2007 Xterra drivers side door won't open when cold

bjb1178 · #1 (**permalink**) 01-07-2009, 08:51 AM

I live in Pennsylvania and the other day it got pretty cold. I went to open the drivers side door and the latch wouldn't move. I pulled a little harder and the door opened but then it would not close.. The latch was stuck I'm assuming. After messing with it for a bit I finally got it to close but then I couldn't get out out of the vehicle. The inside door handle would move, but I couldn't open the door. This happens everyday when it's below freezing. I took it back to the dealership that I got the car from 2 weeks ago and they can't find any issues with it. Also took it to a Nissan Dealership today and of course everything worked fine. This morning I had to climb in through the passenger door to get in. This is ridiculous. Has anyone else experienced this issue? My Xterra is still under warranty but they won't fix it without experiencing the issue first.

tech22 · #2 (**permalink**) 01-07-2009, 12:57 PM

No. but some how water is getting into the door/lock assy.The window in the most common place of entry and i would take a close look at this. I to live in the north(Northeast Ohio) and only have to deal with my windows sticking.Try removing the interior door panel and lube all the moving points of the lock assy with white lithum grease.

mpe235 · #3 (**permalink**) 01-07-2009, 03:29 PM

They need to replace the door latch. The cables that attach to the outer door handle freeze and then bend when operated. After that you will continually have problems when it is cold due to the added resistance when the cables get cold. The bent part gets stuck sliding back into the cable. This has been a common problem ever since the manufacturers have gone to using cables instead of metal rods. Nissan has redesigned the cables on the earlier titans and also the 2007 sentra for similar issues.

lax91181 · #4 (**permalink**) 01-12-2009, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpe235

They need to replace the door latch. The cables that attach to the outer door handle freeze and then bend when operated. After that you will continually have problems when it is cold due to the added resistance when the cables get cold. The bent part gets stuck sliding back into the cable. This has been a common problem ever since the manufacturers have gone to using cables instead of metal rods. Nissan has redesigned the cables on the earlier titans and also the 2007 sentra for similar issues.

Would this be covered under the bumper to bumper warranty?

erickat · #5 (**permalink**) 02-15-2010, 06:10 AM

I'm having the same problem. With all the recent snow, the door first would not shut - then it shut but would not open. I had to take it to a shop (am there now) and they said maybe water got in & froze & then the cables got stretched trying to open it. It's not safe to drive like that. Not sure what the fix will be - but it seems like a common problem with this car.