I’m new to nicoclub. I have a US 2023 Versa S 5mt (base trim)on order, delivery in early April. This car has no keyless power door lock remote/fob. You have to unlock the door with the key, like in the 1940’s!! It has pw locks, windows. The car has a traditional ignition switch in the steering column with a simple key no fob. No listing of any on the monroney sticker. The 2021 Versa S had a start button on the center console with a proximity key like the SV trim. 2022 Versa S trim had no start button, had a column ignition, and traditional key with integrated key fob.
Does anyone know if a Nissan key fob can be programmed to a 2023 Versa S and if so which fob and can it be self programmed or does it require obd port programming?

The 2021 and 2022 keyless system was listed on the monroney window stickers but Nissan left the fob off the 2023 Versa S trims

I've never heard of a late model Nissan having power locks but no RKE. I guess it's possible, but it's plain weird. I'd have to check for '23 Versa specifically, but RKE capability is usually built into the BCM, so adding it to a car which already has power locks is probably just a matter of reconfiguring the BCM and programming the fobs.

You might check the Nissan website at www.nissanusa.com for more information on the various Versa trim levels for 2023. I personally like my "old fashioned" key for safety reasons. I once watched my father avoid a serious crash by flicking off the key in order to instantly stop our car and avoid hitting another car that had pulled right out in front of us. With the push button, you have to hold the button down for several seconds to shut the car off. My father didn't have the several seconds to wait. He needed to shut our car off immediately. Because of this incident, I don't do push button start with key fobs so I would be glad if the S trim level no longer has the push button start.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:40 am

I've never heard of a late model Nissan having power locks but no RKE. I guess it's possible, but it's plain weird. I'd have to check for '23 Versa specifically, but RKE capability is usually built into the BCM, so adding it to a car which already has power locks is probably just a matter of reconfiguring the BCM and programming the fobs.

I know it is weird but for real that’s the 2023 S trim. Which remote fob would you buy and would you need a locksmith to reconfigure the BCM ? I have a couple of extra, separate from the key, simple fobs from my 2019 Frontier SV. That truck allowed the key in/out self programming of the fobs. When I take delivery of the car in April I’m going to try the self programming procedure, it may work because there is no starter button/proximity system.

Are you certain it isn't coming with RKE? You can't always go by stickers with stuff like that, especially if it's part of standard equipment. It can get lumped in with the power door locks and not show up on the sticker even the though the car is equipped. If you have a VIN for the car, I'd check with the dealer Parts Dept and see if the build manifest shows a lollipop key or or separate fob. If it does but they deliver it without one, you can b!#ch them out.

I’m with you, it does not make sense but I looked at a S trim cvt on the lot(no remote) and a YouTuber posted a review of his 23’S trim 5Mt and he verified just a key no remote.
That’s why I am looking for a solution, I’m hoping a simple remote may be programmable or it may take a newer era proximity type remote. I’m going to figure this out as I don’t want to wear the key and door lock out from repeated use, plus the inconvenience in the rain etc

Maybe they made it an option kit to squeeze a few more bucks out of people. Bump this thread Wednesday morning when I'm at the shop, I'll look into it.

VStar I really appreciate your input and help, thank you very much
Back in 2007 on Honda Fit base model there was a keyless kit that was plug and play that the parts dept sold. I have looked at Nissan parts and accessories online and I don’t see a kit. Maybe they are working on it

I looked up the owner's manual for the 2023 Versa at the Nissan USA website and it does list ignition key and push button start separately with push button start labeled as optional. I'm not inclined to think that you'll be able to program in a push button start if your car is built for inserting a key. You might wind up voiding your warranty if you tamper with your car's electronics. I think Nissan has added other additional equipment for 2023 so maybe the push button start was sacrificed to do that. Maybe alot of customers requested the ignition key? I have no idea. I personally have no problem with the key. More money to put elsewhere. Just my 2 cents. I love my 2019 Versa with its key and spare tire.

2019Versafan wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 20, 2023 3:55 pm

I'm not inclined to think that you'll be able to program in a push button start if your car is built for inserting a key.

You can't, but you're confusing I-key (pushbutton start) with RKE (lock and unlock buttons for the doors and trunk). They're completely separate systems, and plenty of cars have steel keys with RKE buttons either on the key or on a separate RKE fob. I-key fobs have both, there's a second GHz transmitter inside for the pushbutton start, in addition to the "garage door FM" transmitter used for the RKE.

2019Versafan wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 20, 2023 3:55 pm

I looked up the owner's manual for the 2023 Versa at the Nissan USA website and it does list ignition key and push button start separately with push button start labeled as optional. I'm not inclined to think that you'll be able to program in a push button start if your car is built for inserting a key. You might wind up voiding your warranty if you tamper with your car's electronics. I think Nissan has added other additional equipment for 2023 so maybe the push button start was sacrificed to do that. Maybe alot of customers requested the ignition key? I have no idea. I personally have no problem with the key. More money to put elsewhere. Just my 2 cents. I love my 2019 Versa with its key and spare tire.

I would never consider wiring in a push button start, I hate the one in my 2020 Frontier. I prefer the key, I was only referring to programming a remote.
I just don’t want to have to use a key to unlock the car, I want a RKE fob. I think Nissan removed the push button to encourage more SV and SR sales and delineate the cars more.
But no RKE fob in 2023 is unacceptable.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 20, 2023 4:13 pm

2019Versafan wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 20, 2023 3:55 pm

I'm not inclined to think that you'll be able to program in a push button start if your car is built for inserting a key.

You can't, but you're confusing I-key (pushbutton start) with RKE (lock and unlock buttons for the doors and trunk). They're completely separate systems, and plenty of cars have steel keys with RKE buttons either on the key or on a separate RKE fob. I-key fobs have both, there's a second GHz transmitter inside for the pushbutton start, in addition to the "garage door FM" transmitter used for the RKE.

That’s interesting the “separate systems”
explanation. I’m confident one of those 2 different remote fobs will be programmable to the car, may require a locksmith with electronics or by me using the older style fob with the key in/key out x 6 method (I could program remotes on my 2019 SV frontier myself)

VStar, if you had to guess, which remote would be the one that could be programmed to a keyed ignition using 2023 Versa S, the old style 315mhz transmitter or the newer “garage door FM” transmitter?? given that there is no I-key push button start ?

Be patient and bump this thread on Wednesday morning. My guess is that Nissan made it into a kit to grub a few extra dollars out of you, and that I'll find an "RKE Accessory" listed in ASIST that includes fobs, part numbers, and how-tos for waking them up. I wouldn't want to speculate about fobs from another car, they all use 315~390 MHz but the similarities often begin and end there, the coding has evolved enormously over the years.

Your original post led me to believe that you wanted the push button start so that's why I went down that path. Now I understand what you really want is key+remote for just unlocking the car and not the push button start. I don't mind unlocking my 2019 Versa with a key. I'll need the key to start it anyway so I might as well have my key out before I get in my car. I find that to be quicker and easier for me. A remote for me would be 1 more device I would need to carry with me and I already have enough of those. I view my key as 2 different features for 1 device and that's fine by me. Just my 2 cents. BTW, you'll love your new Versa. I love mine. Let us know when you take delivery.

The 2022 and 2023 Versa S are the same car other than external appearance changes. Nissan gave you one jackknife fob key & one master key in 2022 and 2 master keys and NO fobs in 2023 (why?). See pics from the respective owners manuals below. I’m ordering 2 jackknife keys/fobs from 2022 and getting them cut & programmed to a 2023 Versa S along with 2 other simple Nissan fobs from my 2019 Frontier (cheap and available on eBay/Amazon etc.) Hopefully I end up with 4 programmed keys and fobs. I’ll report back in 2-3 weeks how it works out

I checked with our TSM and DTS and neither one had any answers for me. So now I'm curious too.

So I’ve noticed this topic has gone a bit inactive, and figured I’d chime in.

I’ve been looking at possibly procuring a second Nissan Versa S and have been looking at the 2023 model year as well, since I love my 2021 Versa with the manual quite a bit. It has the perfect amount of features, does exactly what I want, and nothing I don’t want.

To that end, It seems a bit odd that Nissan would regress the standard equipment even further from the prior 2022 model year, which already dropped the keyless ignition fob from ‘20/‘21 in exchange for a rather sensical switchblade key. Just having a plain Jane key with no remote lock and unlock fob for 2023 (and presumably future years) seems too austere to me, especially since the car does otherwise have power windows and power locks.

I did a bit of digging into this to see if a lock and unlock fob could be added as a dealer option for the base trim Versa. As it turns out, this might be the case, based on Nissan’s official parts website.

https://parts.nissanusa.com/p/nissan__V ... 6CA6A.html

If you click the tab for “what this fits” and scroll down, you’ll see the MT variant of the Versa S listed, and it even lists the 2023 MY as compatible. So unless someone at Nissan screwed up the parts database, this leads me to believe it would be possible to get this added on, even officially.

If anyone has any other insight to share on this, please let us all know.

The higher trim level 2023 Versas do have the push button start.

2019Versafan wrote: ↑

Tue Apr 18, 2023 8:58 am

The higher trim level 2023 Versas do have the push button start.

Correct. That wasn't being disputed here at all. Was just pointing out the lack of a lock/unlock fob with the base trim.

Frankly, I prefer to *not* have push button start. A key feels more natural to me, but I kind of wish Nissan stuck to the switchblade style key going forward instead of doing that as a one-off for the 2022 MY base Versa.

DarwinX wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 19, 2023 3:07 pm

Frankly, I prefer to *not* have push button start. A key feels more natural to me, but I kind of wish Nissan stuck to the switchblade style key going forward instead of doing that as a one-off for the 2022 MY base Versa.

Maybe not. Nissan just recalled the switchblades on the gen2 Rogues and gen1 Rogue Sports (I think all of them) and are having us peg the switchblade with a setscrew so it can't fold anymore. Apparently there's a mechanical problem with them which could present some sort of hazard. So maybe you're better off without that.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 19, 2023 4:37 pm

DarwinX wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 19, 2023 3:07 pm

Frankly, I prefer to *not* have push button start. A key feels more natural to me, but I kind of wish Nissan stuck to the switchblade style key going forward instead of doing that as a one-off for the 2022 MY base Versa.

Maybe not. Nissan just recalled the switchblades on the gen2 Rogues and gen1 Rogue Sports (I think all of them) and are having us peg the switchblade with a setscrew so it can't fold anymore. Apparently there's a mechanical problem with them which could present some sort of hazard. So maybe you're better off without that.

Oh my goodness. No way!

In that case, I hope a classic lock/unlock fob that can be paired with the old school key is still possible for the base trim Versa. Fingers crossed!

I found a video on YouTube that basically confirms the lack of a lock/unlock fob for the base Versa. Figure I’d share that here if anyone is interested to see it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IHhu7Pebkg8

I just checked with our Parts Dept and they don't list a switchblade or lollipop key for the '23's, only fatheads and I-keys. The SM confirms it, there's an RKE section in the '22 SM for non-I-key systems but no such section for the '23's. However, the SM's show similar (although not identical) configuration options for the '22~'23 model years and don't show "with/without RKE" as a programmable option for either one. That implies the capability might be there in the BCM but they just aren't giving you a fob. I think you could find out if the BCM is listening just by trying the key-in-out thing, if you get a blink then you should be able to pair a fob from a '22.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 21, 2023 9:02 am

I just checked with our Parts Dept and they don't list a switchblade or lollipop key for the '23's, only fatheads and I-keys. The SM confirms it, there's an RKE section in the '22 SM for non-I-key systems but no such section for the '23's. However, the SM's show similar (although not identical) configuration options for the '22~'23 model years and don't show "with/without RKE" as a programmable option for either one. That implies the capability might be there in the BCM but they just aren't giving you a fob. I think you could find out if the BCM is listening just by trying the key-in-out thing, if you get a blink then you should be able to pair a fob from a '22.

Thank you so much for your investigation VStar!

You're most welcome. To take this a bit further, I checked the BCM layouts pin-for-pin and the '22~'23 are functionally and physically identical. So it wouldn't be cheap, but if the in-out thing shows the '23's aren't fob-capable, it should be possible to replace the '23 BCM with a new '22, load it with the '23 configuration, and program it with new '22 switchblades.

I’m the OP. Finally having these programmed in another state in am where the car is by an experienced locksmith who did a no RKE NV200.

Note: the simple key in, key out 6-10 times does not work, sadly, so you’ll need a locksmith.

The switchblade key I ordered from Nissanusa online parts #28268-5EA1A confirmed compatible with 22’ & 23’ Versa base/S. List price $142.05. When I received it surprising it didn’t include the flip out key blank!!!! WTH! The blank part # is H0564-5RB0C list $60.22 but there is no pic of it, I had the local dealer look it up for me and no mention of what looks like an eyeglasses screw to hold it in. Part# H0561-5EF0C list price $336.33 is the fob and the key blank as one unit!!! So you can imagine 2022 buyers were p.o. they got one fob and a second was $400 + with programming, so Nissan just left it off for 23’.

So I ordered 2 identical looking fobs for an 05’ Altima off eBay that have the blade. However, the key blank is mounted with a dowel pin, not a screw. I’ve asked the locksmith to transfer the spring loaded switch mechanism from the eBay fobs to the Nissan fob. He’s going to cut and program (2) 28268-5EA1A keys/fobs plus 2 simple lock/unlock after market fobs I had from my departed 2019 Frontier and the 2 original factory keys for ~100 dollars. Fingers crossed it works.

I stumbled upon a Nissan dealer that listed the 28268 fob for only $101 and Nissan had their periodic 25% off sale and free shipping so the 28268 fob was only $76.50 x 2 =$153

The cheap simple fobs are from eBay and I see some with a trunk release.

I think there is a limit how many keys and/or fobs that can be programmed ?4 total ?

Sorry for the long post but this is hours of research and trial and error.

Here are some pics of cheap simple fobs

The unanswered question is, does the BCM on the '23 even have a radio receiver and radio firmware? The '22~'23 part numbers are different, and the key in-out procedure not working implies that the '23 doesn't have RF capability. If not, when the smith tries to program a fob, he's going to get Bill Murray (not listening to you la-la-la-la-la-la-la...). If that turns out to be the case, the only solution besides aftermarket RKE will be a '22 BCM.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 19, 2023 4:37 pm

DarwinX wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 19, 2023 3:07 pm

Frankly, I prefer to *not* have push button start. A key feels more natural to me, but I kind of wish Nissan stuck to the switchblade style key going forward instead of doing that as a one-off for the 2022 MY base Versa.

Maybe not. Nissan just recalled the switchblades on the gen2 Rogues and gen1 Rogue Sports (I think all of them) and are having us peg the switchblade with a setscrew so it can't fold anymore. Apparently there's a mechanical problem with them which could present some sort of hazard. So maybe you're better off without that.

I wonder if the screw or dowel pin was getting loose and the key blade was coming out? So are you pegging it with the key out/open all the time ?

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 22, 2023 4:13 pm

The unanswered question is, does the BCM on the '23 even have a radio receiver and radio firmware? The '22~'23 part numbers are different, and the key in-out procedure not working implies that the '23 doesn't have RF capability. If not, when the smith tries to program a fob, he's going to get Bill Murray (not listening to you la-la-la-la-la-la-la...). If that turns out to be the case, the only solution besides aftermarket RKE will be a '22 BCM.

If this is the case, I would buy a cheap RKE kit off eBay and wire it to just the drivers master power lock switch APITA, I’ve done it on an 08 Honda. But since the car is 2000 miles away, my relative is out of luck, we’ll know in 12 hrs