Nissan Smart/Intelligent key fob

[CharBaby]

For the past 2 days, the buttons on the key fob for my '15 Altima have stopped working.

However, the proximity portion still works fine. I can walk up to the car, push the button on the outside door handle and enter the vehicle. I can also use the push button start.

It's just the fobs exterior buttons(all of them) do not function at all, only on this one fob. The other(2nd) key fob works fine under all conditions including Remote Engine Start.

I did install a new battery in hopes that it was just weak but, this is not the case.

Have I lost the button portion of communication?
Can it be reprogrammed?
Do I need a new fob?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


EDIT:
The Fob must have lost partial communication(I've never heard of losing partial communication). A thought occurred to me.

I held the key fob to the push button/start button for several seconds and now, everything works. I haven't tried the RES yet but, I will later today when I leave the house.

I didn't know how long to hold the fob in front of the PBS but, I held it there for ~5 seconds. Should this happen to others, that is what I did when just minutes before, the fob(buttons only) didn't work.

Thanks,

CB

 

[WyrTwister]

The fob is educated beyond its intelligence .

 

[JTK]

I've got about the same fob with our 2016 Nissan Quest. I'd guess that something inside the fob wasn't making contact for the buttons at the time you tried it? Is it an aftermarket fob? Those can be made a bit more cheaply. I hate the short battery life of Nissan fobs for sure.

 

[irad]

If you can take the fob apart. Clean the back of the button and its contact on the circuit board with a pen eraser. You can use a pencil eraser which is softer. Dirt seems to block the button from completing the circuit. The back of the button has a hard carbon disk and the circuit board has two interlocking wire traces that look like the letter E intertwined.

 

[Kestas]

Check for cracked solder joints. I serviced one fob where the buttons were soldered on to the circuit board. The mechanical action of using the buttons fatigued a number of solder joints.

 

[CharBaby]

Yes, it is an OE fob and I have been putting in a bout 2-3 batteries/year in this one but not the other.
I will take it apart and clean out the dust.

Thanks,

CB

 

[bbhero]

Originally Posted by Kestas
Check for cracked solder joints. I serviced one fob where the buttons were soldered on to the circuit board. The mechanical action of using the buttons fatigued a number of solder joints.

I think Kestas and irad are both on the right track with the potential problem and possible solution.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted by bbhero
Originally Posted by Kestas
Check for cracked solder joints. I serviced one fob where the buttons were soldered on to the circuit board. The mechanical action of using the buttons fatigued a number of solder joints.

I think Kestas and irad are both on the right track with the potential problem and possible solution.

Yes I will do this however, since everything is working thus far, I will look into it the next time I need to go into the Fob for either a battery replacement or other same/similar issues. All buttons(lock/unlock/trunk/RES) are currently working so, I don't want to jinx this right now!