Common Nissan Door Handle Problems

The door handles are some of the most used parts on a car. Unlike most car parts (such as spark plugs), the door handle is something you touch all the time. So when a door handle breaks, you’ll know.

A broken door handle can be quite inconvenient. The good news is that door handles are pretty easy to replace. They’re also pretty affordable, especially if you order from us. We offer genuine OEM Nissan parts at wholesale pricing. Check out our catalog of OEM replacement door handles!

nissan door handle

Image Credit: Kurt Braun

Often times, replacing the door handle takes care of the problem. But sometimes you may want to know what's really wrong with your door handle. We may be able to help with that. Let's talk about the 2 most common door handle problems found on Nissan vehicles.

1. Interior Door Handle No Longer Opening The Door

This issue is pretty common in Altimas and Pathfinders. When the interior door handle no longer works, the driver or passenger has to roll down the window and then open the door from the outside. A lot of people find this embarrassing. A 2013 Nissan Altima owner wrote, "I have to, embarrassingly, roll down my door window and reach around to the exterior door handle to let myself out of my own car."

No one quite knows the cause of this problem. Some of the most common beliefs held by Nissan technicians include:

  • The interior door handle casing somehow pulls the metal cable out, thus hindering the handle's ability to work.
  • The latch inside the door handle assembly tends to break.
  • The spring inside the door handle assembly fails.

If you find yourself in this situation, you want to replace the broken door handle ASAP. A broken interior door handle seriously compromises your safety. It hinders your ability to exit the vehicle in an accident or during a car fire.

2. Exterior Door Handle Breaking Off

On many Altima, Murano, and Versa models - as well as other models - the exterior door handle is prone to breaking off. The general consensus among the Nissan owners who have had this issue is that:

  • The plastic lock piece covering the key hole mechanism usually falls off, too.
  • This issue happens unexpectedly. No excessive force is used on the door handle. It just either breaks right off, breaks in half, or falls off without warning.
  • This issue is quite common in cold weather.

Many of these car owners hate having to open the door on the other side and then scoot over to their seat. No one knows why this issue is so prominent in certain Nissan models. Some believe it's because these handles are made of plastic.

If you're in this situation, the only thing you can do is to replace the broken exterior door handle.

Replacing Your Nissan Door Handle

OEM nissan door handle

Do you have a Nissan with a broken door handle? We'd like to help you get your door handle back in good working order. If you need help finding the right replacement part(s), we're the people to talk to. Please reach out to us. We'll get back to you as soon as we can!