My 2011 Nissan Leaf is Unable to Move.

[addsha3]

Hi, Nissan Leaf community this is my first post and I would really appreciate any advice or knowledge you could share with me regarding my issue/experience. I was at the grocery store and put my car into parking. I turned it off ,locked it, and did what i usually do. I didn't have any issues. Then, once i came out of the grocery store, I unlocked the car, turned it on with 50 miles of projected range, and changed gear from parking to reverse. But when I stepped on the accelerator pedal the car would not move. I slammed it and the car would move centimeters or the cars interior would be pushed forward even though the wheels were not moving. I changed the gear into reverse and drive and still no movement. I had already disengage the parking brake and that was not the issue.

Here is my diagnosis. It is not a 12v battery or 24kwh battery issue as they both start and initiate. It is not a "tranny" issue as it able to change directions some what and a noise is produced when i shift the gear lever. It is not a steering issue as when I turn the Steering wheel the wheels change direction with the steering wheel. All the electronics and gauges are working.

What I beleive it could is a brake issue, a parking brase issue, or an electrical issue. Please provide your feedback and diagnosis as all comments help so much. I bought this car for my very small commute to save money and currently being unemployed I need the car to travel and can't afford any expensive repairs. Do you have any ideas to fix a seized brake or brakes? THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I agree that the electric parking brake is high on the list of suspects.

 

[91040]

Check the Owner’s manual for the location of the manual release for the emergency brake. It may be through the trunk floor.

 

[LeftieBiker]

The electric parking brake on the Gen 1.0 Leaf is a known issue. It can fail and is very expensive to replace. One of our members, though (Gerry?) found that his control assembly was full of water, and he was able to repair it.

 

[GerryAZ]

I remember a thread about water/rust in the parking brake motor/winch assembly, but it was not me. I had no trouble with the electric parking brake in the 2011 and have had no trouble with the one in the 2019 so far, but did have issues with the foot pedal parking brake in the 2015. Regarding the OP's 2011, it definitely sounds like the parking brake did not release. There is a way to release it manually (I think from inside the hatch area). I will look at the owner manual for the 2011 when I get home and will post instructions if I find them.

 

[Lothsahn]

This person cross-posted to reddit and I answered there earlier today, including the service manual. Hopefully this saves you time, GerryAZ.
https://www.reddit.com/r/leaf/comments/hz83g2/2011_nissan_leaf_starts_but_unable_to_move/


Check for the car with green arrow indicator on your dash. If not present, the car isn't actually in drive mode, it's in accessory mode. Try holding the brake and hitting the power again. if that doesn't work, there may be an issue, codes, or low 12V battery causing the car to not go to the drive state.

Do you have either a red or yellow triangle indicator? If so, this indicates diagnostic codes. Use LeafSpy to get those codes and find the cause. Also know that just because the car turns on, doesn't mean that it's not a 12V battery issue. A low 12V battery could cause diagnostic codes (and a red triangle) which may prevent the car from operating.

If the car does go into drive mode (green icon with arrows), I agree that the 24 kWh battery pack is not the cause.

If none of the above, the 2011/2012 have an electronic parking brake with a manual release. The manual release is in the trunk compartment. Take out the trunk mat and the corrigated plastic below it, and you can access the release. It may require a screwdriver.

For the instructions, see page 6-17 of the manual here: https://owners.nissanusa.com/content/techpub/ManualsAndGuides/LEAF/2011/2011-LEAF-owner-manual.pdf

PS. If the car is not operating right, I would avoid flooring it in a parking lot. If whatever is stuck suddenly lets go, you could find yourself traveling fast very quickly in a dangerous situation. Electric cars have insane levels of torque--be careful.