Nissan's I-Key can get zapped by cell phones

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 29 May 2007 00:13

Opinion and Analysis

Got a 2007 Nissan Altima or Infiniti G35? Then you’ve got an I-Key, which Nissan says to keep at least 1-inch apart from your cellphone lest your I-Key gets zapped and won’t open doors any more.
A Reuters report has uncovered an example of two technologies not playing nice when in close proximity: Nissan’s intelligent I-Key and common cell phones.

The advice is to keep both devices at least 1-inch apart, or signals from your cell phone can wipe the I-Key’s code, used to unlock and start the car just by pressing the I-Key’s button.

Reuters quoted Nissan spokesperson Kyle Bazenmore as saying that: “We discovered that if the I-Key touches a cellphone, outgoing or incoming calls have the potential to alter the electronic code inside the I-Key. The car won't start and the I-Key cannot be reprogrammed.”

If you’re a Nissan owner of one of the two affected cars, expect an email with more information. If you are affected, visit your Nissan dealer to get a new, replacement key.

Exactly how the I-Key can be affected, or whether work has started on creating future keys that are immune to cell phone signals wiping out their codes is was not reported.

It’s a rare example of two types of common technologies that need to be physically kept apart to avoid what is, in this case, the equivalent of electronically fatal interference.