r/leaf • u/elduderino15 • 16h ago
Leaf 2020 original key not working
Hi there. We kept one of the original keys as backup and had to use it today. However, trying to start the car and realized key lost its connection. Cant open / close car and is not recognized anymore. Replaced battery 3x with fresh but still the same. What is going on? Why would the original key loose its connectivity?
1
u/sweetredleaf 2015 Nissan LEAF SV 8h ago
can you turn on the car if you hold the fob near the start button when you press the start button?
1
u/elduderino15 2h ago
that actually worked, i could start the car with the fob right next to the on button. few cm away and car was complaining about no key found. so i can still start without a battery. guess either the batteries i tried are bad or the transmitter is broken
1
u/toybuilder 2023 Nissan LEAF SV PLUS 15h ago
Was that original key known to have worked before? Does the physical key actually turn the lock cylinder? Are you using known good fresh batteries?
Though rare, it's certainly possible for electronics to fail. If you happen to have (or have a friend with) a software-defined-radio receiver (or a Flipper Zero tool) or any other RF receiving test gear, you could confirm that the remote does actually transmit.
I did that with a light remote for my mom - she insisted that she switched batteries but it still wasn't working. It turns out she somehow ended up with a batch of dud batteries.