by Not every day an automaker faces a lawsuit over selling vehicles that may suddenly open while driving, but that’s exactly the issue Nissan is confronting. The automaker is now the target of a class-action lawsuit in California accusing it of concealing a known defect in door locks—components that, when malfunctioning, can pose serious risks to both drivers and passengers.
The lawsuit affects several popular models, including the 2013-2025 Rogue, 2014-2025 Rogue, and 2013-2025 models. According to the complaint, the defect may cause doors to unexpectedly open while the vehicle is in motion or, in some cases, fail to open at all.
At the center of the lawsuit is Dina Khalifa, who purchased a 2020 Rogue on March 13, 2020, from a dealership in California. She does not claim to have been harmed by a faulty door lock but argues that Nissan failed to inform her about the issue before she bought the new SUV. Had she known about the potential defect, she asserts she would not have purchased the vehicle in the first place.
Several complaints from customers to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have been filed, alleging faulty door locks in Altima, Rogue, and Sentra models. In one case, the owner of a 2018 Rogue states that while fleeing from a “strangely acting man” who was chasing her in a parking lot, she was unable to enter her SUV due to a malfunctioning door lock.
In another case, the owner of a 2019 Rogue reports that all four door locks on her vehicle failed while her 5-month-old child was inside, forcing her to break one of the side windows.
Nissan is known for door lock issues in Sentra, Versa Note, and 2015 Rogue models manufactured since July 2015 due to faulty driver-side door locks. Only 6,595 vehicles were recalled.
It is worth noting that, in addition to the possibility of doors opening while driving, they may also close or open on their own, and some owners have reported being trapped inside their vehicles. In some other cases, automatic doors allegedly malfunctioned simultaneously with the door locking mechanism.
Khalifa claims that Nissan violated the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act and the Unfair Competition Law, as well as unjust enrichment. She demands a trial.
