55% battery drain in 10 miles, 2022 Leaf?

[danelo]

This is just a shot in the dark, but testing the main 12V battery may be worthwhile. From what I know a lot of the electronics run off the 12V battery, so a bad battery could be causing the electronics to not function correctly.

 

[Antonio Peterson]

This is just a shot in the dark, but testing the main 12V battery may be worthwhile. From what I know a lot of the electronics run off the 12V battery, so a bad battery could be causing the electronics to not function correctly.

They tested the 12v battery and said it was good.

 

[BillAinCT]

Frankly I wouldn't trust anything that they say!

 

[Antonio Peterson]

Yea.. they are completely incompetent. I brought the car in to fix 6 problems and they only fixed one. The rear middle seat belt was stuck and they fixed that. I guess they couldn’t figure out a way to tell me it’s my imagination and the seatbelt really works.

One thing that surprised me is that I brought it in to also fix a recall problem, but they said there was no fix available for the issue. I don’t understand how you can recall a product, but not have a fix for it.

 

[Doanster1]

Annoying for sure. Request a tech ride with you. Good that you have it all documented. Waste of your time, but having it all on record is key. The backup cam recall will most likely be a harness swap according to the service advisor the last time I was in. Not confirmed yet hence why the recall notice went out without a fix identified.

 

[Antonio Peterson]

I have documented more problems with the car. I got LeafspyPro, but don't really know how to interpret the information. I haven't had time to educate myself. The only things that stood out to me was it identified about 8 weak battery cells. The other thing I noticed is a discrepancy about the state of charge. Leafspy will tell me the SOC is at 50%, while the car reports the SOC is at 15%. I don't know which one to trust. Of course, I won't go anywhere when my Leaf says it's only at 15% in case it is correct.

Here is a copy of the latest email I sent to Nissan Consumer Affairs:

I have three updates I would like to make to my case.

I have a video which shows proof that the infotainment system is malfunctioning. It happens intermittently, but the problem has been occurring more often. Turning the car off and back on again does not help. Gettel Nissan of Sarasota says there is nothing wrong with it.



Here is another video showing the ongoing problem with the battery charge as well as the problem with the VDC system. In this video, you will see how the battery drains 40% when driving only 23 miles. This means the car now has an effective range of 57 miles instead of 260. Again, Gettel Nissan says there is nothing wrong with the car.




Here is another video showing the failure of the VDC (traction control) system. This creates a very dangerous situation while driving on the highway. The power to the wheels cuts on and off intermittently, making driving extremely unsafe. In this video, I was unable to turn off the VDC system while driving because once the car thinks the car is slipping, it will not turn off the VDC system until it no longer thinks the car is slipping. Usually, to do this, I usually have to slow down to about 30MPH, which is extremely dangerous on a busy freeway where the speed limit is 70MPH.



Please forward this to Gettel Nissan as well. They won't listen to me.

Thank You,

 

[Drew21]

I think you're doing the best you can in terms of documenting and communicating the problems you have.

I would try to find a new dealership to work with and continue your efforts to reach Nissan corporate with cries for help. I wouldn't waste any more time on (or give any business to) a dealership that can't be bothered to do more than a 4 mile test drive.

I don't really know how the whiz-bang features like the VDC operate, but if it senses (abnormal) wheel speed to determine slip a bad speed sensor might be a culprit. It would also be something a competent technician would check, so...

Good luck.

 

[nlspace]

They tested the 12v battery and said it was good.

Don't trust their testing and judgement, get a voltmeter and make your own measurements. An old, weak or worn out 12V battery can cause a multitude of random faults and unrelated errors such as you are having.

i had a dealer give me the same "it's good" response and claimed that the main HV battery was "bad". They were wrong in a big way.

Only a capacity test or specific gravity test would give good confidence about the 12V battery.

Since you have a 2022 model car, chances are that the 12V battery was made in 2021, so it is at least 3 years old. If it has ever been allowed to sit for an extended time with a less-than-full charge, then it has likely suffered sulfation damage that will reduce the capacity. It may appear to be good under their test, but fail or lay down under the load profile of the car.

 

[Bombastinator2]

*tries to imagine the size of the boat necessary to reduce the range by that much*


If it happens only on the freeway there is some sort of minimum. Speed, air movement,power draw,, etc.. Finding out what might help.

 

[Antonio Peterson]

Don't trust their testing and judgement, get a voltmeter and make your own measurements. An old, weak or worn out 12V battery can cause a multitude of random faults and unrelated errors such as you are having.

i had a dealer give me the same "it's good" response and claimed that the main HV battery was "bad". They were wrong in a big way.

Only a capacity test or specific gravity test would give good confidence about the 12V battery.

Since you have a 2022 model car, chances are that the 12V battery was made in 2021, so it is at least 3 years old. If it has ever been allowed to sit for an extended time with a less-than-full charge, then it has likely suffered sulfation damage that will reduce the capacity. It may appear to be good under their test, but fail or lay down under the load profile of the car.

For what it’s worth, LeafSpy says the 12V batter is good.

 

[Antonio Peterson]

At this point, I don’t care so much what the dealership says or does. I’m taking it in now to document I tried to have Nissan fix multiple problems multiple times. I need this to qualify under lemon laws.

I’m thinking that if they don’t fix it this time, I will tell Nissan Corporate and ask them how I should proceed.

 

[Joey21]

Take your Leaf to the auto parts store. They will test your 12V battery right in the car. They attach a set of cable to the battery and then start the testing machine. The machine measures the battery voltage before, during and after the load test. If the battery sags too much then it is worn out. In an ICEV that would be revealed with an engine starter that was slow and dragging. In an EV it reveals itself as gremlins. Eliminate that possibility.

Then move on to the traction battery. Does Leaf Spy show any low cells or bad health markers? Is your charger bad? Have you charged somewhere else to see if the commercial charger brings your battery up? I'm guessing that one or more cells in your traction battery have gone bad.

You will likely need to find another dealer.

 

[Antonio Peterson]

Take your Leaf to the auto parts store. They will test your 12V battery right in the car. They attach a set of cable to the battery and then start the testing machine. The machine measures the battery voltage before, during and after the load test. If the battery sags too much then it is worn out. In an ICEV that would be revealed with an engine starter that was slow and dragging. In an EV it reveals itself as gremlins. Eliminate that possibility.

Then move on to the traction battery. Does Leaf Spy show any low cells or bad health markers? Is your charger bad? Have you charged somewhere else to see if the commercial charger brings your battery up? I'm guessing that one or more cells in your traction battery have gone bad.

You will likely need to find another dealer.

Yes, LeafSpy reports several weak cells.

 

[Antonio Peterson]

Yes, LeafSpy reports several weak cells.

Also, one of the battery temperature readings is always much higher than the others.

 

[Joeaverage]

Well there is your problem. Dead or weak cells. I've seen that too in a Leaf that belongs to my employer. Eventually it would not travel so Nissan had to come pick it up with a flatbed and carry it to a dealership that had an EV tech. EV tech replaced something - battery? module? - and the car was ready to pickup within a few days. This was in 2019 or so. All under warranty.

Show your findings to Nissan or if out of warranty take it to an independent shop that can replace modules. If you are without either option then start studying to do it yourself but know your stuff b/c these traction batteries can and will kill you i.e. leave it alone unless you have the background in working on high voltage live circuits.

I'd just rent a UHaul trailer and take it to a specialist out of town if you don't have someone local. Let them repair it.

if you are unsure - watch You Tube videos about Nissan Leaf batteries being repaired. There are some very good ones where the technician explains why they know it is broken, and how they repair it. This doesn't qualify some DIY person to do the work per say but it build understanding about what needs to happen at least.