When door is unlocked the door will not open you have to keep doing it to open the door does it sometimes but still should not be doing it
Nissan Altima door locks problems
192 of the 15,497 owner complaints about the Nissan Altima describe doors won't lock, open or latch, most of them for the 2013 model year.
- owner complaints
- 192
- worst model year
- 2013
- typical repair cost reported
- $560
- typical mileage
- 60,000
Is there a fix? There are 6 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Key fob 23Won't start 10Grinding brakes 5Steering lock-up 4Jerking 4Headlights 4Seat belt 3Fire or smoke 3
Trouble codes mentioned
P0101 1
What owners say
Multiple door lock actuators have failed, potentially trapping occupants in the vehicle.
The contact owns a 2019 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the driver's side front door failed to open. The contact entered the vehicle through the rear door. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was due to the door lock actuator, and the part was replaced under warranty; however, the failure reoccurred. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
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.
I currently own a 2020 Nissan Altima with 49,186 miles and I am reporting a recurring power door lock failure. This vehicle was inspected at the Nissan of Cumming location this morning to confirm the issue. Three of the passenger-side door lock actuators have failed within a short period of time. The two rear door locks stopped working at the same time, and approximately two weeks later the front passenger door lock also stopped working. The driver's door has started to not unlock when turning the car off where it normally did up until recently. The affected doors do not respond to the interior power lock/unlock buttons or the key fob. When attempting to lock or unlock the doors electronically, I can hear the actuators attempting to operate, but the doors do not actually lock or unlock. The doors can only be locked or unlocked manually. This failure affects multiple doors and appears to be a premature component failure given the vehicle's mileage. A malfunctioning power lock system could create a safety concern if occupants are unable to quickly secure or unlock doors during an emergency situation or if electronic access is needed. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate whether there is a broader defect involving door lock actuators or the power door lock system in 2019 - 2020 Altima vehicles. I have also submitted a case with Nissan Affairs. The case number is 56942179.
Both passenger-side and driver's side rear door lock mechanisms ceased working. They do not work when attempting to lock/unlock the doors from the inside controls in the front seat. These doors also do not lock/unlock when using the remote key fob either. Both rear doors have to be lock/unlocked manually from the inside of the door.
Door lock actuators have failed completely on 2 doors, and intermittently on 1 door of a 2021 Nissan Altima. They do not respond to either the key fob or door button. There are no warnings or indicators associated with this component so it is unknown when the failures first occurred, but it was first noticed in summer of 2025. The components have not been inspected but could be made available for inspection if requested. Not being able to unlock doors could present an entrapment hazard in the event of a collision. The doors remaining unlocked is a safety concern as there is nothing preventing the door from potentially being opened while driving, and a security concern as the vehicle may inadvertently be left unlocked even if the lock buttons are pressed on the key fob and/or door. Numerous official and anecdotal consumer reports exist but at the time of this submittal the manufacturer has not issued any notices or recalls regarding this problem.
Rear door locks both do not work other than manually locking. Reported incidents online show many others have had newer Nissan vehicles like our 2021 Nissan Altima with the same issue, some have been locked in the car and had to climb out the window and others said the door unlocked and opened while driving. This is a big concern for me as a mom who has a son driving this car, the entire reason was that the safety ratings were good on this AWD full size 2021 vehicle. We bought it certified pre-owned from the Nissan dealership 2 years ago (2024) and after 1 year, both locks stopped working unless locked manually. The actuators should now have stopped working with a car only 4 years old at the time. Now is it 5 years old, still very new, and the safety issues I've read others have had is very concerning. There was a previous recall on earlier Nissan models, and I wish Nissan would recall these newer models too since you see class action lawsuits and much concern online about the many people having this issue.
All four of my door lock actuators have went out without warning. This has caused stress and frustration due to not having the correct access to get in and out of my vehicle. The doors would not lock or unlock by pressing the buttons on the door or on the key itself. This has also caused a big safety concern. Being able to not open my car door is dangerous and could potentially hurt myself or others. I have contacted Nissan and they stated that there were not any recalls on my vehicle but I was suspicious since all lock actuators went out around the same time frame. I have paid to get 3/4 lock actuators replaced out of my own pocket with 1 lock actuator still not fixed. I was not made aware of the lock actuators failing and didn’t know that this was a problem a lot of other people were experiencing as well.
I am writing to formally report a dangerous design oversight and safety hazard regarding the trunk lid support mechanism on the Nissan Altima. On [Date of Incident], while the vehicle was parked, a gust of wind caused the trunk lid to slam shut unexpectedly. The metal door latch struck me directly in the frontal region of the skull, resulting in an injury that required medical monitoring for potential brain trauma. The current design relies exclusively on torsion bars or gas struts to maintain an open position. These components are prone to wear and environmental fatigue, and they lack a mechanical "positive lock" or secondary safety catch. Consequently, the trunk lid acts as a sail in windy conditions, easily overcoming the lift support and turning the heavy lid and metal latch assembly into a falling hazard for any consumer loading or unloading the vehicle. While Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) focus heavily on internal trunk releases (Standard No. 401), there is a significant gap regarding the prevention of sudden, gravity-induced or wind-induced lid collapse. I am requesting that the federal safety agency: Investigate the frequency of "unintended closing" injuries related to Nissan Altima trunk lift systems. Evaluate whether the lift-support specifications for this model are sufficient to withstand common wind gusts. Mandate a mechanical locking mechanism or more robust secondary safety catches to prevent these lids from becoming dangerous projectiles. [XXX] Vehicle Information: Make: Nissan Model: Altima Year: [2017] Estimated Mileage: [105000] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Related recalls
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2025 Altima, Sentra, 2025-2026 Frontier, and 2026 Kicks vehicles. The door strikers may have been improperly welded and break, allowing the door to open while moving. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 206, "Door Locks and Door Retention Components."
- Risk
- A door that opens unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion increases the risk of injury or a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the door strikers, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 800‑647‑7261. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PD185 and PMA61. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on beginning January 28, 2026.
Recall number 26V023000 · Recall details
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: doors: latch
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Altima vehicles. The rear door latch/lock cable on the vehicles may have been improperly routed. As a result, lowering a rear window may inadvertently cause that door to unlatch and open.
- Risk
- If the rear passenger doors inadvertently open while the vehicle is in motion, it may increase the risk of injury to the rear passengers.
- Remedy
- Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will correct the rear door latch/lock cable routing, free of charge. The recall began on February 16, 2017. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑647‑7261.
Recall number 17V040000 · 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 Nissan Altima door locks
Which Nissan Altima years have doors won't lock, open or latch problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2013 (52 complaints), 2009 (15 complaints) and 2019 (15 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix doors won't lock, open or latch on the Nissan Altima?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $560 (median of 18 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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