Key FOB replacement policy ?

I recently had my Prius key FOB have a button stuck down which was no longer under warranty(3 months too late). It made the key FOB worse than useless. The Toyota Prius key FOB replacement cost is rarely under $400 ($176 for the key+ $250 for reprogramming+tax). There are posted incidents of dealer charges exceeding $800 for replacement.

It would be nice if someone from Nissan would make a commitment to a LEAF key FOB replacement policy having a reasonable replacement cost. Nissan may already be planning that. Could we get a dealer or corporate response for Nissan's policies for this?

I expect the Prius cost is typical of what any such key fob replacement would be. Most likely a stuck button is due to something sticky getting into it. The usual culprit is a sugary soft drink spilled on the unit. If I had a stuck button, I'd take the whole thing apart, find some way to separate the electronics from the case, and soak the case in a detergent solution. You might not be able to get it back together again, and even if you can you may find that the circuit board was affected, but you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

I don't see why it would be different than any other car. The keyless-ignition transponders are more expensive than regular (transmit-only) fobs, and often have a coded physical key insert as well.

$400 sounds nutes, but I'd expect $150 to $200 for a programmed, cut, replacement.

If you're savvy, you can usually find spares on-line and register them with the car yourself. I did this for an Infiniti and it was only $40 or so.

You'd be better off petitioning for "3" keys instead of the standard 2. But good luck with that -- these things are a profit center for the dealership.

Your best bet is: Don't lose them, and keep an eye out for cheap replacements off eBay.
People often sell a car with one key, and find the spare key later and sell it off.

I'd be surprised if the Leaf uses a unique Leaf-only transponder too. It's probably a partsbin match with other Nissan/Infiniti keyless cars.

GroundLoop said:

I don't see why it would be different than any other car.

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most people dont

If you're savvy, you can usually find spares on-line and register them with the car yourself.

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the Prius is considered one of the toughest cars to steal. i bet crooks would be interested in hearing this

Your best bet is: Don't lose them

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amen to that

There's nothing thief-friendly about extra fobs.

You have to have one of the 'registered' fobs in-hand, then do some kind of dance step on the gas/brake/dome-light or the data port, and then the new fob is recognized as well. It's a pairing sequence, not a back-door secret entry.

I imagine stealing a Leaf without a flatbed is just as hard as stealing any other transponder-keyed ECU car (Prius). Lately component theft seems to be a bigger problem, with headlight modules and cat converters being the most stolen things from the parking lot.

having a good FOB you can get a replacement for around $239 give or take. i had a replacement FOB generated for my 2006 Prius. now if you lose the FOB and dont have a good one to program with then the transponder in the car has to be replaced as well and that is when you start hitting $400+ for a replacement.

A regular Nissan Intelligent key which is what we use with our existing push button start vehicles is about $200 to replace including programming. The key consist of 2 parts which run around $125 together, and $75-$100 for the programming.

mossyleaf said:

A regular Nissan Intelligent key which is what we use with our existing push button start vehicles is about $200 to replace including programming. The key consist of 2 parts which run around $125 together, and $75-$100 for the programming.

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Do the cars come with TWO fobs as other cars come with two remotes?

LEAFfan said:

Do the cars come with TWO fobs as other cars come with two remotes?

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Yes

LEAFguy said:

LEAFfan said:

Do the cars come with TWO fobs as other cars come with two remotes?

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Yes

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Thanks! Now I'm curious what happened to his spare fob if the one he was using has a stuck button.

Two is the standard number for every car I've seen. Keys, fobs, transponders.. I'd be very surprised if it was more or fewer.

$200 replacement sounds about right, if there is a cut doorkey involved as well.
Programming isn't too hard if they allow it without a service terminal.

Toyota explained that if we lost ALL the transponder fobs, then they would have to replace the ECU to get new keys. I have my doubts, but it's clearly an expensive go-around. I'd get on that spare if I was down to One.

Just an update to this. Car obviously comes with two key fobs with two keys integrated.

I ordered a third set from enissanparts.com
Part number: 285E31KM0D - $95.74
Part number: H05641FA0B - $21.20

I was intending to just get a blank key but I had provided the VIN when I ordered so they sent me the key for my car.

The dealer said informally and roughly (Hopefully he was exaggerating and rounding up) $300 after sales tax for the set and programming.

Just programming for ~$85 with sales tax.

They need all the fobs you want to work to program the new one.

QueenBee said:

... I was intending to just get a blank key but I had provided the VIN when I ordered so they sent me the key for my car. ...

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Please tell me they required some form of proof of ownership before they did that.

davewill said:

QueenBee said:

... I was intending to just get a blank key but I had provided the VIN when I ordered so they sent me the key for my car. ...

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Please tell me they required some form of proof of ownership before they did that.

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I can only hope that that my name and address is tied to my VIN otherwise that's all I have them

Even if somebody buys a key for your car, it just means that they can open the door with the key instead of by breaking the window (before they steal things inside).

They still cannot drive it away without getting the car reprogrammed for the new key, right?

garygid said:

Even if somebody buys a key for your car, it just means that they can open the door with the key instead of by breaking the window (before they steal things inside).

They still cannot drive it away without getting the car reprogrammed for the new key, right?

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Yep, I would be less worried about theft and more worried about creepy stalkers. I wonder if using just the key causes the alarm to go off.

No alarm, the key (without the fob) just unlocks the door.
I just tried it.

Thanks for the info guys! I have a friend interested in RelayRides which I signed up for rent and he was concerned about fobs being misplaced. I want to do a test as to whether the transponder is in the fob or the embedded key's handle? I should think the handle would be logical as otherwise the key would only unlock the door not start the car as intended. But I'll run my own test later today, just curios if anyone else has.

The transponder is in the Fob. There are actually 2 types; a Passive one and an active one. The Active one is the one normally used, it can detect the fob (almost) anywhere in the car and allow start, but this is dependent on the battery in the fob being good. In the event of a dead battery, you can still start the car using the passive mode by holding the fob up to the ring around the power button.

As far as I know, you must use the dealer Consult III+ to program new fobs, there is no way for a DIY solution yet.

If you have a stuck button on the fob, it's relatively easy to "save" the fob by going in with a small pair of diagonal cutters and simply snipping off the offending switch unit. Some people have done this on otherwise good fobs to prevent the buttons from activating unintentionally. Follow the instructions in the manual for battery replacement to gain access to the insides, it's a simple snap-apart system.

One thing about the Nissan fobs is they seem to be built better than the ones used on the Prius. I've even accidentally washed/dried mine several times and it's still working fine.

-Phil

Ingineer said:

One thing about the Nissan fobs is they seem to be built better than the ones used on the Prius. I've even accidentally washed/dried mine several times and it's still working fine.

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I can attest to this, although there is apparently a limit. After 1 wash and 1 wash + dry it was still happy. Then came the day when it got lost. Turns out it got stuck behind the washers gasket for a month. Replaced the battery but it didn't work after a few days of drying It did still work to start the car though. Maybe needs more time to dry and/or some of the corrosion cleaned off?