Cryptizard
Well-known member
Hi everyone, I have had a very long post here for a few months (http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=481164) that has finally come to a conclusion and I wanted to start a new topic to get a warning out to people that haven't kept up with it or don't want to read through 10 pages of posts.
I purchased a new 2016 Leaf with the 30 kWh battery back in September of 2016. From day one of owning the car, it consistently topped out at 70-80 miles of range, although it is EPA rated for 107 miles. At first I was just so excited about the car that I didn't really think much about it, and since my commute was only 60 miles it was still working fine for me.
Fast forward a bit, I started to realize that I was actually driving pretty conservatively (averaging 4.2-4.5 m/kWh on the console and not using any climate control) which should have given me maybe even a bit more range than the EPA estimate. I took it into the shop, they said no check engine light everything is fine. After this I bought an ODBII connector and leafspy to check out the battery. It turns out I have one cell in the battery with a 200 mV voltage differential! When the car reports that it is at very low battery (the -- for percentage indicator), it still has about 30% charge (SOC) left that is unusable because the "bad" cell is at the low voltage threshold.
Now that I know what is wrong I think, I will just take this in to Nissan and they will fix it right up. They are a big company they should stand by their cars, they probably just didn't know what was going on with it before. WRONG. They know exactly what is happening, but it is within their "allowable variance" for new cars. I escalated this to the highest levels of Nissan corporate and that is the final answer I have gotten. It is now winter time and with moderate climate control the car goes only 50-55 miles on a charge, less than I need to get to work and back. I currently own a car that I cannot use. I told the guy selling me the car that I drive 60 miles every day and if it ever gets less range than that I might as well not have a car. He said, "if you get the 30 kWh version I can guarantee you that won't happen." Well, Nissan made a liar out of him.
TLDR: Be careful about buying a new Leaf because there is a chance they will sell you one with up to 30% reduced range and then WILL NOT fix it because it is "within tolerances." In fact, I was given a loaner Leaf while mine was in the shop that had only the 24 kWh battery and it actually got MORE range than my car on the same exact commute in the same weather.
Edit: Oh and if anyone is curious I have now filed a formal complaint with the BBB against Nissan and I am going into third-party arbitration. Hopefully I will be able to get my money back and I will never buy another Nissan as long as I live. I cannot believe how they are constantly trying to fight AGAINST me to fix the car that they manufactured and sold to me.
Edit2: The person assigned to my case at Nissan corporate just randomly called and said they are going to approve a buyback. I have no idea what changed, I haven't contacted them in weeks. Glad that this is finally going to be resolved, but still frustrated that I have had to spend 100+ hours of my life in the last 5 months working on this.
I purchased a new 2016 Leaf with the 30 kWh battery back in September of 2016. From day one of owning the car, it consistently topped out at 70-80 miles of range, although it is EPA rated for 107 miles. At first I was just so excited about the car that I didn't really think much about it, and since my commute was only 60 miles it was still working fine for me.
Fast forward a bit, I started to realize that I was actually driving pretty conservatively (averaging 4.2-4.5 m/kWh on the console and not using any climate control) which should have given me maybe even a bit more range than the EPA estimate. I took it into the shop, they said no check engine light everything is fine. After this I bought an ODBII connector and leafspy to check out the battery. It turns out I have one cell in the battery with a 200 mV voltage differential! When the car reports that it is at very low battery (the -- for percentage indicator), it still has about 30% charge (SOC) left that is unusable because the "bad" cell is at the low voltage threshold.
Now that I know what is wrong I think, I will just take this in to Nissan and they will fix it right up. They are a big company they should stand by their cars, they probably just didn't know what was going on with it before. WRONG. They know exactly what is happening, but it is within their "allowable variance" for new cars. I escalated this to the highest levels of Nissan corporate and that is the final answer I have gotten. It is now winter time and with moderate climate control the car goes only 50-55 miles on a charge, less than I need to get to work and back. I currently own a car that I cannot use. I told the guy selling me the car that I drive 60 miles every day and if it ever gets less range than that I might as well not have a car. He said, "if you get the 30 kWh version I can guarantee you that won't happen." Well, Nissan made a liar out of him.
TLDR: Be careful about buying a new Leaf because there is a chance they will sell you one with up to 30% reduced range and then WILL NOT fix it because it is "within tolerances." In fact, I was given a loaner Leaf while mine was in the shop that had only the 24 kWh battery and it actually got MORE range than my car on the same exact commute in the same weather.
Edit: Oh and if anyone is curious I have now filed a formal complaint with the BBB against Nissan and I am going into third-party arbitration. Hopefully I will be able to get my money back and I will never buy another Nissan as long as I live. I cannot believe how they are constantly trying to fight AGAINST me to fix the car that they manufactured and sold to me.
Edit2: The person assigned to my case at Nissan corporate just randomly called and said they are going to approve a buyback. I have no idea what changed, I haven't contacted them in weeks. Glad that this is finally going to be resolved, but still frustrated that I have had to spend 100+ hours of my life in the last 5 months working on this.