can't unlock leaf by touching handles

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JayThornton

New member
Joined
Sep 9, 2019
Messages
2
HI,

I have a 2013 Leaf. Recently I discovered that I am unable to lock and unlock the doors by touching the sensors on the handles while holding the key fob. I can use the remote buttons on key fob to lock and unlock--they work fine. Battery on key fob seems fine. My wife's key fob also does not allow her to lock by touching handle. Problem seems to have begun about the same time I had recall work done on battery strap. Wondering if recall work somehow changed the grounding on vehicle making touch locking not work. Anyone else have this problem?
 
If you have access to a 12 volt battery charger, try topping off the 12 volt battery. I don't think that this is the issue here, but a very low accessory battery should be ruled out. You can also check the rest voltage at the battery terminals, with the car off for 15 minutes with the hood opened or unlatched.
 
What do you mean by touching the handles and sensor? You need to push on the buttons on the 2 front door handles (or push (er... pull up) on the trunk release).

There are no touch sensors for the doors.

Nissans aren't Toyotas. Toyotas w/Smart Key System let you touch the rear of the door handles (how many and which doors depends on the car and its config) to unlock. To lock on Toyotas, you need to either push on the buttons on the door handles (older Toyotas) or press on the ridges on the door handles. On Nissans, they mapped all that onto a single button on each door (an inferior setup, if you ask me).
 
There is a way to enable/disable the functions to lock/unlock with the buttons in the door handles so that programming may have been changed during the dealer visit. I don't remember how to change the setting, so look in the manual.

Another possibility is that both key fob batteries are getting weak. When a key fob battery starts getting weak, it will still lock/unlock the car by pushing the buttons on the fob, but it does not transmit a strong enough proximity signal for the buttons in the door handles to work. In that case, it still transmits enough signal to allow starting the car once inside so the assumption is that its battery is OK even though it is weak.
 
Thanks for everyone's input. I misspoke when I said sensors on handles---should have said buttons. Fix was a simple option on car menu. Intelligent lock/unlock optioned had been changed. I suspect during servicing.
 
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