40kWh Nissan Leaf - Dead 12v battery

[@deelight868]

I had this exact issue and was in a panic. Walking through this helped immensely. Thank you!

[@RSThinks]

Glad the video helped you. They are fickle things Leafs lol Thanks for watching. Did you give the video a thumbs up and subscribe...? 😁

[@alang2004]

Thank you so much for posting this video. The weather is a freezing zero degrees here at the moment and my Leaf which was well charged when last used about 3 weeks ago. was effectively dead today, not a spark of any kind when I pressed the start button. with no power it would not even open the charge flap. Your explanation to open the car, flap and the diagnostics when car was dead was most informative and I am now sure I will be able to get car going again on Monday when the typically variable English weather rebounds back to10+ degrees. Very informative and helpful

[@RSThinks]

Glad you'll be able to get your Leaf working again. Thanks for your comment!

[@Ph_Tis]

My husband leaf same problem ..looking this video .hope this is work

[@Hitstirrer]

Various forums have discussed this Leaf issue at length for years. It's clear that there is a common glitch over maintaining the 12v battery level. Many have accepted this and now just use a smart charger overnight once a month. They not only top up but also maintain the 12v battery in good condition. Such problems as this go away by this simple regime. Should not be necessary of course but life is too short to stress over such issues.

[@Rhaman68]

A glitch? I don’t think so. I have a 2011 Leaf. The factory 12v battery was replaced at the 5 year point because it was time. No issues with the battery at all. I purchased a similar battery from a dealer and replace it myself. No issues at all just like the original. I wonder what people expect out of battery. In extremes temperature areas, cold and hot, I would replace this battery every 48 months tops. In SW Ohio the wx is moderate. Normally both hot and cold extremes are rare and do not last very long. Thanks

[@Hitstirrer]

@@Rhaman68 - Not all cars have this problem. You are just one of the fortunate ones. That is part of the problem though because it's random and unpredictable. Nobody would complain about your own experience. But some people have run into this issue within a year - and then again with a replacement battery under warranty. Dealers just shrug and say it must have been a bad batch of batteries. It isn't. It's a real and present problem. Resolved by physical intervention by the owner to top up and maintain it regularly.

[@RSThinks]

I haven't experienced the issue since I made the video. For me it was a one-off occurrence. Thanks for commenting guys, it really helps others! 👍🏻

[@FalkinerTim]

My MG ZS EV which I bought about twelve months ago started giving a low 12v battery message so I just charged the 12v battery up with a trickle charger overnight. Seems ok a few days later. Seems a fairly common problem with EVs. One theory is the 12v batteries are better off being charged and discharged and not having sudden high loads causes crystals to form or something. Will probably give it an occasional overnight trickle charge.

[@llong8419]

I put my 2022 Nissan Leaf, 40kWh with only 1100 miles on it, in my garage last night about 5p and this morning about 10am I went into the garage and heard a fairly loud clicking sound, seemed like it was in a cadence, sounded like a relay clicking noise. I checked and the 12v battery was down to a little over 4v. Put the smart charger on it and the clicking noise stopped immediately and it took about 4 hours to fully charge @16 amps. Now about 6 hours after removing the charger the battery is still at 12.9v, so doesn't appear to be discharging. I'm fairly sure I didn't leave anything on when I left the car. I keep a close check of the battery voltage on my EV cars as the charging system does not seem to be as efficient as with an ICE vehicle with an alternator. I've had a Prius Prime and a Honda Clarity, both with similar battery voltage ranges of 12.4vdc to 12.8vdc immediately after shutdown whereas with a battery charged by an alternator the voltage would be significantly higher. I had checked the battery on my Leaf the morning before the incident and it was at 12.5vdc. My question is what could have put this much of a discharge on a new battery in a period of 16 hours? I have put a battery tender on this car periodically and brought the voltage up to float voltage (13.4vdc) for at least 24 hours, so the battery in this car that I bought less than 6 months ago should be in good condition. Guess I'll have to start using the charger more frequently. Thanks RSThinks for the video.

[@RSThinks]

I think a trip to the dealer could be a good idea. They can check the battery and give you a new one if needed. Thanks for watching!

[@robertwood9155]

Just after I bought my Leaf I went away for a month. My dealer told me not leave it plugged into my charger. I did fix a connecting lead across the 12-volt battery and connected a battery charger/conditioner while I was away to avoid problems. Now whenever I'm away for long periods I leave the 12 volt battery on trickle charge. I'm just about to get my first service having done just under 6000 miles. My battery SOH is 95.35% according to leafspy. It concerns me slightly I wondered what your battery’s SOH is.

[@RSThinks]

Mine is just over 94% after 9.6k miles. Good tip about trickle charging.

[@richardwallinger1683]

I have a 2011 Leaf and the 12 volt has a solar panel in the rear spoiler . It had a hickup this morning and eventually came into life .. I checked the 12 volt and it showed 9 volt and refused to maintenance charge . I checked the 12 volt on another charger and it picked up and started charging . I think the 12 volt battery is shot .. Not too bad for a 2011 12 volt 9 years old battery . I might leave it on charge for an overnight top up and see how it goes .

[@RSThinks]

9 years is good going! Thanks for commenting!

[@scratchy101]

The Gen2 Leaf's have a 12V battery charger built-in. It is documented in the manual. One of the 3 blue LED lights in the dash lights up when it is charging from the main battery and you can clearly hear the 150A convertor relay cut in with a clunk and the cut-out after a few minutes of charging. Mine charges once a day.

[@BobKight]

WHAT ABOUT CHECKING THE WATER/ACID LEVEL OF THE 12 VOLT BATTERY??? DO YOU HAVE TO GET A CERTAIN TYPE OF A 12 VOLT RECHARGEABLE BATTERY FOR THE NISSAN LEAF OR CAN YOU REPLACE IT WITH WHATEVER WILL PHYSICALLY FIT INTO THE BATTERY AREA? I USE TO ALWAYS REPLACE THE BATTERY OF MY CAR WHEN IT NEEDED REPLACING WITH A DIE HART AND NOW MY FAVORITE REPLACEMENT IS THE DURACELL... IT SEEMS THAT THIS "NISSAN LEAF CHARGING SITUATION" COULD BE FIXED EASILY WITH AN EXTERNAL 12 VOLT BATTERY CHARGER SUPPLIED BY NISSAN, THAT WOULD BE PART OF THE TOTAL CHARGING SYSTEM THAT WOULD BE CONNECTED ALSO TO THE EXTERNAL CHARGING SYSTEM FOR THE BATTERY THAT MOVES THE CAR... OR DID NISSAN NEVER FIGURED THAT THE REGULAR 12 VOLT BATTERY WOULD EVER GO BAD...???...!!!...??? lol

[@graememudie7921]

The 12v battery on my Leaf went flat yesterday. It was replaced after only 2 years and now again after another 2 years. I’m convinced they are using the wrong type of battery. They use a normal car battery which requires that a very high cranking current is drawn occasionally in order to keep the battery in a good condition. This will happen every time an I.C.E. car is started. This, of course, never happens in an electric car. I believe what they should be using is a leisure battery which are specifically designed to supply low current for extended periods. Charge it over night and wife has taken it to work. Let’s see if it gets her home. 🤪🤣

[@CC-vw7fj]

Hi ya, dont leave so long next time, lol, i really enjoy your video's on the leaf.looking forwad to see what the dealership thinks, As always very informative and top work .

[@RSThinks]

Thank you! 'Remember to like and subscribe' (if you haven't already). lol

[@CC-vw7fj]

Subscribed from practical day one, i hope my 2018 leafs battery dont go the same way.

[@ElectricMikeEV]

Do you leave the leaf spy dongle in? Maybe that could cause it

[@RSThinks]

No, I don't leave it connected.

[@AshG77r]

Hi is it safe to connect a trickle charger directly to the positive and negative 12v battery terminals? Thinking of doing this every month or so to maintain the 12v yuasa

[@RSThinks]

I didn't have an issue doing it in the video, but please check with your dealer's service department or Nissan for their advice. Thanks for watching!

[@romariostraker8884]

Hey I saw you use a dongle to communicate with your car what exactly is it and where can I get one

[@RSThinks]

Hi, This is a similar dongle available from Amazon: amzn.to/2Cs7nxx

[@romariostraker8884]

Hey thanks for your prompt response

[@Emuk22]

Hi, found this very helpful. Could I just ask for your recommendation of the equipment you used, please? Very new to learning about cars, particularly leaf’s. Thinking to either hire or buy the battery monitor and charger. Nov. 2013 24kwH Nissan Leaf. Thank you very much for you time and any advice.

[@RSThinks]

I used a normal multi meter in the video to check the voltage. Something like this from Amazon would do. amzn.to/3pMYOlD There are lots of different ones but the all do they same thing. Very useful for checking not just the battery but anything electrical. Thanks for watching!

[@Emuk22]

@@RSThinks thank you very much!

[@fredherfst8148]

Advice I've seen is to connnect the neg lead of the charger to another ground point, not the battery neg terminal. Reason being that the car computer doesn,t like it for some reaon. It confuses the car system?

[@RSThinks]

Thanks for the info. I didn't have any issues connecting the way I did in the video. The car didn't have any issues afterwards.

[@janmancuska]

Hi, what is the software on your phone to connect to obd reader. Cant connect my torque pro fir some reason.. thx mate!

[@RSThinks]

It's called LeafSpy. Available for iPhone and Android.

[@xxxCAVEGRAFFITTIxxx]

I have had this same issue with my 2018. 8 times now I have had a flat 12v battery. They can't figure out the issue and its been causing me so much stress. I have a charger and have multiple times topped off the 12v but it still happens every 2 weeks. Nissan has treated me like I am the one doing something wrong like leaving the lights on but I tell you this. I have started to document the issue on a Nest camera and about to pull my state's lemon law on the car. I have been late to work by an hour 8 times over this issue.

[@RSThinks]

I recently saw this post on Facebook which might explain why it keeps happening (you may need to join the group to see it). m.facebook.com/groups/247364142001101?view=permalink&id=3459015850835898

[@xxxCAVEGRAFFITTIxxx]

@@RSThinks That's my post.

[@RSThinks]

Ah!

[@bernardinomorillomerino4110]

I have the same issue. What is your last solution? Your post link is not working. Same car and same problems when I leave my car 3 o 4 days without charging. Any solution to charge the 12V battery automatically? Have I to connect Heatting or something once per day?. In my oppinion is something understandable because the GPRS connection is demanding 12V battery power. I still tuned. Very interested to solved this because if my wife has this problem she is gonna kill me :-)

[@RSThinks]

If you join the Nissan Leaf owners group on Facebook, you will be able to read the post. Essentially someone had the same issue as you and thinks it might be because they didn't turn their car off before opening the door so the car didn't shutdown properly. They were able to repeat it with some success, but then it wouldn't do it anymore.

[@alang2004]

Only just seen this video but I've had the same problem for some time. Useless Nissan dealer just told me to replace 12V battery but fault soon returned. Turns out after much research that there is a drain on the 20Amp fuse to the Head Unit (Radio/Satnav Etc). Useless Nissan dealer said I could replace Head Unit for £3000 or send it back to Ireland to have it checked out, would only be £500 and take 6 months!! So now I have to take 20A fuse out when not using car for couple of days. I have heard it could be because the car keeps trying to communicate with Nissan's master computer for updates and feedback but it can't because it is no longer supported by Nissan but the 12V battery drain due all the constant trying - Any comments anyone

[@RWBHere]

Glad you sorted it, Rob. Thanks for the insight. Dropping down to 4 V is very damaging for a 12 V Lead/acid battery. Whatever caused it was capable of drawing power down to 4V, so it could possibly be 5 V circuitry, but is more likely to be lights, fans or a relay which had remained switched on overnight. Others have mentioned the charger connector. Let's hope it doesn't happen again.

[@bobriley5866]

Leaving the hazard lights on for 30 mins will kill the 12v battery. Ask my dog! Stick a dogproof takeaway wooden spoon over the switch. Change all lights to LED, especially the boot because you can't see if it's on. It needs to be much brighter anyway. Tie fishing line to the charger door actuator to make an emergency release. Solar Bob

[@therandomtester9561]

Humh, does the new Leaf have the same problem as the old one? 3 times my facelift -13 has had a dead 12v (about 3V). I believe every time was over night, one might be over 2 days. Nothing on. Actually, nothing really can be on other than my OBD, but surely it does not drain the 12v over night.. I'm not quite sure what the problem was with the old Leaf, but I believe it was a relay that didn't shut off correct every time. It now should be a known fault by Nissan as not only my car was affected.. BTW, some say the 12v in the Leaf is a bad battery, I still have the original with no problem (6 years old). I believe it's more down to a weird way the car charges it, so it's often pretty low SOC.

[@rogertalbot8186]

Very informative and useful video. Thank you .

[@RSThinks]

Thanks Roger.

[@fanwu3650]

Exactly the same thing happened to me today… I am glad that I found your video. Thank you. My Leaf is over 4 years old. But it was totally fine, but all the sudden, the 12v battery is totally dead… I am thinking to replace the 12v battery. Should I use an AGM battery? Also, now I am charging the 12v battery. There is a constant clicking noise. Did that happen to you?

[@RSThinks]

Yes, definitely change the battery. Ask your dealer what type is best. The only clicking I had was from the wheel, see the video about a 'warranty claim' for more information. Thanks for watching.

[@livemeyer]

In a normal ICE vehicle, with a flat battery, it's common to find no electronics work and the engine won't start. You check the voltage with a meter, put a charger on it, and then take it to a parts store or shop to have them do a conditioning test on it. If it fails, you replace it. Otherwise, after charging and starting, you find a culprit like a dome light having stayed on because a door wasn't closed, or some other unexpected or forgotten draw. I've found, with my Leaf, that EVs don't quite behave in the same way. Yet, the cause and diagnostic steps are the same. Your attempt to try to charge the traction battery didn't initially work because of the flat 12v battery. You probably didn't even need to put effort into charging the traction battery at all. If the 12v battery is flat then it needs to be charged before electrical functions will work, including the systems that charge the 12v battery from the traction battery. Nissan made a mistake in not placing a 12v system battery gauge in the dash so that a driver can easily check its status. Your LeafSpy certainly does. I hope you got the battery tested and replaced it if it was bad.

[@RSThinks]

The battery was tested and found to be good. It was still in the car till Dec 2020 when I part exchanged the car for another EV (video on the channel). Thank you for watching and your comments.

[@tanyah4047]

Hello! How long did you have to keep the battery charger hooked up until the Nissan charging light started blinking?

[@RSThinks]

Just a couple of minutes, then I disconnected the 12v charger and left it charging for about 30 mins, then went for a drive.

[@Rockjob]

I've had a similar thing happen on my 2013 SV. I left my OBDII dongle plugged in when I went on a 2 week vacation. Dead battery when I got back. Some pieces of information you might find interesting that I've found on forums: 1) The 12V battery is required to be at a healthy voltage for almost anything in the car to work, this includes charging. (You discovered this in the video) 2) The 12V battery is only charged by the vehicle when the car is on/"running". Plugging in an ev charger does not charge the 12 volt battery. 3) It appears that EV chargers will draw a little bit of current continuously while plugged in. In reference to point 2 above, this means that leaving your car plugged in for a long period of time could give it a dead 12v battery. On some forms lots of people report plugging in overnight and coming out to a car that doesn't respond to the key. Some chargers are more notorious for this than others. Background- Look at the J1772 wikipedia page. Part of the J1772 protocol is having a voltage provided by the vehicle to the charging station. I think this is the proximity wire. 4) Some people to resolve point 3, have hard wired in a 12V battery charger under their bonnets that is spliced into the AC lines that come in from the J1772 port so that anytime their vehicle is plugged in, the 12V battery is charging too. I suspect there is nothing wrong with your car or 12V battery. Just check the cell fluid levels and put it on a 12V charger overnight. Maybe carry one of those 12V booster packs in your boot, just in case this happens when you are away from home.

[@RSThinks]

Very detailed post, thanks for the tips!

[@therandomtester9561]

My -13 Sunderland built Leaf DOES charge 12v while on charger, and during preconditioning. So it's a bit strange if the US models don't.. However the 12v charge-system in the Leaf is a bit weird, some sort of "smart" charging. Goes up to 14.4V or something after every startup, plugging in the charger. When it's satisfied, normally just under 1 min, it goes down to 12.96V. If you then operate the wipers, it goes back up to 14.4V for the same amount of time. In cold weather, or depleted battery it run at around 14V much longer.

[@Rhaman68]

Rockjob Hi. The issue was the status of the 12 volt battery: it was not serviceable. The 12 Volt charges when the car is plugged in, or, lower priority, from the main battery pack. Due to the limited range and most people charge daily, the 12 volt is not an issue. The 12 Volt has no specific way, and it should, from indicating low voltages. Random icons/messages on the dashboard is the way to tell the operator but this is not in the car’s manual. As far as I know, all Leafs behave in this fashion. The 2011 manual shows little info as to the 12 volt battery. I surmise the schedule of services is intended to have Nissan techs check its condition. Thanks

[@B-L-A-A-A-Z]

what was the problem? Mine is getting flat sometimes too

[@RSThinks]

Never got a definitive answer. Dealer checked it over at the time and the 12v battery was fine. If yours is a similar age, 2018 or older it's worth getting your battery checked and possibly getting a new one.

[@B-L-A-A-A-Z]

@@RSThinks i have new battery but i think i have aftermarket heated seats that are installed so power is on even when ignition is off

[@RSThinks]

Ah ok. If you can get them connected to a switched live, that would probably be better.

[@nomadchad8243]

My 2023 gives a red batt light and leaf spy shows 11v two or three times a week and it's only three months old

[@RSThinks]

Could be the cold weather or maybe if its not been driven much recently. The traction battery should top it up now and again though.

[@joetheblowjoetheblowdave968]

Really great video. I think Nissan should pay you for your efforts. Is it worth carrying a portable battery booster just while you are waiting to have it repaired/ replaced. Good luck. Brian..

[@RSThinks]

Thanks! Feedback from subscribers is always well received, good or bad.

[@midnight7297]

What's the warranty on the 12v battery? 3 years like the rest of the main car?

[@RSThinks]

Would assume so. Will confirm when the garage has had a look.

[@darrenball1775]

Good to see that multimeter came in handy!!!!

[@RSThinks]

Gave the one you are thinking of to the tall fella, stops him from borrowing mine lol

[@jesuisravi]

sorry friend, but I think you need to charge that lead-acid battery with a trickle charger or some other such device and then...but really, you better just go get another lead acid battery to replace the one you have. It is going to happen again once it's happened and you might be stranded ten miles from nowhere the next time. These cars go through lead-acid batteries about 3 times faster than IC cars do. I don't know exactly why. l' have heard some theories....

[@RSThinks]

Thanks for the tip. In the three years I owned the Leaf, this issue only happened once. I believe after 4-5 years, a replacement 12v battery is a good idea and have seen advice from others that were having this issue in this time frame. Thanks for the comments!

[@johngowers8045]

12v battry has to be full It talks to the charger before it charges a flat 12v battry it can not talk and no charge To 12v or the 40 kw Have to charge 12v up first Ask if thers a update so it will charge 12v first Have heard this problem before

[@archer5886]

Snowden!!! 😎

[@RSThinks]

You're not the first... Prob not the last lol

[@b3l14l]

No idea how to contact you other than YT comments. Shame they took away the inbox.. Someone I don't know who put a RSthinks card on my car.... :-)

[@RSThinks]

Lol that was me. Nice looking Tekna! Didn't realise it was yours...

[@b3l14l]

@@RSThinks I knew it was you. Had a look around to see if I could see you or your one. Yes I ended up getting the call to say it was ready a week or so after our last chat

[@smaemurray]

Need to buy a 12v battery charger I think........!

[@RSThinks]

I've got the charger, used it in the vid. I'm more concerned about it being something other than the battery. It's booked in for the dealer to have a look now.

[@dansizemore6319]

This is among several known problems of this piece of crap car (I own one too). No one told me about maintaining this auxiliary battery. The first sign of a problem was a warning message--to service the EV system, as the car would not power on once turned off. Indeed it didn't and it's been in my driveway for 2 days. I called an Uber to take me to buy a new car (Not a Nissan). This car will be donated to charity. I am so tired of its range issues, and main battery thermal management. THERE IS EVEN A TURTLE ICON on the dashboard that lights up when the main battery is hot reminding you to slow down--and if you don't the car will do it for you. I see this icon often whenever I have to drive over 125 miles (round trip) because that cannot be done on a single charge, so as soon as I charge--the battery heats up--exactly according to design according to the Nissan dealership.

[@RSThinks]

To be fair, after the incident in the video, I never encountered this problem again. I also never trickle charged the 12v battery either. Best of luck with yours!

[@gmcjetpilot]

The word is BAT-TER-REE. It is not Baa-tree. It is ironic they call Brits English... Ha ha. A "Bonnet" is what old ladies use to wear on their head.... This part of the car is called a HOOD Tire not Tyre.... Trunk not Boot..... etc. Ha Ha JUST KIDDING.... *Thanks for the video... I just added a cable to my nose charge door to trickle charge my battery when parked or charging. I also added a battery monitor in Ligher Socket in car to keep an eye on battery voltage.*

[@RSThinks]

Sorry, must be my accent. Lol How do you say ALU-MIN-IUM...? 🙂

[@meganoikz]

A gas is a gas, not a liquid. Cheese does not come from a can. ;)

[@alang2004]

Only just seen this video but I've had the same problem for some time. Useless Nissan dealer just told me to replace 12V battery but fault soon returned. Turns out after much research that there is a drain on the 20Amp fuse to the Head Unit (Radio/Satnav Etc). Useless Nissan dealer said I could replace Head Unit for £3000 or send it back to Ireland to have it checked out, would only be £500 and take 6 months!! So now I have to take 20A fuse out when not using car for couple of days. I have heard it could be because the car keeps trying to communicate with Nissan's master computer for updates and feedback but it can't because it is no longer supported by Nissan but the 12V battery drain due all the constant trying - Any comments anyone

[@RSThinks]

I'd recommend contacting James Coates at CleevelyEV.co.uk (James and Kate KZbin channel too) . He's a Leaf expert who might be able to help you. Thanks for watching. Good luck!