'06 pathfinder Tech problem - help appreciated

nopropguy · Feb 15th, 2006, 10:37 AM

I am a proud owner of a 2006 Pathfinder SE, love it. I was a loyal 4runner owner but fell in love with the Pathfinder Growl. I have an annoying technical problem that my dealer is having trouble figuring out. When the car is cold for over an hour I can't open the doors with the key fob unless I am within 1 foot from the SUV. Now comes the weird part. When you turn the SUV off you can lock the vehicle with the key fob up to 30 feet away. You can also unlock it with the key fob up to 30 feet away within an hour after you have locked it.
The dealer swaped out the "brain" of the truck that controls all of the electrical stuff and that did nothing but now I have the low tire pressure light on in the dash. I know this seems really small but with kids racing for the truck it is a pain to have to open it with the key.
Any help would certainly be appreciated. I don't think my dealer has a clue on this one and I don't really blame them. I am just trying to save myself the 30 mile treck to the dealer.
Guy

capl3790 · Feb 15th, 2006, 10:52 AM

Is it exactly to the hour? If it is it almost sounds like some sort of option turned on in the computer system. If it isn't, it sounds as if it could be a few things.

Perhaps the remote itself is having problems, have you tried both remotes? Also, do you live in a cold environmet? Perhaps the solinode isn't working properly in the cold. Do you have the driver door first unlock setting on? Where you have to push the unlock button twice before all of the doors unlock?

Have you tried disconnecting your battery? I am not sure if this would work, but perhaps it would reset to all factory options.

It does sound perplexing though.

KSpider · Feb 15th, 2006, 11:30 AM

I know that with my previous cars you could always lock the car from much further away. The point is, they dont want you unlocking the car from a mile away, as it is not safe and it is pointless... 1 foot is a little exreme though.

john e · Feb 15th, 2006, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSpider

I know that with my previous cars you could always lock the car from much further away. The point is, they dont want you unlocking the car from a mile away, as it is not safe and it is pointless... 1 foot is a little exreme though.

Hi: New to the board here, randomly browsing I stumbled on Guy's point and fell out of my chair. My new 2006 has the exact limitation. After the truck's been locked for a period of time the FOB will not work until I'm reaching over the cowl. It's especially fun when you're arms are full and raining outside!
John

Pepco1 · Feb 15th, 2006, 02:36 PM

I have a 06 with no keyfob problems.

KSpider · Feb 15th, 2006, 02:42 PM

Yeah no problems here as well, but if they are both having the exact same proble, im guessing it could be a feature/setting or something to that effect.

nopropguy · Feb 15th, 2006, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capl3790

Is it exactly to the hour? If it is it almost sounds like some sort of option turned on in the computer system. If it isn't, it sounds as if it could be a few things.

Perhaps the remote itself is having problems, have you tried both remotes? Also, do you live in a cold environmet? Perhaps the solinode isn't working properly in the cold. Do you have the driver door first unlock setting on? Where you have to push the unlock button twice before all of the doors unlock?

Have you tried disconnecting your battery? I am not sure if this would work, but perhaps it would reset to all factory options.

It does sound perplexing though.

Thank's to all for any tips on this one. As for the questions:
1. It is roughly an hour (45minutes give or take.)
2. I have tried both remotes, ordered a third and tried it. and replaced the battery in the remote.
3. I live in Ohio and the winter has been really mild
4. Yes the drivers door first setting is on - Can you turn that off? How
5. I have not disconnected the battery yet but that is a good idea. I may try that this evening and see what other interesting things happen....

In addition to what I have posted the dealer replaced a part called the body control/IVMS Module
Thanks
Guy

KSpider · Feb 15th, 2006, 03:51 PM

drivers door first is an option on the settings menu (If you have nav, if not im not sure)

gbest03 · Feb 15th, 2006, 07:40 PM

Did you have your windows tinted recently?

Outkast · Feb 15th, 2006, 09:03 PM

I had a few Sentra's and Mamima's with kinda that problem. The most extreme was that the fob would only work inside the vehicle which was pointless. The fix was to replace the antenna for the fob that is under the DS dash. The only idea I can figure is that all the electronics under there might be interfering with the signal but everytime I swapped the antenna it fixed it. Ask them to check that. I can't think of the actual name of it but is the antenna/reciever

Animal · Feb 15th, 2006, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Outkast

I had a few Sentra's and Mamima's with kinda that problem. The most extreme was that the fob would only work inside the vehicle which was pointless. The fix was to replace the antenna for the fob that is under the DS dash. The only idea I can figure is that all the electronics under there might be interfering with the signal but everytime I swapped the antenna it fixed it. Ask them to check that. I can't think of the actual name of it but is the antenna/reciever

Antenna or receiver would be my guess. My reasoning is that when you first stop the car and for a short period after the battery charge is higher, providing a longer range for the receiver. After some time, the battery settles down to its normal charge, reducing the range. Cooler moist air will also cause slight discharging of the battery.

nopropguy · Feb 16th, 2006, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Animal

Antenna or receiver would be my guess. My reasoning is that when you first stop the car and for a short period after the battery charge is higher, providing a longer range for the receiver. After some time, the battery settles down to its normal charge, reducing the range. Cooler moist air will also cause slight discharging of the battery.

Thanks very much for the fix. I will call my dealer and have them order the parts. I will report back on the results. Thanks again. You can only imagine me trying to explain this problem to the dealer when I am there and the key fob works.....unless you let the car sit for an hour. They have give me some strange looks.

Guy

TopNotch · Feb 16th, 2006, 12:27 PM

Keep up updated, I am curious about this

nopropguy · Feb 16th, 2006, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TopNotch

Keep up updated, I am curious about this

The saga continues -

I called the dealer to schedule the appt and asked them (nicely) to order the receive/antenna that was recommended here. They said they would not do that and needed to hook a "machine" up to the car first. I explained my situation - drive 30 minutes to the dealer, get rental car, 30 minutes home. They wont pay for the rental during "diagnostic" time, yet they gave me a rental when they unsuccessfuly replaced the bcm (body control module) last time. I am not a really cheap guy but spending an extra $50 on a rental car when I just paid $30K+ for a new car a month ago doesn't really sit well....
I decided to cut my losses with this dealer and I called another dealer and scheduled an appt. They (dealer #2) said any dealer can work on warranty problems, not just the dealer you bought the car from. My appt is next tuesday......Stay tuned

msubullyfan · Feb 16th, 2006, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nopropguy

I called the dealer to schedule the appt and asked them (nicely) to order the receive/antenna that was recommended here. They said they would not do that and needed to hook a "machine" up to the car first.

That's standard procedure for any dealer service department. You'd be hard pressed to find one that will order parts at your discretion. They will have to hook up to the vehicle's computer to help diagnose the problem before they begin to order parts.

Electrical problems can be very difficult to troubleshoot. Be patient and give them more than one shot at fixing the problem. If they can't replicate the problem while they have the vehicle, it will be extremely difficult to fix. They can't just take a shotgun approach to replacing parts with no symptoms (Nissan has to approve parts for warranty repairs, anyway), and their only other option would be to keep the vehicle for a while and see if they can replicate the problem, which doesn't sit well with most people.

You're doing the right thing by trying to gather more information. I actually diagnosed a problem on my last vehicle and gave the dealer all the information they needed to fix the problem when they couldn't figure it out.

Best of luck!