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MajorVery commonElectrical

Renault Laguna: Keyless hands-free card and card reader failure

Keyless hands-free card and card reader failure is a very common electrical fault on the Renault Laguna on the 2001–2007 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $180 to $650 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 8 documented faults on the Renault Laguna.

Vehicle
Renault Laguna
Years
2001–2007
System
Electrical

This page covers the Renault Laguna as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Renault Laguna faults8 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph for this fault yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of something else.

What goes wrong

The Laguna II uses a credit-card-style keyless ignition card read by a slot-mounted card reader on the dashboard. Both the card and the reader are widely reported to fail: the card's internal push-button and battery contacts crack from poor soldering, and the reader's microswitches and read coil wear out. The result is intermittent or total refusal to recognise the card, so the car cannot be started or unlocked. This is one of the most characteristic Laguna II ownership problems and affects both petrol and dCi variants.

What you would notice

  • Car does not recognise the key card
  • Have to hold or repeatedly press start to get it to catch
  • Doors will not lock or unlock remotely
  • Card battery draining unusually fast
  • Rattling button inside the card

How to check it

Where to look. Dashboard card reader slot and the plastic key card itself

On the test drive, lock and unlock the car several times with the card and confirm the engine starts first time from cold and hot without holding the button. Insert the card into the dashboard reader if fitted and check it seats cleanly and the dash acknowledges it. Ask whether a spare card exists, since replacement cards must be dealer-coded and are expensive. Listen for a loose button rattling inside the card.

What it costs to put right

$180 to $650 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

  • “Does the car ever fail to recognise the card or need the button held to start?”
  • “Is there a working spare card, and has either card been repaired or recoded?”
  • “Has the dashboard card reader ever been replaced?”

Now check the Renault Laguna you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

  • Independent Renault Forums (renaultforums.co.uk) - Laguna II key card microswitch failure and keycard reader failure threads
  • west-penwith.org.uk 'Repairing a Renault Laguna Card Key' owner writeup
  • mycarly.com Renault Laguna common problems community page

Renault Laguna buyer questions

Is keyless hands-free card and card reader failure serious on a Renault Laguna?

We rate it major and very common on the Renault Laguna. The Laguna II uses a credit-card-style keyless ignition card read by a slot-mounted card reader on the dashboard. Both the card and the reader are widely reported to fail: the card's internal push-button and battery contacts crack from poor soldering, and the reader's microswitches and read coil wear out. The result is intermittent or total refusal to recognise the card, so the car cannot be started or unlocked. This is one of the most characteristic Laguna II ownership problems and affects both petrol and dCi variants.

How much does it cost to fix on a Renault Laguna?

$180 to $650 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Renault Laguna years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2001–2007 Renault Laguna. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.

How do I check for it before I buy?

On the test drive, lock and unlock the car several times with the card and confirm the engine starts first time from cold and hot without holding the button. Insert the card into the dashboard reader if fitted and check it seats cleanly and the dash acknowledges it. Ask whether a spare card exists, since replacement cards must be dealer-coded and are expensive. Listen for a loose button rattling inside the card. Look here: Dashboard card reader slot and the plastic key card itself