THIS is the third MAJOR safety that I have had at this point, with FOUR in total and that isn't the little things, that is the MAJOR SAFETY events where we've been terrified to drive the vehicle. I had washed my car in the car wash and after exiting about a mile down the street, the vehicle made a jar and all the lights on the dash started throwing malfunction errors like a Christmas tree again. I was stalled at the busy intersection. I had total loss of power and it was 98 outside by myself . I had two gentlemen help me try to get into neutral to get out of the busy intersection. We finally were able to get to the Walmart parking lot across the street. Called Nissan, the service team asked to disconnect battery etc and see, which we had already done, and then we did it again. I was terrified to drive to the dealership with it and when I did, AGAIN, NIssan responded with they cannot duplicate the codes, showing no codes, even after I showed them the photos. This vehicle is unsafe for anyone to drive it. Even if Nissan buys this back on a repurchase and then puts it on the road, someone or multiple fatalities will happen with this vehicle. WE believe their main communication system doesn't communicate . The Nissan app itself throws me ABS codes for weeks and they show no ABS codes on a separate incident. We have a vehicle that we are terrified to take on the road and can depend on. Nissan fails to acknowledge they have an issue with their safety systems. Also, while driving down the road about a week before this, the driver's door latch was just clicking up and down and literally trying to open the door going down the highway at 70 MPH. Another safety thing that happens continuously, the passenger safety indicators in the back seat, constantly error out. Nissan's response, they are aware of this one, just disable them. Well, I don't have children, however, seriously that is their advice if a child dies?
Nissan Pathfinder door locks problems
78 of the 7,336 owner complaints about the Nissan Pathfinder describe doors won't lock, open or latch, most of them for the 2013 model year.
- owner complaints
- 78
- worst model year
- 2013
- typical repair cost reported
- $935
- typical mileage
- 55,000
By model year
Often reported together
Shudder 4Key fob 4ABS 3Transmission failure 2Stalling 2Loss of power 2Jerking 2Fire or smoke 2
What owners say
My door lock buttons do not work and I took the vehicle in to the dealer and I was 3000 miles over my warranty , they did not want to cover the cost of the repair it is dangerous because what if I have children in the back and I can’t open the door from the front door, I can open them with the key remote or I need to get off the vehicle and push the button on my door from the outside ! If there is an accident it could be a life or death issue !
Both of my rear passenger door lock actuators stop working. The doors will not unlock from the inside when a passenger tries to unlock the door to exit the car. My break lights stay on . The ABS light turned on then it stopped turning on. The light bulbs inside the car in the second row stopped turning on .
Driver side door lock / unlock does not work with keyFOB. All other doors lock / unlock but driver side door has to be locked / unlocked with physical key.
My driver side door will not lock or unlock. I have changed the battery in the key fob and I am still having the same problem. I believe the lock actuator is malfunctioning. I have taken it to a mechanic and they have confirmed, however, I have not taken it into the dealership. There were no warning labels or messages that appeared.
Interior door handle failure. The handle component of the interior door handle which retains the actuator cable frequently breaks resulting in an inability to open the door from inside the vehicle. I have replaced four of these on my vehicle in the 5 years I have owned it. The drivers door has been repaired twice. The component is plastic and obviously not made sturdy enough or made of appropriate material to withstand normal use. Failure of this component results in the inability to open the door from inside the vehicle, posing a safety concern should a passenger need to exit the vehicle in an emergency situation. Had I only experienced this issue once, I would not be gravely concerned, but this component is failing too frequently to just ignore. Numerous online forums also show this to be a frequent problem in all Nissan vehicles with this type door handle. At this point, I feel Nisan should redesign the door handle with a more sturdy and structurally sound design that can hold up to normal use.and should recall and replace the door handles of all Nissan vehicles that use this particular door handle.
Heated seats appear to be on, but do not heat up. The door lock sensors on the exterior door handles do not work consistently.
3 of my door handles have broken once before I had taken ownership of the vehicle. Since owning the vehicle those same 3 door handles have broken again. This is a cause for concern because if you were in a motor vehicle accident you wouldn’t be able to get the doors open from the inside of the vehicle. For the past few months I have been rolling the windows down to open the door from the outside handle..
2022 nissan pathfinder sl awd under warranty. Wife and child approached car, the proximity unlock didn't when touching the door handle. Wife pulled out key fob and hit unlock button. Then placed child in car seat behind driver. The key fob was inside of diaper bag on floor board directly in front of child seat and behind driver seat. Wife never initiated a door lock nor heard any audible lock mechanism. She then closed the back door and went to open the drivers door. The door was locked and police and ems via 911 were called to forcibly enter car since it was near 100 degrees outside. Later that day the local nissan dealer service said that nothing was wrong with the vehicle and said nothing could be done. I tried multiple times to duplicate the door lock with fob inside last night and could not get it to duplicate what happened yesterday. My nine month old son was seen by urgent care and ems personnel but not police report was filed since there was no accident and my son did not require immediate emergency care, just cautious heat impact care at local urgent care clinic. Upon further research appears this issue with nissan key defects goes back multiple year s and vehicles and had multiple the federal safety agency complaints. None of those however look to cover the 2022 nissan pathfinder, hense this complaint.
Fuel door does not lock. It does not lock when the car is locked by security system, and it does not lock when car is in motion. Car does not have to be turned off at gas station to unlock fuel door. There is no mechanism to keep the fuel door locked. There is no gas cap to cover nozzle entry point so at any point, gas tank can be tampered with. Fuel door pops open in car washes and water can enter the fuel tank. VERY UNSAFE.
Related recalls
Latches/locks/linkages: hood: latch
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Pathfinder vehicles. On certain Pathfinder vehicles, the secondary hood latch may malfunction and remain in the unlatched, unsecured, position when the hood is closed.
- Risk
- An unsecured hood could unexpectedly open while driving, obstructing the driver's view, and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the bell crank assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 26, 2025. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 1‑800‑867‑7669. Nissan's number for this recall are R22A2 R22A3 and R24B7.
Recall number 22V420000 · Recall details
Latches/locks/linkages: hood: latch
- What is wrong
- Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2022 Pathfinder vehicles. Insufficient welds may allow the secondary hood latch retainer bracket to detach from the front bumper assembly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 113, "Hood Latch System."
- Risk
- A detached secondary hood latch may allow the hood to open if the primary hood latch is not engaged, obstructing the driver's view and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the secondary hood latch bracket as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 17, 2021. Owners may contact Nissan customer service at 1‑800‑867‑7669. Nissan's number for this recall is PC840.
Recall number 21V706000 · Recall details
Questions about the Nissan Pathfinder door locks
Which Nissan Pathfinder years have doors won't lock, open or latch problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2013 (39 complaints), 2014 (15 complaints) and 2022 (4 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix doors won't lock, open or latch on the Nissan Pathfinder?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $935 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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