So I recently wrecked my 04 Z touring when I hit a curb going like 60. I know it was a stupid mistake. The front driver wheel ripped off with the rotor and lower part of the buckle still attached. And the K member was twisted. As well as the front bumper and side skirt being obliterated. After replacing the subframe, k member, and all the suspension pieces, I drove it around the apartment complex, but for some reason all my lights are on, (VDC, SLiP, seat belt, check engine, etc.) And also it won't read my fuel level, just the flashing 0 til empty. Also it idles perfectly fine bit when ever I press the gas the RPMs drop then it revs, almost like there is a lag. Now I had one guy tell me something about how when our cars wreck hard enough, something triggers in the computer that puts it in a "safe mode" and that I need to reflash it or replace it. Maybe there is just a circuit breaker or fuse I'm missing, idk bit it's missing me off. Any insight? Keep in mind it was kinda a hard impact, but the air bags did not deploy. Also it's MT if that means anything. The engine was fine from impact

 

^^ You are in “Safe Mode.”

Has your dealership offered any advice here?

--Spike

 

Agreed- you need to get the car evaluated by a CONSULT 3 unit, which most Nissan dealerships now utilize. They're expensive tools, which is why dealerships are the only ones who usually carry them. Chalk it up as part of the damage caused by your crash...

 

I have not gone to the dealership yet, I still need a front bumper to legally drive it, and a new radiator since mine is cracked. It's obvious I can't fix it, but what exactly is wrong with it, just so I can understand.

 

I haven't gone yet, but what is safe mode?

 

I think safe mode is the car telling itself something is wrong and it will not perform like normal until that issue is fixed.

Dealers charge a large fee to even hook the car up to the consult machine. So be prepared.

 

Fudge, is there no way around paying a lot of money for that? Iv already spent a ton on suspension, body, and frame pieces :/ also safe mode is where all the lights are on as well right? (VDC, seatbelt, SLIP, gas light, etc.)

 

Do you not have insurance? I suspect you might have a lot of expensive things yet to fix.

 

You can try resetting the ecu or battery pull for 24 hours . But odds are dealership is the only way around it

 

I did not have insurance :/ definitely learned my lesson, how do I reset the ecu?

 

Disconnect your battery overnight.

 

That's not going to work. You can only reset the ECU when it flips to safe using the CONSULT tool.

 

It seems a dealership is your only option. Sucks but sometimes you gotta pay to play.

 

I have always considered that the most complete/thorough/reliable ECU reset was disconnecting the car’s battery. Doing this definitely clears everything and resets the ECU.

Certainly the dealership is able to do this using Nissan’s Consult. I suppose using Consult to clear the ECU allows preserving some settings.

--Spike

 

I think you can try to disconnect the battery overnight and see what happens. I don't think it can hurt really.

Hopefully it will take your car out of safe mode, but I kind of doubt it will.

 

Not true, unfortunately. Some codes will be stored "permanently" until they can be cleared with the CONSULT tool. You can clear most codes using a decent OBDII scan tool or by disconnecting the battery, but some SRS codes are non-deletable by a simple battery disconnect.

 

I’ll bet you are correct. I’ve been able to clear codes with a battery disconnect, but then again I’ve never ripped a front wheel off my car. Who knows what codes that event will present?

I think the OP needs to go to the dealership.

--Spike

 

I'd say try it...

killing/bumping power to these ECUs often fixed things

 

^^ I agree... And, there is nothing to lose following your suggestion.

--Spike

 

So now that I finished with everything except the radiator, all I need is the computer to be fixed, now I contacted my Nissan dealer ship here in Houston and they said that it was gona run around $450 because they charge just $120 to hook up the Consult 3 unit. So maybe I'm just being cheap but to fix this "safe mode" issue, could I just buy another ECU and just switch them? Or is that hard to do?