Doors Wont Close When Cold!!

7937 Views 32 Replies 18 Participants Last post by rtptitan, Jan 5, 2010

husker1206

Discussion Starter · Jan 15, 2008

Just wondering if anyone is having the same problem I am? When temp is in the low teens, something inside my door freezes up and they wont shut, unless its locked from the inside. After i lock the door it will shut, but then i cant get it back open until it warms up a bit. Any comments would be helpfull. Thanks

1 - 20 of 33 Posts

alaska_titan

· #2 · Jan 15, 2008

It's the door handle to latch cables freezing...my passenger side door does this all the time after I wash my truck in cold temps.

You should be able to get it fixed under warranty, and until then let it warm up in the garage over-night.

This problem is by far my biggest problem with this truck since temps are below freezing here from October through April

AgTitan06

· #3 · Jan 15, 2008

There is a TSB for this:
TSB 05118

James Con

· #4 · Jan 15, 2008

husker1206 said:
Just wondering if anyone is having the same problem I am? When temp is in the low teens, something inside my door freezes up and they wont shut, unless its locked from the inside. After i lock the door it will shut, but then i cant get it back open until it warms up a bit. Any comments would be helpfull. Thanks

Once it gets wet inside the door, from washing it in the cold weather. It is never the same all winter. I had the same problem. I hit it with a hair dryer for a good half hour to dry the internal mechanisms. You have to point the hairdryer at the latch mechanism on the door itself . It's been fine since.

54warrior

· #5 · Jan 15, 2008

If you're over 36k, then the TSB is gonna cost ya!! I have the split bench seat, and ended up breaking my cupholder because I had to crawl across from the passenger side to get in one evening. It's the most annoying problem. I've found that if you can get in the truck and manually work the lock/unlock mechanism back and forth, it helps out some. Not the electronic lock/unlock button by the power windows, but the actual mechanical one on the inside of the door by your knee.

giffordt

· #6 · Jan 15, 2008

I had the same problem when I had my 04. Nissan replaced all of the door cables under warranty.

Buildwonder

· #7 · Jan 16, 2008

I'm taking mine in Monday to have that fixed under warranty, as well as several other issues. I'll let you know how it works out. It is the most annoying damn thing I've ever encountered. I actually have to pour hot water over the outside of mine around the handle to get it to latch. It usually only takes one full watering can to fix it, but it's still annoying to have to do it. Never in my life have I heard of or experienced anything like that. Frozen locks? Yes. But not this ridiculous problem.

Suave31

· #8 · Jan 17, 2008

Don't want to hijack your thread, but I just purchased a used 05 Tian Crew last week and this morning it was pretty cold out and I could not open the drivers door. All the others opened fine but not the drivers door. The truck has 44,000 miles on it and is no longer in warranty from Nissan. I have read all the posts about there being a TSB on this problem and it being well known. My question is what can I do to get it fixed?? I can't get it through warranty if I read all the other posts correctly, so is there a documented fix that I can do myself? How there was no recall issued for this problem is beyond me. What good is having a truck if you can't get in it? I am super frustrated and to this point I have still not been abole to open the door. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Kronos1965

· #9 · Jan 17, 2008

I bought some de-icer and AFTER I drove the truck and it was heated up, I sprayed it on the door latches/locks and have not had the problem since...

Tera'sTitan

· #10 · Jan 17, 2008

Suave31 said:
Don't want to hijack your thread, but I just purchased a used 05 Tian Crew last week and this morning it was pretty cold out and I could not open the drivers door. All the others opened fine but not the drivers door. The truck has 44,000 miles on it and is no longer in warranty from Nissan. I have read all the posts about there being a TSB on this problem and it being well known. My question is what can I do to get it fixed?? I can't get it through warranty if I read all the other posts correctly, so is there a documented fix that I can do myself? How there was no recall issued for this problem is beyond me. What good is having a truck if you can't get in it? I am super frustrated and to this point I have still not been abole to open the door. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I would try using a hair dryer to thaw it out enough to get it open and then try the de-icer like suave31 did above. I have a 2004 Crew Cab LE and I had the same problem with the driver door not opening or not wanting to shut. It never stayed locked up like yours is doing though. Once I thawed it out I also used the de-icer and have not had a problem since. You may want to spray a little on the latch itself as well, that is what I did and everything has been fine. I actually had this happen to my Ram that I used to have as well, so I don't think it is just a Titan problem.

Good Luck, It stinks to have problems with something you just bought even if it was used. :rollingsm

Kronos1965

· #11 · Jan 17, 2008

Tera'sTitan said:
I would try using a hair dryer to thaw it out enough to get it open and then try the de-icer like suave31 did above. I have a 2004 Crew Cab LE and I had the same problem with the driver door not opening or not wanting to shut. It never stayed locked up like yours is doing though. Once I thawed it out I also used the de-icer and have not had a problem since. You may want to spray a little on the latch itself as well, that is what I did and everything has been fine. I actually had this happen to my Ram that I used to have as well, so I don't think it is just a Titan problem.

Good Luck, It stinks to have problems with something you just bought even if it was used. :rollingsm

Us 04's and 05's have a TSB out on this.

They changed out the locking mechanism in '06 I believe.

James Con

· #12 · Jan 18, 2008

Stop washing it in the freezing cold. lol

Suave31

· #13 · Jan 19, 2008

James Con said:
Stop washing it in the freezing cold. lol

But I don't like my truck to be dirty :dunno:

And the fact still remains that this should have been designed better in the first place. Regardless I have gotten it open and sprayed it down with deicer and all has been well since. If it happens again I think I might install a set of old mirror heaters that I have inside the front doors, that aught to solve the problem.

Thanks for all the help guys! This place is great.

Suave31

· #14 · Jan 21, 2008

Ok, So this morning here we go again. I am so tired of this and I have only had the truck a week. What parts do I need to order from Nissan to fix this myself? I am frustrated beyond belief, the dealer where I purchased it is of no help which is another reason that I am not very happy. Any help you guys can provide would be great as I am in for a very cold week. I am about ready to drive it off a cliff, but i won't be able to get the door open to get out!!! lol

husker1206

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jan 21, 2008

It happened to me to again. Its only my two passenger side doors that do it, but ya, very frustrating

54warrior

· #16 · Jan 21, 2008

In my opinion, it's not the actual lock itself that is the problem, so squirting some de-icer into it really isn't gonna do anything. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when you use both the keyfob OR the key to lock/unlock the door, they all do actually lock or unluck?!?!When you use the door handle to actually open the door though, the cable that is attached to the handle, which 'activates' the locking mechanism itself is froze up and doesn't function in the proper manner. So to resolve the issue, something has to be corrected with that cable. Unfortunately, I don't know the exact answer to it, as I've just been living with it on my truck.

Your best bet is to contact your dealer and try to order the parts that get replaced with the TSB. I'm leaving for lunch now, but I'll try and dig up some #'s for you when I get back.

husker1206

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jan 21, 2008

So I just got back from the Nissan dealer here and they told me to just spray some silicone spray around the door. He dosent have a clue why it is doing it. It really pisses me off cause he wouldnt even take the time to come out and look at my door, which still wont open.

54warrior

· #18 · Jan 21, 2008

husker1206 said:
So I just got back from the Nissan dealer here and they told me to just spray some silicone spray around the door. He dosent have a clue why it is doing it. It really pisses me off cause he wouldnt even take the time to come out and look at my door, which still wont open.

Yes, part of the problem is the "Technician could not replicate problem." Because chances are by the time you get it to the dealer, the doors are working fine again.

http://www.titantalk.com/forums/titan-problems-dealer-service/33274-new-parts-fix-frozen-doors.html
http://www.titantalk.com/forums/tit...560-getting-prepared-frozen-door-handles.html

Suave31

· #19 · Jan 23, 2008 (Edited)

I just wanted to give a quick update as to what I did to fix my problem.......so far! For all of you that are out of warranty and have to pay to get this fixed. A couple days ago I pulled apart the door. I removed the door panel and peeled back the door liner. Once that is pulled back you can reach in and unhook power door lock plug and the key tumbler lever from the door lacth. (Mine was a yellow snap that goes into a white clip on the latch). Then you can remove the cable from the door handle. With that disconnected you can remove the 3 T30 bolts on the door that hold the latch in. I pulled the latch and all 3 cables out of the door and took it over to the bench. Once there I used graphite oil to lube all the cables and even put some inside the latch mechanism itself. If you happen to see some water I would recommend using a carb cleaner to get rid of the water first. After i lubed all the cables with graphite oil I also coated the top of the door handle cable with lithium grease so water could not get inside of it anymore. When I installed it back into the truck I looped the cable the way the TSB showed it and put everything back together. It got down to 4 degrees last night and 12 the night before that, I came out and opened the door and everything was very smooth and worked right away. Normally I would have never been able to close the door or sometimes even open it at those temps. So far this has fixed my problem so if you are out of warranty you may want to give it a shot. I am in the process of getting the extended Nissan warranty tranfered to my name and when this is done I will be having them replace all 4 doors with the new parts, but in the mean time I hope this solves my problem.

Try it out and hope it works for you as well as it has for me.

See less See more

jmik26

· #20 · Dec 18, 2008

I have been dealing with my door handles freezing every winter since 2004. I always managed to get in and get the doors shut until this year. I finally had enough and took it into Nissan for the TSB fix under my premier gold extended warranty.

I am on my second day with 10-20 degree weather and the doors open perfect. Hopefully it will stay this way. If anybody is in that situation I would highly recommend getting it done...Jeff

1 - 20 of 33 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.