causing this error. Leafspy will be able to log that at least, and i think a 2014 leaf still falls under warranty for a bad cell also (i think 8yr/100k miles for even the 24kwh packs?)

as others have said, if you have stuff plugged into the obd2 port and this is happening, then clear errors with leafspy and dont plug anything in. i have experienced canbus issues from a HUD device that drew power from the OBD port.
 
Thanks for the suggestions SageBrush and estomax. I never had any OBD2 device or LeafSpy connected, only until after the issue did I purchase and connected these items.

I ran the diagnosis via LeafSpy and found a low voltage battery code along with other codes (older and not relevant according to the dealership).

I had the 12 volt battery tested at an auto parts store and it did not pass the test. I replaced with a new one. Took the vehicle on the highway and drove it to 65-67 mph: same issue. Sudden shut-off + turtle icon + EV system icon + "Stop vehicle immediately" message on the display.

I few days later, I took the car to a local Nissan dealership for a full inspection (what an expensive joke that was by the way!): they test drove the car 3 times on the highway and they could not replicate the problem, could not find anything wrong. They reset the DTCs and sent me home with "the car is fine, there is no issue we could find" and a few pages of childish reports on the health of the main battery.

The good thing is that, indeed, the shut-off issue hasn't happened since. I now obsessively monitor the 12v battery....

My theory, based on my experience and other stories found online including on this forum:
  1. Bad 12 volt battery was most likely the cause of the problem.
  2. The replacement battery was not fully charged yet when I test drove the car immediately after new battery install and that's why the shut-off issue happened again.
  3. By the time I took the car to the Nissan dealership, 3 days later, the newly installed 12v battery was fully charged from driving around town (avoiding highways! :eek:)
[*]Mainly: (especially if my vehicle is not the only one having this problem) such a safety hasard should not be allowed by Nissan.

Questions remaining:
  1. Is there a known minimum voltage that the 12v battery should not cross in order for the vehicle to properly, reliably, and safely operate?
  2. How do I calibrate LeafSpy for its reading of the 12v battery to match my digital voltmeter? (Could not find anything on the subject)
  3. I personally don't like to operate a phone while driving: other than LeafSpy, is there such a thing as a voltage monitoring device that can be plugged into the cigarette lighter?
  4. Since the vehicle does not do a good job at managing the 12v battery, should I occasionally drain/recharge it and how often?

I would be interested to know if anyone else has experienced the same problem with the same generation Leaf (April 2014 S model)...

Sorry for the long post.
 
I agree, tentatively at least, with your assessment of the issue.

Is there a known minimum voltage that the 12v battery should not cross in order for the vehicle to properly, reliably, and safely operate?
Click to expand...

More or less, but you have to measure it properly. With the car on, release the hood latch. Turn the car completely off, then wait 30 minutes. After that, open the hood but not the door, and test the rest voltage of the 12 volt battery. They will generally behave down to about 12.2 volts. Below that, the risk increases as the voltage decreases, with anything below 12.0 volts a serious risk. The way that batteries are rated is dumb: the 'nominal' voltage they use is generally found when the battery is near dead, as with "12 volt" batteries. A fully charged 12 volt battery reads above 13.0 volts.
 
azzipEVoli said:
Is there a known minimum voltage that the 12v battery should not cross in order for the vehicle to properly, reliably, and safely operate?
Click to expand...

Resting voltage is not always revealing. The trouble is, a very weak battery can show over 12V at rest, but when you put any kind of a load on it, the voltage plummets. What's needed is a load-test.

Fortunately for ICE vehicles, they come with a built-in load tester called the "starter motor". These put a high load on the battery every time you start the car. A car like LEAF draws a lot less current when "starting". So I suggest doing a load test on a periodic basis to keep tabs on the 12V battery health. Alternatively, newer "battery analyzers" can also give health readings as they measure the internal resistance. EVs should really perform a 12V diagnostic to alert the owner to needed 12V battery maintenance, imho.

The one thing that bothers me is the car acting up while on the road. This is surprising as the DC-DC converter can supply all the 12V power the car needs. I suppose it could still have been the battery (internal short, etc), but I'd also take care to make sure the terminal connections are clean and tight, and I'd inspect the ground connector also to make sure it's tight and reaching clean metal. Lose or dirty connections at these points could also explain 12V problems while driving.

I personally don't like to operate a phone while driving: other than LeafSpy, is there such a thing as a voltage monitoring device that can be plugged into the cigarette lighter?
Click to expand...

Yes, these are common.
 
Check out my thread on this issue: https://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=31043

Had this exact issue. First, Nissan replaced the PDM under the 5/60 powertrain warranty. When it reoccured, they did another examination and found some faulty ground wiring. Not covered by warranty, but Nissan provided a substantial amount of good will to cover nearly all of the cost.

Been working great since then.
 
Hi, I appreciate the input above. I'll have connections checked... I'll test drive the car on highway again soon and see what happens. So far, no issues for the past week of daily driving.

At least to monitor the voltage while the vehicle is turned on, I purchased a plug-in volt-meter on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08138GVMH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hi badscooter, sorry to learn about the issue you had. What you describe on your post https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=31043 is similar indeed... but slightly different: I did not have the low voltage battery icon nor the AC on. I had the Turtle + EV Syst. (car with "!") icons on for a brief moment. Can you please share with us which ground wiring was at fault in your case? I also saw your mention of codes #B26FC, P0A8F (got this one), and B29A0 (got this one too).

Full disclosure, here are the codes I retrieved. Some may have dated from before I purchased the car, and some may have been from when the low voltage battery went bad (?). I acquired and connected LeafSpy + OBD2 reader only after I had the issue.

I did research the following codes but could not find a good source for their meaning... Here's all I got:

Ok None ------> ABS
Ok None ------> AIR BAG
U1000 0008 BCM CAN Comm Circuit
B2193 0108 BCM Chain of BCM-ECM SEC-62
C1A62 0108 BRAKE Control Mod Pwr Supply BR-53
C1A70 0108 BRAKE Control System BR-160
B29A0 2408 CHARGER N/CHG Port Engage Err VC-95
Ok None ------> EPS
P0A8F 0008 EV/HEV 14V Power Supply EVC-136
Ok None ------> HVAC
Ok None ------> HV BATTERY
Ok None ------> IPDM E/R
Ok None ------> METER
Ok None ------> MOTOR CONTROL
Ok None ------> SHIFT
Ok None ------> VSP

I understand that these may be out of context. I am new to EV and if someone reads something relevant to the issue, thanks for sharing here!
 

Similar threads

I
Leaf dies while driving
Replies
19
Views
2K
cornbinder89
C
G
steady beeping while driving, no warning lights
Replies
2
Views
1K
Oleglia
O
W
2012 Leaf won't start and all kinds of warning lights
Replies
5
Views
1K
cornbinder89
C
K
Can't charge, battery died when car on
Replies
2
Views
1K
GerryAZ
G
I
Turtle mode on startup, clears with restart… should I worry?
Replies
13
Views
1K
cornbinder89
C

Latest posts

Back
Top