car would not charge

[smkettner]

Sounds more like a dealer issue than a Nissan Leaf issue.
Get the vehicle to a different dealer. Certainly warranty work is not required to be done at the selling dealer.

 

[camasleaf]

... I had left it was at least 8 miles when I started charging, so not only did it not charge but it appeared to discharge to zero - it would not come out of neutral.

Just FYI: My wife ran into similar problems a couple times. If the car was ON and pluged in, and you just unplug it will go into N if you try to get it out of P. The little green car with double arrows under it will not ligth until you power down and back up, and after that she was able to drive. Nissan wants to be sure you do not drag the EVSE with you.

 

[drawson]

Phil

Do you think the charger could have caused the failure in the car. A friend pointed out that the dealer was able to hand the car over with a full charge, and I saw the blue light blinking after I started charging, and then the failure occurred. That would indicate a problem in the charger. Any thoughts?

What will Nissan's position be with me if the charger is causing the problem and damaging the charging system in the car?

 

[Ingineer]

Phil

Do you think the charger could have caused the failure in the car. A friend pointed out that the dealer was able to hand the car over with a full charge, and I saw the blue light blinking after I started charging, and then the failure occurred. That would indicate a problem in the charger. Any thoughts?

What will Nissan's position be with me if the charger is causing the problem and damaging the charging system in the car?

I seriously doubt it. First off, let's get the terminology correct: The "charger" is in the car. It's the big box located under the "hump" between the rear seat and the cargo area. It is liquid cooled and based on my observations, very well made:

The thing you are calling the "charger" is in fact the EVSE. This supplies AC power to the charger. The broken "magnet" the dealer supposedly found would have to be located in the actual on-board charger unit, not the inverter, as the inverter has nothing to do with charging operations. The EVSE delivers AC to the charger, which converts it into about 400V DC to charge the Lithium-Ion battery pack. The inverter takes the ~400V DC from the battery and makes 3-phase AC to power the synchronous drive motor.

Furthermore, a broken "magnet", if this is to be even interpreted loosely would mean a physical defect, as there are no moving parts inside the on-board charger unit. (or in the inverter, for that matter!)

Usually solid-state electronics either fail right away (defect) or after many years (accumulated thermal stress, dielectric breakdown, etc). You don't typically see many failures in the "middle" in properly engineered electronics. This to me, seems like a defect in materials, and you just happened to be unlucky enough to find it.

-Phil

 

[drawson]

Phil
Thank you again for your time and clarity.

 

[pasowino]

I had a problem with my Leaf charging on day 3. It sounded like a similar issue that you had although it never started charging. I had it towed to the dealership and they reset the computer and all has been good for about 4,000 miles. I too was a little panicked at the first sign of trouble, but since then, my Leaf has operated flawlessly.

Give them a chance to fix it. I bet you'll love it when you finally get a chance to drive it and it works properly.

 

[drawson]

The dealer delivered the car to me two days ago and I am happy to report that the charging system is working as it should. I have driven the car 150 miles without incident and charged it at various places 4 times- each without a hitch.

I am a happy owner and it works!!