Nissan NA warns that cellphones could disable intelligent keys

For proud owners of Nissan's newest Altima or Infiniti's G35 sedan, we certainly hope you don't habitually stuff your shiny new I-Key in the same pocket as that diminutive handset, or you may return from your next stop to find yourself totally immobile. In a rather bizarre (and strangely ambiguous) announcement, Nissan North America has claimed that owners of the 2007 Altima and G35 should make certain that their "intelligent key" is kept at least "one inch away" from their cellphone at all times, as getting too close for comfort could cause the keys to be "erased, rendering them unable to unlock or start the car." Interestingly, a Nissan spokesperson stated that the company found "incoming and outgoing calls had the potential to alter the electronic code within the I-Key," and as if that weren't tragic enough, the keys seemingly can't be reprogrammed afterwards. Of course, the firm assured everyone that the issue was only in "a very small percentage" of the total keys (and cars) sold, and while a new iteration will be out this fall, you can presumably rent a car and drive to your dealer for a replacement if the glitch hits your whip.

[matthew @ May 25th 2007 10:35AM]

Well, those little keyfobs have a "normal" physical key inside them that can be removed and used in the event that you are unable to use the RFID key so the worst thing that could happen would be the inconvenience of going back to the "old fashioned way" temporarily.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ May 25th 2007 12:10PM]

"Well, those little keyfobs have a "normal" physical key inside them that can be removed and used in the event that you are unable to use the RFID key so the worst thing that could happen would be the inconvenience of going back to the "old fashioned way" temporarily."

Yes, that is true; but that key will only unlock the doors and it will not start the ignition.

[Mrmean @ May 25th 2007 11:20AM]

@ matthew.. yeah my Murano has that....but what about the Push Start? I don't recall an actual key hole for that part?

[Little Man Buz @ May 25th 2007 11:25AM]

This is similar to Mazda's SmartKey (AKE) system, including the manual key as part of the fob--my car manual has a whole list of gotcha's, including keeping the SmartKey away from PCs, routers, cellphones, etc etc etc. The only thing I notice is that my cellphone battery life is lower if I keep the fob and the phone in close proximity for too long.

[dan @ May 25th 2007 11:35AM]

Yeah this has happened to my 07 G35x...totally crushing, and thank god it happened when I was outside my house and I could grab the extra key. I can only imagine how pissed off I would have been had I been 400 miles from home on some trip. They've promised replacements in FALL! Are you kidding me, I now leave my phone/keys some 15 feet away from eachother which is a real pain in the ass, almost as much as always having to make sure they're in different pockets of my pants.

And Matt, you're wrong. For 07 G35s they don't have any use for the physical key other than to open the door and glovebox. If the key is unrecognizable you have a dead car. It's awesome let me tell you. And yes, I did try the valet-use where you can insert the intellikey into a slot within the car and turn it to stop, that also didn't recognize the key.

Nissan, seriously, figure it f'n out.

[Mrmean @ May 25th 2007 12:19PM]

Bazemore said current owners have been notified of the potential glitch via mail and can get new keys from dealers if they encounter the problem.

[Sean @ May 25th 2007 12:28PM]

I've noticed this about my Prius smart key. If it's sitting in a pocket next to my phone, the car won't recognize it. However, it isn't permanent in my case.

[Solo203 @ May 25th 2007 12:51PM]

I am a current owner of a 2007 Nissan Maxima, and can also am able to use the backup key inside the fob to start the car in case something were to happen. My ignition looks like an A/C knob alil but with a little flap on it to insert the backup key. I always thought Nissan did this as a precaution for drivers whose keyfob's battery dies. But I always wondered how the push button one were like. So my understanding is that there is NO where to start the car with the key? How un-Nissan in terms of design.

[Rob @ May 25th 2007 1:10PM]

my issue with Infiniti is that the new G35 is too high tech to have a cassette player... too high tech to use a physical key to start the car... and yet they refuse to include a digital clock... PRACTICALITY BE DAMNED!!!

fashion over function I guess

[Tom @ May 25th 2007 1:14PM]

Cell Phones are deadly to other electronics. As well as damaging smart keys, they can also just drain the battery in them, cause hickups in modern tabletop phones.. and even screw around with the volume of an iPod.

[Phan @ May 25th 2007 1:48PM]

Good thing most people who drive these cars don't have cell phone.

[bnet504 @ May 25th 2007 1:52PM]

The Smart Key in our Lexus IS doesn't work if you have a cell phone right next to it, but when you move the phone it works again. Also, when the battery dies you can still place the key fob right next to the start button and the car will still recognize the key and start. I'm not exactly sure how that works, but I'm guessing it uses RFID or something.

[Nate @ May 25th 2007 2:14PM]

My lexus GS 300 has none of these issues I always have my cellphone in the same pocket as they key. Morale of the story is, don't buy a Nissan. This is what happens when budget car companies try and shove in technology that is in 50k+ cars. Pretty much makes a 07 g35 worthless.

[o rly @ May 26th 2007 8:59AM]

Nate : "My lexus GS 300 has none of these issues I always have my cellphone in the same pocket as they key. Morale of the story is, don't buy a Nissan. This is what happens when budget car companies try and shove in technology that is in 50k+ cars. Pretty much makes a 07 g35 worthless."


This is coming from someone who drives a Toyota?

[osu-no.1 @ May 25th 2007 3:55PM]

I've always thought those "i-keys" were pretty dumb, anyway.

How much time does it really take to pull your key out of your pocket, stick it in the car, and turn?

And if it doesn't work, it's a single point failure on many cars (like these Nissan and the C6).

The fact that they didn't do the integration work to determine if EMI was an issue just makes it an even worse idea.

[David @ May 25th 2007 5:20PM]

i just got a new maxima with the i-key and they warned me of this when i bought the car

[Dirkus @ May 25th 2007 11:59PM]

Strong transmitters can definitely damage other transmitters and receivers in their immediate vicinity. I accidentally left my RC Plane transmitter on in the back of my VW Golf for a bit, and it cooked the receiver for the keyless entry. This is a real problem, and I'm actually pretty surprised we don't see more stories about consumer electronics interfering with each other in destructive ways. I guess the FCC's been doing their job fairly well so far in that regard.

[SHEiK124 @ May 26th 2007 10:37AM]

I've got an 07 Altima and there is no way to start the car with the backup key, you have to use the remote part.

[ReaLgoesWronG @ May 26th 2007 2:41PM]

I am a current owner of a 2007 Nissan Maxima, and can also am able to use the backup key inside the fob to start the car in case something were to happen. My ignition looks like an A/C knob alil but with a little flap on it to insert the backup key. I always thought Nissan did this as a precaution for drivers whose keyfob's battery dies. But I always wondered how the push button one were like. So my understanding is that there is NO where to start the car with the key? How un-Nissan in terms of design.