12V Battery problems

[Inaidrr]

My 2011 Leaf has worked fine since I bought it in March 2014. It was fully charged last night when I put it in the garage.

This morning, I couldn't get in - the door locks weren't working. I opened the door with the emergency key, but nothing inside the car was working either.

I arranged to have the car transported to the local Nissan dealer, but before that the fellow tried his "jump start" battery across the Leaf's 12V battery. It said "low battery" before he turned on the jump start battery. When he turned on the jump start battery, the car sprang into life. The jump battery almost immediately showed the car battery to be healthy.
Presumably, turning the car on caused the DC-DC charger to help out the car's 12V battery.

I wonder if the car 12V battery has failed, or is failing. That would explain the symptoms.

I'm going to await what the dealer's service department finds, but does anyone here have any other ideas?

[acuRAS82]

Sounds like battery is failing or you just left a light or something on... but you should have noticed the light after it started... did you? Maybe even something else was toggled on that drained it.

If it was the alternator then it shouldn’t have started so easy and remained with power during/after the jump start. So hopefully you are good there. Did the battery go dead again after the car was turned off after the jump start?

[Bill D]

I feel your pain about batteries. They only last two years down here and I'm going to have to replace the ones in two of my cars coming up. A Battery Tender only helps for so long.

[PaulMys]

Is that the original battery? If so, consider yourself lucky to have had it for 6 years.


Have your dealer load test it, but at 6 years old.............. Like I said, you're lucky.

[FUNX650]

Leaf...

•What does the amp gauge read?

•Check for loose cables; and corrosion
around the terminals.

*********************************

Bob

[mbkite]

Sounds like a parasitic drain YouTube that lots of good information

[muaddba]

I have no insight into what a 12V battery would power in a full BEV like a Leaf, and what its charge/discharge cycle looks like compared to an ICE vehicle, but I will agree that 6 years would be a great lifespan for a 12V battery in an ICE vehicle. And when those suckers fail, they just suddenly go belly-up now, with very little warning. I'd have it replaced, and that's probably what the dealer is going to recommend (at a nicely inflated price, for sure).

[acuRAS82]

I'd have it replaced, and that's probably what the dealer is going to recommend (at a nicely inflated price, for sure).

OP could look at getting the battery at Advanced Auto, Pep Boys or somewhere if they can pop it in, or get a friend to.