Stranded on holiday in France

[ghengeveld]

I got stranded in France today (I'm from NL) on my way to a campsite. My 87kWh Ariya was at 8% SoC when it errored while crossing a bridge (the huge one at Le Havre). Luckily it switched back on again so I didn't end up on the bridge but just 5 minutes later it really did die (at 50m from a Tesla fast charger) and didn't want to go back in Drive. Still had A/C and everything just didn't want to drive. I called roadside assistance but it took ages so I decided to disconnect the 12V battery to reboot it. That seemed to work but I accelerated too much so it died again. 2nd attempt I didn't accelerate but let it coast in D, no pedal, and I made it to the charger. Charged to 60% and tried for a go around the parking lot. Same issue.

I suspect I may have broken something in the drivetrain because it happened when going uphill while fully packed with 4 people + 2 bikes on the back. Either that or the bike rack messed something up, but the thing is basically new and I've never had issues with it before. I tried with it disconnected too, to no avail.

Roadside assistance ended up taking the car and we found a hotel across the street.

[Nisari]

That’s not the way you want to start your holiday . You are still in France? What caused the issue? Has it already been resolved?

I just came back from Italy and wanted to start the car the next morning. EV-system failure message, needed to be towed. Root cause unknown at the moment, no estimates on when I will get the car back. Fingers crossed that it won’t take too long.

It’s the second time my car has broken down (different issues) within the first 9 months!

[ghengeveld]

We got back last Saturday, using a rental car. My Ariya is still in France and will be repatriated back to NL for repair. The car's been with the dealership in FR for a week and they ended up handing it back to me. They said the issue was with the bike rack in combination with the emergency brake (which would trigger when reversing), but that didn't sound plausible to me since the issue started on the highway crossing a bridge. Indeed the next day after overtaking a slower vehicle it happened again. Luckily I could restart the car and we weren't far from the campsite, so I was able to drive it back really gently. Nissan arranged a new rental for me but I had to pick it up 180km away. Now I'm left with no car at all and the Ariya might take up to two months to even get repatriated since it's peak season right now. It remains to be seen what Nissan can do for me in terms of a loaner vehicle or something.

[ashleycarr]

Really sorry to hear that. A ruined holiday is bad enough. I do hope Nissan look after you. 2 months is unacceptable, push hard for a swift resolution.

[Milkfloat]

You said in the opening post that the bike rack may have messed something up and then the French dealer said it was something to do with the bike rack also. Is that because the bike rack was connected to provide number plate light or something?

[ghengeveld]

My car arrived at back my local dealership late last week, so all in all it took only 2 weeks for it to get transported back to NL. I just got a call from my dealership, they found the problem and will likely have it fixed next week. The internal inverter between the battery pack and the motor is busted and needs to be replaced. Meanwhile, I have a loaner Nissan Leaf from my local dealership (I've had it for over a week now), so I'm mobile and happy back in my previous vehicle (I had a Leaf before the Ariya). Honestly I'm really happy about the service at my local Nissan dealership, they've been very communicative and forthcoming.

I think this is actually the best possible outcome, because a) it's actual broken hardware (no software), b) it's not the battery pack (they'd likely replace only broken cells in such case, which would leave me with a patchwork battery that I wouldn't fully trust), and c) it's not the motor so it's not lacking power/strength/durability (meaning hauling heavy stuff over a bridge likely won't be an issue again). Of course the replacement inverter might suffer a similar fate but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

You said in the opening post that the bike rack may have messed something up and then the French dealer said it was something to do with the bike rack also. Is that because the bike rack was connected to provide number plate light or something?

Of course the bike rack was connected with the 13-pin in order to have functional lights and indicators on it. I did try running with it disconnected but that didn't make any difference. The bike rack is <1 year old and I've never had issues with it before. The French dealer simply got confused because the reverse pedestrian warning automatic braking kicked in repeatedly when reversing with the bike rack attached. I just disabled the sensor (tbh I feel this should automatically happen whenever a 13-pin is connected, but it doesn't).

[Pete10]

Hi, any update on the repair? Considering to buy the Ariya (not the 87kwh), but a bit hesitant given the reports on general failures that are difficult to fix apparently. I wonder if the quality control suffered from the component shortages that may have let to sub par replacements. Also interested to know how the Dutch dealer (which one was it?) dealt with it. In one of the reviews of the Dutch AutoWeek site there is also a report of someone stranded in Germany with 2 kids, and little or no support from Nissan so it seems.

[ashleycarr]

You will always find a brands cars with stories like this. Go on EVSpeak and you will find plenty with similar complaints regarding support from a dealer or the head office. There are usually some glitches with any car but few as catastrophic as this.

[ghengeveld]

I got my car back after a little under 2 weeks in the shop (after another 2 weeks go get hauled to my local dealer first). As indicated prior, they had to replace the power distribution unit (PDU) because it was busted. When they took out the PDU they discovered that the metal rods connecting it to the motor were slightly charred (which might be the result of a short), so they ended up replacing the entire motor. So I now have a new motor and PDU, and the car is operational again.

There's one more remaining issue that I initially reported to them months ago. The front-left brake sometimes makes a screeching sound. This was very irregular and unpredictable at first, so when I took it to the shop they couldn't reproduce the problem and I ended up taking it back. It had gotten worse since then and I found a way to reproduce it (reversing a corner) so I had another appointment set the week after my holidays. Unfortunately the car broke down before then. However, while my car was in the shop they called me up to say Nissan released a bulletin about this particular issue. It turns out to be a known issue, something about a little hook in the brake system being improperly aligned. Nissan has designed a new part to replace it, and my dealer has it on backorder but they don't yet know when it'll arrive. I have my yearly checkup coming up soon, hopefully they'll have the part by then.

Overall my experience with Nissan in France was pretty bad, but my local Nissan dealer (in Amersfoort, NL) has been excellent. They've been proactive in letting me know about the status of my car and very forthcoming to arrange a loaner vehicle (a Leaf). So all in all I'm still happy about Nissan. It's unfortunate that my car broke down, but that's the risk you take when ordering a brand new model (I was one of the first to take delivery of the Ariya in NL). I am still very happy with the car overall (though the screeching brake gets on my nerves).

[karltk1]

Despite the hassle it's on the mend. But wow that's a major component to be change this early. Hopefully it's a rare one.