Key Fob Battery Replacement? Nissan Leaf 2013

Hi Guys,

Just got my leaf the other day. A used leaf. 2013 and the leaf is telling me the battery is almost empty on the key fob. I read that taking it to the dealer means 20$ big bucks loss. Can I replace the battery myself? Is it advisable? What kind of battery do I use? I hope it still works tomorrow... I got a few things I need to do that are a little important

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=11471#p264737

There are several other threads too.

Key thing is use the correct CR2025 battery.
Lowest cost place I found was Harbor Freight.
Dollar Tree is also good source for inexpensive batteries, but so far I have not found CR2025 there.

The LEAF / Versa fob is tricky to open, much harder than Altima which has screwdriver pry spot molded in.
I did mine for second time in bit over four years last week.
I found once I used tiny screwdriver to get a tiny opening, that my thumb nail was the best no damage tool to carefully spread the case halves apart.
In two years a lot of lint and dust gets in the space between the two halves.
Just takes slow careful patience.

TimLee said:

There are several other threads too.

Key thing is use the correct CR2025 battery.
Lowest cost place I found was Harbor Freight.
Dollar Tree is also good source for inexpensive batteries, but so far I have not found CR2025 there.

Click to expand...

My Dollar Tree hasn't typically had them, but now all of a sudden they do! Might be worth asking the manager if he/she order some as regular stock.

TimLee said:

The LEAF / Versa fob is tricky to open, much harder than Altima which has screwdriver pry spot molded in.
I did mine for second time in bit over four years last week.
I found once I used tiny screwdriver to get a tiny opening, that my thumb nail was the best no damage tool to carefully spread the case halves apart.
In two years a lot of lint and dust gets in the space between the two halves.
Just takes slow careful patience.

Click to expand...

The screwdriver slot in the LEAF fob is "hidden" under the regular key - pull that key out and you'll see the slot in that end of the fob.

Thanks guys immensely.

I went down to pico rivera harbor freight and picked up a 4 pack of the cr2025 cost me like 3.XX dollars. I usd ThenI used my hawk 30 in 1 precision bit set and got access to the battery. I changed it and I no longer get the key bat is low message. Saved me like 15 bucks so thank you so much. I did read like 3 short threads about changing the bat, but there seemed to be some messages about it draining faster due to non-dealer battery. So I was wondering if this was okay to do for sure. Anyway, I don't regret changing it hopefully it will last at least 1 year!

I'm not sure how much I trust batteries from Harbor Freight. Daiso has a pack of 2 (now made in Indonesia) Mitsubishi CR2025 for $1.50. I believe CR2016 and 2032 are the same price for a 2-pack.

mwalsh said:

The screwdriver slot in the LEAF fob is "hidden" under the regular key - pull that key out and you'll see the slot in that end of the fob.

Click to expand...

Yes, correct.

But the plastic over that slot in the LEAF / Versa fob is very thin.
It hasn't held up too well on mine.
The very small screwdriver / thumbnail pry apart was a little less risky / damaging on mine.

I just replace ours with a 2032 and it works. The only difference is thickness. 2025 is 2.5mm thick and a 2032 is 3.2mm. Same voltage and diameter.

Same here.

Likewise. I actually did one 2032 in my main fob, and one 2025 in the spare. I think Tim got a bad/swelled cell.