door lock actuator problem

Forum for the unique Murano, and official home of Nissan Murano Club!
jimdrechsler
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2009 8:40 am
Car: 2016 rogue sl

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2005 murano. both the driver side and passenger side door lock buttons on the outside of the door do not work. we can lock the doors and unlock with the remote. are mos tpeople referring to the remote not working the actuators, or the button on the door handles not working? does anyone know how much they want for the buttons on the door handles to get fixed?


jeffdive1
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:24 am
Car: 3005 Murano SL

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Apparently only 23 people have complained to NHTSA regarding this problem and the 05 niss murano, maybe other makes/models. They are not investigating this according to the "hotline." Please complain to NHTSA - I have no idea where the petition on this site went- it cannot be submitted to NHTSA. here is the link to start a complaint: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/. It is outrageous that the petition got over 280 signatures but only 23 people have complained- on the other hand it is also outrageous that NHTSA does not see this as a safety issue as seaduner has pointed out - I have particular ire for Nissan though as they are ultimately responsible for this pos.

forestfriends
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 5:43 am
Car: 2005 Nissan Murano

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Thanks for following up on the hotline. I have filed with the NHTSA previously, but just now did again in my husband's name. Thanks for providing the link - hopefully there will be more that will file - too bad about the petition. Hopefully we can get some resolution - I don't have any extra money to get this fixed - am just using my key at this point - the fob isn't even working most of the time.

Strange though that the cold weather fixes the problem once in awhile.

forestfriends
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 5:43 am
Car: 2005 Nissan Murano

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We also have a 2005 Murano. We experience both problems - the most severe though is the button on the driver door - now it is on the outside AND inside where it doesn't work - as well as the key fob.

We did get an estimate - it was $527 for the front door lock Iactuator) and $543 for the rear passenger door lock (actuator)

forestfriends
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 5:43 am
Car: 2005 Nissan Murano

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This was mentioned: am think that an electrical part of connection is at fault. The driver's door works perfectly. Since one posting above indicated that their mechanic cleaned a grounding connection and it temporarily solved the problem it is possibly of better grounding - the cleaning fix quickly corroded so a modification to the original design may be req'd (such as splicing a 14 gu wire to make a better ground connection)

Did you find a solution?

jeffdive1
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:24 am
Car: 3005 Murano SL

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My repair shop says $438 for each door- the high cost is due to the fact that there are no aftermarket parts so must buy the nissan actuator. My doors also work better in cold weather. Outraged in Oakland, CA

mjhapp
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2010 2:23 pm
Car: 2005 Murano SL AWD

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I hope this thread isn't dead, yet...

You can add Atlanta to the list, as well.

I have an '05.

The driver's door is intermittent. When it doesn't work, you can still see the lock 'jump' on locks and unlocks. When I have to flip it manually, it's usually just a millimeter from being unlocked/locked.

As for the cause, I have no idea. I would expect the problem to manifest on the driver's door first, as that is almost certainly to have more actions on it. However, I expect that this particular actuator is common to many nissan/infiniti models for that year. Are there other models that share this issue?

If not, I would suspect something that is specific to the murano. How about the BCM? Common to other than Murano/FX35?

Failing that, I would look toward wiring. Connectors too close to a heat source and deteriorating. Poor connector placement that is subject to moisture and corrosion, etc...

I guess I'll have to do some exploration. As someone suggested, first thing is to expose the 'defective' actuator and test it directly... go from there.

As for the folks with all actuators going at the same time, I agree with the consensus. Even more unlikely than all 4 actuators failing at the same time is the astronomical unlikelihood (word??) that all 4 actuators on many different vehicles would fail at the same time for the same model year. This alone makes me want to start looking somewhere other than the actuator. Though, if the problem is elsewhere (and, in that case, it almost certainly is,) that doesn't rule out the idea that the actuators are NOW bad... just not that it was their fault

Anxious for any other info on this topic before I pull another door apart on my 'good' car.

Thanks!

(To answer an earlier question: No, you don't have to remove the window to replace the unit in question. Not that I remember, anyway. Though you will have to remove one of the cables going to this unit to get the inner door off)

alabamatoy
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Apr 17, 2010 9:29 am
Car: 04 Murano

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There's gotta be a better source for this part. If its this common, surely someone out there is selling a discounted replacement. Im trying to fix the 04 Muran of a friend of my wife - single mom. I dont want to hit her with a huge part price. Come on folks, help me find an aftermarket part that will work at a reasonable price!!!!

kevsmart
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue May 18, 2010 10:13 am
Car: 09 Murano

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My 09 Murano has just started doing this though I have only noticed it on the driver's door. Pretty sad that they are having the same issue after 5 years.

gdcla
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 3:16 pm
Car: Nissan Murano 2005

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I replaced the driver's door lock acuator assembly on my 2005 Murano in June 2009 after I couldn't lock or unlock the door with the key fob or door switch . Since then the other locks have had the same problems. At this time, all of the other door locks, including the lift gate are not working. I've never ever had to replace a door lock on any other car I have ever owned. The chances of all 5 door locks failing is astronomical. There must be some electrical system cause for this problem. I haven't had time to take my car in to be repaired, because I need my car everyday. I reported the safety issue to NHTSA, and I encourage everyone else to do the same. In the event of an emergency, such as a fire, when everyone needed to get out in a hurry, I wouldn't be able to unlock the doors. If I were being stalked and needed to unlock and relock my doors in a hurry, I wouldn't be able to do so. A recall should be issued on the Murano, Maxima, and any other Nissan products experiencing the same problem. I am going to call Nissan and complain. I encourage you to do the same.

nafddur
Posts: 207
Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2009 5:41 am
Car: Nissan Maxima, Nissan Murano

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gdcla wrote:I reported the safety issue to NHTSA, and I encourage everyone else to do the same. In the event of an emergency, such as a fire, when everyone needed to get out in a hurry, I wouldn't be able to unlock the doors. If I were being stalked and needed to unlock and relock my doors in a hurry, I wouldn't be able to do so. A recall should be issued on the Murano, Maxima, and any other Nissan products experiencing the same problem. I am going to call Nissan and complain. I encourage you to do the same.
Can't file a complaint here. Have never had this problem on any of the Nissans in my family.

04Murano_in_PA
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu May 27, 2010 4:43 pm
Car: 2004 Nissan Murano

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I am having the same problem on my 04 Murano, the back passenger side door locks or unlocks with it's "own mind" when hitting the fob. I never know if it locked or unlocked when I hit "lock." This is a big safety issue and concern for belongings in the vehicle. Dealer in central PA didn't want to acknowledge the issue but quoted me $502 plus tax to install; told me warranty would not cover. Called my friendly local body shop, they acquire the part for $227 and installed for $42. I feel safe again!

vmurton
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 7:46 am

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Have a 2004 murano that won't unlock with fob. The manual door locks works, but seems like the motor doesn't have enough force to unlock the door when using the fob. It's pretty crappy that so many people are having the same problem with this. Going to sign the petition.

rkmd99
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2010 8:15 pm
Car: Murano

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My 2005 Murano has many issues but the latest is that my locks are messing up. I tried to open the door to get my 4 month old son out of the back seat and the door would not unlock. I thank god that the front passenger side unlocked, as it was the only one. It acts as if the lock tries to flip over but doesn't have enough power to do so. What is the cheapest fix, as we currently have other financial priorities.

Moovinu
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Jul 03, 2010 5:25 pm
Car: 04 Infiniti FX35

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04 Infiniti FX35 in AZ - All 4 doors and liftgate (not gas cap) have lazy locks. I get one max two unlock/locks before doors won't open. Have to wait a minute to start again. 115 degree dummer days aplifies the issue and many times will not open any locks so I have to use the key.

I set the programming to only unlock the front door first in hopes that it wouldn't take that much "juice" from some type of capacitor??????

So what's the answer? Replace BCM, bad connection in parrallel circuitry, All locks???? Lots of complaints but no confirmed solution....except payng the dealer 1600 to replace all the locks...why would that fix it, by the way?

Moovinu

andymac123
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 6:49 am
Car: 2005 Nissan Maxima SE

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My 2005 Maxima is having this problem with the drivers door. Sometimes it works, other time not. I notice if I have un-locked the car recently, it will not work. :wtf2:

armandjones82
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2010 11:46 pm
Car: Toyota Prius

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I may not be an owner of a Nissan car as of the present, but I actually researched upon a good part for my old Nissan Sentra that needs a good Door Lock Actuator. You can find it in the internet or in your local retail stores. I have found one but that was years ago. Go try your luck to find it in the internet or research it in your retail stores.

LAFX35
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Aug 21, 2010 10:43 pm
Car: Infiniti FX 35 2004 2WD Sport

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Have the same problem on my 2004 FX 35. Replaced 2 door lock actuators in about 08 and 09. Now all 4 are on the fritz, plus the tailgate latch. So far I can get the driver door to open after multiple lock and unlock cycles on the keychain, but the other doors sometimes will stay locked. This is particularly irksome since this is our family car and it's impossible to get the stroller out of the back when the tailgate freezes up. Grrrr. Los Angeles, CA.

vmurton
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat May 29, 2010 7:46 am

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I have a 2004 murano that had a busted pass side door lock. The door lock would actuate but the lock in the door handle would just jiggle around a little. I ordered a new lock and replaced it myself. After I was done, I tore apart the old one to see what was wrong. Below are a couple pics of why the lock failed.

There is a small pin on the end of an 'arm' that slides into a slot (yellow arrow). The pin came out because there either was nothing to retain it in the slot, or whatever was retaining it fell off. The second pic shows the arm after I put it back in the slot.

As a side note, I pretty much had to destroy the lock to get it apart. The housing for the lock guts is pretty well sealed up.

Hope it offers some insight to anyone.

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9633/nissanlock1.jpg
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/2503/nissanlock2.jpg

GreatWhiteHunter
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Sep 10, 2010 2:16 pm

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I just acquired an 05 Maxima second-hand here in Sydney, Australia.

The rear left door had the lazy lock issue. I took it into the local dealership and they said a recall notice had been issued in Australia for all 4 actuators.

They replaced all 4 free of charge. Not sure if this is now happening in the US?

Now all I have to do is figure out why the screen on my roof mounted genuine Nissan in-car DVD player will not turn on....

summerscheifer
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Nov 26, 2010 2:40 am
Car: toyota corolla

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hi peepz! :) Here is a post on how to solve the door lock actuator problem.Apparently, there is a thermal device which limits the current to the actuator motor to keep it from burning out. This device gets stuck in the high resistance mode preventing the actuator motor from getting enough current to operate.If you test the signal at the harness plug to the actuator, its good. No issues here. Now if you completely removed the actuator/lock mechanism and bench test them with 12V heres what you will find. The actuator will act the same as when in the truck. Here's where it gets tricky. These things are built so that they are not serviceable, but they will comes apart relatively easily and can be put back together once apart.drill out the two small rivets and then pry the case apart. When you pry apart the case the "mushroom" head breaks off and the rod remains. You can dig out the silicone and mushroom head with a pick. It comes out easy. Inside of the plastic brush housing, you'll find a small, thin rectangular thermal resistor relay, thingamabob - not sure what its called. This little part is what keeps you from burning up the motor, should you continue to press the switch once the lock has been actuated. This thingamabob wears out over time and will not allow enough signal to get through to the motor to make it work. THE FIX. Take a small piece of aluminum foil and wrap the "thingamabob". voila! Perfectly working motor!To reassemble it: you cannot glue the unit together as there is a rubber gasket around the perimeter of the case and if you tried to glue the rods into the case, you would not have enough pressure on the two halves of the case to keep the gears in place. So what you can do is break off the plastic rods flush with the bottom side of the case and then drill out the bottom case and screw it together. You'll need screws that are the same diameter as the holes in the top of the case to keep it aligned. The screws should not protrude through the back of the unit as some of the mechanism has some pretty close tolerances and a screw sticking through the back would get in the way of these mechanism. try it. its easier than it may sound! :biggrin: good luck. :wavey:

Rcom1
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Feb 25, 2011 8:42 pm
Car: 2009 Nissan Murano SL AWD

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I've had the same problem with my locks for over a year now. The dealer claims it's random, BUT after getting off the phone with my parents tonight....they told me they were having the same problem with their Nissan Rogue & Maxima. They received a recall letter in the mail about their cars. Tomorrow I'm going to the dealer to find out if it's also recall for the Murano. It better be...this is BS!

loukywells
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2007 4:41 pm

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I have an '05 FX35 and the locks are starting to get "lazy"...especially the rear passenger side. Is there a TSB or recall on this? :mad:

djthompsn
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:55 am
Car: 2004 G35 Coupe

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I just bought a 2004 G35 coupe from a Nissan dealer and found the door locks not working. Their service center checked it out and could not fix them. I took it to the Infinity dealer in Monroeville, PA and their service center checked it out and told me both actuators were bad and that it would run about $1200 to replace them. We both thought it made more sense to just manually use the key. A small pain but not worth that much money to fix. It's not my primary car, just bought it to tow behind an RV.

Since then I've also found out that it costs about $2000 to replace the Brembo brakes that I have on my car when they fail. And to replace the catalytic converter when it goes is about $1800. Perhaps this wasn't the wisest tow car choice for a retired voyager now on a fixed income. But it did bring back the kid in me. It's a fun car to drive, 6 speed manual.

gtadross
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun May 22, 2011 7:46 pm
Car: Infiniti FX35

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I am an attorney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I am also an owner of an Infiniti FX35 with the same problem that many of you have described here - all 4 automatic door locks failing to work, and neither the dealer nor manufacturer is willing to make it right.

I am contemplating suing Nissan Motors (parent company of Infiniti) in a class action to remedy this problem.

If you are interested in discussing this case with me, please contact me via email at my work email at [email protected]

Thank you.

rrack
Posts: 189
Joined: Thu Sep 26, 2002 3:18 pm

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user deleted post
Last edited by rrack on Wed Feb 01, 2012 7:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

bonenose
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2011 4:00 am
Car: 2005 Nissan Murano SL AWD

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I'm having the same issue with the power door locks on my 2005 Murano SL AWD. I signed the online petition to have Nissan issue a recall and filed a complant with the NHTSA. My local shop could not fix the issue and the Nissan dealership wants to charge $130 to just look at it. I will be calling Nissan USA if I can't get someone at the dealership to address these major saftey issues. This car has been nothing but problems and I can't wait to get rid of it. :tisk:

rrack
Posts: 189
Joined: Thu Sep 26, 2002 3:18 pm

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user deleted post
Last edited by rrack on Wed Feb 01, 2012 7:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

karen23s
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Aug 04, 2011 12:52 pm
Car: 2005 Nissan Murano

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The same thing started happening to my Murano last summer. I notice the issue most when my car sits in the heat a lot.

The last time I was in the dealership and asked them about the driver side intermittent opening issue they told me it would be almost $500 just to look at it and determine what was wrong. This summer the locking/unlocking has gotten worse. Now all doors may or may not open with the remote or using the buttons on the door. You can always obviously unlock the doors manually, but getting into the back of the car has been an issue. Thankfully the gas door has always opened.....

I really hope someone posts an easy fix for this....I was putting off having it "looked at" because I didn't have the $500....I certainly don't have $1600 to get it fixed on top of that!

Come on cooler weather in FL....I like being able to get into my car!!!

E-Duble
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2011 3:15 pm
Car: Nissan Murano 2005 SL

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Some of you have been asking for a price breakdown on door actuator replacement. I have a '05 Murano with 62k miles. Two weren't working and the other two were weak and intermittently operating. Had Crown Nissan in Florida look at it. I previously owned a 350Z and had them do work on it with no issues and thought their staff was very nice and helpful.....They called me back and told me it would be "1651". I asked if that was per door and he said yes. Was on cell phone at work and he must have thought I asked if it was the price on the FOUR doors. Anyway, I was floored when I got there and he handed me the paperwork and it was over $1800!! Never have I had someone tell me a price as "1651" not One thousand Six Hundred and Fifty-One dollars. I work in the electrical field and haven't ever stated a total for a bill in this manner. UNBELIEVABLE. Thought the price was $16.51 per actuator, part cost only. BIG mistake! Complained about the insane price paid to have my power door locks working properly. He gave me a 10% discount as a "preferred customer" HAHA. Note: In the above price I included the two engine belts that I had replaced. Below is the actuator price breakdown only.

1 80501-cb81a Lock and Rem $254.47
1 80500-cb80b Lock and Rem $254.47
1 82501-ca02b Lock and Rem $298.99
1 82500-ca02b Lock and Rem $253.22

Labor: $510.88 (1Hr Labor per door plus $100 Diagnostic fee)

Total: $1414.82 (after 10% discount)

Extremely unhappy and planning on discussing issue with manager. I encourage every Nissan owner to sign petitions listed in this forum concerning this issue. BTW the service rep told me to keep my receipt in case Nissan ever has a recall on this issue as they should reimburse me fully for the replacement cost. Obviously he is aware of the issue and must have dealt with upset customers previously concerning this issue. My family has owned Nissan vehicles for years. I don't know if I will ever buy a Nissan again! SAD


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