Driver side door won't open - '11 M56x

[Ilya]

...so uhh....I got locked inside my car (2011 M56x).

Done laughing? I just finished.

Car opened fine. I got in, started it, got out and let it warm up. When I came back, the driver side wasn't closed (which I thought was odd).
I get in and try to close it and it doesn't close. Did it like 3-4 times and nothing. Was able to push it open with my elbow. Weird.

So then I just triggered the lock/unlock mechanism 2-3 times and then it closed and stayed closed. Great.

Get to my destination.....and I can't get out. Turned the car off and on like 50 times, tried unlocking and relocking with remote and interior button like 50 times. Climed out the other side and tried to lock/unlock with the physical key.

All the other doors work. No ice (it's cold, but car wasn't wet, etc.).

Anyone know what the heck happened?

I have a video from SnapChat if anyone wants to see how I got out lol.

[agoodall]

So I had something very similar happen to my driver side passenger door. It ended up being the locking mechanism and had to be replaced. Your issues are what happened to me.

Extra crappy when its the driver door :/

topic588986.html

Okay... the issue was a busted door lock actuator, and the grease on the window was from the door vapor barrier that someone had pulled/partial ripped of the door. When the service writer called me she implied that maybe my Window Tinter was to blame...really? What window tinter removes vapor barrier?

I told them to take pictures that I can send to the Tinter, but when I got to the dealership it was obvious that it was not my tinter nor my fault. I told them it had to be that way from before I bought it from them 2 months ago.

[Debonair]

Sounds broken.

Well, I personally would not have closed the door until I knew the lock mechanism was working once I suspected there was an issue. It's near impossible to get the door panel off with the door closed. You may need to have the door slim-jim'ed open so you can investigate what is going on inside it. I suspect one of the plastic clips that hold the door lock rods has either broke or the rod popped out of it.

Worst case scenario is you having to cut into the door panel to get inside the door and release the lock. I hope its much simpler than this.

[Ilya]

I'm going to try heating the car (all windows close, heat on blast for 30-40 minutes and get it REAL hot in there) before I do anything. If it for some reason isn't freezing/moisture related, this car is going back to Infiniti. Still have warranty. I'm not doing anything. Will also have them listen to the startup sound while I'm there and the dashboard creaking noise too...that last one is new and only started after they fixed my interior lights issue.

[M37xfan]

Same thing happened to me but we got rain/snow mixture and then temperatures dropped to below zero. Used some wd-40 in the keyhole of the drivers door so far so good..

Right now all doors working fine except for the passenger door. We will see what happens in the next couple of days when the temp rises.

[Ilya]

So I went out today (it's 31F) and the door opened fine. I started it up just now and will let it run at full-heat for 45 minutes or so for good measure.

[Debonair]

Cold weather climate problems.

Glad it appears to be fixed.

[Ilya]

Yep. This winter has been a breeze though...unlike last winter where one morning I woke up and (with windchill factored in) it was -37F.

[CRV_33]

This appears to be a common issue with Infinti. Somehow the moisture is getting inside your door mechanism and once the temps plunge below freezing it just wreaks havoc. I experienced this issue with the front driver door and rear passenger door on my 2007 Infiniti G35x that I used to own. Made it really annoying but yet very embarrassing to climb into the driver seat from the passenger side.

[M37xfan]

.... Made it really annoying but yet very embarrassing to climb into the driver seat from the passenger side.

Don't feel bad got to work and had to exit from the passenger side. After work stopped at the post office and had to enter from the rear door...

[Ilya]

For the record, crossing the center console from front passenger side is far easier than getting in from the back haha.

This would make a great "Did you know..." ice breaker in a conversation...hahaha

[BlackCat81]

Just happened to mine, except my cable popped off the inner handle. You can imagine how fun it is to get a door panel off with the door closed.

[Ilya]

Damn, that sucks. Mine has been fine since that one weird day.

[BlackCat81]

Damn, that sucks. Mine has been fine since that one weird day.

Ya, it was kind of a bummer. I broke my window regulator in the process so that didn't help either.