Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Nissan Murano owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Nissan Murano. The contact stated that the rear passenger side door would not unlock from the inside or outside with a key. The failure recurred continuously. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000.
My wife drives a 2005 Nissan Murano and recently we have been having problems with the door locks. There are times when they work and other times they don't. I'm concerned that if my wife is in an area of some concern that there is a way to lock all the doors. In an emergency there is no way to know if the doors will unlock when you need them to. Since the only door with a key hole is the drivers door, if there should be a situation were my wife and daughter should need to rush in the car, this would be a problem. I took the car in to the shop to get it checked out and they told me that the door actuators needed to be replaced. The gentleman told me that the actuators aren't sold separately but that the hole assembly would need to be purchased at $409.00 each. This appears to be a way to greatly over charge. …
The 2005 Nissan Murano we own was purchased used. Since we have had it (almost a year) there have been electrical problems that have mainly affected the door locks. It has come to our attention that these problems have affected many other Nissan Murano owners. Because of this issue, we cannot use the unlock the doors using the remote and further, the doors do not unlock using the unlock switch inside the vehicle. One of the main safety concerns is that of late I have not been able to open the driver door on a regular basis because the lock has malfunctioned and have had to exit the vehicle from other doors. I have fibromyalgia and the extra exertion to try to leave the car is both unwanted and painful. …
Vehicle locking mechanisms do not function properly. I purchased my Murano brand new and even then it had a problem with the gas tank cover operation. It would work backwards: when you lock the vehicle it would open and vice versa. Then the back locks stopped functioning in conjunction with the key fob and the driver's control. Later it became an intermittent problem. Now both of the rear door locks can only be controlled manually. The passenger door has started to do the same. I've also been locked out of my trunk. I bought groceries and was unable to open the trunk from the outside and there is no control on the inside to open it either. In order to use the doors and their locks access has to be gained from other doors. If the trunk locks itself it becomes useless as I cannot access it. This is a safety issue in that I need to be able to open and close my trunk if needed. …
We have a 2005 Nissan Murano that has had the door lock actuators fail repeatedly since we've owned the car. When the locks fail, the doors and rear hatch can not be opened or locked with either the remote fob or the electric controls on the doors. They need to be opened manually by releasing the locking lever by hand. Often when they fail the rear hatch can not be opened because there is not a manual release this is extremely dangerous and is a known problem with this style of door lock actuator. Nissan is aware of this issue and has deemed the repair out of warranty even though this problem has occurred while under warranty and ever since. The individual actuator for each door approaches $500 in cost. They've advised to not have this problem, buy a new vehicle which is not acceptable. There are numerous instances of internet complaints on this issue. …
Problem with door locks on 05 Nissan Murano occasionally working, occasionally not. This is completely unsafe and apparently a common problem in Nissan vehicles. Having a secure environment is paramount in certain neighborhoods. When locking the doors it's imperative nobody can gain access at will by walking up to the car. If anyone can simply open the door to gain access, carjacking, injury, or even murder is easier. If the doors locked properly this provides a more secure environment for this type of scenario. 2. Nissan knowing there is a security problem with their locking mechanism and not recalling them for safety concern is negligent. It's an open door to a lawsuit if someone were to be murdered due to a door that didn't lock, although the driver pushed the lock button and heard the locking noise. …
'05 Nissan Murano-the door locks on my '05 Nissan Murano do not always lock/unlock electronically. Sometimes they will lock and sometimes they will not. I have not been able to consistently reproduce the problem but it seems that the door lock actuator is getting weak or something is preventing the proper current from getting to the actuator. It could be a combination of the two problems, sending weak current over time has caused the door actuators to become weak, and as a result magnified the current problem. Regardless of what has caused the problem, the fact is, there are multiple people having the issue, and it is not as a result of normal wear and tear. This is a manufacturing or design flaw and therefore should be addressed by Nissan. This is one of the most basic functions of the car and it does not perform reliably. …
The locks on my 2005 Nissan Murano have started to not work unless manually operated. First, the rear passenger side door would not open or close with either the button or key fob, only manually, and then it was stiff. This went on for several months and then the front passenger door also began to fail, only operating manually. Shortly thereafter the rear hatch/trunk door also intermittently fails to open, though with the rear door, there is no manual open. The Nissan dealership inspected it and insists that the door actuators need to be replaced on all affected doors, which is very expensive. And upon doing online research, this is a common problem on Murano's and other Nissan vehicles. …
My 2005 Nissan Murano locks to all four doors, trunk and gas tank malfunction frequently. I have been stranded with no gas because I have been unable to unlock the gas tank for a period of time. There is no "key" opening for the gas tank, hatch in the back or 3 passenger doors-only the driver's side door. I have already had the actuators replaced once on both sides of the car a couple of years ago and now they are broken again. This is a safety concern because we can not be sure the doors are locked, can not obtain gas, can not access the trunk area, or unlock passenger doors on frequent basis. Sometimes, they work and sometimes they don't. The cost to replace the actuators is around $1600. That is a significant amount of money to burden the owner of the vehicle when clearly there is a defect in the car. There are so many Murano owners with the same problem. …
I was trapped in my Nissan Murano during 115 degree day in arizona for 20 minutes. I had to restart the car and drive to a facility where I could be freed from the vehicle. The door lock actuator solenoid only partially activates locking assembly on drivers door and only partially disengages. This creates a situation where you cannot open the door from the outside or inside of the vehicle in an emergency. This partial disengagement also keeps the door handle from opening the door manually. Evidentially I am not the only Nissan owner who has had the same problem. The internet has numerous documented owners of Nissan vehicles with the same exact problem. Nissan has failed to address this problem in a timely manner and possible death or serious injury could result in the event of a collision or fire due to the inability of the doors to be opened manually during this partial lock situation. …
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other Murano years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 2005 Nissan Murano?
NHTSA has 118 complaints about the locks & latches of the 2005 Nissan Murano, 12% of the model year's 987 complaints. The component named most often is doors › latch (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Nissan Murano door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for the 2005 Nissan Murano, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Nissan Murano door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles, and 1% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.