Mini Van Automatic Sliding Doors... Safety Issue!

Don't ask the repair guy. I know that sounds ridiculous, since they should know what to do. We had a Nissan when we lived in CA and found that one dealership would say one thing and another dealership would say another.

Call Nissan USA. I just looked it up and here is the phone number 800-647-7261. They are in Tennessee. It is their consumer affairs department. Let them know what is going on. Let them know what the dealer is telling you. There should be no reason why they cannot fix this problem, especially since it is under warranty. This is a true safety hazard. They certainly do not want a lawsuit on their hands.

Good luck and let us know what happens!

Most vans have where you can turn the system of at the door so that the kids cant do them themselves (ours in located on the roof of the van in the center. And then it is just common sense, Don't close the door with the kids around. It is just like the garage door, Yes there is a safety feature installed but it is NOT always going to work Nothing is gauranteed to work 100% of the time. You have to practice proper use. If you don't like the auto sliding doors then purchase you next vehicle without. So No I do not find this hard to believe and this is coming from a knowledge wife of a technician. Even the owners manuals tell you to be careful for this reason. Sorry it bothers you but it's just a downside of the feature

I'm a tad confused...do the doors actually close securely on your arm, or do you jerk your arm out of the way before that actually happens? When we first purchased a van with the automatic door, my ex was concerned and tested out the safety feature. It DID smoosh his arm, and it DID hurt, but the door did not actually close on his arm, it reopened at the last minute, leaving a pretty decent bruise on his arm, but no breakage...we were told that was how the safely feature was supposed to work-if the door were to close on a person, it is more than capable of breaking bones, which is what I was told they are trying to avoid with this particular safely feature.

We have an 04 Quest and I find the sliding doors to be a bit funny at times. I have found that I really have to push back hard to get the door to bounce back if part of me is in the way UNLESS that part is near the top of the door. It seems that even a very gentle push near the top sends it bouncing back right away. I don't understand how these doors work. Sometimes they can bounce back open and I see nothing in the way. It has gotten to the point on a few occasions when I had to just turn off the automatic feature and close it manually. We had an issue with our tailgate opener not working either and had that fixed too.

I just wanted to say I like the 2x4 advice! If it does some major damage to the 2x4 you could take it into the dealer and ask them if the feature is supposed to crush a wood plank like that. A visual might send a loud and clear message.

We have a Pontiac Montana, similar to a Ford Windstar, not sure exactly what yours is like. We have a doors now set up to close and open them manually. Not on purpose, the computer was changed and I think the electrical feature was stopped someway. To make it stick before that my husband wiped his finger on the small magnetic steel thingie that attached the door. For some reason it worked and it didn't close, then open anymore. But to be safe, check for your safety lock, call the actual company and/or check a different dealership for help. Just because someone is a mechanic doesn't mean they know everything about every car.

woah, that's scary!! I have the automatic doors to (Ford Windstar) and I LOVE them! But, if yours are not working then you need to contact Nissan, pronto, and tell them what is going on. That is a SERIOUS issue that could really hurt a child. Maybe go to a dealership and tell them what's going on. IF there is a safety feature that you don't know about then they can show you, and if there's not then there should be a recall!
L.