Tortoise mode in Hawaii after key fob programmed

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Dane526272

Member
Joined
Jan 16, 2022
Messages
6
cold weather is not the issue. The day AFTER i had my car at the Nissan dealer for a new key (it was signaling “key not detected” when it was in my hand and would only work when pressed to the started button)($$$), I got the “motor power is limited” and turtle display. I got a new 12v battery at Napa, cheap one, and it worked fine for five days, then did the turtle again.
2012 Leaf, new Li-ion battery Jan 2017 by dealer under warranty, at 33,000 miles. Now 8 bars and 65,000 miles.
Takes full charge - 70 miles.
1. 12v battery. Does it make a difference what you get? I read in the posts that there are different 12v.
2. Was the initial problem not with the key fob but with the 12v battery?
3. If it needs a new Li-ion battery should I drive it off a cliff? Battery would be more than the car is worth.
Thanks
 
Welcome. The best 12 volt battery for someone in a warm climate is either an AGM, type 51R, or a LiFePo4 lithium battery designed for cars. A weak 12 volt battery can cause the problem you describe, although it usually produces more than one 'erroneous' error code. There have also been cases of dealers messing up Leafs when they try to program new key fobs. Whichever battery you install or have installed, make sure that it is fully charged by an external charger, either before or right after installation.
 
The "key not detected" message was likely due to a dead key fob battery if the car started with the fob held to the start button. Weak 12V battery can cause lots of error codes, but clearing codes should restore normal operation. Unless there is a really weak cell pair in the traction battery, you should not get turtle mode under normal operation with an 8-bar car. I drove both 2011 and 2015 a lot after dropping to 8 bars and only had turtle mode with 2015 if battery was deeply discharged and under load toward the end of ownership (because a couple of weak cell pairs caused premature turtle mode even without setting error codes). I never had inadvertent turtle mode with 2011.

I am afraid the dealer may have caused your issue by incorrectly programming the key system. I vaguely remember reading somewhere on the forum of a case with turtle mode happening after key fob programming.
 
I am afraid the dealer may have caused your issue by incorrectly programming the key system. I vaguely remember reading somewhere on the forum of a case with turtle mode happening after key fob programming.

I'm afraid that has happened more than once, and with more than one Nissan model.
 
Thanks for the replies. Going back to dealer next week. We’ll see what happens. I’ll post if it really was their screwup.
 
I imagine you don't have multiple dealers to choose from. You certainly did not need a new key fob, just a new button cell inside it, unless it was damaged somehow, or you lost one. Our son put ours through the laundry last week and it's still fine.

Also, your replacement traction battery is still under warranty, so check the details on that before going off the cliff.
 
Nissan claims that the Li-ion battery has failed, and that the problem starting the day after a new key was programmed was a coincidence. I’m skeptical, but there is only one Nissan dealer on Maui so I don’t have any alternatives.
New battery for a 2012 model would be over $10,000 so clearly not worth it. Have any of you had experience with refurbished batteries?
Unfortunately, I may be going back to gas.
 
Any suggestions for a refurbished Li-ion battery? Nissan says warranty expired even though it is only 5 years old (I am third owner). No one on Maui works on Leaf except Nissan.
 
If the traction battery installed in January 2017 was a warranty replacement, then warranty is clearly expired. If battery was purchased, then it would have a 5-year, 60,000-mile warranty from installation date/mileage. It is extremely unlikely that your traction battery is bad enough to cause legitimate turtle mode. I strongly recommend that you obtain a suitable OBDII Bluetooth adapter and LEAF Spy Pro so you can read/clear DTC's (diagnostic trouble codes) because you cannot trust your dealer at this point. Post the DTC's and we may be able to offer more suggestions.
 
Also post the "battery cells" voltage histogram from LeafSpy, as that will reveal any bad cells.

Here's a sample, for reference, so you know which screenshot to post...

0YToOd.png
 
Dane526272 said:
Can the traction battery have bad cell(s) and still show 8 bars?

As others have already noted, there can be a few bad cells in addition to (or instead of) general deterioration with 8 capacity bars showing. My 2015 dropped to 8 capacity bars after the 5-year, 60,000-mile capacity warranty had expired and it clearly had a few weak cells. I was hoping it would set error codes and qualify for warranty repair/replacement under the 8-year, 100,000-mile defect warranty, but I ended up trading for the 2019 before that happened.
 
Picked car up from Nissan after being told it needed a $10000 battery. However, the tortoise had disappeared and the car is working fine. The most information I could get from them was “found DTC P3180. HV battery system” .Apparently that code can mean many different issues. Man at the repair desk didn’t seem to know what a histogram was, or why a battery with 8/12 bars was failing. Battery information sheet reads Charging: score very high and good for battery; Driving: your score is very high and good for battery; Storage: your score is very high and good for battery.
Can’t find anyone on the island that works on Leafs - other than Nissan.
 
I wouldn't be in any rush to spend $10000 on a replacement pack, unless you need the range. I'm assuming that they cleared the P3180 DTC already. It may not come back, as it could have just been due to a glitch during a recent charging session or a low cell that will need to be replaced. Why not just wait and see...
 
If the key fobs work correctly and the car operates correctly, just drive it. I suspect they fixed any programming mistakes they made and cleared the error codes. If so, the car should be fine. Whenever you have issues with a key fob, the first step should be to replace the little internal battery. The 12V battery should be checked if any other strange things happen before assuming more serious issues. Weak 12V batteries can cause communication errors on the CAN Bus which can cause error codes and indicate failures of expensive components. I am glad your car is fixed for now because electric vehicles are ideal for Hawaii. Although electricity is expensive unless you have solar, it is still cheaper than gasoline which must be shipped in.
 
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