clicking sound near rear seat drivers side headrest

I have a 2018 Nissan Leaf which is making an odd clicking sound. I just purchased it, so I have no idea if this has just started, or if the car has had it for a while.

The time I'm hearing the sound is when the car is off and locked. It's a series of 4 clicks in a row, over a bit more than a second, repeated every few seconds. Sounds like a relay clicking; if that's what it is, I can't imagine that that relay will last long!

The place where I can hear the sound most clearly is when sitting in the rear seat on the driver's side. It sounds like it is coming from inside the wall of the car, a bit lower than where the seatbelt comes out. It's not coming from the door, or the door lock; I hear the sound even when I have the rear passenger door wide open.

I can't be sure that the _only_ time the sound happens is when the car is off and locked, but that's the only time I've heard it so far. So far I've reproduced it by:

1) Turn off the car.
2) Either open the rear hatch or leave it closed.
3) Sit in the rear driver's side seat.
4) Either close the rear driver's side door or leave it open.
5) Lock the car (from the fob).
6) Wait...30 seconds maybe?
7) No clicking sound for a while.
8) After a while, hear the 4 clicks in a row.
9) Generally speaking, it's many seconds more of silence. 20?
10) Hear the 4 clicks in a row again.
11) After a bit, it seems a bit more regular. (Maybe irregularly regular?) 4 clicks in a row, a few (5? 10?) seconds of silence, 4 clicks in a row, repeat.


I've heard this while the car is charging (at 120VAC); I've also heard this while the car is not charging. Nothing plugged into the OBD port. No stereo playing.

Any thoughts?

Any ideas about what kind of relay would even be located in that portion of the car?

Thanks!

LeavesThatAreGreen said:

...
3) Sit in the rear driver's side seat.
..
5) Lock the car (from the fob).

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The system thinks you have accidentally locked the key fob in the car, which means anyone could open it up and drive off.

nlspace said:

The system thinks you have accidentally locked the key fob in the car, which means anyone could open it up and drive off.

Click to expand...

You can lock a fob in the car with the other fob, or with the mechanical key. The external unlock buttons do not recognize it. I do it all the time when Im swimming.

Interesting. Maybe a stethescope would help you better pinpoint the source.

solartim said:

nlspace said:

The system thinks you have accidentally locked the key fob in the car, which means anyone could open it up and drive off.

Click to expand...

You can lock a fob in the car with the other fob, or with the mechanical key. The external unlock buttons do not recognize it. I do it all the time when Im swimming.

Click to expand...

That certainly matches the steps-to-reproduce that I listed. Although I really want to say that I duplicated the symptom (4-click sound happening repeatedly) in other scenarios, such as when the car was unlocked, or I (and the key fob) was outside the car and not inside...but I've had a hard time repeating any of those conditions. And I guess even if they actually happened, it could still be that "the system thought" the fob was inside, even if it wasn't.

But it's a relief to hear that those relays are unlikely to be clicking all day / night long after I've walked away (taking the fob with me) from the car.

(I guess it also means that I would be unwise to hide a fob inside the car somewhere, which I've done off-and-on over the past 30 years with the keys for other kinds of cars for one reason or another.)

Do you know what exactly this 4-click sequence is actually doing (and why is it in the back of the car)?

Nubo said:

I noticed you're still working with polymers.

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You mean destroying them? Well, I suppose, but not any more than destroying metals or jaw breakers. (Or the occasional squishable toy duck, but they generally bounce back pretty well.)

I've heard these clicks right behind my head if I'm inside while the charger timer activates.

do you have a Bluetooth dongle plugged in for LeafSpy...if so unplug it and see if it stops

I also have this clicking sound on my 2022 LEAF SL plus, exactly as you described. I'm bringing it in to my local Nissan dealership for diagnostic.

phantq said:

I also have this clicking sound on my 2022 LEAF SL plus, exactly as you described. I'm bringing it in to my local Nissan dealership for diagnostic.

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DId you get any answers to this ? just notice this clicking on a new to me 2019 leaf.