The battery replacement/buyback thread.

[todd0305]

Wow I hope our replacement goes as well as yours! We are in South Texas and Nissan Cooperate approved a new battery on May 8th for our 2016 SL with 8 bars and 56,000 miles. No word yet on when we might get a battery but we are hoping for a quick rather than drawn out replacement.

How long did it take for them to approve the replacement? Anything odd in the battery report and did you bring it in annually for them to run the report?

 

[ElectricToolbox]

It seems batteries are starting to move. More people on this forum appear to be reporting getting their new batteries.

When talking to my dealer rep in April I was told I'd moved up to #30 on the wait list. 2 spots in 10 months did not make me happy. So I called my level 1 customer service rep an Nissan Canada and tore a strip off them, demanding to know what specific actions the company was taking to get more batteries. They sheepishly referred me to a Level 2 rep who works specifically with the battery stuff. We had a few conversations over the past several weeks.

First they shared that a new supplier has just come online and batteries are moving. He had resolved some replacement pack claims recently and anecdotally indicated that about 5 per month were being delivered. Since telling me that a month ago, I've moved up to #18 on the Canadian waitlist.

I also asked him if the replacement batteries that are coming are new or remanufactured using old cells from other warranty returns. He did say that some of the replacements are remanufactured, but could not comment on the cells specifically. So maybe they're old shells with new cells, maybe a mix-n-match pack of old cells... only Nissan will know. He also said I won't get a choice in the matter. I get what I get when I get to the front of the queue.

If this keeps up I should get my new battery before winter. Fingers crossed!

For reference, CATL manufacture cells for Nissan leaf.

Kits to rebuild a 64kw.hr Nissan leaf pack are approx us$7500-$8000 at port in Australia. (Maybe add us$500 for eu or usa destinations) Plus customs, import, gst. Then plus pack rebuild costs. Not hard for an experienced hv dc technician, maybe 30hrs work.

 

[30svintage]

How long did it take for them to approve the replacement? Anything odd in the battery report and did you bring it in annually for them to run the report?

We took it in on May 8th and corporate approved it the same day but didn't report approval until the 16th. We have had no annual reports done since there have been no Nissan dealers with an EV tech within about 5 hours distance. We bought it in 2019 from a Lease program and it had 12 bars and 12,000 miles. The software upgrade must have been done before we bought it. I did not see the battery report and didn't question it - I was afraid to since they approved a new battery.

 

[alwindsor]

It seems batteries are starting to move. More people on this forum appear to be reporting getting their new batteries.

When talking to my dealer rep in April I was told I'd moved up to #30 on the wait list. 2 spots in 10 months did not make me happy. So I called my level 1 customer service rep an Nissan Canada and tore a strip off them, demanding to know what specific actions the company was taking to get more batteries. They sheepishly referred me to a Level 2 rep who works specifically with the battery stuff. We had a few conversations over the past several weeks.

First they shared that a new supplier has just come online and batteries are moving. He had resolved some replacement pack claims recently and anecdotally indicated that about 5 per month were being delivered. Since telling me that a month ago, I've moved up to #18 on the Canadian waitlist.

I also asked him if the replacement batteries that are coming are new or remanufactured using old cells from other warranty returns. He did say that some of the replacements are remanufactured, but could not comment on the cells specifically. So maybe they're old shells with new cells, maybe a mix-n-match pack of old cells... only Nissan will know. He also said I won't get a choice in the matter. I get what I get when I get to the front of the queue.

If this keeps up I should get my new battery before winter. Fingers crossed!

Well... my battery replacement story ended today. I got a text last week from Nissan Canada saying my battery would ship to my dealer and be there on June 6th. On May 27 I got a call from the dealer saying my battery had arrived and they wanted to get it installed ASAP because it's big and heavy and in the way!

So today (11 months after filing my claim) I drove in with 81000km on the odometer and a 30kWhr pack at 53.7% SOH and 22.9% Hx that would get me 100km on a good day. I left with a 40kWhr pack showing 99.89% SOH and 97.79% Hx, fully charged and 292km on the guess-o-meter.

Next up... I'm going to add OVMS now that I know I'll have the car for a while. Good luck to the rest of you waiting in line! I hope you get your packs soon.

 

[todd0305]

Found this listing at a used car dealership near me. I’m thinking about getting it and dropping it off at Nissan to see if they can start the warranty process to replace the battery. Is it worth the gamble?

It’s a 2017 with warranty still good until May of 2025 and has 8 bars.

 

[crimsona]

Found this listing at a used car dealership near me. I’m thinking about getting it and dropping it off at Nissan to see if they can start the warranty process to replace the battery. Is it worth the gamble?

It’s a 2017 with warranty still good until May of 2025 and has 8 bars.
View attachment 4182

If the vehicle is not getting much interest, you can make the purchase conditional on getting the warranty approved first. Then there's no risk. I did the same except it took me 14 months to receive the battery

 

[TxCarrera]

Make sure it has had the BMS update already, LeafSpy will show you that as well. Seems like there is a new supply of batteries coming in as I only had to wait 3 weeks. Hopefully the days of a 14 month wait are behind us.

 

[ben2h]

Wow! Good for you! I filed a claim with Nissan customer support on January 24 this year about my 2017 Leaf with about 58K miles.
After taking it to two different dealers complaining about my car going into turtle mode and them saying there was nothing wrong, my car finally died on the expressway on the way to work one morning.
Thank God I have AAA for the tow, but I did lose a day's work and had to rent a car. I rented a Tesla and really enjoyed that ride!
I was notified about 4 weeks ago that they agreed to buy back of my car as well as reimburse me for all my rental fees.
I got all the necessary paperwork returned to them about 3 weeks ago. They were going to turn it over to another company to inspect car and whatever else needs to be done to take possession and finalize the deal.

Update: I met the Nissan rep. (Morley) 2 weeks ago. He inspected the car, I signed over the car and he handed me my and the amount promised.

 

[binks]

Nissan told me yesterday I was number 50 in the battery replacement que. A month ago I was 120. Nissan said they are really going now (allegedly)

 

[LeafyLeaf]

Nissan told me yesterday I was number 50 in the battery replacement que. A month ago I was 120. Nissan said they are really going now (allegedly)

Just wondering who gave you the queue info. Was it the dealer or a national rep?

 

[todd0305]

If the vehicle is not getting much interest, you can make the purchase conditional on getting the warranty approved first. Then there's no risk. I did the same except it took me 14 months to receive the battery

Dealership told me yesterday that battery replacement is approved and I can come in today to get a rental. Rental is covered under warranty.

 

[hfletcher]

If the vehicle is not getting much interest, you can make the purchase conditional on getting the warranty approved first. Then there's no risk. I did the same except it took me 14 months to receive the battery

I found a small used car dealer in Hayward California selling a 2017 leaf with eight bars and 74 mile range. I bought it for $4800 and immediately got approved for a new battery. I am very pleased with the vehicle, and my beginners luck with my first electric, but the wait time for new batteries is a little pathetic. I do not have a clear picture of why such a long backorder, is it intentional to discourage warranty claims? If the back orders are that long, the course of many quarters, it’s reasonable to believe that it is intentional. If those back orders were costing Nissan a lot of money, they would be fixed in a hurry, one would think.
-Hopeful newbie in Sacramento

 

[LeftieBiker]

Unfortunately for those like you who are trying to win the 'Battery Lottery', Nissan has largely switched to buy-backs, which usually favor those who bought the cars new or slightly used. You may find yourself having to choose between keeping it and that 8 bar battery, or selling it to Nissan for more or less what you paid for it...

 

[crimsona]

Unfortunately for those like you who are trying to win the 'Battery Lottery', Nissan has largely switched to buy-backs, which usually favor those who bought the cars new or slightly used. You may find yourself having to choose between keeping it and that 8 bar battery, or selling it to Nissan for more or less what you paid for it...

Battery replacement reports have out numbered buyback reports in the last three months, especially on Reddit

 

[LeftieBiker]

Good to know. How about in the last month?