Hello everyone, I have an issue I’m hoping someone else can guide me through. My 2012 Nissan Maxima SV drivers side door won’t open, but the lock works. I can lock the door, and I can unlock the door but I will not open from the inside or outside. I don’t know what’s broken, but I feel like a “latch” isn’t catching. I don’t know the technical terminology, sorry. Has anyone else had this issue? How much did it cost for you to get it repaired? I went to the dealership for an oil change and we chatted about my door.

The dealership wants $180 plus tax and shop fees for a diagnostic and then however much it costs for them to order the parts needed for the repair. I’m 99.99% sure they’ll have to remove the door completely in order to fix what’s broken. I am not mechanically inclined and I don’t know anything about auto body work either. How much should I be prepared to spend for this? Thanks in advance for any helpful replies.

 

There shouldn't be any reason to remove the door completely. The mechanism is linked with a series of rods & they're not really fixed to each other. There's a good chance one of the rods feel off so the mechanism isn't linked. If you're up for it, you can remove the door panel yourself and take a look for free. I was able to fix mine when I first got my max and I wasn't super mechanically inclined either, just had a YouTube video and some free time. Worst case scenario you lose some time and end up paying what you were going to pay originally anyway.