# My Instrument Cluster stopped working!!!



## MEDEL514 (Nov 24, 2005)

Driving home from work the other day, my instrument cluster stopped working. I tried turning the truck off and restarting it 3 separate times, but after about 15 seconds or so, the instrument cluster stops working, no speedometer, no drivetrain icon, no MPG numbers (only dashes), and the 4WD, seatbelt icon, e-Brake, VDC, and SLIP lights all come on. The only thing that works normally on the instrument cluster is the Tachometer and the Odometer. The truck still drives fine, good throttle responce and braking, Radio stay's on, and all exterior lights work normal including the turn signals. Does anyone know what might be wrong?

My truck is a 2006 Frontier VQ40 CC LE 4WD. 

The truck has been having this issue for a little over a week now. I found that the guage cluster goes out when the truck is warmed up, like after 10-15 minutes of driving. Once its warm, the guage cluster acts up until the truck sits and cools off. So I'm wondering if this is an electrical part in the engine bay that is going bad under heat, but I don't know much about Nissan's to even begin the troubleshooting process. 

The Nissan dealer says that since I'm out of warranty that this will not be covered, and I need to make an appointment before they will look further into this issue. I argued the safety concern of not having an operable speedometer and warning lights constantly lit up, but they didn't seem to care. I have a guys at Nissan USA looking up to see if there's anything they can do for me, but until theres a recall or someone dies from this electrical issue, I guess I'm on my own...

Can anyone on here please help!!! :wtf:


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## MEDEL514 (Nov 24, 2005)

Can anyone help?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

It sounds like there is either a loose connection at the back of the integrated meter assembly (instrument cluster) or, more likely, there is an internal failure of the meter assy. There are 11 differant meter assys. for 2006 V6 Frontier 4WD's, but they all MSRP for $364. I would remove the meter assy., unplug and re-plug the harness connectors and see if the problems continue. If they do, a new meter assy. is probably in order.


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## MEDEL514 (Nov 24, 2005)

The meter assy is the intrument cluster, but you said there are 11 of them? I'm a bit confused. 


MEDEL514 said:


> I found that the guage cluster goes out when the truck is warmed up, like after 10-15 minutes of driving. Once its warm, the guage cluster acts up until the truck sits and cools off. So I'm wondering if this is an electrical part in the engine bay that is going bad under heat, but I don't know much about Nissan's to even begin the troubleshooting process.


Do you think there's a meter assy in the engine bay that I should check into first?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

There is only one meter assy. (aka instrument cluster) on your vehicle, but there are 11 differant part numbers for the meter based on trim level (SE, LE, Off-road, XE), trans (manual or auto), and w/ or w/out limited slip/traction control. On other words, if you were to purchase a used one, you would have to make sure you had the correct one for your vehicle, not just get any cluster from a 2006 Frontier. Your best bet would be to order a new one from Nissan based on your VIN #.


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## MEDEL514 (Nov 24, 2005)

So I got behind the dash and unplugged/replugged the connector for the gauge cluster assemly and it still goes out on me. I wish Nissan would just let me try out a new one so I could see if it would fix the problem...

Do you think it could be anything else, like a component in the engine bay that's affected by heat? I ask because I drove the truck into work the past few days when we've had some cold mornings, and the guage cluster acts fine on the way into work. When I leave work at 4pm and the temp is now 75 degrees, the guage cluster cuts out a few minutes after running. 

Also, I got a new CEL code for a speed sensor failure (P0500), but I'm not sure if it came up because of the faulty guage cluster.


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

I can't think of anything else it could be other than the cluster. A single componant in the engine compartment wouldn't cause the cluster to act in suck a way, plus an issue with the speedometer, which is part of the cluster, would cause the speed sensor code. If there is a bright spot, the cluster is "only" $364, which is about a 1/4 of the cost of some clusters (ie some Chrysler and GM products run well over a thousand bucks). You can't blame the dealer for not letting you try out another meter; it's likely a special order part and an electrical componant. If they did, they'd be inundated with people who would want to swap parts until they found the problem rather than pay their trained technicians to diagnose the problem. Regardless of your opinions of dealerships, their people have to make a living and put food on the table, too, and most invest a lot in training and tools to do that. As far as your truck, it has all the classic symptoms of a failing integrated meter assy., or "gauge cluster." But even I, given my years of experience as a Nissan tech, can say 100% that it is the cluster without ever having worked on the vehicle to diagnose it. It comes down to either "biting the bullet" and taking a chance on a new cluster, or paying a capable shop to diagnose the problem to isolate the exact cause of the problem.


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## Faja (Aug 31, 2009)

There is a self-diagnosis test you can run on the combination meter to see if it is working properly. Not sure if it's gonna help any as you have stated that it seems to run fine when the car is cold but act up when hot so obviously you'll have to run the test when it's cold. PM me your email address and I'll send you the PDF for the cluster. If you do happen to have a copy of the FSM, it's in the DI.PDF file.


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## MEDEL514 (Nov 24, 2005)

PM sent! I'll try anything out. I live in Germany and with the exchange rate, the German Nissan dealers want an arm and a leg litterally to diagnos my truck!


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## Faja (Aug 31, 2009)

Sent to email address provided. Good luck....


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## Naturetony1 (Sep 18, 2015)

*2007 nissan sunny*

Please how can I order instrument cluster for my 2007 nissan sunny


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## MEDEL514 (Nov 24, 2005)

I forgot to update this thread, but I ended up taking it to the dealer do fix. Turned out to be a faulty ABS computer, which is what the speedo and everything else runs through. I was charged a bunch of labor because they had to do alot of troubleshooting just to find out what it was. Well, this problem was 4 years ago now and it's been working fine since. *knock on wood* Hopefully this information helps someone else in the future!


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