I had been getting a key fob battery warning on the dash for about a month. One night after a quick stop at a store, I tried to start my car but received a "No Key Detected" message on dash. I continued to try to start it, then eventually started receiving more warnings: "Incorrect Key ID," and "Engine Malfunction - Low Power Mode Enabled."
Window was very slow rolling up and down, brake pedal stiff. I had the car towed to Medford Nissan. Once it was looked over by service technician(s), it was found that the battery was dead, though there were no signs at all prior. The service advisor said that the alternator was fine and that a parasitic drain wasn't detected. So I picked up my car and went on my way, figuring it was a one-off.
Less than 2 weeks later, I was getting my oil changed and tires rotated and it happened again. Same errors. The oil techs had to push it out of the garage and I called again for Roadside Assistance. The tow truck driver was able to jump start it instead of towing it. At this point, I thought it had to be the key battery. So I changed the battery in the key fob. I asked the oil techs to check the battery in case, since it was the problem before and they said that the battery was very dead. So they charged it. In the process, they realized the factory or dealer installed an OEM Nissan battery that wasn't strong enough to power the vehicle. It was a flooded battery rated for 510 CCA, but the battery the Altima needs is a 600 CCA AGM.
Again, it was fine after the jump start, until less than a week later (yesterday). When trying to start it, I received no errors on the dash and no start. By this time I had found several comments on Reddit, YouTube, and Nissan Club that others are having this same problem and it's not being addressed by Nissan possibly to avoid another recall. And the service advisor said they would have caught that the 1st time, but I've also taken it in because the heater doesn't get hot and the AC doesn't get cold. Which is another issue, but they basically gaslighted me and told me they couldn't recreate the issue and that the heater was working fine and that the AC was "ice-cold."
It's currently at the dealership again and I will update with the results. But she sounded skeptical that it was because a 510 CCA flooded battery was installed in the car. When I search for batteries for this car, I do not get results for any flooded batteries, only 600+ CCA AGM batteries.
I am posting this because I feel many others are having this same exact problem and being told nothing is wrong, while it's very obvious there is. You should not have to be stranded/jump-start a 2020 anything in 2023 with an OEM battery that has no evidence of battery drain, and spend hours sifting through comments on forums and websites to confirm the answer an oil tech gave you that the dealership can't/won't.
Update from Feb 2, 2024: So far so good. No issues since the battery was replaced with the same OEM battery by dealership.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I had been getting a key fob battery warning on the dash for about a month. One night after a quick stop at a store, I tried to start my car but received a "No Key Detected" message on dash. I continued to try to start it, then eventually started receiving more warnings: "Incorrect Key ID," and "Engine Malfunction - Low Power Mode Enabled."
Window was very slow rolling up and down, brake pedal stiff. I had the car towed to Medford Nissan. Once it was looked over by service technician(s), it was found that the battery was dead, though there were no signs at all prior. The service advisor said that the alternator was fine and that a parasitic drain wasn't detected. So I picked up my car and went on my way, figuring it was a one-off.
Less than 2 weeks later, I was getting my oil changed and tires rotated and it happened again. Same errors. The oil techs had to push it out of the garage and I called again for Roadside Assistance. The tow truck driver was able to jump start it instead of towing it. At this point, I thought it had to be the key battery. So I changed the battery in the key fob. I asked the oil techs to check the battery in case, since it was the problem before and they said that the battery was very dead. So they charged it. In the process, they realized the factory or dealer installed an OEM Nissan battery that wasn't strong enough to power the vehicle. It was a flooded battery rated for 510 CCA, but the battery the Altima needs is a 600 CCA AGM.
Again, it was fine after the jump start, until less than a week later (yesterday). When trying to start it, I received no errors on the dash and no start. By this time I had found several comments on Reddit, YouTube, and Nissan Club that others are having this same problem and it's not being addressed by Nissan possibly to avoid another recall. And the service advisor said they would have caught that the 1st time, but I've also taken it in because the heater doesn't get hot and the AC doesn't get cold. Which is another issue, but they basically gaslighted me and told me they couldn't recreate the issue and that the heater was working fine and that the AC was "ice-cold."
It's currently at the dealership again and I will update with the results. But she sounded skeptical that it was because a 510 CCA flooded battery was installed in the car. When I search for batteries for this car, I do not get results for any flooded batteries, only 600+ CCA AGM batteries.
I am posting this because I feel many others are having this same exact problem and being told nothing is wrong, while it's very obvious there is. You should not have to be stranded/jump-start a 2020 anything in 2023 with an OEM battery that has no evidence of battery drain, and spend hours sifting through comments on forums and websites to confirm the answer an oil tech gave you that the dealership can't/won't.
Update from Feb 2, 2024: So far so good. No issues since the battery was replaced with the same OEM battery by dealership.
- itsacrapshoot, Eugene, US