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Code U0101 issue

19K views 29 replies 8 participants last post by  robj80 
#1 · (Edited)
First my Tpms light was flashing. It would flash then solid then sometimes go off. Not sure if it is related or not. But I started my truck and the Tpms light, slip light, abs, and check engine were on. I shut the truck off and restarted and they were all off except the check engine light. Code came up U0101 lost connection with TCM. Sounds like a ground issue to me.

I have an appointment with the dealer for the Tpms already but now seems bigger than just that. Appointment isn't until next week though. Truck drove fine. Wondering if I should reset it or leave it until I go to the dealer next Saturday. Anyone else ever have this problem. I searched and found only one thread mention this code. I am a bit nervous because I have a few longer drives coming up and will have the kids in truck with me.

So far in 1000 miles of driving this truck I already had more issues than my $11k brand new Versa I bought. That went 205+k miles with only an engine light on when I didn't tighten the gas cap all the way.
 

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#2 ·
Just got a chance to look under the hood. Looking for loose cables and or chewed wires. Didn't find that. The battery looks brand new until I pulled up the black cover. White powder corrosion and rust all over.

Now the backyard mechanic in me wants to take the battery out and wire brush it all clean. Then apply some dielectric grease, reset the computer and see what happens. But since under warranty and I am not positive this is the issue just let the dealer figure it all out.

My bumper to bumper warranty runs out 4 days after my appointment.
 
#4 ·
If you are in your 3-year/36000 mile warranty, I would leave everything alone. It could be caused by the corrosion on the battery, but that should be covered in your warranty, as well. If you start messing with things, you might make it harder for the tech to diagnose. If you were out of warranty, then my suggestion would be to clean the battery connections and make sure they are tight, have the codes cleared and then see what happens. Battery connection issues are fairly common on these vehicles and can create a multitude of problems.
 
#5 ·
If you are in your 3-year/36000 mile warranty, I would leave everything alone. It could be caused by the corrosion on the battery, but that should be covered in your warranty, as well. If you start messing with things, you might make it harder for the tech to diagnose. If you were out of warranty, then my suggestion would be to clean the battery connections and maoke sure they are tight, have the codes cleared and then see what happens. Battery connection issues are fairly common on these vehicles and can create a multitude of problems.
This is what I want to do but I have alot of driving ahead of me this week. Just don't want to be stranded with the kids. Also the vehicle does have a remote starter installed. Not sure if that will come into play at the dealership with the warranty.

Maybe I will get a sooner appointment and miss work.
 
#7 ·
Good thing you are still under warranty because replacing the ECU is over $3000. Read the thread in my signature for more info.
 
#10 ·
I bought it used from a non Nissan dealer. It had 19k miles on it and I have the Nissan paper saying all oil changes were done up until 14k miles. The previous owner had the 24 month maintenance plan from Nissan. No mention of battery cleaning. My terminal looks nothing like yours but it does not look right.

I am extremely nervous now. I guess I can call the dealer in morning and see if they can fit me in. I hate to miss work but I don't want a huge repair bill or a broken truck. If it is not broke already.
 
#11 ·
The manual does not list the battery terminal cleaning as part of the service guide but the Nissan service technicians are instructed to check the terminals and clean them if needed.

Call the service dept and see if you can bring it in. Most dealerships have a shuttle that could take you to work and may even come back later and pick you up. Since you have only had the truck for a short time, they should handle this for you. If needed, ask the service mgr for a few minutes and introduce yourself and explain the situation. My service mgr wanted to make it right and hopefully so will yours.

Good Luck!
 
#12 ·
I emailed the Nissan dealer about bringing it in earlier and said the issue has turned from TPMS to Check engine light. Inquired about shuttle service too. If I don't get email back by this afternoon or a call I will call them.

Through a google search several people have gotten this code with remote starters installed. It may be related but I am still not positive. Or this could be the battery terminal, or something else entirely.
 
#13 ·
I have no experience with remote starters but it sounds like that could be the problem. I bet that is a nice thing to have in the cold climate where you live so hopefully you can resolve this without being forced to remove that.

Glad to hear you are taking it to the Nissan dealer. Hopefully they are a reputable shop that is willing to work with you to get a resolution.
 
#14 · (Edited)
dealer called me back. They do NOT suggest I bring it in on Saturday. They said they do not have a full staff to handle situations. They can shuttle me to my house but not my job. There is a closer dealer that could shuttle me to work but they do not have good reviews and lady at my job uses them and hates them. So I may need to drop it off and get shuttled to home and use the misses vehicle to get to work. If she doesn't work tonight (nurse 7pm -7am), this is probably what i will do.

I too hope I don't have to remove the remote start. I don't use it that often. Actually half the times I have used it so far was just testing it out.

Edit: So I will be dropping it off tonight. They can keep it all day tomorrow to look into it. I am now more and more thinking this may be the installation of the remote start. The dealer I bought the truck from didn't even know it had remote start and I was excited for it when I found out it had it. But if this is the issue it is definitely more trouble than it's worth to me.

Another reason I am not so sure it's the battery corrosion because I spent the morning looking at nissan issues with the batter corrosion and check engine lights. Mine looks nowhere near as bad as any of the pics I am seeing. Some people the positive terminal was almost non-existent . Just blue powder substance left in it's place.
 
#15 ·
glad you're getting it taken care of. Have you looked at How the remote starter was installed? there are 2 different styles, one that is a few modules that plug into the factory harness and one that splices into the harness, mostly at the OBD connector. If the wiring is neat, tied&taped and soldered there's no reason to suspect its the starter. If they did a hack job or got a cheap ($50) unit then anything's possible.
If the dealer does say its the starter, I've been on the fence on getting a starter/alarm for the past yr+ If my OEM remote fob worked worth a damn I wouldn't bother.
It's really not cold enough in southern/central NewEngland to justify it. When I was in ND, sure... it was -30 or worse during the winter... Northern ME/NH/VT... ok, it gets cold enough that starting it as you head out the door is worthwhile... but letting the engine idle for more than a minute or so is a waste of fuel and serves no significant purpose. The engine warms faster driving it (1800-2500rpm) than sitting at idle (1200) and the rest of the fluids don't warm at all (AT won't start warming from the radiator till the engine is hot).
Idling for long enough to warm the engine/heater core causes the cylinders to get washed with gas (which thins your oil). The ecm keeps the engine running smooth no matter what temp the air or engine is at.
If you are concerned with having a cold engine in the morning you are MUCH better served with a plug-in block heater (and the Frozen Chosen frost-dwellers know the benefits/need of them)

--(someone take this soapbox from me already...)--
 
#16 ·
The remote start is a compustar with 2 way. So it's not a really cheap unit. The wires are spliced in as I can not see any connectors. Actually looking at the wiring under the dash I can not see anything that doesn't look OEM. It appears to be a very neat and clean installation. I see shrink wrap everywhere but can not tell what was oem and what was for the remote start. Even great installations something can be missed. I did not install the remote start. It was on the truck when I bought it and even the dealer I bought it from did not know it was on it. Only way I could tell was a small sensor mounted to the windshield behind the rear view mirror and they gave me a compustar remote as well as an oem remote when I picked up the truck.

I do not use the remote start all that much. I park in my garage and the car is always about 50 degrees in the morning. When I leave work I just use the key to start it even though some days it is like 10 degrees out. Only time I have used it is when I have the family with me and we leave somewhere late. I will remote start it as we walk to the vehicle. I have a 4 month old and a 3 year old. So just trying to take the chill out of the truck as I load them and whatever luggage we have. Which is usually a ton with kids.

I am sort of an mpg nut. So trust me I don't like wasting fuel. You can't tell by by fuelly but that is only a few tanks as I got to learn the truck. It will be going up for sure. ::grin::

If this does end up being blamed on the remote start I already have a guy that will be going through the installation to correct any mistakes or to just rip it out if that is what needs to happen. This all could still be my corroded battery terminal or just a weak battery for all I know. We will find out today.
 
#18 ·
I need a dealer like that second one. I do hope this dealer is halfway decent. I own the frontier and we have a rogue. Be nice to be able to use the local dealer for service and parts. So far the guy I been communicating with has been great about dropping the vehicle off. But the real test is when they start actually looking into the vehicle.

Maybe they will say it's the battery and terminal and I get all new :D. I doubt it. Guess we will see. Still no contact from dealer yet today.
 
#19 ·
Dealer contacted me about 11am to tell me my battery had failed the tests. Also told me my tire pressure was low as they were checking the truck over. They were still looking into other things and would contact me if anything else came up. Around 2:30pm they called to tell me I am all set and the truck is ready to be picked up. They said there was a bad cell in the battery.

So hopefully this story comes to an end!
 
#21 · (Edited)
Picked it up tonight. New battery installed. It.drives great but always has. It was washed, not well but washed. The terminal is still a little crusty. I will clean it up more and coat it to prevent corrosion. Overall good experience and I will go back to the dealer. Doesn't hurt that they have oil changes for $20.
 

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#22 ·
I noticed this battery looked different than the original. I did some digging and it seems the battery that came with the truck was 999M1-NB24F which is 575cca. This new battery is 999M1-NC24F which is 700cca. So I got an upgraded free battery six days before my warranty expired.
 
#23 ·
When you pull the terminal off to clean it, look at the battery to see if it has vent holes underneath the terminal. The battery that came in my 2010 SE did and that is what caused the problem. They may use a different design now. Consult the manual for the correct order for removing and replacing the terminals.

Congratulations on getting an upgraded battery and on finding a good dealer to deal with!
 
#24 ·
Well the TPMS light starting flashing again this morning and came on solid. I know about the reset and I may try soon. I have a theory about the electronics in the car causing interference with the TPMS. I do know when charging the phone my radio is damn near useless. I get almost zero reception. So I will be removing all electronics from the vehicle and adding them one by one to see if I can determine if one is the problem. No CEL or other lights. Just the TPMS.

I thought this was crazy but I googled it and it seems RF interference with the TPMS from charging cords is actually common. Is it my issue? That remains to be seen. I do know the first time it happened I was charging a phone. The TPMS had been fine since picking up from dealer until this morning. And as you can guess, I plugged a phone in to charge this morning.
 
#25 ·
I remember when I left the dome lights on overnight (or headlights, don't remember) the positive terminal was just coated in powder. I just cleaned it off, no big deal. Whenever I refilled the washer fluid it always had a new skin of dried powder. Then, after I replaced the battery 4 or 5 years later, I remember noticing how clean the positive terminal was each and every time I refilled the washer fluid reservoir.


I can tell you with first-hand experience that you should use the spray battery terminal cleaner. The fancy chemical-soaked "ring" pads you find at Advance cannot work because the battery lug is evidently designed to fit tight and flush with the battery terminal. There is no room for the pad to be there (it looks like 1 or 2 mm thick). I had my car die a few times before I realized what was going on. The nut and bolt used to tighten the lug on the post doesn't have any room to get any tighter so the "battery protector" ring pad had to come out.

But, then again, I'm stupid. I once sprayed dielectric grease on my battery terminals in another vehicle thinking it would protect them from corrosion. It did work, by the way.
 
#27 ·
No led bulbs. The flashing Tpms Iam 99% sure is caused by a Vinsic USB charger. I am still testing. I drove 100 miles with just my phone connected by Bluetooth to my radio. Then I added my obd Bluetooth device and my android device I use to monitor the vehicle. Drove for 100 miles and no issues yet. Next up is plugging in the Vinsc and driving. After that I will try driving while something is charging. That is when I am sure the light will go on.

There is several reviews of this same thing happening to people while using this device. The other lights on the dash I had was most likely battery related.
 
#28 ·
Go to an auto parts store and buy the felt rings that go on the terminals under the cable clamps. I use them and terminal spray and my cables always look brand new. My Pathfinder battery once got nasty so I cleaned it up and added the rings and never went bad again, so now I do it to all my vehicles immediately after purchase.
Hope you get it squared away.

Clint
 
#29 ·
I will keep up the terminals for sure. I am usually a wire brush and some Vaseline kind of guy. But may go further since such an issue with these trucks.

I have confirmed the visnic USB charger is the cause of my flashing Tpms light. I am able to repeat it over and over. So anyone that has a flashing Tpms before a trip to the dealer try unplugging all of your electronics.
 
#30 ·
Well I lied. Life got in the way. I totally forgot about the battery after this. Today my radio, alarm and other electrical bits were acting funny. I popped the hood and the plastic cover on the positive wasn't even connected so I was easily able to see my horrible corroded terminal. I'm going to clean it up today and pray it fixes my issues.

I love the truck but it really is by far the least reliable nissan I have ever owned. BTW I popped the hood on my old car this weekend($11k 2009 nissan versa). My brother drives that now. The battery is original and still looks brand new. The damn car is 9 years old with 250k miles on it. My truck is a 2014 with 40k :(.
 
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