You know your key-fob battery is running low when... Part 2

My Nissan Leaf Forum

Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

mwalsh

Well-known member
Leaf Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Messages
9,781
Location
Garden Grove, CA
...your car lets you know:

That's 2.5 years on this fob battery. I've switched to the second fob for a while and have put the replacement on my to-do list.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20130625_073255.jpg
    IMG_20130625_073255.jpg
    32.4 KB · Views: 1,570
mwalsh said:
...your car lets you know:

That's 2.5 years on this fob battery. I've switched to the second fob for a while and have put the replacement on my to-do list.
I also got this graphic a week ago, and I have only 2 yrs and 3 weeks on my LEAF. I have replaced the battery, using the instructions in the Maintenance section of the main Leaf manual. Look for "Intelligent Key battery replacement"

The battery is a 2025. $4.50 for a pair at Lowes. I am surprised that the key that needed replacement is my backup key, which I keep in a drawer in my bedroom. It gets used briefly to unlock the car about once per week. The manual says the lifetime of the battery declines if the key is exposed to radio waves that keeps it "on". My Wifi router is in the next room.
 
I'd recommend replacing the battery sooner than later.
My 2009 Altima fob quit working. Dealer replaced the battery, and it would hardly work.
I replaced battery again myself, and although it works a bit better than with the dealer battery replacement, it still doesn't work very well.
I don't think letting the fob battery go totally dead is very good for the fob.
Does anyone know if there is a fob locator available, either from the dealer or in the aftermarket?
My wife has misplaced her fob somewhere in the house and we can't find it.
Need to find it before its battery goes dead.
And as previously reported on MNL, these fobs are very expensive.
Especially if the dealer has to make one from scratch rather than having one functioning fob already in hand.
 
tbleakne said:
mwalsh said:
...your car lets you know:
I also got this graphic a week ago, and I have only 2 yrs and 3 weeks on my LEAF. I have replaced the battery, using the instructions in the Maintenance section of the main Leaf manual. Look for "Intelligent Key battery replacement"

The battery is a 2025. $4.50 for a pair at Lowes

It's good you can replace at Lowes or we'd still be waiting for a price to purchase a key-fob battery from Nissan.
 
Looks like the fob batteries wear at the same pace no matter whether they're used or not. The second fob, which has been used a half-dozen times (if that), and is kept on a key hook that is well out of vehicle range, gave me the same battery warning today.
 
These must be 'special' indeed as we also own an '08 smart fortwo coupe with keyless entry fob and other than the 'required' first year battery replacement by Mercedes (it's on the maintenance schedule no less, needless to say we passed on that the next time, think it was like $15 for part + labor!) it has 43K miles and the battery is still fine after all this time, the membrane where you push for the doors to unlock, etc. was worn out though. Of course that fob doesn't interact anymore than to open/lock the doors and hatch but still.

It is great that the car 'tells' you it's time but looks like it only lasts a little over 2 years -- one thing we didn't ask is how sensitive is the car to how much voltage the battery needs to work? I typically would check the DC volts for the battery using a digital meter and for instance the 'old' battery in my smart still shows 3V; what did your LEAF fob battery show?

As far as fob 'tracking', other than a key chain with a receiver on it, don't know of another way as the 'horn' is in the car and not the fob so you could listen for it if it was lost ---
 
redLEAF said:
It is great that the car 'tells' you it's time but looks like it only lasts a little over 2 years -- one thing we didn't ask is how sensitive is the car to how much voltage the battery needs to work? I typically would check the DC volts for the battery using a digital meter and for instance the 'old' battery in my smart still shows 3V; what did your LEAF fob battery show?


Not changed them out yet. But I'll report back when I do.
 
I got the 'Low Fob Battery warning' on the dash and took out the battery and cleaned it with a micro fiber cloth. That had the warning go away for about 2 weeks. When it came back on I ordered 2 from All Electronics http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/LBAT-44/CR2025-LITHIUM-BUTTON-CELL/1.html, after seeing plenty of bad reviews at Amazon (out of date batteries). The new batteries have a date stamp of 17, so they should be good, and I don't have to get as close to the door as I used to.

I was surprised that the old battery had a date of 11.
 
Nice to know about the dash warning. I haven't gotten one and I've only had my car a year (June 4), but more often than not, I can't open my hatch lid with the fob in my purse, even standing right next to the car. Have to take it out of my purse and by then, I'm annoyed and just press the fob button instead of the hatch button. :evil: How crappy are these batteries?? The fob keychain is kept in an outside zipper pocket of my leather purse. What's blocking the signal?
 
My first fob just died last night... after I accidentally locked the keys in the car. Doh! Luckily it happened after I arrived home and my landlady was in to give me a spare house key. The spare fob seems to be working fine but I guess I'll go buy a couple batteries this weekend so I'm covered.
 
malloryk said:
My first fob just died last night... after I accidentally locked the keys in the car. Doh! Luckily it happened after I arrived home and my landlady was in to give me a spare house key. The spare fob seems to be working fine but I guess I'll go buy a couple batteries this weekend so I'm covered.


I didn't think it was possible for that to happen. If I try to lock the key in my car, the car just beeps at me and refuses to lock.

Unless, of course, your fob needs to be working to do that. ;)
 
planet4ever said:
tbleakne said:
The battery is a 2025. $4.50 for a pair at Lowes.
Or $1.00 apiece as my wife proved to me by getting one at a place I thought I would never go to -- Dollar Tree.

Ray
A big thank you to your wife, Ray, and to you for sharing the great low cost battery source! :D :D :D
The Dollar Tree I went to had the Sunbeam CR2032, TWO for $1. A phenomenal price! :D :D :D
They're around two for $4.50 at Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot. And one for $5.35 at Walgreens.
You can't even find them on line for much less than $1 a piece, and that is usually a minimum order of ten.
Unfortunately my Dollar Tree didn't have the correct CR2025.

smkettner said:
I had a 2032 so I popped it in. Works fine so far.
...:|
JimSouCal said:
I had the Nissan 2 year battery check and service update, and had a CR2032 with me as the dash annunciator was warning me the FOB battery was low. At first they didn't want to put it in due to the differing numbers, but yep, it works.
Since Dollar Tree only had CR2032, and both smkettner and JimSouCal had reported the CR2032 would work in the LEAF fob, I tried it.
It does NOT work with the Sunbeam CR2032. Although the open button would work on the fob, neither the close or alarm button would work, and the car also would not recognize the fob. Used the RFID functionality to start the LEAF.
I compared the Sunbeam CR2032 to a Rayovac CR2032 in my Altima fob, and the Sunbeam CR2032 was slightly thicker than the Rayovac. Didn't have a micrometer handy to compare them to the nominal 3.2 mm thickness that a CR2032 is supposed to be. Apparently the thickness of the Sunbeam CR2032 was enough to cause enough pressure to engage the lock and alarm buttons on the fob, making it only functional for open. :eek: :cry:
So use of CR2032 in the LEAF fob may work for some, and will not work for others. Better to stay with the correct CR2025 and not risk damaging the fob.
I did note that the Sunbeam coin cell is made in China. But the Rayovac states that it is made in USA, Japan, China, or Germany. So it could have been made in China also. Several other more name brands I checked also indicate either made in China, or possibly made in China.
 
Back
Top