Leaf Battery ran out of charge & 12 volt battery dead

[silentguy]

Fuel gauge said 47 miles left.
I had a trip of about 40 miles.
It's cold and rainy weather here in Northwest, so I needed defrost and some heat.

Car didnt make it, on highway it warned of low battery.

I got to an exit, and started to search for a charge station but none were close.

It went to Orange Turtle mode, and I pulled over and put the hazards on.

Car was towed to my house.

I plugged in but it wouldn't charge.

Now I cant even get into the car, even with the hidden mechanical key.
seems like battery is totally dead, and wouldnt charge either.
Blue lights dont come on when charge connnector is plugged in.

Nissan dealer service department
, and Nissan Customer Care are closed today on Sundays
So I have to wait until Monday morning to to get it towed to the dealer.

I hope this i covered under warranty

Anyone have similar experience, or can offer advice ?

 

[siai]

There is no reason why the key won't open the door---like you say it is mechanical not related to the electrical system at all. Have you ever tried the key before to see if it ever worked? If you get the door open, and can open the hood I think you will find the 12 volt battery is dead. Put a charge on it and after awhile try charging again. It should take off once there is enough voltage to light off the cars computers.

 

[silentguy]

I've tried both Mechanical keys that are hidden in my 2 key fobs
Rotated them both left and right, they do not open the door.
Maybe I am doing something wrong

First time I have tried them, as the keyfob buttons have always worked before.

I think that the 12volt battery is dead, but also the Li Ion pack is not charging either ....

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

jump the 12 volt battery. as far as the mechanical key not working...i guess you are doing something wrong

side note; i always thought our mild pacific NW weather would be good for lead acid batteries but you are the 2nd person in less than a week to have 12 volt battery issues (if that is your problem and i suspect it is)

the 12 volt battery management system on the LEAF needs to be looked at. it is becoming pretty clear that it is not "idiot proof" and that is how it needs to be to survive in this day and age.

 

[Herm]

I think that the 12volt battery is dead, but also the Li Ion pack is not charging either ....

The lithium-ion pack wont charge unless the 12V battery is charged up, its a safety feature.

 

[silentguy]

Well I am stuck I guess.

Mechanical keys dont appear to work when 12 volt battery is dead.
I have turned in both directions, and beyond breaking the key off in the key hole, the key doesnt rotate and engage the lock.
I have also tried pulling the handle while turning the key, and pressing the button on the handle.


I am effectively locked out of the car with no way to get to the 12 volt battery and charge it.

I am hoping the dealer or road side assistance has a slim jim and can break into my car ?

Luckily the car is in my driveway now, so not in a dangerous place.

Yesterday I had to call police too, as the car was on very busy street, and almost got rear ended a few times even though the hazards were on. The trooper put on his flashers, and that slowed the traffic down.

Update: I just called Nissan Roadside Assistance, and they are sending someone to break into the car.

 

[adric22]

Well that stinks. I think I'll go try my mechanical key as I've never actually used it before.

EDIT - I just tried my key and it worked fine. There was a definite feeling of the lock moving.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

something does not sound right here. i tried my mechanical key and does appear to operate a power unlock. i am half tempted to disconnect the battery and try it again.

 

[silentguy]

Ok, Roadside assistance broke into the car.
They use an inflatable bladder to prop open the door enough to slip a long curved wire in and open the door lock from the inside.


I put a multimeter on the 12 volt battery it read 4 volts.

It is charging now.

When charging, the computer freaked out...

Alarm going off chirping...

Messages on the screen varying from
Battery Icon - Apply Parking Brake
I-Key System Failure
Visit Your Dealer
and shifting quickly from N to P symbol on screen

I put some Wheel Blocks on the wheels in case it is in Neutral and wants to roll off...
I couldnt put it in Park or use Parking Brake, that didnt work.

I was able to shut off all the chirping, by turning car on and off a few times.
Its apparent that without the 12 volt battery the computer wont work,
and gets confused. It seemed it was in a confused state.

I'll let the 12 volt battery charge for a few hours, and see if I can get the Li Ion pack to finally take a charge.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

a "4 volt" reading means your battery is no good. you have a reversed cell. i dont think it is possible to have a reading that low without a cell reversal which means the polarity has been reversed and that voltage is not subtracting from the battery's output. not a good thing

 

[mkjayakumar]

I never knew there is a hidden mechanical key, until I read this thread. I just checked and mine works.

It is interesting that even in Model S the 12V battery seems to be a real weak point. There have been already a few instances it was replaced.

 

[silentguy]

Ill wait and see if the 12 volt battery takes a charge and holds 12 volts.

If not, I can try another 12 volt battery I have in another car and see if that works.

It was very hard to turn the car off.
It got in a state where computer keeps saying.

I-Key failure.
Apply Parking Brake


Once I got it off, the red car icon with a key in it shows up...
Looked it up, this is the Security System icon, and it may be normal that it is on,
it just means the alarm is armed....

 

[OttoH]

I just tried the mechanical key in ours, and while the unlock seemed like it was mechanical, it did turn on the dome light - so there has to be some kind of electrical component to that. The locking was electrical for sure since I could hear it locking the rear door. Unlocking only affected the door where I used the key.

Something still doesn't smell right here... Can we assume the 12V battery was in decent shape prior to the trip? How old is the car, and how many miles? I agree that seeing 4V on a normal 12V battery could indicate cell reversal, but then how did that happen?

Curiouser and curiouser...

 

[silentguy]

12 volt battery now at 12 volts...

Car is charging now, Blue light is on in the dash.

Hopefully it will fully charge.

I'll report back on the results

 

[silentguy]

I just tried the mechanical key in ours, and while the unlock seemed like it was mechanical, it did turn on the dome light - so there has to be some kind of electrical component to that. The locking was electrical for sure since I could hear it locking the rear door. Unlocking only affected the door where I used the key.

Something still doesn't smell right here... Can we assume the 12V battery was in decent shape prior to the trip? How old is the car, and how many miles? I agree that seeing 4V on a normal 12V battery could indicate cell reversal, but then how did that happen?

Curiouser and curiouser...

12 Volt battery was normal before the trip.
Car is a 2011, with only 2800 miles on it.

The 12 volt battery got run down because hazards were on for a few hours,
also possibly some other functions on overnight that could not be turned off.
Hopefully the battery is not bad, but that can be easily tested at a NAPA auto parts store.
Is 12 volt battery covered under warranty ?
I'll check with Nissan, if it doesnt hold the 12 volt charge.

 

[silentguy]

I just tried the mechanical key in ours, and while the unlock seemed like it was mechanical, it did turn on the dome light - so there has to be some kind of electrical component to that. The locking was electrical for sure since I could hear it locking the rear door. Unlocking only affected the door where I used the key.

Something still doesn't smell right here... Can we assume the 12V battery was in decent shape prior to the trip? How old is the car, and how many miles? I agree that seeing 4V on a normal 12V battery could indicate cell reversal, but then how did that happen?

Curiouser and curiouser...

Which way did you rotate the key to unlock ?
Counter clockwise ?

 

[ebill3]

This thread is rather disturbing, so I went out to the cold garage to check.

Like Otto, turning the key clockwise, resulted in a muffled mechanical click that opened the front door only. Did not sound like a solenoid operating. Turning the key counterclockwise, resulted in a loud solenoid actuating click, locking all doors.

The battery read 12.1 volts, a bit low. The car was charged to 80% and has been pugged in since use yesterday afternoon. Hmmm, I might have to rig up a small panel volt meter to monitor battery health. Or, I'll bet LEAFSCAN will show 12 volt battery voltage.

As I recall, Silent's LEAF was purchased used from a CA fleet or rental outfit. Wonder if the 12 volt battery had previously been fully discharged, as that usually portends a short life.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

maybe its just me but it seems like the lock turns way too easily to be completely mechanical.

 

[smkettner]

Makes me want to consider an emergency pigtail to get 12v to the battery.
What higher capacity 12v batteries are available?
Good tip on limiting flashers if possible... and leaving the door unlocked or window down.

 

[dhanson865]

Just so you know in the future the 12v battery on the average car will only run the emergency flashers for a matter of 5 to 15 minutes without causing problems. If you leave the flashers running too long it will damage the 12v battery just as seen here with the battery drained down to the 4v level.

If you have to turn on the flashers turn off everything else (interior lights, radio, cell phone charger, anything you can think of that isn't the emergency flashers that runs off of the electricity provided by the car).

If you have to leave the car in a situation where you want the flashers on long term you'll have to make a choice and either turn off the flashers after a few mintues or sacrifice the 12v battery.

I don't know the amp-hours rating of the leaf battery or the drain of the flashers so I'm just going based on my life experience here. The first time I killed a battery this way was when I was a kid and turned on the flashers in my moms car and didn't have the strength to turn them off. It required pulling out on a round peice of plastic with more strength than I or the nearest adult had (which is a very poor design but that car was made in the 70s if I had to guess, it's been too long now for me to remember the exact make/model).