Mike1986

I desperately need a bit of help. I tried to see if my vehicle had any recalls, but Nissan's website said my VIN didn't match(??).

I recently received this car as a gift from my father because he is no longer able to drive and my 1991 Maxima just died and I don't have the money for a newer car.

It's a 2000 Maxima. Only 120k miles on it. Drives fine. The only issue is very frequently I am unable to unlock my front doors. I don't notice the problem with the back doors, but I don't open those as often, obviously.

The issue is incredibly strange because not only can I not open them with the keyfob, I can't even open them by physically unlocking them with my own fingers! The other day I was trying to let a passenger in and I absolutely could not get the passenger door open. I tried to do it manually, and it made no difference. It APPEARS like I am moving the lock and it's opened, but it does not open. It does not sound like it's locking immediately after I lock it or anything. I've heard about people with that problem when I searched this forum, but I don't have that issue. Mine make no noise, and aren't re-locking. The doors simply refuse to unlock, despite me physically unlocking the door with my own hands.

The craziest thing is how random this is. Sometimes it opens just fine, sometimes it will never open and I am 5 minutes late for work because I had to crawl in through the trunk (the trunk never has an issue unlocking). Yes, it's gotten so bad that I've left the rear seats down so I can get in through the trunk. I also did this because I am paranoid I will be trapped in a car fire some day and won't be able to escape this death-trap of a car.

Putting the key in the door itself also makes no difference.

I think the biggest issue is how random it is. It might not happen for a week, and then it happens 3 days in a row. I don't know what to make of this situation, but was hoping someone could offer me any ideas as to what I could try. I am not very good with cars, but I am good with computers and electronics, so hopefully this isn't a lost cause.

Any help and advice would be immensely appreciated! I love the car otherwise! (Well, besides the driver-side front window that takes 40 seconds to roll down while making horrible rubber screeching noises).

Thank you!

RichardIV

I would take out your door panels and check where the locking lever and wire meet. It could just be loosely connected.

This is the best photo I could find, see those 2 wires? trace them to your door handle and make sure they're firmly in place.

Theslaking

Start with the driver lock actuator and switch because it controls the other ones. I think they work in series from the switch. (Maybe not - the windows do) It sounds like the switch is telling the doors to unlock. That's why you can't manually unlock then. The actuator is engaged.

Mike1986

Is there a good guide for this specific car out there?

saig

could be mechanical or circuit-related.

Mechanical issue: Well, WD40. Give it ample to key switch cylinder, window control switches and door lock linkages.

Circuit-related. Control switch sends a pulse signal to the Smart Control Unit which will apply correct voltage (opposite polarities between lock and unlock) to actuators at doors. There's possibility that one of the actuators may get stuck (at ground) from previous lock and prevent the Smart Control Unit from applying the unlock signal (prevent short?). Actuator has 3 positions. Its internal spring should put it back to NC(not connected) position. Try to unplug neg. terminal, what do you hear? Can you open door by hand now?

DougR

I had the same symptoms about 2 years ago when the weather was cold (upper 30s and low 40's in Phoenix, AZ). Sometimes the doors spontaneously locked. I knew the doors spontaneously locked because I haven't locked my car for the last 6-7 years. When the symptoms appeared, I keep a window open so I could reach in and manually unlock it. There were instances when I couldn't manually unlock it when the ambient temperature was less than 40F. As the day warmed up, I could manually unlock the car. A few times, I left a window rolled down so I could crawl into the vehicle if I wasn't able to unlock the doors. (Fortunately for me, it doesn't rain very often in Phoenix.)

I opened up the drivers door in an attempt to fix it. All connectors appeared to be tight. I wasn't able to remove the door actuator. I lubricated the key locks and put it back together. It was much better, but still had an issue occasionally while the weather remained cold. About 6 months later, my alternator failed (bad diode regulator assembly). I rebuilt it and since then I've had no issues with the door locks. I manually lock and unlock the car a few times a year just to see if I can do it without an issue. Did the alternator cause the locks to fail? I don't know if a weak alternator will affect the door locks. Perhaps one of the alternator diodes failed causing the door locks to act up? If so, the car still started until 6 months later when the diode regulator assembly completely failed.

I realize you need a dependable car and your concern of being trapped inside the vehicle is justified. I suggest you test your battery and alternator (do not replace either one unless you know for certain that one or both are not to spec). Clean up the battery posts and verify good ground connections. Open up the drivers door, check connections and inspect the door actuator. I think there's a post somewhere on this forum for downloading the factory manual.