Tailgate randomly locking. Is this a feature or a defect?

Are you sure you don't have the fancy electronic tailgate lock? Do you hear a loud a$$ thunk from the tailgate when you lock the truck?

You must have the electronic lock, as a manual lock can’t operate on its own. The manual locking mechanism can’t just decide it wants to be locked. It has to be manually locked with the key. Because that’s how it’s operated.

I just walked outside and tried it. I hit the power door lock on my key fob and locked the doors…then tried to open the tailgate. It opened right up. So no power tailgate lock. Pretty sure the power tailgate lock is a dealer installed option on any model Frontier.
It seems like mine is just randomly locking.

Sconner said:

It seems like mine is just randomly locking.

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Right, but it physically can’t do that unless it has an electronic actuator to lock it. There is no actuator unless you have the power tailgate lock. The manual lock is no smarter than the lock on your bathroom door. It can’t lock by itself. Something (electronic actuator) or someone with a key would have to lock it.

JVRaley said:

You must have the electronic lock, as a manual lock can’t operate on its own. The manual locking mechanism can’t just decide it wants to be locked. It has to be manually locked with the key. Because that’s how it’s operated.

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I fully agree lol…however…I just tried locking the truck with the key fob. All 4 doors locked but the tailgate did not lock.
I could be wrong but I think the electronic tailgate lock is a dealer installed option on all trim levels @ ~$350
Twice now, I unlocked the tailgate with the key, (then opened it to verify that it’s unlocked) only to come back a few days later to a locked tailgate. No one in the house but me.
I’m confused lol…

Remove the tailgate panel and it'll give you access to the interior. You'll be able to see if you really do have the electronic lock. If you do have it, take it to the dealer. The actuator could be faulty or the BCM could be faulty.

Grumpy Shihtzu said:

Remove the tailgate panel and it'll give you access to the interior. You'll be able to see if you really do have the electronic lock. If you do have it, take it to the dealer. The actuator could be faulty or the BCM could be faulty.

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Thanks for the suggestion!

Sconner said:

I fully agree lol…however…I just tried locking the truck with the key fob. All 4 doors locked but the tailgate did not lock.
I could be wrong but I think the electronic tailgate lock is a dealer installed option on all trim levels @ ~$350
Twice now, I unlocked the tailgate with the key, (then opened it to verify that it’s unlocked) only to come back a few days later to a locked tailgate. No one in the house but me.
I’m confused lol…

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Its an option but doesn't have to be via dealer. As others have mentioned or implied, you likely have this option. Will be interesting for sure if you pull the panel and don't!

I'll pull the panel off in the next day or so and let you guys know. Thanks!

JVRaley said:

You must have the electronic lock, as a manual lock can’t operate on its own. The manual locking mechanism can’t just decide it wants to be locked. It has to be manually locked with the key. Because that’s how it’s operated.

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My s model has done this 3 times in the last year.It can lock on it's own.About every 40 times the tailgate gets opened,I have to pull out the key from the remote and unlock it.

Sconner said:

Am I missing something here? 😆

I unlock my manual locking tailgate, then immediately open and close it several times to verify that it’s truly unlocked.

When I try to open it a day or two later, it’s locked. I have to get the key and unlock it again.

I have a 2022 SV LWB with no factory option packages.

Does the tailgate auto lock after a period or is my latch / lock defective?

It’s driving me nuts bc I don’t normally carry the key with me.

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My 22 s model does it also.3 times in the last 13 months.

Some paranormal activity stuff going on here. I would like to see a picture of the inside of the tailgate. Something is not right because a manual lock should not lock by itself.

My 2022 SV 4X4 has electronic remote locks, including the tailgate...If I hit the unlock button on my FOB and open only the tailgate and shut it, All doors automatically relock in 30 seconds...
If I hit the unlock button on the FOB and open any door, the locks do not relock automatically. It's like the truck doesn't recognize the tailgate as a door, and will relock...

On a separate note, I had an F150. Tailgate was not an electric lock. Rest of the truck was...Sometimes when I shut the tailgate it would lock, without me using the key. I would have to unlock it with a key to get into it...

Highway67 said:

My 2022 SV 4X4 has electronic remote locks, including the tailgate...If I hit the unlock button on my FOB and open only the tailgate and shut it, All doors automatically relock in 30 seconds...
If I hit the unlock button on the FOB and open any door, the locks do not relock automatically. It's like the truck doesn't recognize the tailgate as a door, and will relock...

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Like it or not, normal. There are no buttons/switches to sense closure (that I know of)

This is driving me nuts lol. I looked on my original window sticker and it does not say anything about a power locking tailgate.
It does specifically mention “4 door power locks”…but no language that leads me to believe the tailgate is powered. Here’s what I think: there’s a defect in the latch or lock mechanism. You unlock the manual lock tailgate and the jostling from road bumps causes something in the mechanism to slip or move and the tailgate unintentionally locks.
That’s my best guess. I’ll stand by it lol.
OR…Nissan just decided to randomly install the optional powered tailgate in some early models and not say anything and mine is malfunctioning. That scenario seems unlikely.

If you had an electric lock tailgate I'd almost suspect that it's locking when you go above 15mph. (my frontier had that setting) but I didn't install a locking tailgate and never had that issue. The other possiblity is there is too much slack in the lock cylinder and if it hits a bump it rotates. That being said if that was occuring there would be the chance it'd not fully rotate and stick in a middle postion, lock the tailgate, and you wouldn't be able to insert a key.

Super super easy to remove panel and see. Just don't crank down on it when putting it on

Wouldn't you see an obvious wire harness attached to the tailgate if it was powered?