Bluenoser

I know this is an old thread, but has anybody had any joy getting Nissan to deal with this issue?

My wifes 2005 X-Trail has had this problem for years. damp conditions, followed by a quick deep freeze is almost guaranteed to trigger the problem. With ours, what normally happens is that you can open a door, but then it won't latch again. It takes a hair dryer on an extension cord to thaw the locks again. We both love this vehicle, except for the frozen door lock issue. I may have to break down sometime this summer and open up the door panels and grease up the mechanisms. However, I shouldn't have to be doing this - Nissan should!

chadn

I found that a liberal spraying of boeshield (or similar) into the door (through the gap when you pull the handle open) and over the latch mechanism stopped the freezing problem. I've found it works better than wd40 or spray silicone.

Boeshield T-9® Protectant and Lubricant - Lee Valley Tools

Bluenoser

Thanks for the response. I'll have to check that stuff out. I was thinking about removing the inside door panels and coating everything with lithium grease. May still do that, but we'll see...

RandyCanada

This past fall, near Montreal, the temperature dropped below 0 C. and the door locks froze, all four passenger doors. They were either frozen shut or frozen open, as described here by most. As a footnote, every year, late summer, I spray the door rubbers with silicon to displace moisture and to discourage the rubbers from freezing to the metal. This has nothing to do with the locks but it does a great job of preventing the door from freezing to the body.

I learned a few things disassembling the doors and dehydrating and then lubricating the lock mechanisms. For one, since all the door locks are electric and remote, there is an electric actuator at the latch (the dirty part that you can see when the door is opened).

Removing the actuator revealed its ability to trap humidity. We pried off a rubber seal that fits over the contacts (the seal is a rectangle, rust-orange-clay colored), revealing a gap around each contact. That gap allowed access to spray a Mopar releasing spray (displace moisture and leave an oily residue). Spraying that stuff caused a lot of rust to rinse off and we were able then to watch the lock move much more freely. It was in the habit of sticking in the locked position, reluctant to release, even in the heated garage.

We also ran the Mopar stuff through the lock cylinders. On the actuator, we were able to see the spray(s) run through and out the bottom (holding the contact end up).

The next thing we sprayed is the BoeShield (mentioned in a prior post near this one). We sprayed that into all the same places.

We are supposed to get above-freezing weather this week, with rain, followed by below-zero cold. If that sequence does not freeze the locks, then I will know that this was worth the effort.

The X-Trail sleeps in an unheated carport so I can keep rain off of it.

arapak

I had my car washed up yesterday evening beacuse I should drive my old mother in my clean X-Trail today. Living in Stockholm we had -5 C and the drivers door lock froze up making the car unusable as the door lock would not shut.
So, my wifes Polo 1.4 helped me out this time.
In later reading the posts here, I noticed that I was not alone
with cold numb fingers fiddling with the lock.
Cold can be defeated with heat - and I eventually found an old hair dryer.
10 Minutes warming up- and- YES it worked again.
So happy for something that should not be neccessary in the first place.

Hopefully this helps someone.

RandyCanada

Arapak, so right you are! My brother suggested hair dryer after I had already thawed the locks by running the car heater for 30-60 minutes.

I also used a magnetic heater. The magnet holds it onto the door (near the latch, which is where the electric lock actuator sits: this is what freezes up). The placement (location) of the heat is important because heating the key-lock cylinder is useless. What is frozen is at the latch.

At least you thought to wash the car yesterday! I washed my X-Trail again the other day and ... frozen door again. The other 4 doors are behaving well so I became adept at climbing over the seats.

arapak

Good to hear Randy. I guess humidity from the warm car wash water condense inside on the cold mechanism and freezes up, because cold alone does not matter.
Or the drivers door lock itself - as this door is most used- gets worn. There are som plastic cover on the lock-hooks which seem to be worn and when subejct to ice - blocs up.
Whatever, I have the cure- for now.