P0685: How to Diagnose & Fix — ECM/PCM Power Relay Control Circuit/Open

Nissan recall campaign 10V-517/PC068 covers 2005-2006 Xterra. Oxidation on ECM-relay electrical contacts in the IPDM can interrupt ECM power, cause engine-performance problems and permit stalling at low engine speed. The campaign replaces the relay with a new one after VIN eligibility is confirmed.

Nissan's 10V517000 recall reaches the 2005 and 2006 Frontier pickup. At issue is the ECM relay contained in the Frontier's Intelligent Power Distribution Module assembly. The relay's diode uses a silicon molding to reduce electrical current noise, but Nissan found the relay may allow silicon vapor to form; as silicon evaporates from that molding, arcing deposits silicon oxide on the relay contact. According to Nissan, this can cause the engine to stall — the reason the campaign was filed as a safety recall rather than a service bulletin. Note that the 747,480 units listed apply to the campaign as a whole, which spans several Nissan and Infiniti models.

The under-hood TIPM (a fuse/relay/computer combo) is a known failure point on early Journeys, causing a wide array of erratic electrical behavior. Owners report random horn honking, no-start or hard-start conditions, windows and door locks operating on their own, premature battery drain, and the engine stalling while driving. A 2014 defect petition to NHTSA (DP14-004) also alleged TIPM-related under-hood fires.

A relay supplier used an improper maintenance procedure on its welding machine, so internal welds inside several relays used in the Outlander's engine-bay relay box were made incorrectly and can lose proper electrical conduction. Depending on which relay is affected, the result differs: failure of the engine control unit relay kills the engine while driving and the vehicle cannot be restarted; failure of the relay feeding the MIVEC variable valve lift assembly triggers a check engine light and reduced power; failure of the radiator fan relay stops the cooling fan and lets the engine overheat. Because it is a manufacturing defect in a specific production batch rather than a wear item, failures show up suddenly and at low mileage.

The TIPM is the central under-hood fuse/relay and power-distribution computer that controls the fuel pump, lighting, wipers, door locks, horn, and trailer-tow circuits. It is a widespread failure point on 2006-2012 Ram trucks; 2013 and later trucks use a Power Distribution Center instead. The most common complaint is the internal fuel pump relay sticking: stuck ON causes overnight battery drain and the pump running with the key off, while stuck OFF causes intermittent no-start / stalling. Other failures include inoperative wipers, dead door locks, non-working turn signals/high beams, phantom horn, and dead trailer lights. Root causes include water intrusion into the layered module and improperly spliced aftermarket accessories overloading circuits.