Tag: Intelligent Key

Start a Nissan or Infiniti with a Dead Key Fob

How to Start a Nissan or Infiniti with a Dead Key Fob

Starting Your Nissan or Infiniti

But first, if you are still locked out, click here for help getting inside!
Second, for video help, click here!
Finally, if you need or want another manufacturer, click here.

Two methods exist in Nissan and Infinity vehicles. Some models use method 1. In this case, insert the Intelligent Key in the port provided. It will be found to the left of the steering column. It might be horizontal (first image) or vertical (second image).

If an attempt is made to start the vehicle with a discharged Intelligent Key, a guide light will illuminate at the port. Insert the key fob with the buttons up in the horizontal port or with the buttons facing the door in the vertical port. Make sure the key ring side is out.

Once the key fob is inserted, the vehicle can be started as normal by pressing the Start / Stop ignition button while depressing the brake. Note that the port does not recharge the fob’s battery.

If a port does not exist, method 2 comes into play. Simply touch the ignition switch with the Intelligent Key (a chime will sound). Push the ignition Start / Stop button while depressing the brake pedal within 10 seconds after the chime sounds to start the engine.

And finally, in the Infiniti QX30, the Start / Stop button appears to ‘float’ above the dashboard. Pull it away exposing the ignition switch. If necessary the tip of the mechanical key can be used as a pry bar.

Please, please, do NOT try this if you do NOT have a tapered key as shown above! Insert the tapered end of the key fob into the switch and turn to start the car old school style.

Note: If you have made an attempt to start the vehicle without success, there may be residual pressure in the brake system and a new warning light may appear (left) or text message to Step on the Brake. Press the brake pedal very, very hard when trying to start the vehicle again to be sure that the release switch behind the pedal is engaged. Or wait a few minutes and try again.

Click here for video help with Nissan and Infiniti models and key fobs.

Models examined include 370Z, Altima, Armada, Cube, Frontier, GT-R, Juke, Kicks, Maxima, Murano, NV, Pathfinder, Quest, Rogue, Sentra, Titan, Versa, Xterra, Z, EX, FX, G, JX-35, M, Q40, Q50, Q60, Q70, QX30, QX50, QX55, QX56, QX60, QX70, and QX80.

… Return to Part I, Getting In

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.

M Favreau

The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2018/11/nissan-infiniti-dead-key-fob-help-part-ii-getting-started/

AAA Moves to Help Drivers Avoid Mistakes with Smart Keys

Feel Smart?

Avoid Mistakes with Smart Keys. AAA did a terrific article we found on Cars.com on so-called Smart Keys that we think is a must read for every driver (see the link at the end of this item). In it, the company notes that the Smart Key (AKA Advanced Key, Intelligent Key, etc.) “has brought with it new opportunities for motorists to feel stupid”, with such incidents as walking away from the car with it still running or the ignition still on, or managing to lock the key in the car.

It is interesting how easily the idea of a driver feeling stupid rolls off so casually. Regardless, we’d like to add an item or two.

First, AAA’s recommendations regarding Smart Keys:

Familiarize yourself with the keys’ capabilities and know what to do in an emergency.
Become comfortable with smart-key features in a safe environment.
To avoid keyless-entry or smart-key failure, replace the battery every two years or when recommended by the manufacturer or in-car battery warning system.
Don’t expose fobs or smart keys to harsh elements, especially water.
Get a spare key and store it in a safe location for emergency use only.

All true. And we would add the following.

Replace the batteries in all the SPARE keys when replacing the battery in the primary key. The battery in any spare key will also become depleted over time making it nearly useless as a replacement.
Do not use the manual door lock when exiting the car. Using it overrides the Smart Key system in some models and if the key is left inside, you will be locked out.

AAA noted that lock out incidents have not gone down with the advent of smart key technology. They helped 4 million drivers alone in 2012. This could be due to some confusion over what constitutes ‘locked.’

Locked or Unlocked?

With a Smart Key in hand (or pocket, purse, etc), only a touch is needed to open or ‘unlock’ a vehicle. This is true of the trunk as well. Service departments handle any number of calls from drivers who have closed the trunk with the keys inside thinking they are now locked in. They are not. A simple touch on the pad or sensor will open the trunk because the key can be sensed from inside. Thus the trunk isn’t actually locked, it is closed. It is true however, that once the key is removed from the car’s location, no one else will be able to open the trunk or any door, and the vehicle is now ‘locked’ with no further action taken.

However, a manual lock exists inside the passenger compartment that overrides the Smart Key system. We have all been sitting inside our cars and locked the doors because of some activity nearby that made us uncomfortable, and many drivers routinely lock the car when driving. All the doors are then locked and cannot be opened from the outside whether a Smart Key is detected or not.

Thus tripping the manual lock when exiting the car also overrides the Smart Key system. The unlock button on the Key Fob will be needed to get back in. But if the keys have been left inside, you are now officially locked out.

Any driver in the habit of tripping the manual lock will at some point leave the key inside. Carrying a spare mechanical key will get you back in, but they are pricey.

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M Favreau

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2013/03/aaa-moves-to-help-drivers-avoid-mistakes-with-smart-keys/

Open a Nissan or Infiniti with a Dead Key Fob

How to Open a Nissan or Infiniti with a Dead Key Fob

First, if you are already inside, click here for help getting started!
Second, for video help, click here!
Finally, if you need or want another manufacturer, click here.

Retrieving the mechanical key

For a Nissan– and Infiniti-made vehicle, to remove the mechanical key, release the lock knob at the back of the Intelligent Key (remote control or ‘clicker’). Use the mechanical key in the driver’s door key cylinder to unlock the door.

And then in 2017, Infiniti introduced the QX30 AND a brand new key fob. At least to them. So, here’s the deal…

The second key fob is the spitting image of the fob used by the Mercedes-Benz folks for years. A few old Chrysler Corp. (now FCA) vehicles use it too.

The fob (right) has a tapered tip at one end and a slide lever at the top of the key ring end (1). Slide the lever over and pull the key ring to retrieve the mechanical key.

As noted, the key hole on nearly all Nissan and Infiniti models is visible at the back of the driver’s door handle, and the mechanical key can be used to unlock it. Two exceptions to this are the Nissan GT-R and the Infiniti QX80. The key hole is a bit hidden, behind the front of the driver’s door handle and a cap that must be removed.

To access the key hole, press the rear end of the driver’s door handle to lift up the front end, just as you would normally to get inside. Note the cap shown in the image (above right, A). While holding the door handle out, use the mechanical key and turn the cap counterclockwise to remove it. Once removed, the key hole is exposed and the mechanical key can at last be used to unlock the driver’s door (above right).

In the 2025, the QX80 offered a new feature — flush door handles that extend when the key fob approaches the vehicle. If the battery in the fob is weak or dead, this will not occur. Getting to the key hole is a process similar to that for the GT-R. Press the front of the door handle inward. This rotates the rear of the handle outward (right, upper). The handle can then be pulled open. Do so as far as it will go exposing the key hole beneath the back of the handle (right, lower). You can now use the mechanical key to unlock the car.

Click here for video help with Nissan and Infiniti models and key fobs.

Continue to Part II, Getting Started …

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M Favreau

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2012/04/nissan-infiniti-dead-key-fob-help/

Keyless Ignition Key Fob Detection Indicator Symbols

Fob Detection

These are all variations of of Keyless Ignition Key Fob Detection indicators. A number of picture symbols are used to indicate the presence of an electronic key in a push button or, ironically, keyless start, or keyless ignition, vehicle. These systems will allow a vehicle to be started without turning a key in an ignition switch but only when an electronic key is present in, and detected by, the vehicle.

Before moving on, need help getting in or started?? Click here!!
Also, are you sure one of these is your symbol?? If yes, then continue on below.
Otherwise you can return to our main Picture Symbols page and scan again!

The image seen as an open padlock with lines radiating away in yellow/amber as well as the black and white image with a padlock are used to indicate that the proper key fob has not been detected. Its internal battery may be dead or the fob is actually missing.

Many More Versions

The flashing red Electronic Key symbol on the left indicates that the key is not detected. If the Key is in the vehicle, its internal battery is likely dead and needs to be replaced. The same Electronic Key symbol shown in green indicates that the key is found and the vehicle can be started. The last one in yellow/amber is yet another style indicating a problem. But, there’s more…

This one, which is an image of a key with a line drawn through it in yellow/amber, indicates that the key fob is not present or is malfunctioning. So, if the key fob is present, have your dealer or a locksmith repair or replace it.

Note that some manufacturers will have the light flash in green to indicate a weak fob battery. Thus, any time an electronic key indicator is seen to flash, consult your manual or your dealer for clarification. And the image in actuality is shown by its vehicle manufacturer when the system is in use. Nothing more.

These are Key Fob Indicator symbols and are meant to resemble the driver’s hand-held remote control, or fob. The one on the left indicates that the fob is not detected or has been removed from the vehicle. If the fob is in the vehicle, it is not detected and its battery is likely dead. The symbol to its right with the added lighting bolt indicates that the fob is detected but that the battery in the fob is low and should be replaced.

These symbols are Low Key Battery Indicators. The images of a key are shown above or alongside the image of what most resembles a AA or AAA battery with its level low. One adds the letter E for empty to the right. Replace the battery as soon as possible. They do NOT use AA or AAA batteries!

Electronic keys, key fobs, remote controls, smart keys, intelligent keys, advanced keys are all terms used by manufacturers and drivers to describe the same device. You get to get into and start your vehicle only if the correct device is present, has a working battery and is not interfered with by other electronics (actually rare). All the images include the representation of a key and depending on the manufacturer, may include an exclamation point, a question mark or even a lightning bolt.

Similar Symbols

Do not confuse these with other automotive trouble symbols that make use of the image a key. Click here or here, right to left, for more information.

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M Favreau

Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2012/03/key-fob-indicator-symbols/