I have a 2014 DB9 Volante. Never had a single issue until I started it up this spring after being stored in my heated garage all winter with a battery tender.

Attached is a video of what’s happening:


Things to note:

My research indicated this behavior typically points to the convertible roof module on the Volante. I have that unplugged currently and it makes no difference.

I have replaced the battery with no change in behavior. The rep at the store I purchased the battery from noted that my old battery had a faint burning smell associated with it. I never noticed that.

The car starts, runs, and drives, but it seems every minute or so it cycles from the cluster and other electronics being dead, to springing back to life for a minute, and spewing all kinds of error codes. The courtesy lights in the door panels blink off and on every few seconds.

I only have a generic OBD2 scanner and it’s giving me a code for high voltage on the fuel sender, but that’s it.

On the scanner, it was telling me the controller module voltages are 15-15.2v with the car running. Seems high. Voltage directly on the battery with the car running is 14.42 V. This has me wondering if the alternator is overcharging? The thing is this “cycling” of the instrument cluster and other items in the interior still occurs if the car is “turned on” but the engine is off, so that probably rules out a charging issue.

The battery in the car was four years old, but the car is only driven on weekends in the summer. This problem sure seems like the voltage in the vehicle is cycling up and down and making everything go crazy.

Other searches have indicated that a “tracker module” can cause problems with this, but my understanding is those were only installed on European market cars. Is that correct?

I have a lift at home and I am mechanically inclined. I am not very familiar with electrical systems, however. I’m hoping to try every available avenue of testing and experimenting before I have to tow this thing to the dealer. Any prior experience, thoughts or things to try are certainly appreciated!

 

I have a 2010 DBS Volante. I've experienced what you're seeing and in my case it was the CRM. Like you I tried unplugging it and found it made no difference. The CRM is apparently integral to the CAN bus system causing issues when malfunctioning or disconnected. I replaced it and all has been well in the 8-9 years since.

 

I've been fighting the exact same issue on my 2011 Vantage S Roadster and I've posted here and several other places to no avail. The prevailing opinions say it's the roof module, but no help beyond that. So far I've replaced the roof module, checked every chassis ground, tested the battery which is fine and only a year old and stays on a CTEK at all times, checked the CAN high and low voltage and ohms at pins 6 &14 on the OBD port and that was good, disconnected the battery and connected the pos and neg cables together for an hour or so and reconnected. That didn't help. Just yesterday replaced the CEM, which appeared to have a burnt circuit, and I'm still having the same issue. I was 99% sure the CEM was the problem, but it wasn't. I'm at a complete loss at this point and tired of changing expensive parts. I guess the instrument cluster itself would be my next guess, but who knows? I'll update here if I find a solution and would appreciate if you do the same.

 

Interesting. This is the first time I’ve heard that unplugging the CRM will not rule it out.

I have a OBD2 scanner with some Aston Martin capability on the way, and I will see what it tells me. Thank you for responding. This is very frustrating. The car has been literally trouble free for 10 years.

 

I will definitely keep you posted. This is a major bummer as this car has been trouble free. Much like you my information points to the CRM and then after that to checking all the grounds. The car only has 5000 miles and is stored in a climate controlled garage; almost never seen rain and certainly never a winter. Always on a tender. Battery is brand new.

Once I have a better scanner, I will get some more data and put it up here. There is no dealer convenient to me and I don’t want to do more damage by running the car with these problems any more than I have to, and I certainly would like to be as educated as possible before spending thousands throwing parts at an unknown problem!

 

I have a ThinkDiag scanner and the only fault codes I'm getting are the ones that show up on the instrument cluster as a result of this issue...Emmission System, air bag, tire pressure, etc. No other codes like voltage issues or anything else. As I mentioned, I replaced the CRM with a new one (not something used from ebay) and that didn't help. I made a 6 hour drive to the Aston dealer in Houston to get the CRM flashed. They were virtually no help beyond flashing the CRM. They just gave the car back and said "the top is working, but with codes". Thanks fir nothing. I've been messaging on Facebook with a guy in the UK who has the same problem with his Vantage Roadster. So far he hasn't come up with a solution either.

 

Don't rule out the ABS module. It sits on one end of the HS CAN bus and can create all sorts or issues when it fails. My 07 had similar intermittent issues when the brake pressure transducer failed. Not sure if the brake pressure sensor is integral to the ABS module on later cars, but it's still critical to the proper operation of the HS CAN.

 

Haven't seen any replies in a while. Have you solved the problem yet? I'm still at a dead end.

 

I had to replace an air bag on the door once. I think it was the same message.

 

So far, I have been able to access and remove both the convertible roof module, and the tire pressure module.

There were no changes in behavior. I’ve been very busy so I have not worked on it further, but my plan is to get both those components reinstalled and start locating and removing other modules. It’s been suggested by those with experience I try the door modules next.

I have to find a resource to help me locate exactly where these various modules are. I’m also wondering if there’s anything else in the passenger foot well I should be unplugging by the fuse box and the TPMS module before I reassemble it all.

 

Door modules have been on my radar also but I haven't done anything with them yet. If you've already removed the access panel and the panel it's attached to in the passenger footwell to get to the tire pressure monitor, you could remove and inspect the CEM. There are just two 7 or 8mm bolts holding it. Wouldn't hurt to unplug and then reconnect everything going to it. Also, once you have the CEM out it's easy to open it up and look for any obvious burnt circuits or corrosion. (Three screws to remove then tease it apart with a small flat blade screw driver.) When you reinstall it, be careful. One of the harness connections on the back side tends to get dislodged when you rock the CEM back into place. I'll update you if I go forward with the door modules or anything else. There are videos online showing door module removal if you decide to replace them.

 

Update:



Following the instructions of the experts, I started unplugging modules one by one and testing. I unplugged this and after a short drive and clearing all the codes everything is back to normal!

I will be gone for a long drive shortly to verify.

Thanks to all who chimed in. This appears to be some sort of USB audio related module as I have no sound system now. But I have the sound of that sweet V12 back! It looks like plenty of these modules are available. Thankfully, they are not terribly expensive, but does anyone know if I will need any kind of dealer reflash when I replace?

 

Well, after a drive, the story is not quite over.

I am not getting anywhere near the problems and error messages that I was, however during the drive, I still lose the instrument cluster dials sporadically and I get Brake and ABS warnings. I just pulled into my driveway and the parking sensors would not stop beeping.

if I shut the car off and restart, it all is fine.

The saga continues!

 

Where was that module located?

 

Under the center console between the back seats. There are a few modules there. I unplugged them one by one and got some improvement when I disconnected this one. I met someone tonight that has direct experience with this and was advised to start chasing loose or corroded grounds.