2013 Nissan Leaf electrical problems

Filed Nov 30, 2023 · Electrical · CA

The car suddenly lost power during freeway driving. The brake system appeared compromised. Turning off 12v accessories - which includes safety critical functions such as the defrost blower - was necessary to restore functionality. This is caused by a defective DC-DC converter that fails to properly charge the 12V battery, risking and repeatedly causing sudden loss power, loss of braking, and loss of safety critical functions. This is not the result of damage to the DC-DC converter or other such damage. This is proven by the fact that activation of the wipers triggers the DC-DC converter to temporarily raise the charging voltage to a level sufficient to restore power and charge the 12v battery. Due to defective programming of the DC-DC converter, the power provided to the 12v battery and system quickly returns to unsafe low levels. The DC-DC converter has a sense line that senses the voltage of the 12v battery, but the programming of the converter is defective such that it does not actually maintain the battery at a healthy level. This is a commonly reported and discussed issue on Nissan Leaf ownership forums. Reprogramming of the DC-DC converter is necessary, but not available from Nissan. This issue also causes early degradation of 12v batteries, and replacement of the 12v does not cure the issue. The most recent occurrence of loss of power was 11/30/23, but it has happened repeatedly in the past.

Filed Sep 30, 2023 · Electrical · AZ

The Nissan Leaf has a 6,600 watt charger that is attached to the top of the 26,000 watt electrical motor. A 30 Amp Nissan charging cord connects the 220 volt electrical outlet (dryer) to the Leaf via a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) J1772 Plug. Unknown to me a desert rat had chewed the insulation down to the wires of the charging cord, leaving the wires bare. The desert rat was not electrocuted because the onboard charger safety system in the vehicle turns off the 220 volts AC before it reaches the car using the control box that is part of the the charging cable. But when I plugged the J1772 Plug into the Leaf Nissan's "safety system" sent 220 volts form the dryer plug to the Nissan Leaf creating an electrocution hazard where the rat removed the insulation. I saw a series of sparks and felt the electricity through my electric car safety gear rubber Crocs. Nissan's "safety system" ensures that there is NO arc of electric current when you unplug the J1772 connector. Unfortunately for me and possibly for tens of thousands of other EV drivers Nissan did not envision a rat eating the wire and causing the system to momentarily electrocute a person attempting to charge their car. Nissan 220 volt charging cord no longer charges the Leaf and the Leaf's entire charging system on top of the motor in no longer operational. I suspect the two, 220 volt wires in the Nissan charging cable shorted to the two safety wires (pilot and proximity wires) which is has about 1/16 of an inch separation, and fired Nissans onboard charger. The cost to replace Nissans onboard charging system is about $7,000 for parts and labor. What does Nissan LEAF’s EV warranty coverage include? Your confidence gets a boost with Nissan LEAF’s New Electric Vehicle Limited Warranty. Coverage includes — but is not limited to — Motor, Inverter Unit, VCM, Reduction Gear, DC/DC Converter, Onboard Charger, Onboard Charger Connector, and Trickle Charge Cable. [*]

Filed May 5, 2022 · Electrical · TX

Due to a manufacturing issue certain 2011-2019 LEAF vehicles' lithium-ion battery bonding plates may not meet Nissan internal standards and may fail. Unfortunately the recommended servicing facility does not service electric vehicles. The next nearest facility is beyond the range of the now degraded lithium ion battery. This makes it impossible to drive the vehicle to a servicing facility so that to affect this voluntary recall will require a tow both ways. Nissan refuses to address this issue and I am concerned first regarding the seriousness of this repair and secondly my out of pocket expense to affect this repair.

Filed Jul 29, 2019 · Electrical · 50,000 miles · CA

The indicators lights can and are being manipulated (turned on and off) via remote control access. The vehicle was in motion, on a city street. Please test this to ascertain if the nissan vehicles safety indicator lights can be manipulated by someone other than the driver via remote control. It is a safety issue if the light indicates there is a problem with my tires and I'm prompted to exit my vehicle to check the tires on the freeway, at a gasoline station etc., etc., etc., thank you.

Filed Jul 12, 2019 · Electrical · 57,000 miles · CA

Battery charged to 55 mile range, left overnight and dropped to 39 miles while showing 9 bars. Range drops significantly while driving. The battery rack is under recall for a faulty ground, but nissan claims this would not affect the battery pack. The "9 bars" is not consistent with this range and the battery should not lose 25% of its charge overnight.

Filed Jun 29, 2019 · Airbags, Electrical · 36,870 miles · GA

My nissan leaf was experiencing a seat belt not buckled and it would light up when no one was sitting in the seat. I have taken it to the dealer three times to have it fixed. The first two times they reset the sensor and it would stay fixed for 2 months. I just took it back the 3rd time. The dealer said the airbag would not deploy in an accident. Since it was a safety issue not covered under warranty, I chose for them to fix my vehicle. The ocs sensor and control module was faulty. It cost me $652.56 to repair it. I thought it would be covered under warranty since this was a safety issue. I want to report this issue to you since it was a safety issue. I do not want anyone dying in a car accident due to the airbag not deploying.

Filed Mar 29, 2019 · Airbags, Electrical · CA

1.passenger air bag light is on continuously when car is on, stationary or moving, regardless of front passenger seat occupancy. 2.airbag system light blinks continuously when car is on, stationary or moving, regardless of passenger seat occupancy. The local nissan dealership has worked on the problem four times over two plus years, ultimately unsuccessful for more than a few weeks. Dealership now refuses to fix the problem citing nissan corp. Reluctance to pay for repair under original warranty, which has expired. Dealership claims passenger seat replacement is necessary at a cost to us of perhaps $2000. We don't know whether the passenger airbag will not deploy when it shouldn't, or will deploy when it should.

Filed Apr 19, 2018 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 29,000 miles · UT

I didn't drive the car for a few days and the 12v battery died. So I disconnected it from the car and hooked it up to my 12v battery charger. When it was fully charged, I reconnected it and started the car. Both the yellow and red warning lights were on as were the brake, ABS, and vdc lights. I started backing up in the driveway and as soon as I pressed the brakes, strange noises came from the front of the car. I slammed on the parking brake to stop.I tried backing again and noticed the brakes only engaged when the pedal was pressed almost all the way down. While troubleshooting, I noticed removing the vdc fuse stopped the sounds. Also the brakes are now usable, but require much more force on the pedal than normal. The trouble codes are c118a and c1a61. (ABS e-driven int brake system brc-124 / brake motor power supply br-46) after an expensive diagnosis, the nissan dealer determined "diag. Used consult. C1a61 current code motor power supply. Checked fuses ok. Electrically driven int brake unit harness and connections ok. 12v present to module. Brake unit internal shorted due to suspected surge. Rec replacing 12v battery and unit. Further testing may be needed.....estimate to replace 2817.00 parts and labor. Part is from the factory." I have seen many other leaf owners write about this kind of problem and believe it may be a common defect. I also don't know why it wasn't covered under the warranty.

Filed Jul 25, 2014 · Electrical · 5,500 miles · HI

This is an electric car. The car will not start, even though the battery has plenty of charge. A dashboard message was displayed, indicating the problem is the car is not recognizing the key. There were other unusual electrical issues at the same time, such as only one of the four windows would roll down, and the doors temporarily locked and refused to unlock.

Filed Jun 5, 2014 · Body, Electrical · CA

2013 nissan leaf. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle electrical system issues. *smd the consumer stated on two rare occasions, he accidentally pushed the power button in quick succession to turn off the vehicle. All systems shut down, no power steering, no brakes, etc, but the vehicle rolled backward out of the garage.