Driver Door Handle Problem

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Chmdoman said:
Our Nissan Leaf 2015 door handle started getting loose until the lock literally popped out of its hole. I did some reasearch and found it’s easy to fix with a Torx25 driver. It appears Nissan did not lock tight this screw and it backs out over time. The dealer quoted me $50 parts + $350 labor to fix! The parts are fine and it’s took 1 min to fix, I made a YouTube video showing how.
https://youtu.be/7DRdfOYu8Bo

Sadly this is irrelevant to my issue. The chrome plastic cover on the handle is coming loose. The fix is replace the whole thing. Unfortunately I am just our of the 3 year 36 k general coverage warranty (that is a crap warranty btw, most brands give more).

I called Nissan and asked for out of warranty consideration. They are going to get back to me. If not it will be GLUE TIME. Ha ha.
 
gmcjetpilot said:
Chmdoman said:
Our Nissan Leaf 2015 door handle started getting loose until the lock literally popped out of its hole. I did some reasearch and found it’s easy to fix with a Torx25 driver. It appears Nissan did not lock tight this screw and it backs out over time. The dealer quoted me $50 parts + $350 labor to fix! The parts are fine and it’s took 1 min to fix, I made a YouTube video showing how.
https://youtu.be/7DRdfOYu8Bo
Sadly this is irrelevant to my issue. The chrome plastic cover on the handle is coming loose. The fix is replace the whole thing. Unfortunately I am just our of the 3 year 36 k general coverage warranty (that is a crap warranty btw, most brands give more).

I called Nissan and asked for out of warranty consideration. They are going to get back to me. If not it will be GLUE TIME. Ha ha.
cwerdna said:
bitmanEV said:
@Chmdoman Thanks for your video :cool:
Again shows how great the Nissan assembly quality is :?
It's not that terrible. Judging by the volume of posts here on that topic, it's not a widespread issue.
That is a wild a** guess on your part. You don't know that. The fact there is a thread and I have the same problem means it is AN ISSUE.... How big, no one knows. First not everyone is on the this forum. Second many cars get bogus door handles fixed without showing up on the radar.... I am going to say there is some smoke here... and where there is smoke... IS IT A BIG DEAL? No but it is annoying because you grab that handle every-time you drive. Having things come loose in your hand is not very awesome or confidence inspiring. My car is almost 4 years old. For a car that listed for $36,000 new full retail, that is not great. I have VW and Acuras before (Subaru way back) and never had door handles fall apart.
 
I had the same thing happen to our 13.

I should have taken pics, but what I did was slide a piece of gaffers tape (cloth duct tape) between the outer plastic shell part and the inner part. Then trimmed the tape so it was flush with the handle. Then pushed the plastic part back on. Basically it made the inner part just a bit thicker and gave the outer plastic shell some surface to grab. I did this last winter thinking it would be a temporary fix until I could take it apart in summer and try to glue it or something. It has held it in place pretty well and I am not touching it, of course it will probably pop off in the dead of winter again...

But I agree, the Leaf isn't the only Nissan to have this door handle setup and I can't imagine they aren't all having the same issue. We shouldn't have to pull the handle a certain way from the center of the back placing no pressure on the plastic shell part as to not break the plastic trim cover. This is a design flaw that should have an easy fix, either a metal cover or more robust plastic tabs that hold it on. But here we are...
 
cwerdna said:
It's not that terrible. Judging by the volume of posts here on that topic, it's not a widespread issue.
I have the issue on my 2011. I just ignore it.
 
gmcjetpilot said:
cwerdna said:
bitmanEV said:
@Chmdoman Thanks for your video :cool:
Again shows how great the Nissan assembly quality is :?
It's not that terrible. Judging by the volume of posts here on that topic, it's not a widespread issue.
That is a wild a** guess on your part. You don't know that. The fact there is a thread and I have the same problem means it is AN ISSUE.... How big, no one knows. First not everyone is on the this forum. Second many cars get bogus door handles fixed without showing up on the radar.... I am going to say there is some smoke here... and where there is smoke... IS IT A BIG DEAL? No but it is annoying because you grab that handle every-time you drive. Having things come loose in your hand is not very awesome or confidence inspiring. My car is almost 4 years old. For a car that listed for $36,000 new full retail, that is not great. I have VW and Acuras before (Subaru way back) and never had door handles fall apart.
The frequency of this is nothing compared to say the 3G TCU issues and dead 12 volt batteries.

I'm looking at Consumer Reports reliability ratings for the Leaf and for model years where there is data ('11 to '16), every single year except '16 has the highest mark for body hardware (https://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/consumer-reports-car-reliability-faq/ has the categories) except '16 which had the 2nd highest possible mark (out of 5). https://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/car-reliability-histories/ lists the average problem rate for each model year in a 12 month window, which is 1% for model years' 10 thru '16. For a car to have those marks, it has to be significantly better than 1%.

If you want to see problematic, I'd be glad to point you to some Model 3 drivers w/failed drive units (motor/gearbox assembly) already where the car has no propulsion or the TON of people with Model X falcon wing door and front door issues. Of course, folks on TMC downplay the Model 3 DU issues.

Or, I can point you to the multitude of door handle problems on the Model S (which now starts at over $75K), which seem to cost at least $800 to replace out of warranty.

And, almost not a day goes by on https://www.facebook.com/groups/BMWi3/ if you don't see at least 1 person reporting one of these: a check engine light, a pic being posted containing a check engine light being on, drivetrain malfunction error message, battery discharging while stopped message, restraint system malfunction or some other failure that causes an i3 (usually REx version) to be immobile.
 
For the record, I don't consider this to be a significant issue. I did not have this problem with my 2011 and the fix was easy on my 2015. Perhaps I should have never started this post, but I was curious to see if anyone else had the same problem. It seems that a few others have had this issue, but there are only 25 (now 26) posts so it is probably not widespread. Both of my LEAFs have been (or were) very reliable as daily drivers in my relatively harsh desert climate so I am quite happy with the 2015 and was happy with the 2011 until it met its untimely demise.
 
@GerryAZ On the contrary, I'm very glad you started this post. I haven't had this problem with my 2013 - yet. However, it wouldn't surprise at all if it happens at some point, at which time I'll remember your thread and quickly resolve the issue.

I would argue that's the real value of these forums.
 
alozzy said:
@GerryAZ On the contrary, I'm very glad you started this post. I haven't had this problem with my 2013 - yet. However, it wouldn't surprise at all if it happens at some point, at which time I'll remember your thread and quickly resolve the issue.

I would argue that's the real value of these forums.

+1. Thanks Gerry.
 
alozzy said:
@GerryAZ On the contrary, I'm very glad you started this post. I haven't had this problem with my 2013 - yet. However, it wouldn't surprise at all if it happens at some point, at which time I'll remember your thread and quickly resolve the issue.

I would argue that's the real value of these forums.

+2
 
Ha ha, OK OK consumer report you got me.... Again nothing is always reported, and I concede this is a minor issue compared to main drive battery capacity degradation and 12v lead acid battery draining sporadically. My 2015 was within the free 3G upgrade so I can't complain about that. I had it upgraded but they tried to charge me. I had to educate them.

Yes the body is pretty solid and there are no rattles or things coming loose.... However these handle covers do break loose... it is NOT uncommon. So there I win! :D It happens and there are a few threads on it. Also I called Nissan. See my "However to Nissan's credit" comment below. They know it is an issue and replace them under warranty all the time. Bottom line a 2015 Leaf SV should not shed it's door handle; it is annoying as hell, because you deal with it every-time you get in.

With that said a cheap DIY fix is easy with glue. If you want to avoid breaking handle outer shell loose, curl your fingers to the back of handle to pull, don't pull on chrome (plastic) cover.

However to Nissan's credit.... and much gratitude from me, Nissan offered to fix my 2015 (just) out of warranty. THANKS NISSAN... I have to pay for repair, and they will reimburse me. Part cost was $71 and Labor $93, total $164 with tax. Dealer cut me a small discount on part & labor. I'll send Nissan the bill, and they'll reimburse me. (This is the kind of thing that builds good will and loyalty. This is my first Nissan and happy with it. My previous brands Chevy, Mazda, Subaru, Acura/Honda, VW.)

FYI : If you want to DIY replace handle (verses a glue or tape fix) you DO have to take interior panel off to get at handle. There is a youtube video. It seems straight forward, less than 30 minute job. So you can fix it for $71 if you install it. Also the LHS and RHS handles are identical, same part number, but it says RHS....
 
After replacing my door handle last week on my 2015, I got a I-Key System Error. I have had no issues with the car since new. It has 14700 miles on it. They told me warranty is over because it’s from the date of being built. (Crap warranty) This is my second leaf and I love them as a second vehicle. So I went and got the OBD2 and downloaded LeafSpy and I’ll admit it’s a cool ap, what does all that mean? I downloaded the DTC’s and OMG! 23 of them. Yes I unplugged battery a total of two times in a two week period. Still the same. I bought the obd to clear out the DTC’s but then I read more and It’s not recommended. I had my 12v battery replaced about 10months ago and let me tell you, you will know when it’s bad. The whole car freaks out. I did test my 12 volt battery and it’s at 12.8 volts. I hooked charger on it walked away checked on it and charger said full. Not sure if it topped it off or if anything at all. So any advise would be great.
Thanks!
 
AthensGA1,

The Nissan warranties start when the car is first placed into service (not manufacture date). Bumper-to-bumper is 3 years or 36,000 miles; power train, EV system. and battery capacity are5 years or 60,000 miles; and battery manufacture defect is 8 years or 100,000 miles. I suggest that you confirm the in service date to verify warranty coverage.
 
AthensGA1 said:
After replacing my door handle last week on my 2015, I got a I-Key System Error....I bought the obd to clear out the DTC’s but then I read more and It’s not recommended. ... So any advise would be great.
Thanks!

I also replaced the passenger door handle on a 2015 SV. One of the plugs did not fit, but after removing some material I made it click in. Everything now works. Keyless entry. All the buttons inside the door and on the handle work. --- There is only this I-Key system error that gets displayed as a warning.
I disconnected the battery. That didn't help.
My OBD connects, to the phone (running Torque) but not to the ECU. So I cannot clear the DTC codes.
Any help would be appreciated greatly.
 
found this thread after our rear door handle literally fell off when we tried to open the door. I have a very early 2011. Thanks for starting this topic and for the youtube video! It looks like an easy fix if I can get the door open. We have the child locks on so I can't open from the inside. :(
 
My 2013 S started having the driver door handle problem (separation of the plastic chrome colored piece from the backing) about 2-3 yrs ago. I fixed it with superglue, but only held for a month or two. Has been loose ever since, and not a problem other than annoyingly reminding me that it is not right. Perhaps I'll try the JB Weld fix.
 
My 2015 SV just began having the same problem with the driver's side (most used) door handle. I will definitely try the JB Weld fix to secure the handle. This is the first "quality" issue we have experienced. Hopefully , this will be an easy fix.

Thanks for starting this thread and for all the sharing.


Cheers! :D
 
jjeff said:
Yes I occasionally have the two pieces separate if I pull too hard on the handle, say it's locked but I don't think it is and I give it a quick hard pull.
I was really worried at first but found out they easily snap back together, so thats all I do. Well I'm also much easier on pulling the handle also so it rarely happens anymore. Never happens on my '12 but rather my '13.
Well my quote was from 2 years ago and now the driver's handle comes loose probably every 3rd or 4th pull, basically anytime I don't think about holding my fingers in the center back of the handle and not pulling near the edges! Guess it's time to try some JB Weld(or I've got some similar epoxy(if it hasn't hardened in the tube :roll: ).
I wonder just how many other cars, Nissan's, in particular, have the same problem? I mean I can't believe the Leaf uses a one of a kind door handle......
 
I was reading my extended warranty (aftermarket, not Nissan) to confirm coverage of the intelligent brake controller (master cylinder) and found it interesting that the warranty covers everything in the keyless entry system except the door buttons. I normally skip extended warranties, but I was financing with 6-year, 0% interest terms through Nissan and I wanted gap insurance to avoid being stuck paying off the loan if the car got totaled and was worth less than the outstanding balance. The dealer offered discounts on gap insurance and the warranty as a package so I bought it. The warranty paid for itself because the brake controller was recently replaced due to an intermittent internal problem which caused communication errors on the CAN bus (caused abrupt brake and ABS behavior that could only be eliminated by clearing DTCs and disconnecting 12-volt battery).

As far as my door handle repair goes, I have a little movement now (started in the last month or so) between the plastic and metal parts of the handle so there may have been some oil or soap residue that prevented a secure bond. The amount of movement is much less than before the repair and it is not enough to interfere with the button. I think it will be OK for a while. I never had this issue with the 2011.
 
When I had this problem last year I took these pictures of the repair process I did using JB Weld.

Used screwdriver to hold assembly out where it can be accessed.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AgDkM0Iv4V-sipwUM06VzK6ASCwS5g?e=bVC1X6

Apply JB Weld to seams so as to join the outer shell to the inner part.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AgDkM0Iv4V-sipwV2TX-JC-EtJatnA?e=UkFH9U

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AgDkM0Iv4V-sipwWZDQrFDXigk83IQ?e=8wfUvf

I left tie wraps on for the night and removed the next day.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AgDkM0Iv4V-sipwXvnMN1NtTzKmGhw?e=tS8yrb
 
mmmike said:
When I had this problem last year I took these pictures of the repair process I did using JB Weld.

Used screwdriver to hold assembly out where it can be accessed.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AgDkM0Iv4V-sipwUM06VzK6ASCwS5g?e=bVC1X6

Apply JB Weld to seams so as to join the outer shell to the inner part.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AgDkM0Iv4V-sipwV2TX-JC-EtJatnA?e=UkFH9U

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AgDkM0Iv4V-sipwWZDQrFDXigk83IQ?e=8wfUvf

I left tie wraps on for the night and removed the next day.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AgDkM0Iv4V-sipwXvnMN1NtTzKmGhw?e=tS8yrb
Thanks for sharing :)
And the tie wraps are to hold the handle together until the glue drys?
 
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