NHTSA Complaint #10308917 — 2006 NISSAN FRONTIER

MY PARTICULAR PROBLEM HAS BEEN TAKING PLACE SINCE ABOUT NOVEMBER OF 2009. IT BEGAN WHEN I WASHED MY CAR ONE DAY TO REMOVE SOME ROAD SALT AND HAS BEEN RECURRING SINCE THEN. THE PROBLEM INVOLVES THE DOOR LOCK BECOMING "FROZEN". WHEN THE LOCK FREEZES, I AM UNABLE TO UNLOCK THE DOOR WITH A KEY, REMOTE, OR MANUALLY FROM INSIDE THE CAB. THIS NOW TAKES PLACE ALMOST ANY NIGHT WHEN IT FREEZES. IF I DECIDE TO LEAVE THE DOORS UNLOCKED AT NIGHT, IT ALLOWS ME TO GET INSIDE, BUT THE DOOR DOES NOT CLOSE WHEN I ATTEMPT TO DO SO. I FOUND THIS OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEN I THOUGHT I AVOIDED THE FREEZING, CLOSED THE DOOR, PUT MY SEAT BELT ON, AND BEGAN TO DRIVE DOWN THE ROAD. THE DOOR OPENED BY ITSELF WHEN I WENT AROUND A TURN. THE ONLY WAY TO SAFELY CLOSE THE DOOR WAS TO LOCK MYSELF INSIDE. ONCE LOCKED INSIDE THE ONLY WAY TO EXIT THE VEHICLE IS FROM ANOTHER DOOR. SO WHEN THIS DOES OCCUR, I CAN NEVER EXIT THROUGH THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR. SO, I BELIEVE THIS HAS BECOME A VERY SERIOUS ENTRAPMENT HAZARD. THE DOOR WILL EVENTUALLY THAW OUT AFTER ABOUT 45 MINUTES OF HEAT INSIDE THE CAR, BUT IF INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT, THERE WOULD BE EXTREME DIFFICULTY EXITING THE VEHICLE. IN ORDER TO CORRECT THE ISSUE, I USED SEVERAL BOTTLE OF DEICER IN THE LOCK MECHANISM, BUT THIS DID NOT WORK. I REMOVED THE DOOR PANEL AND SPRAYED ALL THE MOVING PARTS IN ATTEMPT TO DISPLACE ANY WATER. THIS ALSO DID NOT WORK. I VISITED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY DID NOT HELP. THERE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DID NOT KNOW HOW TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. AFTER LOOKING AT SEVERAL ONLINE FORUMS, I ALSO NOTICED THAT OTHERS WERE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. AFTER SEEING THIS, I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER DIRECTLY ONLINE TWO WEEKS AGO, AND HAVE YET TO EVEN RECEIVE A COURTESY RETURN CALL. THIS IS GETTING ANNOYING AND EXPENSIVE. MY GAS EXPENSES HAVE DOUBLED BECAUSE I FIND MYSELF HAVING TO START MY CAR IN THE MORNING TO WARM IT UP, AND/OR DRIVING AROUND TO WARM AND ATTEMPT TO UNLOCK THE DOOR. *TR