Welcome lights randomly coming on

[Bobert78]

I have a 2011 EX35 AWD Journey and has been an amazing car. We have never had any issues with it and has low miles 104k. We dont drive it too often and were out of the country for 2 weeks, but when i got home the battery was completely dead.

I recharged the battery and then it started up just fine. The issue i noticed is when i looked at the car that night, the welcome lights (mirror puddle light and interior lights) were on. After some time they went off, but then came back on again. the 2 key fobs are inside the house not near the car.

I read that it can have weird issues if the battery is going out so i got bought a brand new battery since the old one was 7 years old. Car started right away but same issues with the lighting. Also if i lock the car with the key fob, after a few minutes the alarm would randomly start going off.

Has anyone else seen this before? I am hoping it isnt something i cant fix myself like a BCM that would need programmed.

[VStar650CL]

See if the car is randomly locking and unlocking itself along with the lights. If so, the culprit is probably the cylinder switch in the driver's door. The switch isn't actually in the cylinder, it's in the lock assembly and connected to the cylinder by a linkage rod. When they go bad they often make the lights and door locks (and on some models front windows) misbehave.

[Bobert78]

See if the car is randomly locking and unlocking itself along with the lights. If so, the culprit is probably the cylinder switch in the driver's door. The switch isn't actually in the cylinder, it's in the lock assembly and connected to the cylinder by a linkage rod. When they go bad they often make the lights and door locks (and on some models front windows) misbehave.

I tried locking the doors and walked away. When the interior lights came back on I left the key in the house and checked all doors and hatch were all still locked.

[VStar650CL]

Besides the BCM itself, the only thing which can really trigger the welcome lights is the request switch with a key in the area, and that's a chain of events which wouldn't happen from a simple short or open circuit. Of course, it's possible that a door switch is falsing, but I think you'd be getting a blinky door ajar indication while driving if that was the source. The puddle lamps are on their own timer, so it's unlikely a problem with the interior lamp driver is responsible. When cylinder switches false they often strobe to "lock" without an unlock or vice versa, so it's still possible the cylinder switch is the culprit. Since BCM's are expensive and aren't plug-and-play, I'd advise pulling the door panel and disconnecting the actuator temporarily, then see if the problem stops. You'll have to manually lock/unlock the door during the experiment, but it should tell you conclusively if the cylinder isn't responsible. It's also possible for moisture in the door connectors to cause the issue, so if it still happens with the actuator unplugged, have a look at those.

[Bobert78]

I appreciate that help. I will try pulling the door panel this week to get to things and see if this helps and report back.

[Bobert78]

I just pulled off the driver door panel. what do i disconnect on the actuator? a power connector or a connector rod? Also do i need to do the same with the passenger side or just driver side?

[VStar650CL]

The power connector also has the wires for the cylinder switch, so just disconnect the actuator. The WD shows only the driver's door has a cylinder switch. So if the passenger side has a cylinder, it should be a plain one with no switch.

[Bobert78]

The power connector also has the wires for the cylinder switch, so just disconnect the actuator. The WD shows only the driver's door has a cylinder switch. So if the passenger side has a cylinder, it should be a plain one with no switch.

I am in the door now trying to figure out where the cylinder is at or if it is part of the actuator. While the door is apart i unplugged the plug that goes to the welcome light and turned off the interior light. That kept lighting off on the car but of I use the key fob to lock the car the alarm goes off after about a minute. If I lock with the key it doesn't trigger the alarm

I tried pulling the horn fuse and also the alarm relay but ithe alarm still goes off. Is there another location of a fuse or relay for the alarm?

[VStar650CL]

The switch is inside the actuator, there's a mechanical linkage rod which connects the cylinder to it. The actuator connector is the only thing you need to unplug, not the lighting. It's a 6-pin gray.

The alarm is run by the BCM and there's no separate fuse for it.

[Bobert78]

I will go take a look now. I did notice of I lock the car with the key, the button on the outside door handle or the button on the inside door by the window button, the alarm never gets triggered to go off. Only i I lock with the key for it goes off after about 1 minute. That is the strange part.

We literally drive the car like 2k per year so don't want to dump a ton of money on a new bcm if I can have a work around. Aren't BCM like over $1,000 installed?

[VStar650CL]

Yes, but that would be a really weird failure mode for a BCM. It's much more likely a failure in one of the inputs, and the cylinder switch is always the prime suspect. They live in a crappy environment where they're constantly exposed to rain, moisture, and dirt, so it's extremely common for them to have connectivity and contact failures in their old age.

[Bobert78]

Yes, but that would be a really weird failure mode for a BCM. It's much more likely a failure in one of the inputs, and the cylinder switch is always the prime suspect. They live in a crappy environment where they're constantly exposed to rain, moisture, and dirt, so it's extremely common for them to have connectivity and contact failures in their old age.

i just removed the window and got to the plug. I unplugged the gray connector, but do i need to unhook the connecting cable also or leave that for testing? I am attaching picture so we will see if it works.

[VStar650CL]

The cables can all stay. If it's the switch causing the issue, disconnecting it electrically will cause the the BCM to read both throws of the switch as "off" regardless of what the lock and latch are actually doing. So if that eliminates the false welcome lights, you know it's the switch causing the issue.

[Bobert78]

Unfortunately no luck. I tried and the welcome lights still came on after about 30 seconds. I am thinking it may be the BCM but not completely sure. I have been reading about it and it sounds like even if i changed it myself, they would have to program it. Is that something other shops can test and possibly replace, or does it have to be an Infiniti thing?

[VStar650CL]

The configuration is something a Nissan/Infiniti dealer would probably need to do, although a locksmith could program the keys and you could do the rest yourself. They're actually not programmable, just configurable. It's a security thing.

[Bobert78]

Just wanted to give a quick update. I finally had time to take the car into the dealership to have them check the BCM. Ended up the BCM was full of water and there was water under the carpet. They tracked it down to a leak with the moonroof drain. I ended up the tubing is clogged and caused it to drip onto the BCM.

They were able to dry out the BCM and it works without problems, but they wanted 2500 bucks to run new drain tubes and grommets. I watched some videos and seems easy enough to do, so i brought it home and is in the garage with fans to dry up any possible remaining moisture.

Hoping to tackle the moonroof leak this weekend as well. Sounds like that is a common issue on infiniti but glad it didnt fry the bcm.

[VStar650CL]

The bulkhead fittings on your EX won't be any different from a Nissan, although the locations might be. There are diffuser nubs in the fittings which are at the root of pretty much all the problems. If you can't reach one or more of the fittings from outside, poke a screwdriver through from inside and at least detach one side of the nubs, one side is far better than none. You'll probably find these two threads useful:
post6844183.html?hilit=murano%20drain#p6844183
after-the-great-flood-t628490.html