EV system warning light - possible battery replacement

[goelectric2014]

hi All,
saw few threads here abt users getting EV system warning light.
I have my leaf for just 3 weeks. brand new 2013 SV with QC. First time ever tried to charge on 240 (have been charging on QC 440 or trickle charge at home) and got the EV system warning light. (Exclamation in car orange sign). Took it to dealer thinking that it will be something quick, but they kept the car and put me in rental. They mentioned that possibly they may have to replace the battery (wth).. another user had mentioned here that there is recall on 2013 leaf, but i could not find much information on it. if someone has any info onthat recall, can you pls share? Thanks,

 

[cwerdna]

Do you have the codes that the dealer pulled?

You can always lookup recalls for any car at http://www.safercar.gov/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. I doubt it was a recall that you're being afflicted by. I did need NTB13-069 applied. See http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=329929#p329929" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=362665#p362665" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. I believe NTB13-098 superseded it, which I had applied since I also received a snail mail notice about it.

See that link to download the PDFs of the TSBs yourself. You only get 2 files/day with a free account, so you may as well not waste it on NTB13-069.

From NTB13-069... (an excerpt since the PDF is 27 pages long):

IF YOU CONFIRM:
The customer states the HV battery charger of an applied vehicle will not charge or will not complete charging
AND
The EV warning light is on and all of the following DTCs are found stored:
• P316C, P3170, P3171, and B29C1
NOTE: CONSULT III plus must display B29C1 with malfunction type “EVSE no signal” or “EVSE invalid signal”.
ACTION:
1. Confirm this bulletin applies.
• Compare the vehicle’s current PDM part number to those listed in Table A (see page 8).
• When CONSULT III plus displays DTC B29C1 and its malfunction type is anything other than “EVSE (no signal or invalid signal)”, this bulletin does not apply. Refer to the Electronic Service Manual (ESM) for further diagnosis.
2. If this bulletin applies, reprogram the PDM
...

And yep, when I took mine in for the above light, they pulled those exact codes.

Again, w/o your codes, we can only guess.

 

[stjohnh]

My experience w the warning light, if car won't charge all the way, is that it needs the power control module reprogrammed. I don't have the number for it, but that is the first step. I've had the warning light come on (and stay on so that I couldn't start the car) a couple of other times, always from an unusual activity. Once from running the 12v battery nearly dead w a 12v tire compressor, once from plugging into a malfunctioning L2 charger and one other time that I can't remember the reason. Rebooting the car solved the problem each time (unhooking the neg terminal from the 12v battery, opening the doors, waiting a couple of minutes and hooking up the battery again). After the first time I put a small wrench in the glove box so if I wasn't home and had the problem, that I could reboot easily. After the 3rd time I replaced the nut on the battery terminal w a wing nut, so I don't even have to get out the wrench. No reboots required after putting on the wing nut. I've had the car a year.

Anyway there a bunch of threads w info about this, mostly not a serious problem and I don't remember anyone having a bad 400 volt battery as a cause.

As others have mentioned, knowing the codes will help find the cause. Get a cheap android bluetooth phone (kyocera event $30 at walmart, don't activate it), a bluetooth OBDII adapter ($10 Amazon) and LeafSpy pro ($10 on Play store). $50 total. The uses and info are invaluable.

 

[goelectric2014]

Thanks for the reply. dealer reprogrammed the PDM. The problem should be resolved now. They say that the car is fully charged, but when i did an update on carwings, it only shows 10 bars. that seems odd to me.
is it possible to determine if the battery has lost a bar from carwings?
anyway, will check the car later when i pickup

 

[goelectric2014]

Do you have the codes that the dealer pulled?


From NTB13-069... (an excerpt since the PDF is 27 pages long):

IF YOU CONFIRM:
The customer states the HV battery charger of an applied vehicle will not charge or will not complete charging
AND
The EV warning light is on and all of the following DTCs are found stored:
• P316C, P3170, P3171, and B29C1
NOTE: CONSULT III plus must display B29C1 with malfunction type “EVSE no signal” or “EVSE invalid signal”.
ACTION:
1. Confirm this bulletin applies.
• Compare the vehicle’s current PDM part number to those listed in Table A (see page 8).
• When CONSULT III plus displays DTC B29C1 and its malfunction type is anything other than “EVSE (no signal or invalid signal)”, this bulletin does not apply. Refer to the Electronic Service Manual (ESM) for further diagnosis.
2. If this bulletin applies, reprogram the PDM
...

Again, w/o your codes, we can only guess.

They pulled two codes P316C and P3170

 

[cwerdna]

Thanks for the reply. dealer reprogrammed the PDM. The problem should be resolved now.

Please keep us up to date on whether it's resolved for good.

I wouldn't be surprised about folks with early '13s who haven't had either NTB13-069 nor NTB13-098 applied hitting problems now due to the weather being warmer.

 

[Rauv]

Did the OP get Nissan notice P3259? I had the same charging problems as the OP, and the P3259 fix at the dealer did the trick. I've had no problems charging since the update.