PLEASE CALL CS IF YOU HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH GRABBY BRAKES

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LTLFTcomposite

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Messages
4,780
Location
Central FL
Sorry to shout, but this seems important enough to draw everyone's attention...

Ours has gotten worse. I just got off the phone with customer service about the problem. The rep said they have been getting a lot of calls about the problem. It is important that everyone experiencing this problem call customer service and alert them, as it is the number of reports that will drive them to debug the problem and come up with a fix.

877-664-2738

The guy I spoke to is Wesley, ext 457250

If you have had the problem please make the call and report it; don't sit back and assume everyone else is. ASK THEM FOR THE CASE NUMBER.

Going to the dealer seems fruitless as the problem is intermittent and won't happen for them.
 
I called and the CS I spoke to tried to convince me that this was the first call that they had received on this problem... After pointedly explaining that this was not true, he suddenly "found" the other reports in his database and added mine... The Nissan CS folks are such weasels!

LTLFTcomposite said:
If you have had the problem please make the call and report it; don't sit back and assume everyone else is.
 
At the 1 year I had them inspect, clean (pads/rotors) and replace the brake fluid. The issue is alot better now and I suspect its mostly a compound problem with the pads since it did not fully develop until the pads/rotors were fully seated at around 5K miles. I do however think the issue has a connection to software that just does not fully mature until the brakes are fully bedded.
 
TRONZ said:
At the 1 year I had them inspect, clean (pads/rotors) and replace the brake fluid. The issue is alot better now and I suspect its mostly a compound problem with the pads since it did not fully develop until the pads/rotors were fully seated at around 5K miles. I do however think the issue has a connection to software that just does not fully mature until the brakes are fully bedded.

Did you have to pay for that service?
 
our 2011 had the grabbing breaks on occasion, our 2012 does not have a hint of it, at least not yet. Is this issue restricted to the 2011?
 
GaslessInSeattle said:
our 2011 had the grabbing breaks on occasion, our 2012 does not have a hint of it, at least not yet. Is this issue restricted to the 2011?

No I have a 2012 with the problem. Thanks for mentioning that though, I wondered if it might be unique to 2012 models.
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
TRONZ said:
At the 1 year I had them inspect, clean (pads/rotors) and replace the brake fluid. The issue is alot better now and I suspect its mostly a compound problem with the pads since it did not fully develop until the pads/rotors were fully seated at around 5K miles. I do however think the issue has a connection to software that just does not fully mature until the brakes are fully bedded.

Did you have to pay for that service?

Yes. They said the brake fluid could use a flush (ya, right! My brain screamed). The tech said he would give the brakes a good going over and actually seemed kinda curious about the problem (I was their first 1 year inspection). It was $99 on top of the $100 for inspection, cabin filter, rotation bla bla bla. Afterward, I actually did notice that the pedal feel was firmer and seemed to have better modulation with "THE grab" almost completely gone (maybe it really did need flushing, pad cleaning... though at only 12 months I can't imagine why). The brakes seem to have more fidelity at very low speeds when you are just breathing lightly on the pedal. I have actually not thought much about "THE grab" thing lately so I figure it was a worthwhile service.
 
My brakes are defiately grabby when I am at a 100% charge level... when the regen doesn't yet work. My solution is to adjust how much pressure I put on my breaks using only gentle pressure and their is no problem. I try to avoid using my friction breaks and prefer to just coast to a stop. I'm not even a hyper miler, more of an aggressive driver.

What I am wondering is why the heavy use of the breaks from the posters on this thread? I can see how others might get annoyed by this quirk but it doesn't bother me. I defiately have breaked and said WTF a few times though.

For me the ok to track your every move screen is way more annoying.
 
TRONZ said:
Yes. They said the brake fluid could use a flush (ya, right! My brain screamed).

You can test your own brake fluid easily at home, using test strips made for that.. for about $30 you can get a lifetime supply (25 strips) unless you have 5 cars at home :)

Just test the fluid as part of your yearly maintenance ritual.. Here are two brands, just go visit a professional auto parts store (not Discount Auto Parts).. flushing your own fluid is also easy to do:

http://www.gwrauto.com/stripdip.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
EVDrive said:
My brakes are defiately grabby when I am at a 100% charge level... when the regen doesn't yet work. My solution is to adjust how much pressure I put on my breaks using only gentle pressure and their is no problem. I try to avoid using my friction breaks and prefer to just coast to a stop. I'm not even a hyper miler, more of an aggressive driver.

What I am wondering is why the heavy use of the breaks from the posters on this thread? I can see how others might get annoyed by this quirk but it doesn't bother me. I defiately have breaked and said WTF a few times though.

For me the ok to track your every move screen is way more annoying.

I know the hypermilers say you never use the brakes but I don't know how to navigate through a parking lot that way. I can't run over an old lady who stepped in front of me just to save a few watts. The amount of pressure we are applying IS very light... but the amount of braking force is not proportional. A very light touch can result in a very forceful application of braking force. Maybe it is dependent on charge level, but if it is, that is a problem. I would think whatever electronics, motors, servos or whatever are powered in the 12V side, so charge level makes no sense from that standpoint. An the idea that the braking algorithms use some input from SOC level makes no sense to me either.
 
Herm said:
TRONZ said:
Yes. They said the brake fluid could use a flush (ya, right! My brain screamed).

You can test your own brake fluid easily at home, using test strips made for that.. for about $30 you can get a lifetime supply (25 strips) unless you have 5 cars at home :)

Just test the fluid as part of your yearly maintenance ritual.. Here are two brands, just go visit a professional auto parts store (not Discount Auto Parts).. flushing your own fluid is also easy to do:

http://www.gwrauto.com/stripdip.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good tip, but this car is only three months old. The braking system should not require any maintenance for three years, and if it does it needs to be on Nissan's dime.
 
GaslessInSeattle said:
our 2011 had the grabbing breaks on occasion, our 2012 does not have a hint of it, at least not yet. Is this issue restricted to the 2011?
Upgraded ? Sold your old one ?
 
Nor through barely moving, bumper to bumper, stop and go traffic, which is where the problem really rears its ugly head! By the way, I've driven a 2012 and the problem is still present to the same degree in that model year...
LTLFTcomposite said:
I know the hypermilers say you never use the brakes but I don't know how to navigate through a parking lot that way.
 
I checked the Nissan ASSIST terminal at work today to see if there are any TSBs (Nissan solutions to known issues) with the LEAF in regards to the brakes. I couldn't find anything particular, besides the standard ABS Noise TSB that applies to all Nissan cars.

In terms of Nissan brakes in general, we have a lot of cars that need brakes in the first 10K miles because of pulsation/noise/"sticking" (as in a jerky/popping not smooth stop). My idea is that when the cars sit on the lot the rotors rust and so they tend to not wear exactly even. Around here with our 50 MPH strips and Garden State Parkway the brakes get a trashing. There's plenty of pad left, but the rotors require refinishing ("cut") and new pads installed. But this is the reality with any car that sits for months. I parked my car for two weeks near the ocean once and my rear drum brakes were stuck and my fronts were never the same. Cars like to be driven, bottom line.

As for the brake flush, most manufacturers recommend it every 2 years because the fluid absorbs moisture and this can give a spongy pedal. A lot of customers never do it, and get through years without a prob. I'll definitely be doing it on my LEAF if I own it.
 
Hi, Yeah got a 2011 in October 2011 and the grabby brake problem showed up about 1,000 in. It's pretty shocking when it happens creeping along in traffic, but as mentioned, it is inconsistent. Took the car in for the software update and mentioned the problem, but got the deer in the headlight look. Haven't'contacted CS yet but should. Just hoping the problem will resolve itself or some recall is announced. It is definately a problem.
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
It is important that everyone experiencing this problem call customer service and alert them, as it is the number of reports that will drive them to debug the problem and come up with a fix.

My 2012 had this problem for the first couple of months.

One Saturday I drove it up to the local ski resort (Brighton). Driving down the mountain gave the brakes a good workout.

Next day I drove the car up a different canyon just to check out it in the S curves. Again the brakes got a good workout driving back home.

No more grabby brake problem, they work perfect now.

KJD
 
I know my current ICE vehicle will get a little rust buildup on the brake discs after I wash the wheels. When I go to drive it the next morning after washing it, I'll get some extra noise for a little while until the pads rub off the rust buildup.

Given that an EV uses mostly regenerative braking, could we be seeing something similar happening here, just more extreme?
 
KJD said:
Driving down the mountain gave the brakes a good workout.
KJD said:
Again the brakes got a good workout driving back home.
What?!!! Do you mean to tell us that you used YOUR BRAKES to convert the kinetic energy of your LEAF directly into HEAT?!!! And on multiple occasions, no less!!

I'm sorry, but because of this VERY GRAVE and REPEATED infraction of the EV Owners Code of Conduct, I will have to ask you to turn in your membership card.

:D

Oh, BTW, thanks for the tip on how to fix the grabby brakes problem!
 
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