Sensor issues

Sounds like you may have an overheating issue or a leak around the radiator, and perhaps some escaping steam (or a bit of coolant) is obstructing the front grille camera. That might also correspond with the AWD system heating up, if there's something wrong with the engine's cooling system. I haven't inspected the setup on my 2021 yet, but perhaps a rock kicked up and struck the radiator or a cooling line, so you're getting improper cooling or a leak. However, I'd think you'd be able to spot coolant somewhere under the car. I'm wondering if a cooling defiency for the engine would trigger the AWD/CVT overheating thing to kick in, simply because the coolant or the engine block is outside of normal operating specs. As I learned with my 2003 AWD, the CVT function (e.g. torque converter lock) is tied into the engine's cooling system, and if the coolant or engine isn't running at the correct temperature, the ECM or TCM won't allow the torque convertor to lock up. I'd really say to get the CVTz50 app and see what your deterior count is, unless Nissan already knows it.

Aside from the "AEB OFF" icon light being on, the temp gauge readout looks the same as mine. I don't see anything else that's cause for alarm. I've had that message and dummy light come on maybe six times since owning this car for a year. Snow on the badge grille, freezing rain on the badge grille, a wet leaf on the badge grilled, a beetle on the badge grille, etc. Each time, I just stopped, turned off the car, cleared the obstruction, restarted the car and everything was fine. However, I never got an AWD overheating warning

EDIT: Since the problems seemed to happen after having your tires rotated, it's possible a tech did something incorrently that damaged a cooling line or maybe cracked something or damaged a sensor when the car was (I assume) put on a lift.

Cryogenix1 said:

Sounds like you may have an overheating issue or a leak around the radiator, and perhaps some escaping steam (or a bit of coolant) is obstructing the front grille camera. That might also correspond with the AWD system heating up, if there's something wrong with the engine's cooling system. I haven't inspected the setup on my 2021 yet, but perhaps a rock kicked up and struck the radiator or a cooling line, so you're getting improper cooling or a leak. However, I'd think you'd be able to spot coolant somewhere under the car. I'm wondering if a cooling defiency for the engine would trigger the AWD/CVT overheating thing to kick in, simply because the coolant or the engine block is outside of normal operating specs. As I learned with my 2003 AWD, the CVT function (e.g. torque convertor lock) is tied into the engine's cooling system, and if the coolant or engine isn't running at the correct temperature, the ECM or TCM won't allow the torque convertor to lock up. I'd really say to get the CVTz50 app and see what your deterior count is, unless Nissan already knows it.

Aside from the "AEB OFF" icon light being on, the temp gauge readout looks the same as mine. I don't see anything else that's cause for alarm. I've had that message and dummy light come on maybe six times since owning this car for a year. Snow on the badge grille, freezing rain on the badge grille, a wet leaf on the badge grilled, a beetle on the badge grille, etc. Each time, I just stopped, turned off the car, cleared the obstruction, restarted the car and everything was fine. However, I never got an AWD overheating warning

EDIT: Since the problems seemed to happen after having your tires rotated, it's possible a tech did something incorrently that damaged a cooling line or maybe cracked something or damaged a sensor when the car was (I assume) put on a lift.

Click to expand...

I have had no issues with coolant leaks or temp problems this started before the tire rotation but I will mention this to the new shop so they can look. the awd high temp comes on when the car is first driven so
would not be a temp issue

Since owning this car for a year, I've had the rear sensor go off twice while in my garage backing up, and I think once when pulling in. The other times any alerts went off were justified by obstructions to the sensor (snow, bug, leaf)...

Today, on the first hot day of the year (78 degrees), the front sensor started doing something strange after about a 90-minute drive. The last six miles of my trip I had driven about 35MPH for three miles, and I had to stop at the base of a steep hill that had a steel, sun-baked manhole cover that probably aligned with the front bumper and sensors. Within a few seconds of stopping the head unit brought up the camera view and a red bar displayed for the front sensor, along with an audile alert. No cars or any obstacles were in front of me and it was a clear day with no wind. As I let off the brake to proceed forward the alert cleared and I suddenly smelled coolant that stayed within the cabin for about another two miles.

Reaching my destination and starting to park, as soon as the car stopped the camera view came on again and this time showed a yellow bar up front, along with the alert (but no gauge message). I stopped, parked, checked out everything and saw no obvious problems with the cooling system or sensors. I hooked up the CVTz50 app and noticed that CVT was showing HOT at 203 degrees, but the engine temp was OK. After being parked for about 90 minutes, I drove for about 40 minutes with no issues until after stopping at a drive-thru, where the CVT temp showed HOT again. About 15 minutes later, I had to stop behind a school bus on a slight down-slope and was quite a ways away when the camera view came up again with the red bar for the front sensor and the audible alert. The bus made two more stops along that slope, and each time I came to a stop the sonar alert would trigger.

I went to the carwash as I'd already planned to do, washed the car, returned home and while entering the garage the normal way the sonar alert triggered, when it never does at that point of entry. At one point during the long trip home, I did smell a tinge of coolant, but it didn't last. This isn't the first time I've smelled coolant in my car. I think it was around August 2021 that I would randomly smell coolant, but in looking, smelling and around the carpeting and everywhere, I saw no indications of a coolant leak. However, after about the third month of owning this car, I noticed there was no coolant left in the reservoir, so I added about a quart, and the level has remained consistent in that tank since that time, seeming to indicate the system's not losing coolant (or it could mean the coolant contained within the tank isn't being drawn back into the system). I also wonder if the orignal coolant was more diluted, so more evaporated, which would account for the loss.

In any case, I didn't get any gauge alerts about the AWD or sonar problems. When it first happened near that manhole cover, I had assumed heat radiating off the cover was affecting the sensor/camera. Later, though, that idea was scrapped. The CVT does seem to go into HOT mode and have the deterioration count increase when stopped in D for a period during hotter outside temps. I'm guessing the CVT fluid is only being cooled while in motion and the torque converter is locked to circulate the fluid through the system. While stopped and in gear, I think the fluid may be at rest and stewing in heat.

EDIT: In thinking more about the CVT/AWD overheating thing, I think it could be traced back to the torque converter process. In my 2003 AWD, the torque converter wasn't locking up reliably due to a stuck thermostat that prevented the TC from engaging. Without the TC to circulate CVT fluid through the cooling cycle, I imagine the det. count would increase to absurd levels, such as mine did, clocking in around 220,000. So, if someone's having a torque-lock issue, that likely would destroy the CVT fluid faster since it's basically just stewing within the housing/valve body and not being properly cooled, which could also kill the CVT/AWD system faster. I'm really not sure about how the CVT fluid moves, so if someone knows for sure and can correct me, please do. If the CVT fluid is just lanquishing in heat due to a thermostat problem and/or during times when the car is stopped while in D or moving slowly (when the TC isn't locked up), then I think more than a CVT cooler is needed...a CVT fluid pump is needed to provide circulation during more idle times.