Catastrophic Failure of 2012 Leaf

[JimSouCal]

So, it turns out the 12V Aux battery was fine and it was in fact the shifter module located in the center console. FB# 31038-3NA1B Part cost $621.99 + $270 in labor plus tax came to $956.95. Car has 47,614 miles and this, besides a new set of tires, has been my only expenses out side of monthly charging it.

By any chance did you get the old part back? I'm wondering if one of the electronic experts would want to see what failed, as I'm thinking this shouldn't have happened. Did somebody spill coffee on it?

I'm also thinking $621.99 is a pretty outrageous price for just the part. And even if $1000 in 5 years was the only extra expense, that adds $200/year, which is much more than the oil changes on the Prius.

I did a search for the part number only, and it seems this is a part of the "reduction gear" parts, for MY 2011 and 2012. Interesting that the symptoms were the same as the OP described... As the owner of a 2011, paying attention to repair events.

I tend to agree that it seems to be a mechanical switch which should have a very low failure rate and last a long time...

Thanks Leaftogo1 for reporting your resolution...

 

[Leaftogo1]

There was no liquid spills in the console and this module is in a black box with dual molex connectors on it. My thoughts are as well to contact nissian customer service and see if they would like me to ship it to them for evaluation being when this thing fails the car is DOA as far as driving anywhere,

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

What's inside that thing? Could a substitute be fashioned from some switches or is it more complicated than that?

 

[sub3marathonman]

My thoughts are as well to contact nissian customer service and see if they would like me to ship it to them for evaluation being when this thing fails the car is DOA as far as driving anywhere,

I think Nissan should reimburse for about half the price of the part, since it should have lasted twice as long.

If that doesn't work, and normally I would advise against blackmail, but you could tell them that upon disassembly you have discovered their secret miniaturization project and why the LEAF is DOA when it goes bad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vjb7g9BTgI

 

[NOGASHOLE]

Did you get your car fixed?

Perhaps NOGASHOLE entered into litigation and is being silent? Odd. I had asked for the dealer name as well...?

So I finally got my car back... with a very little information on what was fixed.

For those of you interested in the codes; these codes were listed on the invoice:

C1109; C118C; POA8D; P311C; P3176; P317B; P3180; P30FE; C1A62; C1A70

and a line that states: Tech line advised to follow P311C
Page EVC 207.

which I assume is a prescribed diagnostic test?

 

[NOGASHOLE]

Do you really think "catastrophic" is the most appropriate adjective given the facts you've described so far?

cat·a·stroph·ic /kade'sträfik/ adjective- (2) extremely unfortunate or unsuccessful.

I do think that this failure is extremely unfortunate on my part and extremely unsuccessful on Nissan's part. If you were being asked to shell out $1,500 just to figure out what needs to be fixed you might consider it catastrophic too.

At first I was going to cajole you on the catastrophic, but now, it's escalated to qualify... What is the name of the dealership? Sorry for the hassle, but maybe you might save others from a similar fate as it'd seem to me that are not playing fair? I would call them out here for the karma...

This 15 week clown show has taken place at Marlboro Nissan in Marlboro, Massachusetts

 

[SageBrush]

This 15 week clown show has taken place at Marlboro Nissan in Marlboro, Massachusetts

Next time pay attention to the advice given you on the first day you started this thread.

 

[SageBrush]

What's inside that thing? Could a substitute be fashioned from some switches or is it more complicated than that?

If it is similar to a Prius and my experience, a plastic part inside warped (presumably from heat.) I remember one fellow who just took apart his shifter and clipped the offending piece of plastic.

IIRC the touch points are hall sensors.

 

[NOGASHOLE]

After 10 weeks, the dealership was able to replace the what they refer to as the LITH-ION BATTERY JUNCTION BOX and the POWER INVERTER/CHARGER, which was enough to get it running. They were able to cover this work under the 8 year battery warranty. (except for the 12 volt battery replacement.) The dealership complained to Nissan that they weren't allotted enough hours to cover the actual time it took to complete the repair, but reasons for this may have been discussed earlier in thread.

 

[JimSouCal]

This 15 week clown show has taken place at Marlboro Nissan in Marlboro, Massachusetts

Next time pay attention to the advice given you on the first day you started this thread.

I just re-read the thread. Kindly please.... What was the advice you are speaking of...? To get the error codes and share them here, or to put in a 12v battery replacement...?

All of these weeks aside, I am glad the car is back... But this amount of time is kind of pushing the boundary of "car back"...

Thanks to NOGASHOLE for sharing the outcome, and naming names...

 

[SageBrush]

Kindly please.... What was the advice you are speaking of...?

Check that the brake sensor is working, and if yes replace the shifter with a used part. Ebay link even provided. I think the advice was given the first day that the thread was out.

 

[JimSouCal]

Kindly please.... What was the advice you are speaking of...?

Check that the brake sensor is working, and if yes replace the shifter with a used part. Ebay link even provided. I think the advice was given the first day that the thread was out.

Noted here as I have my own aging out 2011 moving toward the expiration of all warranties. Thanks for the reply... Yet just to temper the thought... Here in the forums, all of us have noticed not every bit of advice is so spot on as it was in this case...in which you indeed provided a very solid diagnostic approach to the fix. Thanks for that sharing SageBrush.

My own possible vision of horror was that the dealership was unable to get this solved in short order...if not covered under warranty, it would have been pretty expensive, and the dealership charging for their meandering by the hour...

I am hoping that independent technicians will emerge who are very capable in fixing the LEAF, and also some hacks to perhaps improve (a market that Nissan has ignored in holding to the disposable model of car sales). In small markets unlikely, but as to Los Angeles, hopeful...

 

[NOGASHOLE]

So, I picked up the car after the first ten weeks at the dealership and was told that everything had been fixed. I didn't drive more than a mile from the dealership when the EV WARNING light came on. Foolishily, I thought it might be fluke and perhaps would go out after restarting the car or fully charging it. Surely, after 10 weeks at the dealership they would have taken it for test drive to make sure it was running properly.

The next day, I called Nissan LEAF roadside assistance to bring the car back to the dealership. My head nearly exploded when when they told me that my roadside assistance had expired 4 weeks prior while my car was at the dealership for 10 weeks being incompletely fixed. (It had in fact passed its 5 year anniversary while at the dealership) I was told I would have to pay for the car to be towed back to the dealership and that there was nothing they could do about it.

After a curt discussion with a manager at Roadside assistance, the decision was made to 'make an exception' and tow my LEAF back to the dealership free of charge.

 

[Phatcat73]

What did the paperwork state? What parts were replaced?

 

[NOGASHOLE]

What did the paperwork state? What parts were replaced?

During the first 10 weeks it was at the dealership, they replaced the 12 volt battery, the "lithium-ion battery Junction box", and the "Power inverter/charger".

I never received and invoice/repair order for when I had to send it back for the next 5 week stint. However, my understanding is that the secondary water pump, and two wiring harnesses were replaced to complete the repairs.

When I got the car home, I discovered that the key FOB I didn't leave at the dealership no longer works.

The car also was also damaged (it looks like it was nicked by a snow plow) while it was at the dealership the first time.

I am grateful that a majority of the work was covered under the 8 year lithium-ion battery warranty and the 'completely unrelated' water pump failure was paid for by Nissan LEAF customer service.

I still have only one of my two key FOBs that works, a scratch and dent in the passenger's side door that was buffed and had touch-up paint applied, but not repaired. I was also deprived of my primary vehicle for 3 1/2 months without a loaner car, while the dealership dragged their feet making repairs. For this Nissan, offered me a $250 service credit that expires in 6 months. :x :evil:

 

[NOGASHOLE]

Kindly please.... What was the advice you are speaking of...?

Check that the brake sensor is working, and if yes replace the shifter with a used part. Ebay link even provided. I think the advice was given the first day that the thread was out.

I do appreciate the advice, however when I started this thread, the car was already at the dealership. I also have other priorities in life besides sitting around in my snow-covered driveway trying to self-diagnose a vehicle that rightfully should be repaired by manufacturer, which is one of the main reasons I bought an electric vehicle in the first place.

If I enjoyed working on cars, would have bought one that I could change the oil on every 5,000 miles and the brake pads every 30,000, flush the radiator at 100,000 and so on...

 

[NOGASHOLE]

Yikes. This really blows.

Please post your story on Nissan Electric's Facebook page so we can like/share it.

I don't use FB myself, but feel free to post a link to this thread.