Heating Coil Not Working

[ihatethisplace]

I got my car back today. 36 days in the shop total. I was told that the technician "thought" that a "longer than the rest" bolt could have caused a short. Which really makes me question the "quality" of their technicians and their actual knowledge of the LEAF.

I really don't have any reason to believe that they've "fixed" the problem with the replacement parts. Chances are they replaced it with the exact same fault that caused the original failure and they're just crossing their fingers hoping it doesn't happen again. Thats how things usually work with mass produced products. Unless something happens that ends up costing someones life or doing major property damage, they'll almost never redesign a part for a soon to be out of production model and they'll just keep producing the same thing and keep replacing it the same way until the customers give up or they decide its not worth it to support it any more.

People who have had this problem really need to start pushing for buy backs. I am. A month and a week of waiting for a part while new vehicles are being built and shipped for purchase with that very same part? I don't think so. Nissan is definitely putting priority on getting sales rather than taking care of those who already bought or leased the car.

 

[MagicDoug]

Just dropped my leaf off yesterday for same problem. Said parts where on back order and had no idea when they were coming. Had to fight to get a loaner car and it is a POS compared to the leaf. Does anyone know if the new parts are an upgraded version of the old? Or is this just a bandaid until they do a recall like they should. What recourse, if any, do we have for our inconvenience? Is it time to use a Lemon Law? It does appear that Nissan wants to handle these issues quietly, maybe it's time to make some noise.

 

[hansr220]

Happy new Leaf owner, for about 3 weeks now. But, no heat even from the dealership, didn't even realize it, because I turn it on only to defrost quickly, then turn it off to keep my range. Yesterday, I plugged in at the dealer while walking to lunch and getting a few things from the nearby grocery while plugged in.

Upon returning, I sat in the car for 10 minutes to heat it before taking off. NO HEAT! I love the heated steering wheel, which really sold the car for me, and the seats, which I always use here in Ohio, and it's January.

Just called the dealership tonight, to ask if I've missed something, in activating the heat. The specialist wasn't in, and left a message on his answering machine. I hope tomorrow we can get this figured out, as the temperature is supposed to drop dramatically in a couple days. All this aside, I love my LEAF!

 

[hansr220]

Update, while enroute to the dealership last night, the heater started to warm up while on Automatice climate control. hmmmmm Doesn't work when I manually turn the heat on high? That's wierd, or common?

 

[midelectric]

It might work intermittently shortly before it quits completely, IME.

If it turns out the heater needs to be replaced, try to find a dealer that has a LEAF loaner since it will probably be a while before the car is fixed. That way you won't have to pay for gas while still making payments on an electric car.

 

[lindell26]

Has the OP or anyone else waiting for parts heard anything? My car has been at the dealer for 2 weeks and all I can get from the LEAF customer service is the PTC heater is on backorder. Supposedly held up durring transit, maybe customs, he was a little vague.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Others have not had the problem, and there is some information gathering going on in a norwegian forum at the moment, comparing firmware versions etc to see if there is any connection. Most Leafers are now refraining from pre-heating when not charging, in fear of having their car in the shop for several weeks. Needless to say, Nissan has said nothing about the matter. :?

This is the first I've read there may be a specific issue with "pre-heating when not charging"; if so, it's good to know (although still needs to be addressed). I only pre-heat in the mornings when connected, so I guess I haven't hit this scenario yet (and guess I need to avoid it).

I've preheated while not plugged-in without issues, so it isn't an problem with all cars. My guess would be that people are looking for patterns to try to explain heater core failures but an apparent—anecdotal—correlation shouldn't imply causation.

 

[Ingineer]

Keep in mind, because the heating system on the '11-'12 Leaf is based on a water coolant loop and an aluminum heater core, there is significant thermal mass. Setting the CC (climate control) for heat, especially while in ECO mode (limits heater power) can sometimes result in a long wait until the loop comes up to temperature. The CC is smart enough to not blow cold air, so it waits until the loop is hot before starting the blower.

I have talked to many people who thought they had heater problems, but it turned out they didn't after some simple testing. This test requires nothing other than a spare finger and a few eyes:

The best way to determine if your heater is working properly, is hit the "auto" button on the CC, dial your temp up to 90, and then select the "energy" screen on the head unit. You can do this by pressing the blue "E" button in the lower right corner, followed by the "energy" icon on the upper right of the screen.

Within 10 seconds of activating heat in auto mode, you should see the CC energy gauge (upper right) begin to climb. This indicates the heater is heating, though there will be a delay until you begin to feel warm air. If you are in ECO, you will notice the power consumed is greatly reduced. This also further delays the appearance of warm air.

If you want to see what this looks like, watch the video in my CC upgrade thread.

-Phil

 

[midelectric]

Has the OP or anyone else waiting for parts heard anything? My car has been at the dealer for 2 weeks and all I can get from the LEAF customer service is the PTC heater is on backorder. Supposedly held up durring transit, maybe customs, he was a little vague.

I was told the ship would be in late last week and customs and distribution would take some undetermined length of time. I didn't hear the word delay at any point though. I haven't been told with a great amount of confidence that heaters are actually in this shipment, just that it has a lot of parts and they should be on board.

I'm not sure why they can't get some from Smyrna, if they're building the S model with the same heater there should be stock on hand.

 

[hansr220]

Keep in mind, because the heating system on the '11-'12 Leaf is based on a water coolant loop and an aluminum heater core, there is significant thermal mass. Setting the CC (climate control) for heat, especially while in ECO mode (limits heater power) can sometimes result in a long wait until the loop comes up to temperature. The CC is smart enough to not blow cold air, so it waits until the loop is hot before starting the blower.

I have talked to many people who thought they had heater problems, but it turned out they didn't after some simple testing. This test requires nothing other than a spare finger and a few eyes:

The best way to determine if your heater is working properly, is hit the "auto" button on the CC, dial your temp up to 90, and then select the "energy" screen on the head unit. You can do this by pressing the blue "E" button in the lower right corner, followed by the "energy" icon on the upper right of the screen.

Within 10 seconds of activating heat in auto mode, you should see the CC energy gauge (upper right) begin to climb. This indicates the heater is heating, though there will be a delay until you begin to feel warm air. If you are in ECO, you will notice the power consumed is greatly reduced. This also further delays the appearance of warm air.

If you want to see what this looks like, watch the video in my CC upgrade thread.

-Phil

Excellent tip!!!!
I'll check that out right away, Thanks Phil.

 

[MagicDoug]

Update:
It's been 2 weeks since I dropped my car off at the dealership to repair the heater issue. They say they are still waiting for back ordered parts and have no idea when they will arrive.

 

[lindell26]

I just received a call from my dealership that the heater was delivered this morning. They said the tech would start on it today and should be finished with the repair by tomorrow. So if I'm able to pick the vehicle up tomorrow it will be 3 weeks to the day. Not good, but better than the 6 week wait some have experienced. Hope the rest of you get your parts in soon.

-Lindell

 

[vin944]

During these last couple weeks of cold air here in the Sacramento area my feet are cold although I have the temp set to 73 on the floor. I stuck my right hand down under the front seat and there is an outside temp draft coming right in. You're only gonna feel it when it's cold out which doesn't happen too often here. Can anyone here in a cold climate stick their hand under their front seat when the car is moving and let me know if you get a draft? It in effect cancels out the heater.

Thanks.

 

[Rauv]

Freezing cold air this cold snap, right on my feet. Heat needs to be on full ALL THE TIME driving at freeway speeds. Range is about 35-40 miles. Recirc only mode seems to help some, but causes frosted up windows inside.

 

[LeafLeafLeaf]

Heater broke again last night...sitting at the dealer now. :evil:

 

[lindell26]

Heater broke again last night...sitting at the dealer now. :evil:

Are you kidding me, how long did it last? So it sounds like they are putting the same failure prone part back in.

-Lindell

 

[Ingineer]

Improperly purged coolant lines (air in the lines) could cause the failure to repeat. I'd go to another dealer and complain to Nissan corporate!

-Phil

 

[JeremyW]

Improperly purged coolant lines (air in the lines) could cause the failure to repeat. I'd go to another dealer and complain to Nissan corporate!

-Phil

Hmm. Sounds like the PTC overheats and gets permanently damaged if there's air in the lines. Are the lines easy to bleed? How difficult is it to work on the coolant loops in the leaf?

 

[midelectric]

Lindell26, are you back on the road?

 

[lindell26]

Lindell26, are you back on the road?

Yep, picked the car up Thursday, heater works fine now.