Nissan Door Lock Lawsuit: Defect Allegedly Traps Drivers

Case Overview: A class action lawsuit alleges Nissan vehicles have a dangerous door lock defect that can trap passengers or cause doors to open unexpectedly.

Consumers Affected: Owners and lessees of certain 2013-2025 Nissan Altima, 2014-2025 Nissan Rogue, and 2013-2025 Nissan Sentra models.

Court: U.S. District Court Northern District of California

Nissan sells vehicles with defective door locks that can spontaneously open at highway speeds—or fail to open at all, trapping passengers inside, a new lawsuit claims.

Filed in federal court, the lawsuit targets several popular models, including the 2013–2025 Altima, 2014–2025 Rogue, and 2013–2025 Sentra. Plaintiffs say Nissan has known about the defect for over a decade but failed to fix it or properly alert consumers. Instead, they allege, the company continued to sell vehicles that pose serious safety risks, especially to children and passengers with limited mobility.

Nissan Vehicles Have Defective Door Locks, Lawsuit Claims

Deena Khalifa, a California resident, filed the proposed class action lawsuit after she purchased a 2020 Nissan Rogue without any knowledge of the door lock issue. She relied on the information presented by the dealership and Nissan’s marketing—but the defect wasn’t disclosed anywhere, she says in the filing.

Khalifa says she would not have bought the car—or would have paid significantly less—if she had known the locks could fail. Other owners have reported terrifying scenarios, from being unable to escape during an engine fire to children accidentally opening doors mid-drive. Some were left to climb out of windows when both locks and automatic windows failed, the lawsuit states.

Safety Risks and Consumer Complaints Outlined

The lawsuit hinges on the door lock actuator. This small but crucial device receives electronic signals to lock or unlock the door, the claim explains. But in the affected vehicles, Khalifa says a design or manufacturing flaw causes the actuators to fail—sometimes making it impossible to open the doors, and other times causing them to pop open unexpectedly.

Complaints date back to at least 2014. One driver recalled being followed in a parking lot, only to find she couldn’t unlock her doors to escape. Another was rescued from a burning Rogue after a bystander smashed a window—seconds before the car exploded.

Despite this, Nissan has issued only one limited recall in 2015, covering a small batch of vehicles. The lawsuit says that recall was far too narrow and that Nissan knew—or should have known—the defect was more widespread.

Nissan Joins Other Automakers Facing Defect Lawsuits

Nissan is far from the only automaker that has recently been hit with legal fire from consumers. In March, Kia was hit with a class action lawsuit alleging it knowingly sold vehicles with faulty piston oil rings that can lead to engine failure and even fires. 

The complaint, filed by a Florida resident, claims Kia failed to warn buyers about the risk in 2021–2023 Soul and Seltos models—an issue that has since triggered a recall of more than 137,000 vehicles.

Other major brands are also facing scrutiny. Owners of Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators sued Fiat Chrysler Automobiles over a defect that allegedly increases the risk of spontaneous fires. 

Ford is in court over a dangerous design flaw in its Mustang Mach-E’s electronic door latching system, and Toyota is dealing with a proposed class action lawsuit involving its 2024 and 2025 

Tacoma trucks, after drivers reported that mud and debris can clog the rear brake lines, potentially causing brake failure despite a recent recall.

In her lawsuit against Nissan, Khalifa wants to represent anyone in the United States who purchased or leased an affected vehicle. 

Case Details

• Lawsuit: Khalifa v. Nissan North America, Inc.
• Case Number: 3:25-cv-02777  
• Court: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California 

Plaintiffs' Attorneys

•  Ryan J. Clarkson, Yana Hart, and Mark I. Richards (Clarkson Law Firm, P.C.)

Do you own an affected Nissan model? Have you experienced door lock problems? Share your story below.