2019 Leaf SL PDM not charging

[glad2bhere]

My 2019 has 71k miles on it and the level 2 port stopped charging. I just received the attached notice from the dealership I purchased the Leaf from. Should I expect that the PDM is still under warranty? I have a friend who is very talented car mechanic. Could he possibly do the repair? I know that is a tough one to answer due to limited info on the mechanic abilities.

I do wonder if the following site would help me get the repair done for free.
https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10170015-0001.pdf

Cheers!

 

[nlspace]

The "Uxxxx" Trouble Codes are faults with the CAN Buss communications. The typical cause has been repeatedly found to be related to an old, weak or worn out 12V battery. If your car still has the original battery, then you have gotten your money's worth out of it--inspect, check and verify that you have a good, strong 12V battery. Many times replacing an old one with a fully charged new one (put the new one on a charger to ensure it is full) has solved U-code faults.

 

[glad2bhere]

The "Uxxxx" Trouble Codes are faults with the CAN Buss communications. The typical cause has been repeatedly found to be related to an old, weak or worn out 12V battery. If your car still has the original battery, then you have gotten your money's worth out of it--inspect, check and verify that you have a good, strong 12V battery. Many times replacing an old one with a fully charged new one (put the new one on a charger to ensure it is full) has solved U-code faults.

Thank you @nlspace The battery was replaced less than four months ago.

 

[nlspace]

Has it been kept fully charged during those 4 months?

If a lead acid battery is left at less-than-fully charged it will suffer capacity loss due to sulfation of the plates.

If you have checked and verified that the 12V is not a culprit, then the U-code may be due to rodent damage to the wiring harness, or corrosion of contacts in a connector.

But you should know that we have seen this sort of issue reported on the forum in hundreds of posts, and the solution was quite simple and missed by the dealer service dept.

 

[glad2bhere]

Has it been kept fully charged during those 4 months?

If a lead acid battery is left at less-than-fully charged it will suffer capacity loss due to sulfation of the plates.

If you have checked and verified that the 12V is not a culprit, then the U-code may be due to rodent damage to the wiring harness, or corrosion of contacts in a connector.

But you should know that we have seen this sort of issue reported on the forum in hundreds of posts, and the solution was quite simple and missed by the dealer service dept.

Thank you, @nlspace Yes, it has been fully charged. I will ask if the dealership has checked your suggestions.

 

[Araknai]

@glad2bhere I have a 2020 Leaf I bought on salvage auction for the battery pack sitting in my driveway waiting for me to start parting out. Let me know if you need any parts from it.

 

[glad2bhere]

@glad2bhere I have a 2020 Leaf I bought on salvage auction for the battery pack sitting in my driveway waiting for me to start parting out. Let me know if you need any parts from it.

Thank you @Araknai I will let you know

 

[glad2bhere]

Thank you all of your help. I was told the PDM was not under warranty. I will seek out a new or used PDM.

 

[nlspace]

As a second opinion, you might want to get an OBDII dongle, such as the OBDLink LX from scantool (android blueteeth version) and download the laefspy app for your phone/tablet. Then you can check the status and condition of your cells, plus get a reading of the trouble codes stored for the faults.

If only the U-xxxx code is flagged then you have an issue with either the 12V level, the wiring (rodent damage?), or the connectors (corroded contacts or terminals). OR the ecu involved in the circuit (unlikely and very rarely seen except in the event of lightning or some other arcing event).

If the DTCs definitely point to a PDM failure, then you can proceed with confidence, but it is not a given considering only one undetermined "U-xxxx" code.

If you do replace the PDM then i would be willing to troubleshoot and repair your old one, or at least identify the failed component if a repair is not possible.

 

[glad2bhere]

As a second opinion, you might want to get an OBDII dongle, such as the OBDLink LX from scantool (android blueteeth version) and download the laefspy app for your phone/tablet. Then you can check the status and condition of your cells, plus get a reading of the trouble codes stored for the faults.

If only the U-xxxx code is flagged then you have an issue with either the 12V level, the wiring (rodent damage?), or the connectors (corroded contacts or terminals). OR the ecu involved in the circuit (unlikely and very rarely seen except in the event of lightning or some other arcing event).

If the DTCs definitely point to a PDM failure, then you can proceed with confidence, but it is not a given considering only one undetermined "U-xxxx" code.

If you do replace the PDM then i would be willing to troubleshoot and repair your old one, or at least identify the failed component if a repair is not possible.

Thank you, @nlspace I will purchase that today and update you on my findings. I hope to get the car back tomorrow.

 

[nlspace]

p.s. i doubt the PDM is bad, it is a rare item to fail; other faults are more likely (wires, connectors). But you could open the lid and inspect the fuses and for signs of burnt or damaged parts fairly easily, 10mm socket and use one of the bolts as a jack-screw in the front flange.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Thank you all of your help. I was told the PDM was not under warranty. I will seek out a new or used PDM.

You may want to confirm that, as it's covered by the 5 year EV components warranty. So find the "In Service" date and see if 5 years from that date has actually passed. If the warranty expired recently, but after you first reported the problem, then they are supposed to honor it.