[Aerome]

Wonder if anyone else is experiencing this. We have an NV200 in the fleet with 66K. Twice, with two different techs assigned to the vehicle, the key is worn down to an unusable state. First time I thought it may be a roughneck using it. We flushed all the locks with WD40 per our locksmith, but then when it happened again, I was stunned. We unlock the doors manually, no remote. There transponder keys are not cheap! Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[mdbuilder]

No experience with these particular keys wearing down but keys do wear in general. I had a Saturn where after about 100K miles you could pull the key out of the ignition after starting it up it wore so much. And that is just using the key for the ignition only with all locking / unlocking of doors being by remote entry button presses. You've got 3-4-5 times the wear if you are using the key for the doors all the time.

 

[ChevyNV200]

Agreed, quick wear of keys on a busy work vehicle is normal.

It may save you money to install an aftermarket remote for locking/unlocking the doors.


BTW, WD-40 is not a lubricant, it's a solvent. You need to lubricate the keylocks and a dry graphite lubricant is best.

 

[Aerome]

Thanks for the replies, seems no one else is experiencing this phenomena. This is the only truck to experience this and we've been operating for years. Just consulted a 30 year locksmith and he's also baffled. Must be a one-off situation and since the ignition is the most commonly used mechanism, I'd bet that's the culprit. Cheaper to replace the keys until I can purge the unit from the fleet, but the remote is definitely on the list of things to do and things to always order when purchasing. Graphite will gum up a lock if any moisture at all becomes present so nowadays locksmiths are not recommending it as they did years ago.

 

[polishmom9636]

Actually, we are having the same issue. We have an 2014 NV 200. The first key wore down and was becoming hard to open the doors, etc. So my husband took my key. Now it is warn. He had a key made at walmart just to open the doors. As you know, the replacement won't work in the ignition because it has a chip in it. I was at Nissan buying tires today (also having problems with them wearing down early) and I asked if anyone has complained about the keys. The guy said no and said for us to try lubricating the locks, etc. I asked how much to buy new keys and he said $59 each and $89 to reprogram the van/keys. Our van only has 24,000 miles on it. I do not think the tires or the keys should be wearing so much.

 

[peteydazeuch]

I am now on my third key and at only 31,000 miles. I am SO PISSED about it and all Nissan does is charge me for more keys. I have the cargo van and I'm in and out of my van dozens of times per day in bad areas so I have to lock it and I have no power locks. I TRULY regret this vehicle. Have you found a solution?

 

[geohvac]

We have a fleet of 8 and have the same issue with several of them. So far the keys have been replaced under warranty but warranties don't last forever.
Doesn't seem to matter whats on the key ring either. I have key-less locks for the driver and passenger doors on my 2015, with 19000 miles, and have had only the key and key fob on the ring. Now the key is starting to stick in the side and back locks. Nissan needs to do something.

 

[Dat1]

I have 4 NV200's on one I had to make new keys, by a locksmith, when they were misplaced. Two of the other three the have one key worn down to the point that they can no longer be used. I have never seen this happen. We also have a number of Sprinters and a Ford truck that get just about the same amount of use, no problem with any others just with the NV200's.

 

[sray53tntx]

Over 250K on various NV200s NO key wear issues to report.

 

[[email protected]]

Yeah, on my 2017 work van the key was worn out at 25k miles, it only opens the driver's door and will sometimes unlock the passenger door...and always starts the van. Nissan refused to cover the replacement stating it was a wear item. They told me it'd be about $125 after tax and programming for the replacement non-keyless-entry key (I know it has a chip in it, but that's kind of ridiculous). Wouldn't one goodwilled key be reasonable? This vehicle is supposed to have a 100k warranty!

 

[Fummins]

I'll bring back this old thread. For starters who cares how many miles are on a key. More miles doesn't necessarily mean more key wear.....
Anyways....I had a 2017 nv200 with 160,000kms on it...the key is worn to the point where it wouldn't turn the ignition. I still had the original unused key from when it was bought new. So I gave the drive the spare key to use. Called the dealer, they wanted $120 for just the key blank. No fob, no transponder, just the metal key. And it was at least a day's wait to get one in. And to cut the key via vin number or key code they want an extra $20. We wanted it done this way cause it's a pita to have a van out of service for a few hours.

I ended up finding a key that looked similar on Amazon for $19(cad) and had it within a day or two.And it came with the keyless entry buttons and transponder too. Ended up taking it to the dealer and had it cut, I was gonna program the new transponder to the van but we ended up just swaping fobs out and it worked fine.

Here's a link to the key I bought incase someone else wants to save a dollar. New Replacement Ignition Key Keyless Remote Clicker Transmitter For 2007-2012 Nissan Sentra 2008-2016 Nissan Rouge, CWTWB1U751, ID 46, by AUTOKEYMAX (SINGLE), Keyless Entry Systems - Amazon Canada

I'm thinking of picking up a key cutting machine for next time this happens.