The Nissan door defect lawsuit is a proposed class action filed in March 2025 that accuses Nissan of concealing a defect in the door lock actuators of 2013-2025 Altima, 2014-2025 Rogue, and 2013-2025 Sentra vehicles. The actuator is the small motor inside each door that drives the lock mechanism, and when it fails, the door can behave unpredictably instead of simply refusing to lock.
The case is Khalifa v. Nissan North America, Inc., No. 3:25-cv-02777, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on March 24, 2025, by Clarkson Law Firm on behalf of plaintiff Deena Khalifa, a Rohnert Park, California resident who owns a 2020 Nissan Rogue (ClassAction.org, 2025). The 64-page complaint does not allege Khalifa personally experienced a door failure. Instead, it argues Nissan failed to disclose a known defect at the time of sale, which affected what she was willing to pay for the vehicle.
When the defect shows up, owners report three distinct failure patterns, and knowing which one you are dealing with matters for documenting your case.
1. Doors that open while driving: The lawsuit says the actuator can fail to hold the door latch closed, letting doors swing open during operation, including at highway speeds (ClassAction.org, 2025). This is the most safety-critical version of the failure.
2. Doors that lock or unlock on their own: Owners have reported the power locks cycling without anyone touching a button or the key fob, sometimes locking a driver out or unlocking a parked car overnight.
3. Doors that will not open at all: In the most alarming reports, the defect traps occupants inside the vehicle. The complaint states that in some cases, occupants could only escape by crawling out of windows (ClassAction.org, 2025). Carscoops reported one owner of a 2018 Rogue said her door lock failed while she was trying to get away from a man following her through a parking lot, and another owner said all four locks failed on her 2019 Rogue with her five-month-old still inside, forcing her to break a window (Carscoops, 2025).
The class action covers three specific models and model-year ranges. If your vehicle falls outside these ranges, the lawsuit as currently filed does not apply to you, though a similar problem could still support an individual claim.
| Model | Model Years in Lawsuit |
| Nissan Altima | 2013 to 2025 |
| Nissan Rogue | 2014 to 2025 |
| Nissan Sentra | 2013 to 2025 |
The complaint alleges Nissan has known about door lock actuator problems since at least 2014, based on internal warranty data and a wave of consumer complaints, but only acted on a small slice of the affected fleet (ClassAction.org, 2025).
This is where most coverage online gets confusing, because there are two separate Nissan door problems making news at the same time, and they are not the same thing.
The door lock actuator lawsuit targets 2013-2025 Altima, 2014-2025 Rogue, and 2013-2025 Sentra vehicles and involves the electric motor that operates the lock. It is a civil lawsuit, not a recall, meaning no court has ruled on the claims yet.
The door striker recall is a completely different issue announced by NHTSA on January 21, 2026. It covers roughly 26,432 vehicles: certain 2025 Altima and Sentra sedans, 2025-2026 Frontier pickups, and 2026 Kicks SUVs built at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi and Aguascalientes, Mexico plants between August and September 2025 (NHTSA, 2026). The problem here is the door striker, a metal loop on the door jamb that the latch grabs onto to hold the door shut, not the lock actuator. Nissan says an improper welding process left some striker wire loops too weak, and they can crack and separate, letting the door open during driving or a crash (NHTSA, 2026).
| Door Lock Actuator Lawsuit | Door Striker Recall | |
| Type | Class action lawsuit | Federal safety recall |
| Filed or announced | March 24, 2025 | January 21, 2026 |
| Models | Altima, Rogue, Sentra | Altima, Sentra, Frontier, Kicks |
| Years | 2013-2025 (Altima, Sentra), 2014-2025 (Rogue) | 2025-2026 only |
| Defective part | Door lock actuator (electric motor) | Door striker (welded metal loop) |
| Fix cost | Not yet determined, case pending | Free, dealer replaces striker |
| Estimated vehicles | Not specified in complaint | About 26,432 |
Nissan estimates roughly 1% of the recalled 26,432 vehicles actually carry the striker defect, and as of the recall filing, the company said it was not aware of any warranty claims, accidents, or injuries tied to the striker issue specifically (NHTSA, 2026). If you own a 2025 or newer Altima, Sentra, Frontier, or Kicks, check your VIN against both issues separately, because owning a recalled vehicle does not automatically mean you also have the older actuator problem, and vice versa.
Nissan issued one limited recall connected to door lock actuators, and the class action argues it was not nearly enough. In July 2015, Nissan recalled 6,595 vehicles, specifically 2015 Rogue, Sentra, and Versa Note models, because the driver’s side front and rear door latches might not fully latch (CarComplaints, 2025). The fix covered only the driver’s side doors on a narrow production run.
The lawsuit calls this recall “extremely limited” and says it left the vast majority of the affected 2013-2025 Altima, 2014-2025 Rogue, and 2013-2025 Sentra fleet without any corrective action (ClassAction.org, 2025). Nissan also issued at least two Technical Service Bulletins telling dealers how to handle actuator complaints: TSB NTB16-092 in September 2016, covering cold-weather latch problems in 2013-2016 models, and TSB NTB22-104 in December 2022, covering doors that would not open or close properly in 2021-2023 models (The Lemon Law Experts, 2025). A TSB is internal repair guidance for technicians, not a public recall, so most owners never saw either bulletin unless they happened to bring up the exact symptom during a service visit.
Since 2014, NHTSA has logged roughly 151 complaints related to Nissan door actuator problems across the named models (ClassAction.org, 2025). That number reflects complaints filed directly with the federal safety regulator and does not include the much larger volume of dealer warranty claims, forum posts, or CarComplaints.com reports that never reach NHTSA. You can search NHTSA’s own complaint database by VIN or model to see reports specific to your vehicle.
If you are dealing with a door lock or latch problem right now, work through these steps in order.
Step 1: Check your VIN for both issues. Use the NHTSA Recall Search tool (nhtsa.gov/recalls) to see if your vehicle falls under the 2026 door striker recall, and separately check whether your model and year fall inside the 2013-2025 Altima, 2014-2025 Rogue, or 2013-2025 Sentra range named in the lawsuit.
Step 2: Get the problem documented at a dealer. Take your car to a Nissan dealership and get a written repair order describing the exact symptom, whether that is a door that will not lock, one that opens on its own, or one that will not open from inside. This paperwork is the backbone of both a warranty claim and a potential lemon law claim.
Step 3: Ask about the recall repair if you qualify. If your VIN is part of the door striker recall, the dealer replaces the striker at no cost, and Nissan says the job takes about 30 minutes (NHTSA, 2026).
Step 4: Keep every receipt if you paid out of pocket. Owners have paid to replace door lock actuators without reimbursement from Nissan, according to the lawsuit (ClassAction.org, 2025). Save the invoice, the date, the mileage, and what the shop found.
Step 5: Ask about joining the class action. You generally do not need to sign up in advance to be part of a class action once it covers your vehicle; class membership typically happens automatically unless you choose to opt out later, once and if the case is certified.
Step 6: Talk to a lemon law attorney about your specific vehicle. A class action settlement, if one happens, usually takes time and may only cover partial reimbursement. If your Nissan has gone in for the same door problem more than once, or spent an extended stretch in the shop, you may have a separate and faster path to a refund or replacement vehicle under your state’s lemon law.
A vehicle typically qualifies as a lemon when it has a defect covered by warranty that substantially impairs its use, value, or safety, and the manufacturer has been unable to fix it after a reasonable number of attempts. Door failures that let occupants become trapped inside, or that let doors open while driving, go directly to safety, which strengthens a lemon law claim compared to a cosmetic or convenience issue.
Every state sets its own thresholds, but the recurring patterns that support a claim include the same defect returning after multiple repair visits, commonly three or four attempts for a non-safety issue or fewer for a serious safety defect, and the vehicle being out of service for repairs for 30 cumulative days or more. If your Altima, Rogue, or Sentra has been back to the dealer repeatedly for a door that will not lock, will not open, or opens on its own, that repair history is exactly what a lemon law attorney needs to evaluate your case.
We’ve helped drivers across the country pursue compensation for recurring vehicle defects at no upfront cost. If you want to know whether your specific repair history qualifies, our guide on how much lemon law attorneys cost breaks down what to expect before you call anyone.
The Altima, Rogue, and Sentra are not the only Nissans with a documented history of door or latch trouble. The Nissan Murano has its own separate set of known issues, mainly centered on CVT transmission failure in the 2003-2007, 2009, and 2015 model years, rather than door actuators specifically. If you are cross-shopping used Nissans or already own more than one affected model, it is worth reviewing both issues separately since a clean bill of health on doors does not tell you anything about the transmission, and vice versa.
The Nissan door defect lawsuit, Khalifa v. Nissan North America, filed in March 2025, accuses Nissan of concealing a door lock actuator defect in 2013-2025 Altima, 2014-2025 Rogue, and 2013-2025 Sentra vehicles. The defect can cause doors to fly open while driving, lock or unlock on their own, or fail to open from inside.
Nissan issued one narrow recall in July 2015 covering 6,595 vehicles, specific 2015 Rogue, Sentra, and Versa Note models, for driver’s side door latches. A separate, unrelated recall announced in January 2026 covers about 26,432 newer 2025-2026 Altima, Sentra, Frontier, and Kicks vehicles for a different problem involving welded door strikers.
Check your 17-digit VIN against the NHTSA Recall Search tool for the 2026 door striker recall. Separately, if you own a 2013-2025 Altima, 2014-2025 Rogue, or 2013-2025 Sentra and have experienced door lock or latch problems, your vehicle falls within the model years named in the class action lawsuit, regardless of recall status.
Stop driving the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so and have it inspected by a Nissan dealer immediately, since this is a safety-critical failure. Get a written repair order documenting the issue, check for an open recall on your VIN, and keep every piece of paperwork in case you need it for a warranty, class action, or lemon law claim.
Class actions typically do not require advance sign-up. If the case is certified and covers your vehicle’s model and year, you would generally be included automatically unless you choose to opt out. Watch for official notices tied to case number 3:25-cv-02777 in the Northern District of California.
Repair costs vary by dealer and region, and Nissan has not published a standard price for out-of-warranty actuator replacement. Owners covered by the lawsuit’s claims say they were not reimbursed for these repairs, which is part of why the case seeks compensation for out-of-pocket costs.
It can, if the defect is covered under warranty and has not been fixed after a reasonable number of repair attempts, or if the vehicle has been out of service for repairs for an extended period. Because door failures involve occupant safety, they often carry more weight in a lemon law evaluation than a purely cosmetic issue.
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