Thank you so much baykahz. I have a 2000 nissan altima, it has the same AC problem as everyone else. I spent a little over one hour to put the new TCA in, The car is blowing cold air!

Thank you so much

2005 Nissan Frontier Nismo,  34000 miles.

Does anyone know if the TCA problem is something that could be going on with my 2005. 

When my fan is on 1 it runs cold but the blower does not blow.  When I turn the fan to 2,3, or 4 the blower turns on but the AC shuts off and does not blow cold.  The AC light turns off when the blower starts.  Has anyone had or heard of this problem?  It is not intermitent, it is like this always.  Any sugestions would be greatly appriciated.

Thanks

Shamus

s37shamus: The symptoms you describe are not the same as the "TCA problem." While it could be the TCA, I highly doubt it. The TCA problem is generally the same for everyone, every Nissan make/model. Here is what the TCA does, from wiki.answers.com: "...it is a device that protects the evaporator in Nissan and some other automotive AC systems from freezing up. The device is a transistor switch component driven by voltage or current derived from an integral thermistor. Colder/Freezing temperatures cause the circuit to open and through the ECM and Air Conditioner Relay stop the compressor. The unit used by Nissan works as follows: As the temperature is decreasing the circuit opens around 38 to 37° F to turn off the compressor. There is a one to two degree hysteresis in the unit to prevent rapid cycling of the compressor. The device closes the circuit when the temperature reaches 39 to 41°F." I suspect that there is an electrical problem on the Nissan that causes the TCA to fail -- a voltage/current surge, for example. One of the two cigarette lighter outlets on my console blows a fuse when I depress the lighter or insert any device (e.g., cell phone charger) that works off that outlet. The other outlet is fine (the one with the "dummy" plug in it). It may be unrelated but I suspect there is a wiring/electrical problem that could be frying the TCA.

For those of you wondering what happened when I registered a formal complaint with Nissan's Consumer Services Division, I got an automated response with a reference number but no indication what they planned to do about it. I'm calling them in the next few days to see if they will actually address the problem and I'm pointing them to this discussion thread. If you google "A/C problem nissan" you'll see that there are several other automotive forums with what looks to be hundreds of people discussing the same problem and eventually coming up with the same conclusion (TCA).

Great post... keep up the good work!  lakota

Update on the TCA response from Nissan Consumer Affairs:

They sent me to the local Southern States Nissan dealership in Raleigh NC to have them diagnose the problem, and instructed me not to have the dealership do any work, but just to report back to Consumer Affairs with their diagnosis. The dealership then charged me $190 for two hours of diagnostic work, determining that I had a leaky head gasket and cracked hoses, resulting in loss of coolant, overheating of the engine and therefore inability to generate cold air from the A/C system. They needed to "send the cylinders out for testing" as well; total estimate: $2800 (no, I'm not making this up). When I picked up the truck a few hours later, I asked the service rep if he wanted to know what the real problem was with the A/C, and he said, "yes!" I said, "Sorry. Can't tell you. I was sent by Nissan Consumer Affairs. But you're estimate was off by $2750." Less than a mile from the dealership my temperature gage shot up and I immediately pulled over and saw that my radiator and coolant overflow reservoir were mysteriously bone dry. A friend of mine drove me to an auto parts store nearby and we replaced the fluid. I measured it out carefully and have been monitoring it for the past two weeks and haven't lost a drop. My A/C has also never been so cool, comfortable, and consistent; however, we haven't had any scorching days like we had during the week I was getting intermittent cooling. It's possible my coolant level was low (I said "low," not "dry"), but I know that there is absolutely no leaky head gasket (the mechanic claimed coolant was spilled all over the engine but there is no evidence of that whatsoever -- I have 80k miles on the truck and it has been pampered). I also inspected all the hoses and there are no scratches, nicks, or cracks of any kind, and, surprisingly enough, no knife or screwdriver puncture holes. After appealing to Consumer Affairs again, they eventually agreed to cover the diagnostic charges and the cost to replace the coolant, and to file a formal complaint with the dealership on my behalf. They said there is nothing else they can do about it, because the dealerships are all independently owned and operated and the "complaint" is simply for the benefit of the owner/operator's management. Maybe I should wait for my check to arrive (6-8 weeks!) before sticking my neck out any further...

   Thank you very much for the details on that problem.  Me and my wife have been battling this problem for 3 years now.  I am not sure if I can do all that work but now that I know I might be able to take it in to my regular guy and he will know exactly lwhat  needs to be looked at ....   We went through all kinds of voodoo... push the a/c button... change the temp setting, and even roll down the window and sometimes that actually seem to work....

..

Welcome  old Texas Guy;

It's strange some vehicles have problems (any Brand) and some don't. Our 6 Nissans have been trouble free. I screwed up and bought a '08 Camry I-4 for the wife but it's been good so far. We're lucky we did't get an '07 V-6 Camry... a lot of problems with them.

Very Old Texas Guy...  let's compare PIX of our Great Grandkids...

It would be nice if our members would add their vehicle information to their signature (similar to mine) plus add their City and State . A member in the same town might be willing to drop by and help you with a problem. Or drink all your beer

Thanks for the note ronm69. For those of you who stumbled upon this forum and have experienced/solved "The TCA Problem," it takes only a few minutes to join and post an update. At some point in time it will become obvious the problem is systemic and should help to influence a recall decision by Nissan.

- 2001 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab