My car's dashboard went crazy. I was driving as usual when suddenly the gear selector showed that it was in sport mode, even though I was actually in Drive. Then, the entire dashboard and console started flashing, the speedometer stopped working, and practically all warning lights came on. The car is moving, but I can't use the turn signals, climate control, or any electrical functions. I thought it might be the alternator, but a mechanic told me that it's not. According to his scanner, it seems to be indicating a problem in the "CAN" communication system, and he said it could be a sensor or something in the wiring. I don't know if you have any idea or experience with similar issues. Thank you. And sorry for My broken English

 

This could still very well be the alternator going bad, these cars act funny when the alternator isn't giving a steady charge. I would have the mechanic test the alternator again under heavy load and see what happens. An alternator going bad can trigger codes to go off due to inadequate power getting to sensors for communication etc.

 

What do you think about the fact that when I first start the car and during the first few miles there are no issues? Could it have something to do with the temperature?

 

Judging by what you just mentioned, at first the car is running fine and then things start to go out of wack. This is leading me to strongly believe it's an alternator issue. It's starts off charging normally but soon after something is shorting out. That's my opinion to where your issue is. Others will hopefully chime in soon to give their thoughts, I would test the alternator again but add a steady load to it by turning on the lights, radio, heat or A/C, rear defrost just put heavy load while running. Leave the tester on a bit and see if there's any sudden changes from the output of the alternator. Key to this is keeping the tester on while the car is running on heavy load for a period of time, and this should trigger something at some point if it's alternator related.

 

I just went to the mechanic for a more thorough inspection. Fortunately or unfortunately, the car has not had any issues, warning lights, or dashboard malfunctions in over 100 miles. So, the mechanic told me that they can't trace the problem if it's intermittent. The only thing their scanner picked up was a fault code related to the 'CAN' communication system. They mentioned that it's there because it's from yesterday's record and that an oscilloscope is needed to understand why it occurs. I'll be taking it to a place with more advanced equipment on Monday. Another thing to mention is that today, I didn't exceed 60 miles per hour. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the problem not occurring. I appreciate your attention, and I'll keep you updated.

 

Your welcome! Yes, please keep us updated.

 

I took my car to the nearest Nissan dealership because I was told that they had the most accurate scanners and expertise. They returned the car to me in an hour, saying that the problem should be resolved. The issue was that the MAF sensor was dirty and the throttle body (or I might have misunderstood) was causing the car to rev higher than it should, confusing the computer and causing the problem. However, after leaving the dealership, the car ran fine for a while, but at night it started doing the same thing again. This time I took a video and showed it to the dealership advisor (because when I took the car in, it wasn't showing the problem). So tomorrow, I'll have to take it back again, hoping they can fix it this time.

 

Hopefully they get to the bottom of this soon for you. Please keep us posted on any findings.