Got my Z back yesterday!
Drive back home was amazing!
The documentation I got says, Checked for codes found B2607, S/L Relay B2612 S/L Status, B260F Eng State Sig Lost. Code b2612 S/L Status
Found Sl Relay open circuit, replaced IPDM.
ER found steering lock shorted internally causeing IPDM to short out.
Installed new ipdm and installed new lock assem.

Anyone wana chime in and explain?
The Service manager felt like an *** once he found out that he needed to replace the steering lock relay as I told him when I first dropped off my car.
If he listened to me I would've gotten my car earlier and they would've gone through less of a struggle.
Oh well!
Groundhog saw it's shadow I'm counting down days til spring!

And now this happens to me...Car will not start, stuck in the lock position, key light remains on, breaks stiff, all other electronics functioning. It seems like everyone all at once....FML. And my car is stuck at my job's parking lot collecting ice, surrounded by other employees cars, with minimal space for a flat bed to fit. Not to mentioned being lowered. I hope they are able to get it on, and fix this crap, without trying to weasel their way out of a warranty claim. This is BS.

@CrownR426 lol your signature is funny, because it looks as if I'll have to replace both of those things as well. Short block from intakes sucking up water, and now this IPDM stuff.

Code B2607 - Steering Lock Relay - BCM detects that there is a difference between the following statuses. Steering lock unit ON signal transmitted by IPDM E/R, The steering lock unit status feedbac

Code B2612 - S/L STATUS
BCM detects the difference between
the following status for 1 second
- Steering lock or unlock
- Feedback of steering lock status from
IPDM E/R (CAN)
- Harness or connectors
[Steering lock unit circuit (BCM side) is open or shorted], Harness or connectors [Steering lock unit circuit (IPDM E/R side) is open or shorted]

Code B260F - ENG STATE SIG LOST. Automatically reset when power position changes to ACC.
Just a minor communications error, possibly created when they disconnected the battery and then the car couldn't reach accessory mode when power was restored.

My interpretation - they misdiagnosed the codes and incorrectly replaced the IPDM first. They should have replaced the steering lock first. Chances are there was nothing wrong with the IPDM but they had already replaced it at that point.

I'm wondering whether the failure of the 370Z's steering lock unit might related to the solenoid pin being held too tightly because owners' have the front wheels turned to the side and there is additional pressure against the pin? With a key ignition this situation is clearly present when you try to turn the key—on a steering column lock—and you can't until you have pulled the steering in the direction that relieves the pressure on the pin. In the 370Z one takes it for granted that the pin will simply release itself. When the pin is held, it is surely not good on the pin's solenoid and could accelerate failure as the solenoid remains activated trying to dislodge the pin.

yah sounds like the solenoid is prematurely burning out on some of them. could be just a bad solenoid or as socal mentioned, a stuck pin causing higher (or longer) load on the solenoid's coil. it's just a electro-magnet with a spring-loaded pin. maybe the spring rate is too high?

when you guys are getting in/out of your cars do you hold the steering wheel to support your weight? not sure if it has anything to do with this but it's possible the turning is causing this pin to lock and potentially get stuck. (very speculative but just wanted to point that out).

It certainly could potentially accelerate damage to the unit, however many of the actual failures seem to happen when the car is parked straight such as a gas station or parking lot. Weird.

There also seems to be more occurrences in Winter vs Summer, but that could just be coincidence.

The problem happens across the entire Nissan product line but seems to be happening slightly more often on the 370Z and GT-R. This could correlate to the extra force required to activate the lock due to the tighter steering ratio and wider tires (which amount to extra resistance). Thicker fluid in the hydraulic system could be the Winter tie in.

The one question I have to the people that have had the failures - is the steering wheel in fact locked (i.e. can you turn the wheel at all) when you find it in this state?

The inverse of what I was thinking, but just as relevant (maybe even more so) to any low resistance electrical failure.

Rep Point added.

Side note: The hatch on our Z takes three tries to open and I spoke to the service department about getting the hatch springs, but they are telling me it is most liking the trunk solenoid. I guess the vendor who provides Nissan's solenoids is in limp d!ck mode these days.

Yes I can, but it's very hard.

Well yes it should be hard because the power steering system is creating resistance.

Interesting, so the steering lock is not engaged which means in theory the car is drivable, but the brain is preventing it due to inconsistent feedback from the steering lock assembly. In theory the car could be "hot wired" telling it that the lock is disengaged by sending 12V to pin 97 of the BCM and 0V to pin 98.

chris - make us a bypass sw! in for GB :tup:

The problem is when this solenoid fries it may do so with the pin engaged in the column. I'm tempted to yank this solenoid out and zip tie it under the dash.

A bypass is certainly possible but it isn't as simple as just removing the module. The BCM sends a series of pulses on pin 111 at different intervals and then the lock responds with a feedback voltage on that pin as a sort of success code. It would have to be replaced with a simple electronic circuit that emulated the behavior.

if anyone takes one of these solenoids out of the, please check to see if there is any lubricant at all on the pin or opening. Condensation on metal that then freezes can be one possible scenario for the sticking pin. also, the programming on the BCM needs to be checked to make sure this voltage to disengage the pin does not stay applied until a feedback signal. There is no reason this solenoid needs more than 2 seconds of being energized to do the job. anymore, and the life expectancy is going to be diminished. has anyone experienced this twice?
If one wire becomes shorted to power or ground, this could cause the solenoid to prematurely die. I wonder if there is possibly a harness problem?

I've had this happen before. Currently I'm stranded right now for the second time, steering column lock was replaced last year and I guess it's going to have to be replaced once again. Most likely with the same defective unit.