Nissan Leaf would not charge the battery!

Hello,
I have a problem with my Nissan Leaf on day 1. I supposed to pick up my Nissan Leaf 2011 on 8/6/11 at Nissan Dealership but they said the car would not take charge and the local technician doesn't know what to do. The manager told me to that they have to wait to get the Nissan specialist to come and check it out. It's been 4 days and they haven't gotten a clue what's wrong. Is anyone out there having similar problem with their Leaf?

Nope, that's a new one I've never heard of. I'm wondering how much those technicians know at that dealership. Maybe the LEAF tech fell asleep during charging instruction class. Maybe someone messed with the LEAF timers because if a timer is set and it isn't within that time window, it won't charge. I have mine set to 6AM on and 6AM off and 80%. That way, no matter what time it is or where I am, it will always start charging at plug-in unless it's already at 80%. One day a week (lots of errands, trips, etc.) I override the 80% timer with the 'timer switch' below the dash and it charges to 100%. Hope they figure it out soon!

Yep, the timer would be my first guess as well, assuming the Leaf isn't already fully charged. Also, if the Leaf is turned on when you plug it in, I don't believe it will start charging (I think I saw this on mine once when I was doing some demonstrations). I have never used my timer. Just keep it turned off, and my Leaf has never failed to charge the first time I plug it in.

Dave

Hello to Nissan Leaf owners,

Just to update you about my Nissan Leaf. It's still sitting at the dealership workshop day #6. I just had a talk with the manager and he reported that the Nissan tech from the American Nissan Corporate doesn't know why the car is not charging. They are calling the Nissan tech in Japan to see if they can figure out what is actually wrong with it. I am worry about this car. The manager told me this has only happened to one other car! Should I buy this Nissan Leaf or ask them to replace me another Nissan Leaf? I asked the manager this question and he told me that I have to go back to the reservation process over again! I have waited for one year already. I already installed and paid for the home charging unit. I understand they want to solve the problem of the car, but should the Nissan Corporate rush me another replacement that actually works? I hope this is only an isolated incident. Good luck to all your cars!

davetex99 said:

Yep, the timer would be my first guess as well, assuming the Leaf isn't already fully charged. Also, if the Leaf is turned on when you plug it in, I don't believe it will start charging (I think I saw this on mine once when I was doing some demonstrations). I have never used my timer. Just keep it turned off, and my Leaf has never failed to charge the first time I plug it in.
Dave

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You're right, it will stop charging if you turn on your LEAF and not charge it it is in drive mode (green car). So you must charge your LEAF to 100% all the time then? That's what it will do without a timer set.

Give them some time and they will swap out some stuff and it will (most likely) work just fine, long before they could locate a replacement.

But, you could enquire (it would likely be a dealer demo), and see what they suggest.

glam said:

Should I buy this Nissan Leaf or ask them to replace me another Nissan Leaf?

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I see no reason not to accept this LEAF once they repair it. It would be different if it were a paint issue or frame damage that couldn't be made as good as new, but this should be a replacement of electrical parts and perfect once they're done.

If it were me, I'd call around and try and find an orphan with the same configuration while you are waiting and if there is not simple fix, push to have them let you do a switheroo without an upcharge. this is a great car, it would suck to get stuck with a lemon. I think anyone would understand that you deserve a clean start if it's not something as simple as a loose wire.
g

LEAFfan said:

davetex99 said:

Yep, the timer would be my first guess as well, assuming the Leaf isn't already fully charged. Also, if the Leaf is turned on when you plug it in, I don't believe it will start charging (I think I saw this on mine once when I was doing some demonstrations). I have never used my timer. Just keep it turned off, and my Leaf has never failed to charge the first time I plug it in.
Dave

Click to expand...

You're right, it will stop charging if you turn on your LEAF and not charge it it is in drive mode (green car). So you must charge your LEAF to 100% all the time then? That's what it will do without a timer set.

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Yes, right now at least, I charge my Leaf to 100% every time. I often put 70+ miles on it, and don't know from day to day how much I'll be driving. I started driving my Leaf June 2nd and already have 3400 miles on it (which includes a week when it sat without being driven because we were out of town). So far, the most I've put on it in one day is 140 miles. Those trips have to be planned a bit in advance so I know where one of the few public chargers are (increasing every week) and build in the time to charge.

Dave

Hello Leaf Drivers!
Just to let you know. I decided to buy another Orphan Leaf without the charging problem and it works great!
My vin# is 7462.
Have you noticed that there's a unusual opening or missing part above the back license plate holder. There's another threat regarding this missing part. I am just curious if any Leaf owner out here has the answer for it? What happens if the water, ice or mud get in there and the affect of the electrical system? Should there be a cover for it?

glam said:

What happens if the water, ice or mud get in there and the affect of the electrical system? Should there be a cover for it?

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I'm going to take a guess and say everything is waterproofed. I recall seeing a video that showed Nissan putting the LEAF partially under water without any damage to anything.