2011 Nissan leaf problems

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

a8ballx

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Messages
5
Hey guys. I'm a late adopter. Bought my 2011 Nissan leaf with 10 Bars and 32k miles about 3 months ago. (I'll remember it because it was 3 weeks after my wife and I had triplets. So 2 weeks ago I was warming my car up *as one does on a cold day* waiting for my daughter to get ready to go to the store with me. It was on ON mode not derivable on mode as it was still plugged into the house charger *120 if that matters. Now i got my daughter all packed in and tried to turn my car on. No lovely chime it just went on and told me to press the brake in and try again. After about 10 times of doing that and periodically getting a slight hum from the rear of the car I knew something was up. So I went through the motions suggested online IE 12V battery and fuses. None of these worked. So I took it to the dealership in town and they ran a 3 hour diagnostic and came back with a $3500 fix replacing both the VCM Vehicle control module and the battery junction box. I did however find a service campaign bulletin NTB11-038a that sounded exactly like what was going on with my vehicle but i was assured by both Nissan USA and the Nissan Dealership that this did not apply to my vehicle. So my question is this. Has anyone else had this happen to them? There is one place in my town that does work on EVs and he said it sounded highly suspicious that the dealerships technician had no reasons to why he came to these conclusions. Almost like he was throwing parts at a problem and didn't actually know what's wrong with it. Any help would be much appreciated
 
I can't help with the Leaf but congrats on almost 4 months of life with triplets! I can only imagine how taxing that must be. Best of luck with the car and the more important things.
 
Are you saying that you replaced the 12 volt battery with a new one, or just charged the same one? It does sound like they want to throw parts at it. I seem to recall this issue coming up before, and it MAY have been a less expensive part that failed. Let's see if anyone else remembers it better...
 
goldbrick said:
I can't help with the Leaf but congrats on almost 4 months of life with triplets! I can only imagine how taxing that must be. Best of luck with the car and the more important things.

Thanks it's been a rough couple of months. I'm just now getting longer amounts of sleep.
 
LeftieBiker said:
Are you saying that you replaced the 12 volt battery with a new one, or just charged the same one? It does sound like they want to throw parts at it. I seem to recall this issue coming up before, and it MAY have been a less expensive part that failed. Let's see if anyone else remembers it better...

I did both. I trickle charged the original and bought another one. (even trickle charged that to be sure)
 
I didn't really think it was a 12 volt battery failure, but they do produce a wide range of symptoms. If no one can remember this issue, I'll search the site later. Google is a better way to search here, BTW.
 
I recommend that you get LEAF Spy Pro and a suitable OBDII interface. Then read and record all of the DTCs (diagnostic trouble codes), clear the codes, disconnect/reconnect the 12-volt battery, read and clear DTCs again, disconnect/reconnect 12-volt battery again, read and clear DTCs again, turn off the car, and finally start the car again.

The LEAF, like most modern cars, has numerous computer modules that share information over a network. Modules can lock up and/or set DTCs if something interferes with network communications. It can be difficult to get all of the modules reset and all of the DTCs cleared, but the car will not function correctly unless the network system works correctly. Obviously, replacing modules at customer expense could be a money-making deal for unscrupulous dealers when all that is needed is a full network reset.
 
46086798_611402609292339_2170979756219039744_n.jpg
I recommend that you get LEAF Spy Pro and a suitable OBDII interface. Then read and record all of the DTCs (diagnostic trouble codes), clear the codes, disconnect/reconnect the 12-volt battery, read and clear DTCs again, disconnect/reconnect 12-volt battery again, read and clear DTCs again, turn off the car, and finally start the car again.

The LEAF, like most modern cars, has numerous computer modules that share information over a network. Modules can lock up and/or set DTCs if something interferes with network communications. It can be difficult to get all of the modules reset and all of the DTCs cleared, but the car will not function correctly unless the network system works correctly. Obviously, replacing modules at customer expense could be a money-making deal for unscrupulous dealers when all that is needed is a full network reset.[/quote]
 
a8ballx said:
So I took it to the dealership in town and they ran a 3 hour diagnostic and came back with a $3500 fix replacing both the VCM Vehicle control module and the battery junction box. I did however find a service campaign bulletin NTB11-038a that sounded exactly like what was going on with my vehicle but i was assured by both Nissan USA and the Nissan Dealership that this did not apply to my vehicle.
If you haven't gotten a copy, you can d/l the PDF of that TSB via https://x.nissanhelp.com/forums/Knowledgebase/links/693/ w/a free account.

It was one of the earliest TSBs, probably https://www.torquenews.com/106/nissan-investigating-no-start-problem-2011-leaf-electric-vehicle?comments and https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1058150_breaking-2011-nissan-leaf-start-failure--what-you-need-to-know, judging by the content of the letter in the PDF. I remember seeing a funny pic of a some Nissan folks all around the open hood of a Leaf that wouldn't start w/one guy on the phone.

Leaf Spy Pro does let you retrieve the ECU versions. Not sure if it can retrieve the VCM version. (It can definitely retrieve the TCU firmware revision as I posted at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=534889#p534889.)

From the PDF
Write down the Part Number on the vehicle’s repair order (see Figure 8).
• If the VCM part number is 237D0-3NA0B, continue with reprogramming.
> Select Save, and then go to Step 15.
• If the VCM part number is not 237D0-3NA0B, this campaign does not apply or it has already been done. Close C-III plus (select Home, and then the “X”) and the CONSULT PC, disconnect from the vehicle, and then recheck Service Comm for campaign eligibility
Since the car is that old, assuming the car has been serviced at least once at Nissan dealer by the previous drivers, it probably already had this applied.
 
Those error codes are reasonable for CAN Bus communication problems combined with low 12-volt battery (from replacing the battery). Try clearing the DTC's using the procedure noted in my previous reply. I suspect your car will them be OK.

If there are real issues, the codes will return so there is no risk in clearing them.
 
So my battery junction box was covered under the warranty but my VCM wasn't. So 1500 dollar bill as opposed to a 4200. Fingers crossed this fixes the problem.
 
GerryAZ said:
The VCM controls some of the power train systems so it should be covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. I suggest that you call the EV Customer Service line for assistance.

If we're still talking about a 2011 here, that warranty is long expired.
 
LeftieBiker said:
GerryAZ said:
The VCM controls some of the power train systems so it should be covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. I suggest that you call the EV Customer Service line for assistance.

If we're still talking about a 2011 here, that warranty is long expired.

You are right. The junction box is inside the battery case so it was probably covered under the 8-year battery warranty.
 
Back
Top