Vehicle: 2015 Nissan Murano, AWD, V6-3.5L (VQ35DE), Continuously Variable Transmission/Transaxle, CVT

Mileage: 169,290 miles

Problem: The customer stated that intermittently the vehicle will not move when attempting to pull away from a stop. He must somehow get to the side of the road and wait about one hour before the vehicle operates normally again. Oddly, this problem usually happens after making sharp turns.

Case Details: Acting on advice from a Tech-Assist consultant, the technician checked the charging system during a road test. Using his scan tool’s scope and ECU data list graph, he watched the vehicle’s battery voltage while driving with as much load on the electrical system as possible (high-beam headlights on, A/C and radio on, blower fan on high, etc.).

About 15 minutes into the test drive, the alternator stopped charging. The engine continued to run off battery power. When the battery voltage dropped below 12 volts, the engine would idle, but there was a loss of forward movement. The reason? There was not enough available voltage to power up the shift solenoids in the transmission. It just stayed in neutral.

Confirmed Repair: The technician got the vehicle back to the shop, checked all charging system wiring, connectors and components, then replaced the alternator. The charging system checked out and an extensive test drive verified the problem was resolved. Fixed!