Nissan Car Key and Intelligent Key Replacement in San Diego

A Nissan Intelligent Key runs $249 at your car against about $520 at a dealer service desk. A turn-key Nissan chip key is $135, roughly half the $260 dealer figure.

Most Nissans on the road here start with an Intelligent Key: the fob rides in your pocket and you press the start button. Altima made it standard for 2007, and by 2022 most Pathfinder, Kicks, Versa, Sentra and Frontier trims had it too.

Nissan's immobilizer, called NATS, asks for a security PIN before it will accept a new key. Most cars from the Philips 46 chip era use a short code tied to the body control module, and many newer Hitag AES cars use a 20-digit code. On most models we work out either one at the car, so the PIN is rarely a reason to tow a Nissan to a dealer.

On most Nissans, registering a key also wipes the car's key memory and writes it again, and many models hold four keys at most. Bring every key and fob you want to keep working. If you already bought a fob online, see fob programming.

The new key next to the original.

What a Nissan key costs at your car

A spare Nissan key with a working key present. The dealer figure is what a San Diego Nissan dealer typically quotes for the same key, before tax.

Prices as of 2026-09-30. Every price includes the drive to you anywhere in San Diego County. There is no trip fee and no after-hours rate inside our open hours. All keys lost adds $60.
Key or job	Typical dealer	Value Car Keys	You keep
Transponder chip key, 2004 to 2019Plain plastic head on an NSN14 blade with a Philips 46 chip inside. Sentra, Versa, Frontier and Titan turn-key ignitions.	~~$260~~	$135	$125
Remote head key, Mid-2000s to 2019The same Philips 46 key with lock, unlock and panic molded into the head, three or four buttons. Turn-key Sentra, Versa, Frontier, Titan and Xterra trims.	~~$330~~	$175	$155
Smart key for push-to-start, 2007 and newerIntelligent Key with a blade hidden inside. Roughly when it became standard: Altima 2007, Maxima 2009, Pathfinder 2013, Rogue SV and SL 2014, Kicks 2018, Versa and Sentra 2020, Frontier 2022. Upper trims often had it sooner.	~~$520~~	$249	$271

All keys lost. The dealer column adds a typical $150 tow, because a dealership programs only with the car in the bay.
Key or job	Typical dealer	Value Car Keys	You keep
Chip key, all keys lost2004 to 2019	~~$260 plus a tow~~	$195	$215
Remote key, all keys lostMid-2000s to 2019	~~$330 plus a tow~~	$235	$245
Smart key, all keys lost2007 and newer	~~$520 plus a tow~~	$309	$361

Nissan models with their own page

Known Nissan key and ignition problems

Faults that come up on Nissan models often enough to have their own page, with the years, the fix and the dealer figure next to ours.

Nissan steering lock no-start

Push-button Altimas of 2007 to 2012, 2009 to 2012 Maximas, the 370Z, Cube, G35 and G37 can refuse to start when the electronic steering lock fails.

Car key problems by make, and what each dash message means

Which Nissan key do you have?

Plain plastic head, key goes in the column: NATS chip key

Usually an NSN14 blade with a Philips 46 chip in the head. A copy cut without the chip turns the ignition, and the engine still will not run, because NATS never saw a code it knows. We cut it, register it and test it for $135.

Three or four rubber buttons on that same key

A remote head key. Transmitter and chip share one shell, so the job is three steps: cut the blade, register the chip with NATS, then pair the buttons to the door locks. All three sit inside the $175 price.

No key in the column, a start button by the wheel: 2007 and newer

An Intelligent Key. The trim matters as much as the year: the 2014 Rogue S kept a turn key while the SV and SL got the button. On some base trims, such as the 2020 and newer Sentra S, the fob starts the car from your pocket, but the doors do not unlock by touch, so you press the fob. Both are the same $249 job.

2019 and newer Altima, 2020 and newer Sentra and Versa: the AES fob

These fobs usually carry the newer Hitag AES chip on 433 MHz, and most of these cars want the 20-digit PIN. They look close to the older fob, so we ask you to read us the FCC ID from the case (KR5TXN plus a digit on most) and bring the right one the first time.

Lost every Nissan key?

With no Nissan key left, the visit goes in order: decode the cuts from the VIN, cut a blade, pull the NATS PIN, then register the new key or Intelligent Key. That part costs $60 on top of the key. Have the registration or title ready along with an ID carrying the same name.

Because registration on most Nissans rewrites the key memory from scratch, a lost fob that is not in the car during programming can no longer start it. Its metal blade still fits the door lock, which is worth knowing if the keys went missing with your address on the same ring.

What the dealer charges, and why

A Nissan dealer bills a key in pieces: the fob as a part, then programming as labor, which runs $100 to $180 as its own line. That is how an Intelligent Key reaches about $520 before tax. If the part is not on the shelf, expect one to three days, plus $125 to $200 to tow the car there when no key can drive it.

We charge less since no showroom or service lane sits on our overhead, fobs come to us direct, and cutting and registration happen in a single stop at your car. The long version is on why we cost less.

Two things we say on the phone first

Before we drive, we ask whether an aftermarket remote starter is wired into the car. Nissan's service bulletin for the 2014 Rogue warns that one can keep an Intelligent Key from registering, and we would rather learn that during the call than at the curb. If you also own an Infiniti, its fobs look similar and are a different part, priced on the Infiniti page.

Nissan key questions

How much is a Nissan Intelligent Key replacement?

Replacing a Nissan Intelligent Key costs $249, done at the car and including the fob, the hidden blade, the PIN work and registration. A plain chip key is $135 and a remote head key is $175. Dealers typically quote about $520 for the Intelligent Key once programming labor is added, and more if the car has to be towed in.

Why do I have to bring every Nissan key I own to the appointment?

Because on most Nissans, registering a new key erases the car's key memory and writes it again, and only the keys present during that step stay on the list. Nissan owner's manuals for many models say the same and cap the car at four keys. Any key or fob you leave at home will probably stop starting the car, so gather them all before we arrive.

What is the Nissan PIN code, and do I have to get it from the dealer?

In most cases, no, you do not need the dealer for it. The PIN is a security code the car demands before it accepts a key. Most older Nissans use a short code tied to the body control module, and many newer AES-chip models use 20 digits. On most models our programmer works it out at the car as part of the price.

My 2014 Rogue has a key, but my neighbor's has a start button. Which one do I need?

It depends on the trim, not just the year. The 2014 Rogue S used a turn key, while the SV and SL came with the Intelligent Key and push-button start. Tell us the trim or text the VIN, and we will bring the matching key, the $135 or $175 turn key or the $249 fob.

Can you make a key for a Frontier when every key is gone?

Yes. A 2005 to 2019 Frontier usually takes the NSN14 blade and Philips 46 chip, so we cut the key from the VIN code and register it at the truck. A 2022 or newer Frontier generally uses an Intelligent Key. Either way, the lost-key add-on is $60, and you show registration and a matching ID.

Will a replacement fob keep the remote start button my Nissan came with?

Yes, when the car has factory remote start we bring the five-button fob with the remote start key on it, not the four-button version. Five-button AES fobs exist for several recent models, the Altima and Rogue among them. We test the remote start from the curb before we leave, and it is part of the $249.

Where we make Nissan keys

Any Nissan parked anywhere in San Diego County, with no trip fee. Cities where we cut Nissan keys most often:

Related services

Text us your Nissan year and model

Call or text (619) 340-1518 with the car's year, make and model. If a dealer already quoted you, send that quote over for our answer on the same key.

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