So today I drive home and notice the airbag light on the dash keeps flashing. I get home and am going to try the fix found on here and the dash lights, Rear nav, reverse lights stop working and the car dies. I hit the battery with jumper cables get it running again and still the dash lights, rear nav and reverse lights are not working. I let the car run for a bit and all of a sudden it dies. I pull the battery out and have it tested, it is showing 2 volts so we charge to 12 and let it sit for an hour and retest, still sitting at 12 volts. Put the battery in the car crank it and same issue, no dash lights, rear nav or reverse lights. I have looked at all of the fuses and they look good. Any ideas?

 

how are your battery terminals? Do they look corroded?

Do you have a stereo system installed?

 

Terms look great, but did hit them with a wire brush, all stock still.

 

Stock battery? It's probably toast. That's the weak link.

 

It is the fact batt. 6 Months old. Charged last night and it held charge over night 12 volts on the meter after 8 hours. Started the car this AM and it ran for about ten min then the radio cut out then the car died again. Tow truck on the way.

 

Would a bad alternator cause this issue? If it is not charging like it should all of your accessories are running directly off of the battery causing it to drain very fast. It has to be the battery or alternator. Let us know what you find out.

 

If I'm not mistaken, the battery simply supplies power to start the car. Once it's running, it's the alternator's job to keep the electrical system going, to include recharging the battery.

If the car isn't starting, then it is likely the battery or loose connection terminals. Since starting isn't your problem but keeping it running is, to me that says an alternator problem.

 

Once a battery is completely discharged its effected severly. A cheap factory battery can only take so much. Although your car is new, I would look into an Optima battery.

 

From what I have ready an Optima battery used to be good.
Now that production has been shifted to a new location, the quality is not there any more.

 

You said that you charged the battery and let it sit over night and in the morning it still read 12v. Then you started the car and it ran for 10 minutes then the lights went out and it died. When the car was running, did you notice the battery light on the dash board before all the lights went out? If so I would say the alternator is bad. That battery light is signaling that your are only running on battery power and the alternator is not charging.

 

Because the battery is showing 12v doesn't mean its good. It must be tested under load.

Test the battery while starting the car. If it drops below 9.6v @ 70 degrees, its toast.

As for battery type, anything other than the OEM is a good choice.

 

Latest update is that there was a fuse that blew shutting down my alternator and driving everything directly off of the battery. Will provide fuse number once avaliable. They are still looking into why Dash, rear cam and reverse lights were out.

 

the normal operating voltage of the electrical system is 14.3v when on, and 13.8 when off. if you're seeing 12v then your battery isnt holding a full charge. batteries low on charge will show a lower operating voltage

 

Just an FYI. The OEM battery is not maint free. If you intend to keep it, check to make sure the cells have enough water. Good luck tracking down the short.

 

Turns out it was the airbag system grounding out. Nissan replaced RQ12AA RPL Spiral Cable in the steering column, 25554-9N09A Wire Assy-Steering, and a monitor fuse. Everything is working fine now. What a change these CPU's on wheels are compared to carborated cars.

 

Man that was a question for Stump the chumps. No one here would have said that was the problem.