My rear hatch is not locking. More specifically, it locks about one out of five times. When I leave it in a parking lot, I lock the doors and pull the rear hatch which usually opens. After opening, closing, and locking several times, it will eventually catch.

There appears to be nothing wrong with the alignment of the door, there are no rattles, and it doesn't matter if I lock it using the remote, the switch in the door, or the key.

I am going to be opening it up this weekend and was looking to tap the expertise of anyone who has fiddled with the rear lock and may have some tips. I do have the field service manual with the diagrams of how everything goes together.
Modified by bmlawless at 8:13 AM 9/2/2009

perhaps the place on your trunk where the hatch latches in, there are 2 screws on that, and if you loosen them, you can adjust it, id try that first and play around with it and maybe you just need to align that better.

I wonder if you can hear the locking sound from the hatch (pretty easy to hear) locker the time you lock the doors but hatch does not lock.

Just want to know if it's the electrical part or the mechanical part.

Yea, similar question. We got rear ended in 2003 ($13K in damage, first gen pathy rear ended us while we were at a red light at 60MPH, he fell asleep, and we slammed into a Sienna in front of us, which then slammed into another car) and ever since they installed the new tailgate, it only locks manually. How can I make it lock with the other doors?

When it fails to lock, you do hear a click. When it locks, you can really hear it engage.

If it works mechanically, but not with the electrical system, there is a small metal piece that is probably floating loose as part of the locking system right in the middle of the hatch. I had that on my 2000, it came out of it's holder and it wouldn't lock with the rest of the locks, but does lock if you use the key.

Unfortunately, you have to take the back panel loose to see it. I've just noticed that after 5 months, it is doing it again, so it must not be adjusted right on my car. Will have to look at it again, because anyone could go in through the hatch and take what they want if it's not locking automatically.

The only way I can lock mine is electronically. Whether it's from the remote or a key in the rear lock, it is just actuating the lock.

Very interesting... I noticed this problem a few days ago. I have a reflex where whenever I drive into a bad neighbourhood I press the door lock button, even though I always lock the door when I get in the Pathy. I happened to drive into a bad area of town on Tuesday, pressed the door lock and I hear only the hatch locking, which means it didn't lock the first time.

Tried unlocking and locking the doors several times... maybe every third time the hatch fails to lock. I hear it try and lock but it just doesn't catch or something.

Hopefully it's just a matter of re-adjusting the latch or catch. My last car had a similar problem where you really had to slam the trunk to get it closed. All it took was a screwdriver and two minutes and it was fixed.

For me, it was a stupidly simple fix. I opened the hatch, ready to undo some bolts, and saw some debris in the catch area (e.g. the loop fixed to the body).

Removed it, tested it 20 times, locked every time.

I have a problem where my hatch wont stay shut or wont catch all the time.i keep fiddling with the locking mechanism in the door until it locks sometimes it takes a good five or six tries before it stays shut. is there a simple solution to this problem because i am very close to taking my hatch apart to ge tto the bottom of this problem.

I've seen a few different variations of this problem. Mine is different yet. The mechanism behind the key hole was heavily corroded (link to photos below). The actuator would fire, but the rod would not budge since it is connected to this mechanism behind the key hole, which was seized up. Nailed it with some PB Blaster and it freed up.
I am still unable to use my key to unlock the hatch. It goes in about 1/2 to 1/3 of the way. Probably rusted up like the mechanism behind it.
Good luck getting out the 10 mm bolts in the handle on the interior of the hatch to remove the cover panel.

http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2398373 ... host=rides
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2086084 ... host=rides
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2611584 ... host=rides

I have a 2004 Nissan Xterra my rear hatch recently quit locking. It wont lock or unlock either with keyless entry or with the key. I have tried to use oil on it and clean it and still it doesnt work. I do hear noises when I hit the lock and unlock on the keyless entry and I am not sure at this point what direction I should go with it. Help!!

If it doesn't do anything when locking/unlocking but you can still hear the door lock actuator trying to do something, the lock rod has probably come loose. Remove the hatch interior trim and check that all the lock rods are in place and secured.

Welcome to NICO.

I have a 2001 Xterra and the back hatch latch does not engage at all. I can reach down and grab it by the edges and just pull it open, and forget about locking it, that's not going to happen with it doing this. Is there somewhere I can purchase a new latch reasonably. Our local Nissan dealer quoted me $130.

A junkyard is probably your best bet.

Do you need the striker, or the mechanism that latches into the striker (90500 on this diagram)? I'm assuming the latter - that one is quite a bit cheaper than your $130 quote from a local dealer.

Your year should have an interior pull to open it, as well as the external pull latch. If neither one will work, try turning the key. One way opens the glass, the other way should open the gate. If none of these work, you're going to have to replace the mechanism. Known at Nissan parts as the Back Door Lock Assembly. Price a new one for your model. I got mine at my Nissan Dealership. I wish I had made a video when I replaced mine. There is a Youtube showing how to get to it, in perfect working order. I Googled A1 Auto How to install LIFT GATE LATCH for my year Pathfinder. If you don't have the tool to pull the paneling away from the metal of the liftgate, you'll have to find a shallow sideways metal clip to pull the molding away. Now is the time to gather all the tools needed: a cordless (or corded) drill, 1/8" and 1/4" metal drill bits, a large flathead screwdriver, and a open and boxed end 12 mm flat wrench. Open the glass to completely remove the interior cover. Next, detach the rods connecting the lock to the latch mechanism. There will be swing-away stays holding the rods. Mine were blue. Unhook the electrical connection. You'll need a flashlight. See the shiny metal housing at the base of the tailgate? You'll see two small buttons on the top. With a cordless drill, and a 1/8" cobalt drill (or one rated for metal), drill into the pins. Change to a 1/4" drill bit to widen the holes. You may have to drill several holes around where the pins were. This should loosen the housing. If not, keep drilling out the hole, making sure not to go through the bottom of the mechanism. You will see the plastic white gears of the mechanism. Don't worry about destroying them. Now, here's the hardest part. Using the flathead screw driver, push down on the plastic seam where the liftgate closes underneath the actuator. You may need the largest flathead you can find. There are two screw bolts, with 12mm heads, protruding where the actuator is attached to the liftgate. I used a flashlight and a mirror to bounce the light onto the bolt heads so that I could see the heads in the mirror. I slid the open end in, until it anchored itself onto the bolt head, and turned it TO THE LEFT to loosen them. Once loose, with pliers, pull out the mechanism housing, and open the gate. Remember that Youtube you first watched? It will show you the installation. If any body pins to the cover broke, most auto parts stores carry replacements. Don't forget to vacuum the metal shards inside the liftgate before you connect the lock rods. Once all rods and electrical connections are made, put the panel back, and brush off the shards and debris from the catch before you close the repaired liftgate.
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