B1038 covers the crash zone sensor circuit reading open or shorted to battery power. Nissan and Infiniti fold both conditions into one code, so the first job is deciding which one the circuit is in.
The circuit between the crash zone sensor and the diagnosis sensor unit runs through the front of the vehicle, and the module watches it for electrical problems. An open means no path at all, and a short to battery power means the circuit is sitting at a voltage it should never see. Either one gets logged as B1038.
The two conditions come from different damage. Opens follow disconnected plugs, cut wires, and terminals pushed out of a housing. Shorts to power follow chafed insulation contacting a supply wire in the same loom, which is why front end repair work and aftermarket wiring in the engine bay both deserve a look.
B1038 is a live electrical reading, present only while the fault exists and gone once the circuit measures normal. Stored crash data is the opposite: recorded permanently during a deployment with no scan tool able to remove it. Repairing the wiring is the entire fix for this one.
No reset repairs an open or a shorted wire. The mail-in service restores modules locked on crash data after a deployment, which is a different situation entirely. Find and fix the circuit fault first. If the vehicle also deployed and the diagnosis sensor unit is holding that event, send it in after the wiring is right.
Infiniti and Nissan both report B1038. Since the code covers two failure modes, reading the live data and measuring the circuit is what narrows it down rather than the code number alone.
Measure the circuit for continuity and for voltage with the connector apart, because that pair of readings tells you immediately whether you are chasing an open or a short to power. Follow the harness through the front of the car and inspect anywhere it crosses a bracket, a repaired section, or an added accessory wire. Repair the damaged section properly rather than patching it with tape. Related codes: B1036, B1049, B1816.
Trace the wiring and connectors first. If the module still holds the fault after the repair, mail it to us and we will clear it.
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