Front passenger door lock actuator fails to unlock door when driver's, passengers or key fob to unlock is activated. All other doors (3) work as they should. This creates a safety issue as the door must manually be unlocked which during a panic situation may not be easily accomplished. I am in the process of having the mechanism inspected & repaired. Part failed with no notice. It may have failed earlier, but July '26 was the 1st I noticed.
2013 Nissan Altima: doors won't lock, open or latch
52 of the 2,315 complaints about the 2013 Nissan Altima describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 52
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- typical repair cost reported
- $425
- typical mileage
- 62,000
- recalls
- 4
Is there a fix? There are 4 recalls and 2 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
While driving at 35mph on a city road the car hood flew up open & smashed into the windshield despite their supposed fix of hood latch spring being replaced & assembly lubricated by the Nissan dealership in Aug 2021 due to a Nissan hood latch recall (the federal safety agency recall 16V‑029) in response to a class action lawsuit. At highway speeds, this would have seriously compromised human lives. In this case, neither the primary hood latch lever or fuel door release lever had been pulled open by the driver just prior to the incident; yet the hood flew open without warning. (Hoods have primary latches located inside the vehicles, then secondary latches located under the hoods. Primary hood latches in the cars are located too close to the fuel door latches that might cause drivers to accidentally unlatch the hoods instead of the fuel doors. Then once the primary hood latch is pulled in the Altima, the secondary latch under the hood fails to hold the hood down, allowing the Altima hood to open while driving.) No warning lights or messages came on. The car was not drivable & was towed to the Nissan dealership where it is currently pending repairs estimate $5234.58. At this time, Nissan Motors accepts no liability for this incident; clearly shifting the blame again. Nissan Motors has issued multiple (2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2022interim) hood latch recalls in response to this problem in various Nissan models 2013-2018, the most recent in 2022 (still in progress). Design and manufacturing defects allegedly cause the hoods to open while driving at any speed. According to the Altima class action lawsuit, Nissan blames the problems on multiple sources but still can’t properly repair the cars. The Altima hood latch systems are allegedly not strong enough to perform in real-world conditions and aren’t up to industry standards used for more than 100 years. The return springs are also allegedly too weak, as are the locking systems which prevent the hoods from securely latching.
2013 Altima 3.5 SL. the passenger door handle popped and wont open from the inside, you have to roll the window down and open it from the outside, if you cant get out of your car in an emergency it is a life or death situation.
my car over heats passanger door wont open from the inside its a latch issue ive told the dealer ship in mansfield and they done nothing about it front suspenction has issues still dealer does nothing about it every since they did the recall update with programing my car its like my tranny slips and jerks
car over heats passanger door latch suspention in front is messed up when they did the computer update as a recall my car tranny slips and jerks it sucks more gas
The passenger side door handle will not open the door, I heard and felt a crack when trying to get out of the vehicle. You have to open by using the outside door handle. If this car was too be in an accident the passenger could become trapped inside. This happen while parked.
All interior door latches do not function properly. Doors do not open from the inside. A serious safety defect.
The drivers' side interior door handle broke and will no longer open the door from inside the vehicle.
Nissan recalled rear lower control arms for 2013 altimas just last month. I am looking to get mine repaired at the dealer, mossy kearny mesa, who told me last year it was defective. I have only been in california for a couple of years. My car was bought and driven in virginia where they use road salt (a stipulation of the recall). The dealer is unaware of the recall. I contacted a rep at the number the dealer gave me, 1‑800‑647‑7261, and they did not know about the recall either. When I asked to speak to someone from nissan america corp., the rep said they would have their supervisor call me back in a few days, but that their super would only tell me the same thing. I am getting nowhere with nissan much like in the past. I have had to fight for repairs for almost every recalled or revised part on my car including the airbags, transmission, door handle, and now this. I would appreciate it if someone contacted me about this issue as soon as possible. Thank you.
My front drivers side door handle failed at 71 000 along with my automatic brake lock on the gear shifter.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 nissan altima. When the contact attempted to exit the vehicle, the driver's side interior door handle failed to operate. The contact stated that, previously, both the rear and front passenger side interior door handles failed to operate. The vehicle was repaired at a reduced cost for the front and rear passenger door handles; however, the dealer (nissan of victoria, 6003 n navarro st, victoria, tx 77904, (361) 578-5000) declined to repair the driver's side door handle since it was still operational. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000. The VIN was not available.
My door latches have stop working starting in june with the first one now there is three none working the car was stationary each time
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Latches/locks/linkages: hood: latch
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2018 Nissan Altima vehicles. If the primary hood latch is inadvertently released, there is an increased likelihood that the secondary hood latch may corrode over time.
- Risk
- Corrosion to the secondary latch may cause it to bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed. If the primary latch is inadvertently released again and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will install a stronger release spring in the hood release lever, a warning label near the secondary hood latch, and an Owners Manual addendum card with instructions on how to lubricate and maintain the secondary hood latch mechanism, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 30, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑867‑7669. Note: Recall 16V‑029 remains open for any unremedied 2013-2015 Altimas and this recall applies to all vehicles covered by 16V‑029 even if those repairs have already been performed.
Recall number 20V315000 · Recall details
Latches/locks/linkages: hood: latch
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 6, 2012, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
- Risk
- If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- These vehicles were previously included in recalls 14V‑565 and 15V‑116, however the previous remedy plan may not have been performed consistently to remove the safety risk. To correct this issue, Nissan will re-notify all affected owners and dealers will replace the hood latch with a new one, free of charge. The recall began on February 17, 2016. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑647‑7261. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 14V‑565 and 15V‑116.
Recall number 16V029000 · Recall details
Latches/locks/linkages: hood: latch
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
- Risk
- If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2015. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑647‑7261. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 14V‑565.
Recall number 15V116000 · Recall details
Latches/locks/linkages: hood: latch
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2013 Nissan Altima vehicles manufactured March 6, 2012, to February 28, 2013. In the affected vehicles, interference between the hood inner panel and the secondary latch lever, in combination with debris and corrosion, may cause the secondary hood latch to bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
- Risk
- If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will be instructed to modify the bend angle of the hood actuation lever to eliminate potential interference with the hood inner panel. In addition, dealers will clean and lubricate the latch joint as needed. If significant corrosion is observed, the latch assembly will be replaced. This repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 20, 2014. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 14V565000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2013 Nissan Altima door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 2013 Nissan Altima?
52 of 2,315 owner complaints about the 2013 Nissan Altima (2%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
How much does it cost to fix doors won't lock, open or latch on the 2013 Nissan Altima?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $425 (median of 7 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2013 Nissan Altima?
There are 4 recalls and 2 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2013 Nissan Altima
Headlights 428Airbag light 254Ball joint 222CVT failure 176Stalling 158Transmission failure 130Jerking 102Check engine light 69Shudder 64Won't shift 46Hesitation 44Loss of power 36Grinding brakes 33No deployment 31Slipping 20Whining noise 20Won't start 19Fire or smoke 18Pulling 17Harsh shifting 16Key fob 14Knocking 12Sudden acceleration 10Sunroof shattered 10Engine failure 9Seat belt 9Windshield crack 9Warning lights 8Backup camera 7Power steering loss 7Brake failure 6Adaptive cruise 5Misfire 5Tire blowout 5
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