NHTSA Complaint #11638700 — 2019 NISSAN TITAN

In cold weather, generally below freezing, the tailgate of the 2019 Titan will not open. When attempting to open the tailgate, the latch is lifted up, but the tailgate will not open. However, once the temperature rises to high 20's, low 30'sF, the tailgate will open on its own. I believe lifting the tailgate latch puts this sequence into motion. In the first incident, I tried to open the tailgate in cold weather, it would not open. Then, while traveling down a highway, the tailgate opened by itself resulting in several large toolboxes spilling out of the bed and onto the highway. I was not aware of this until I got to my office. The truck was taken to a Nissan dealer who replaced the electrical and mechanical tailgate locking mechanisms (under warranty) in January 2024. Now, in January 2025, with the recent cold spell in the northeast, the tailgate again would not open. And as before, later the tailgate fell open on its own (thankfully there was noting in the bed of the truck). I took the truck to the same Nissan dealership and explained that tailgate problem was not fixed. The technician looked on her computer and, I am quoting, said to me "this is a common problem". I asked if there is a safety recall on this issue and the tech told me "no". Nissan stated I would have to pay for the fix this time as it was over a year since the last time they [failed] to fixed the tailgate . This is a serious safety concern in that the tailgate can open unexpectedly while the vehicle is moving allowing the cargo to spill out into moving traffic. Please issue a safety recall immediately. Nissan knows this is a problem and will not act on it! I stopped at the local police department and explained what happen. I went to the police to see if anyone picked up any of my tools I lost and gave them to the police. Not a single tool was turned in. I lost several hundred $$ of tools due to the tailgate opening. Thankfully, I don't believe it caused any one to damage their vehicle.