NissanConnect EV / Telematics Hardware Update, for the post-2G world

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Stanton said:
Leafboy said:
I didn't pull the fuse again, but I tried it the next day and it communicated for the first time since May! I did drive it after I pulled the fuse and it sat overnight. Maybe it needed a reboot before the fuse pull trick works. We will see if it continues to work.
Curious.........how was this procedure figured out???

I think using the word "procedure" might be a bit generous. ;)
I'm not the one who figured it out, but the reasoning is logical: if the TCU is in fact "timing out", then a "reboot" of the module would probably correct that. Luckily, there's a simple way (fuse #34) to power cycle that module without too much difficulty...and it obviously works. :D
I simply put a sticky label on the fuse holder/cover so I don't have to "hunt it down" every time my car stops communicating.

Hello fellow LEAF-ers :)

I am in the same boat, I tried the fuse procedure to no avail...

Found only one fuse of 20A noted as audio in the fuse box perpendicular to the 12V battery? Is that the one? Can someone post a picture of the location? TY!!

Here's my saga:

Nissan LEAF SL 2013, purchased in July 2014 - 36,500 miles, now at 256 GID's ~ 91%.

My telematics unit was upgraded to 3G on 12/22/26 and I paid $199.
On 7/1 I started having issues with the telematics unit – not being able to connect using the official NissanConnect app nor the web site so I brought it to the dealer.
On 7/3 the dealership said that they could not verify my concern – in the paperwork - however I saw it working as it was charging there that day.
On 8/25 started having issues with the telematics unit – not being able to connect using the official NissanConnect app again - so I brought it to the dealer - again.
On 8/30 the dealership said that telematics nit had internal failure codes U1A00 and U1A05 and they replaced it and said working correctly.
BTW They tried to tell me that I needed to pay $480 for the replacement saying that the telematics unit only had a software update back in
On 8/31 – stopped working and I made an appointment for next day
On 9/1 – started working in the AM and brought it to the dealer- the dealership said that they could not verify my concern – in the paperwork - as there are no error codes? However the telematics/ NissanConnect app did not work anymore since that day…
On 9/5 – called Nissan around 6 PM and spent time with the tech to do a step by step procedure to no avail. I was told I will get a call within 48 hours. Did not happen…
On 9/7 – called Nissan tech directly around 6 PM using their ID and left a message – no call back
On 9/8 – called Nissan tech directly around 6:30 PM using their ID and left a message – no call back
On 9/11 – called Nissan tech directly around 4:30 PM using their ID and left a message – no call back
On 9/11 – called Nissan around 4:30 PM and talked to another rep who said I should wait
On 9/11 – called Nissan tech directly around 5:30 PM using their ID and left a message – no call back
On 9/11 – called Nissan dealership and was told that they cannot do anything
On 9/12 – called Nissan tech directly around 3:40 PM using their ID and left a message – no call back
On 9/13– called Nissan tech directly around 2:36 PM using their ID and left a message – no call back
On 9/13– called Nissan tech directly around 4:56 PM using their ID and left a message – no call back
On 9/13– called Nissan around 4:48 PM and talked to another rep who said they submitted twice a request to Nissan support (?!) and that they did not hear back but that he knew they were very busy due to a new deployment and that this may be a bug that happened to a few other users over the summer
On 9/15– called Nissan tech directly around 6:34 PM using their ID and left a message – no call back
On 9/16– Tweeted the above + pics/screenshots to Nissan direct message around 6:34 PM

"I have more pics if you want... as it's been more than 11 weeks since this issue started. While I read the Nissan's disclaimer on the telematics, it is not acceptable not to have access at the remote charging and climate control during a hot summer! An EV is a special type of vehicle that almost REQUIRES telematics support due to its unique requirements to control and monitor charging - since the real miles are less than the 80 miles or so per charge...Please advise:1. When can I expect this to be fixed?2. When will I be compensated and at what level? :

Nissan RESPONDED today :!: :
We appreciate you providing this information, as it has allowed us to locate your current case. We wish to assure you that your Specialist is in the best position to assist in resolving your concerns and encourage you to work closely with them at this time. If you are in need of immediate support, we invite you to speak with our Consumer Affairs team at 1-800-NISSAN-1, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT. We have made sure to document your most recent concerns within your case for review.
Warm regards, Brittany


So.... ideas :idea: ? Class action, anyone? :ugeek:

Thanks!

Dan
 
notnami said:
Well, the warning light went away and the app started working again without any action on my part. I hope it stays this way.
The ! yellow car generally goes away after a couple power cycles, unless another DTC (diagnostic trouble code) is triggered. If you use something like Leaf Spy, you can see the DTCs.

If you clear them all or clear it for that system, you can wait for the yellow ! car to come back and see if the same DTC is has returned.

BluDragoon: Since you've obviously wasted a boatload of time, I'd try these:
- make sure you still login thru the owner's portal (https://owners.nissanusa.com/nowners/). You can also trying refreshing there. I suspect that'll fail or not be able to retrieve current info.
- disconnect your 12 volt for 5+ minutes and reconnect. Try signing in on from the car's head unit.

Unfortunately, I doubt these will help.
 
For those w/the upgraded TCU that are sometimes hitting yellow ! car accompanied by DTC P3131, clearing it and then both return later AND those who aren't having any of these, I'm wondering about these settings on your car.

I've not had a single yellow ! car and DTC P3131 since 8/31/17 on my upgradd '13 after clearing that stuff and doing the below.

Zero Emission Menu > Charging Messages > Saved locations for unplugged messages: I have no entries there. I deleted them all.
Zero Emission Menu > Other Settings > Autosave New Charging Station: I have all 3 types (Quick, Standard and Trickle) NOT selected.

So far, that seems to be the key to having no problems. Of course, this was never an issue w/the old 2G TCU.

So, for those w/no problems, are your settings like the above?

For those w/problems, do you have any Saved locations for unplugged messages stored? Do you 1 or more types selected for Autosave New Charging Station?
 
cwerdna said:
For those w/the upgraded TCU that are sometimes hitting yellow ! car accompanied by DTC P3131, clearing it and then both return later AND those who aren't having any of these, I'm wondering about these settings on your car.

I've not had a single yellow ! car and DTC P3131 since 8/31/17 on my upgradd '13 after clearing that stuff and doing the below.

Zero Emission Menu > Charging Messages > Saved locations for unplugged messages: I have no entries there. I deleted them all.
Zero Emission Menu > Other Settings > Autosave New Charging Station: I have all 3 types (Quick, Standard and Trickle) NOT selected.

So far, that seems to be the key to having no problems. Of course, this was never an issue w/the old 2G TCU.

So, for those w/no problems, are your settings like the above?

For those w/problems, do you have any Saved locations for unplugged messages stored? Do you 1 or more types selected for Autosave New Charging Station?

I do not have any of the issues you mention. I do occasionally have to pull the fuse to reboot the TCU. I'm still using the original 12v battery. If the car does not charge everyday, the battery will drop low enough to cause issues. I have all the settings the same as I had with the orginal TCU. I have it set to send all possible messages. My home charger is saved, and I get a message if not plugged in within 5 minutes of turning the car off. The only difference from before, is I don't get the Charging Complete message, unless it actually does some charging (starts with SOC below 100%). With the old TCU, I got the message every time the charge timer engaged, even if it didn't actually add any charge to the battery.
 
OK, so after a week with the new TCU, twice I got a car light with "!" on it in the morning after driving the day before. Did a scan with LeafSpy, and sure enough, low 12v batter level. Not enough to prevent start, but looks like it's well on it's way. Also, my 12v USB charger, the LCD read 11v.

Curious though, I'm new to being able to remote-start climate controls with the app. I did it this morning when I got that light. So, is it potentially running down the 12v battery to power the fan/AC? I would have thought that, remote climate control would also turn on traction battery charging to keep the 12v battery up.
 
Leafboy said:
If its plugged in the power to run the AC comes from the charger.

OK, so the fact that the 12v battery was low this morning had nothing to do with the climate control then as it was attached to the charger. I had even turned on the charger for the car about an hour before I had started as well. Seems odd that the voltage was low after both of these scenarios.

I drove home for lunch, parked and powered off. Came back to work, and no noticeable warning lights. Voltage was at 13v while driving back. I've not left the OBD2 connector attached either, so no other accessories attached. I'll need to get the battery tested.
 
AFAIK when the EVSE (read: charger) is connected the 12V battery is not being charged by the main traction battery through the DC-DC converter (read: big battery to the little battery) - which is the only way the 12V battery gets charged.

So actually, AFAIK, keeping the car plugged in and not driven will NOT charge the battery and will lead to it potentially being discharged. Unfortunately, the car will only charge the 12V battery every so often when it is NOT plugged into the EVSE, so actually it's a catch 22.

Thanks Nissan!

Cheers,
Tal
 
taloyd said:
AFAIK when the EVSE (read: charger) is connected the 12V battery is not being charged by the main traction battery through the DC-DC converter (read: big battery to the little battery) - which is the only way the 12V battery gets charged.

So actually, AFAIK, keeping the car plugged in and not driven will NOT charge the battery and will lead to it potentially being discharged. Unfortunately, the car will only charge the 12V battery every so often when it is NOT plugged into the EVSE, so actually it's a catch 22.

Thanks Nissan!

Cheers,
Tal

The 12v battery gets charged every time a charge cycle is started. The charging algorithm is not great, so it does not get a full charge like it would from an external 12v battery charger. If the car is charged every day, it should keep the 12v battery at an acceptable level. If the car is left plugged in, but does not charge every day, the 12v battery can be depleted by the car regularly checking to confirm that the external power cord is still attached. If the car is not plugged in, and not driven regularly, the 12v battery is periodically checked and charged, if needed, using power from the traction battery (provided the charge level is not too low).
 
The problem with the above is that the car makes no effort to FULLY charge the 12 volt battery even under optimum conditions. It either charges for a fixed amount of time or to a too-low voltage. As a result the 12 volt battery in a pre 2014 will be chronically undercharged unless you use an external charger once or twice a week...
 
LeftieBiker said:
The problem with the above is that the car makes no effort to FULLY charge the 12 volt battery even under optimum conditions. It either charges for a fixed amount of time or to a too-low voltage. As a result the 12 volt battery in a pre 2014 will be chronically undercharged unless you use an external charger once or twice a week...

So the 2014+ Leafs have an improved charging algorithm? Haven't heard of this before, is it posted somewhere?
If so, are the pre-2014 Leaf's capable of having the ECU, e.g. the BMS, responsible for 12 battery charging re-flashed?
My 2013 has never had any 12 volt battery issues and I don't use a maintainer, although my SL with PV cell
does supply about 50ma in moderate sunlight over the standby battery drain of about 30ma.
 
Follow to my posts from 8/24/17 at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=502854#p502854 and 9/21/17 at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=505934#p505934 about not having a single ! yellow car and P3131, it looks like it finally reared its head several times on 10/12/17. (Will revise this date if I discover that I got any between 8/24 and 10/11.)

I had no autosaved charging locations and disabled the autosaving of them. I left my notebook at work so I don't recall my unplugged status settings.

I got them both (yellow ! car and P3131 DTC) past midnight on 10/12/17. I cleared them and had them return several times again (cleared, to only have to come back later) during the day on 10/12 when I moved my car around. On the night of 10/11/17, I did remotely set the climate control timer to come on at a certain time. It failed with one of these emails "Climate control on failed

Owned LEAF detected a problem and was unable to turn climate control on. If the problem persists please see your dealer."

I don't recall if the car was unattended or I'd actually already gotten into the car and put it into READY by that time.

I noted last night when pulling my car into the garage that 12 volt voltage stayed in 14.xx volts (per Leaf Spy) the whole time instead of dropping down quickly. I plugged in my Optimate 4 12 volt charger last night and when I went to go to work this morning, it still hadn't gone into the ramp down or just trickle charge/maintainer phase. Not sure if the 12 volt was running flat or if there was some extra parasitic drain going on.

Will try pulling fuse 34 tonight.
 
cwerdna said:
I got them both (yellow ! car and P3131 DTC) past midnight on 10/12/17. I cleared them and had them return several times again (cleared, to only have to come back later) during the day on 10/12 when I moved my car around. On the night of 10/11/17, I did remotely set the climate control timer to come on at a certain time. It failed with one of these emails "Climate control on failed

As I posted previously, once I stopped attempting any use of the Nissan app (remote connecting/pinging),
I've had no DTCs or lockup of the TCU requiring a reset (fuse removal). I can still update the charging locations
without any problems or having the TCU 'hang' and possibly causing the Leaf's CANs to fail to enter sleep mode,
possibly draining the 12V battery. The TCU has a design problem, e.g. there should have been an interrupt
timer used by the TCU's processor to power it down after a time period or if communications have failed.
 
Does anyone have any insight as to whether or not Nissan is still working on a fix to this issue? It is starting to get cold around here and I'd love to be able turn on the HVAC remotely, but don't want to deal with pulling fuses or a potentially dead 12v battery so I'm not going to have my TCU upgraded unless there is a fix.
 
This would be a relatively simple arduino project. Remove the fuse, and jumper an arduino controlled relay (normally closed), place an in-line fuse, and have the arduino reset the TCU every day for about 10sec at 12AM.

Another way is to intercept the TCU direct +12v wire and leave the fuse box intact. There’s likely some low-power 12v timer circuits already out there also. It’s not a factory fix, but you wouldn’t need to worry about the TCU continuously draining. I doubt Nissan will do anything at this point.
 
So I was pulling my hair out until I found this thread... After leasing my 2014 Leaf for 3 years, around Apr 3 I bought it out at a nice discount and had them throw in the 3G module upgrade. That's when my problems started :)

12V battery died about 2 weeks later. Took it to Advance Auto, they said the battery looks to have a failing cell. Bought a replacement and figured no big deal - 3 years on a factory battery is probably fine.

A few weeks later the new battery was dead in the morning. Took it to the dealer with 2k left on the 36k warranty. They kept it for a week - no problems found.

Started reading this forum talking about charging profiles for the 12V battery. So I tried to stop leaving the L2 charger plugged in for too long, and started checking the 12V levels some evenings, bought a desulphating trickle charger and started plugging it in every few days.

Tried to baby the 12V battery for the next few months. Things were generally good though I started trusting the Leaf less and made sure my ICE vehicles were maintained and ready to go as backups each morning :(

Nissan Connect started being unreliable a couple weeks ago and stopped responding entirely last week. A day or so later the 12V battery died again and the dreaded yellow ! car showed up on the dash. Ordered and received and LeLINK ODBII yesterday and downloaded LeafSpy last night. Read and copied the 10 or so DTC codes and started searching this forum again.

Found and read way too much of this thread last night. This morning found the Audio fuse (20A in the left middle of the fusebox to the left of the 12V battery). By the time I drove to the office the Nissan Connect was working again.

Skip to here if you are in a hurry:
Long story to ask one question: Does anyone know which one of these two theses is true of how this failure happens?

1) Does the TCM pull more than the 2G module during normal operation, draining the 12V battery and locking up the TCM module?
OR
2) Does some failure in the Nissan Connect connection cause the TCM to lock up, and at that point it starts draining the hell out of the 12V battery until it fails and the Yellow!Car appears?

Basically I want to know if 1) I need to keep monitoring the battery and make sure it stays topped up, or 2) just reset the TCM (via the audio fuse) as soon as it doesn't respond, in order to prevent the 12V battery from draining?

Thanks.
 
tagleader said:
2) just reset the TCM (via the audio fuse) as soon as it doesn't respond, in order to prevent the 12V battery from draining?

I have "Leaf manager", and it updates after every drive. If it fails to update, I pull the fuse. Once every couple of months or so.
 
tagleader said:
1) Does the TCM pull more than the 2G module during normal operation, draining the 12V battery and locking up the TCM module?
OR
2) Does some failure in the Nissan Connect connection cause the TCM to lock up, and at that point it starts draining the hell out of the 12V battery until it fails and the Yellow!Car appears?

Basically I want to know if 1) I need to keep monitoring the battery and make sure it stays topped up, or 2) just reset the TCM (via the audio fuse) as soon as it doesn't respond, in order to prevent the 12V battery from draining?

Thanks.

1. This hasn't been determined, but most likely not.
2. This is the most likely scenario. It's not likely that the TCU by itself in the short term, e.g. a few days,
will drain the battery, but that if the TCU fails to enter its 'sleep' mode other ECUs on the CAN will
stay 'alive' contributing to the battery drain.

It appears that the TCU can 'hang' when using the Nissan app and communicating with the Leaf,
e.g. turning on heating, and thereby failing to power down (enter sleep mode). Since having
avoided using the Nissan app, my TCU has never required a fuse removal nor has the 12V
battery failed.
 
I have some more information to add: I had the EV System timeout and TCU communication errors this morning even though I did not use the EV Connect app to check status or start climate control. I received the EV System warning light when I turned the car on this morning and failed to get the plug-in reminder message after parking at home last night. Since my new AGM battery maintains a higher voltage while parked than the original, I don't think 12-volt battery level is the key issue.
 
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