I was scanning my 2016 SV with 56k miles before taking it in for an inspection sticker and got a B20A7-00 code:



I was surprised by this since I haven't noticed any issues with the car at all in terms of starting, performance, electrical system, etc.

I ran the diagnostic test in the service manual and everything there seemed to be working normally (see IPDM_test.pdf) and replacing the part also seems as simple as unplugging the wiring harnesses from the old IPDM and plugging them into the new one (see IPDM_replace.pdf). I couldn't find anything in the service manual about this thing needing to be programmed so it seems like a simple swap of the part would work as long as I'm not missing anything.

I cleared the code and am going to recheck in a few days, but if the code returns can I simply buy a cheap junkyard replacement on ebay with the same P/N and swap it out to see if that solves the problem? I verified that I have P/N 284B7-3TS9E which is what nissanpartsdeal.com says is compatible with my car.

Has anyone else run across this?

 

Answering my own question in case it may help someone else at some point:

I ended up buying an ebay 284B7-3TS9E IPDM from a wrecked car, figured it was at least cheap enough to try even if it didn't work. To try to help my chances I looked for one with the closest match I could find for my 2016 SV and bought one from a junkyard 2017 Maxima SV (verified by VIN) donor vehicle.

I disconnected the negative battery cable, unplugged the wiring harnesses from the original IPDM, plugged them in to the replacement IPDM, and reconnected the negative battery cable.

The car started right up, but I still had the B20A7 code stored even after the negative battery cable had been disconnected. I cleared the code and it was gone after I scanned it again! Just to be on the safe side, I went for a test drive and had no codes stored when I re-checked it (B20A7 came back immediately with the original IPDM after clearing it). Interestingly, my code reader also seemed to think my car was ready to pass a smog check after a short test drive, which I've never seen before.

So early indications are the service manual not mentioning that the IPDM needs programming seems to be the case. My car was working fine with the code set, but spending $65 on a used part was worth trying considering that new ones seem to go for $300+.