Replace an Infiniti Key Fob Battery Without Guessing the Cell

Infiniti’s parts guidance associates a CR2032 with the Intelligent Key and a CR2025 with its standard key fob. Do not buy by vehicle make alone, though. Check the model-year owner’s manual and read the complete code on the installed battery before replacing it; Infiniti fob designs and specifications are not universal.

Confirm the fob and battery first

An Infiniti Intelligent Key typically has a release on the back for a removable mechanical key. If your fob does not match that design, stop before prying and find the battery procedure in your vehicle’s manual.

Infiniti’s official key-fob battery guide lists:

• Intelligent Key: CR2032
• Standard key fob: CR2025

The guide also directs owners to verify the specification in the vehicle manual. Before removing the old cell, photograph its printed code and orientation. An exact match is safer than assuming every Infiniti fob takes a CR2032.

For example, the 2020 Q50 owner’s manual, 2017 QX50 owner’s manual and 2025 QX60 owner’s manual each specify a CR2032 or equivalent for the documented Intelligent Key, with the positive side facing the bottom of the case. Follow your own model-year manual if it differs.

Replace the battery

For the documented removable-key design, you need the exact replacement coin cell and a small flat-blade screwdriver. Wrap the screwdriver tip with a thin cloth or tape to reduce the chance of marking the case.

1. Remove the mechanical key. Slide the release on the back of the fob and pull out the hidden metal key.
2. Find the opening slit. On the documented fobs, it is at a corner of the housing. Do not pry against a button or circuit board.
3. Separate the case gently. Insert the wrapped screwdriver into the slit and twist slightly. Stop if the shell bends instead of separating.
4. Check the old battery. Confirm its complete code and note which side faces up before removing it.
5. Remove the cell by its edge. Avoid the circuit and electrical terminals. Infiniti’s manuals advise holding the battery by its edges rather than across its contact surfaces.
6. Install the exact match. For the Q50, QX50 and QX60 examples above, the positive (+) side faces down. For another fob, use the orientation you recorded or the illustration in its manual.
7. Close the case. Align both halves and press around the perimeter until the housing is securely closed. Reinsert the mechanical key.
8. Test the fob. Check lock, unlock and every other fitted function, including trunk or liftgate release, panic, remote start and passive entry. Confirm that push-button starting still works.

Keep new and used coin cells away from children and pets. The 2025 QX60 manual warns that a swallowed button cell can cause internal chemical burns in as little as two hours and calls for immediate medical attention if ingestion or insertion is suspected. Follow local rules when disposing of the old battery.

If the Infiniti key fob still does not work

The owner-manual replacement procedures end with closing the case and testing the buttons; they do not prescribe reprogramming after an ordinary battery change. Reopen the fob and check the installation first:

• The cell code matches the old battery exactly.
• The battery is not upside down.
• No packaging or protective sticker remains on the cell.
• The cell is seated under the retaining contacts.
• The contacts are not flattened, dirty or damaged.
• The case is fully closed and no button is trapped.

Then test a spare registered key, if available. If both keys fail in the same place, the fault may be with the vehicle battery, local radio interference or the vehicle’s Intelligent Key system rather than two failed fobs. If only one key fails with a correctly installed, known-good battery, that fob may have damaged contacts, buttons or electronics. Use the diagnostic distinctions in Key Fob or Keyless Entry Remote? before ordering a replacement.

A “Key ID Incorrect” warning is not the same as a low-battery indicator. The 2020 Q50 manual says it appears when the vehicle cannot recognize the Intelligent Key after the ignition switch is pressed; it also says an unregistered key cannot start the engine. First try the documented discharged-key starting method below with your registered key. A newly purchased replacement key must be registered separately; Infiniti directs owners to a service center for replacement-fob programming.

Starting with a discharged Intelligent Key

A dead coin cell can disable remote locking and passive-entry functions without erasing the key’s registration. Use the hidden mechanical key for emergency door entry if your vehicle provides an accessible key cylinder.

The starting procedure varies by model. For the 2025 QX60, Infiniti specifies:

1. Shift to Park and press the brake firmly.
2. Touch the Intelligent Key to the ignition switch; a chime should sound.
3. While continuing to hold the brake, press the ignition switch within 10 seconds of the chime.

The QX60 manual also states that the immobilizer still requires a registered key. Check your own model-year manual for the location of the backup recognition point and the exact sequence rather than assuming every Infiniti uses the same method.