Every so often the tailgate on my wife's Micra will not open. Then later it opens and seems to be OK for a while. The garage cannot find anything wrong with it. Has anybody else had this problem?

Andy Green, August 2008

Hi. I own k12 04 micra. I have same problem. My boot never center locked. Before is down part broken. I changed that and then switch stop working. Then i check fuse. I just take out one fuse and put it back. After switch start work. But now when i center lock the car. Boot still not locked. U can open it by pressing switch. What i need to do any suggestions. Thnx

Ricky, September 2017

I have a micra 03, i hadnt been able to open my boot for a week. Everyone was telling me it would be a dealership repair for the switch. After driving down a bumpy road for a few minutes, it suddenly unlocked itself, and i can now open and close it without an issue. I have now sprayed wd40 on the switch and lock so i dont have problems in the future. The repair only cost £1.25!!

ladydriver, December 2015

The problem comes from the switch its not IP67 rated (water proof) and it gets water in it. When this happens the boot can open when going along and doesnt always open when needed. This gets worse if ignored until you cant open the boot! I took my missus boot switch apart and dried it out and applied some WD40 on it this worked for a couple of months but the problem returned so I bought a IP67 push switch of ebay for £3.62 and made it fit bit of soldering and had to drill a couple of small holes for the wires, have had no problems since

swoopdave, August 2015

1. Open the boot from inside (refer to the instruction book)
2. spray a key lubricant to the buckle
3. wait for a few seconds and use a screw driver to turn the buckle a few times.
It has saved me £130 by following these three simple steps.

Lee, July 2015

I have resolved this problem by snipping out the white connecting block linking the wiring from the hatch switch to the loom and re-attaching the two pairs of wires (Either with a nylon screw block or twisting the wires together). I had previously tested the continuity in the microswitch and it was fine. A give away was that the clunk-clunking of the solenoid was worse under way on the road than while stood. A few weeks ago the problem appeared to go when I sprayed WD40 behind the mechanism and I had a broddle around the wiring. In hindsight all I had done was temporarily repositioned the connecting block so all appeared to function correctly. Hope this helps and saves some unnecessary time and money wasted.
(apologies if I have repeated myself but my original post seems to have disappeared)

HDKey, May 2015

Opened the tailgate door lock and sprayed servisol super 10 on the switch inside, opened the connectors, white and grey and sprayed them too. put everything back together. and the lock started working.

babasanjo, April 2015

there was a recall for this problem from nissan contact them should do it free of charge

jjj, March 2015

My boot on my 08 will not open, I don't know what to do about it.

Deb, October 2014

Hi all,
I know this is an old thread but would appreciate any help anyone could provide. I am having a similar problem - boot on K12 2005 Nissan Micra isn't functioning.

It started playing by occasionally not opening when the button was pressed, this gradually became more frequent until it abruptly stopped working altogether a few days ago, I've tried it several times since and no joy. Note that I have not had any problems with the boot opening of its own accord.

I followed advice here and removed the panel from the inside of the boot, disconnected the switch and tried to release the boot by inserting a screwdriver into the female end of the connected which goes to the mechanism. This did nothing, no sound, no release, still a locked boot. This leads me to believe that the switch is fine and it's either the mechanism or wiring (as suggested by others) which I'd like to check first. The problem I have is how else am I to open the locked boot in order to check the wiring running past the hinge? I have tried poking the mechanism about a bit but I don't want to go too mad in case I damage it. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance, Joe.

Joe Thomas, June 2014

Yes I had this problem with my Nissan Micra, Boot wouldn't open or kept opening and shutting as you were driving, drove me crazy, one day went to the car it had been trying to open the boot and closing the boot all night causing flat battery,
last straw. Got intouch with Eric Donaldson in Thameside in June 2014 he explained what he wanted , I sent it off to him registard post and within a few day It came back registerd post, depending on wich year micra or note, I was quoted for my Micra £50 and that was money well spent , also to have my sanity back, don't keep struggling with your problem get intouch with Eric , he is your man. I am not related to Eric in anyway I live in Hampshire

Bernard Wheeler, June 2014

I have recently suffered the tailgate release failure; initially intermittent, but then moving towards an almost permanent problem. Following the various suggestions provided here and on other sites, I started with the switch assembly. The switch assembly was fine there was a positive “make” showing on the meter when the switch was pressed. I was reassembling everything and decided to have a look under the black loom tape, one the wires close to the connector for the latch assembly had worn through insulation and while not broken, it was close to it. I cut out the affected strip of wire, soldered in a replacement length and shielded with heat shrink sleeving.
Everything reassembled, I knocked off one of the heated rear screen terminals in process – oh joy. That is still to be fixed.
The frayed wire was not a fully broken contact, so I was not convinced this had been the problem, but checks showed a consistent latch opening.
Car was driven for a day and we were back to no latch release. I then read a comment about wires becoming worn and breaking in the right side rubber concertina hose that bridges the top of the rear door to the roof. This can be seen from the outside of the car even with the back closed. Using a plastic ruler I was able to push the rubber conduit and after a couple of attempts remake some contact broken inside and open the rear door.
Pulling back the rubber sleeve and inspecting the wires in the loom showed three broken wires and two move where the insulation was worn through to the copper. The broken wires where repaired and sealed with heat shrink and the bare wire areas closed with insulating tape. I have tried to leave the individual wires free to move and pushed the loom back into the void in the roof.
The loom seems to be slightly too long for the run between the door and the roof and so it bunches, this coupled with the gradual loss of flexibility in the insulation of the individual wires seems to be enough over time to cause the breaks to develop.

Prarry, June 2014

Spent a lot of time on this problem. Replaced lock (both parts) but still the same. Eventually found a frayed wire between the roof and the boot (top right corner) - you have to pull back rubber covering). Fixed by auto-electrician for €25.

michael, May 2014

Hi all! Looks like I am now going down the same road with my 2003 Micra K12. Boot locked closed for a couple of days, then opened twice whilst driving, now closed again and wont open and a rather load beeeeeeeeeeep going all the time! Ill start having a look at the switch and go from there. I don't know how long it will take for the bleep to flatten the battery. Haappy Sunday ! John

John, March 2014

Similar problem with 2006 Micra.
On one occasion the 'permanently' locked boot opened remotely using key first thing in morning but
then locked again.
A 'whining sound' was being made so I started taking out and replacing fuses. When I took out the tailgate fuse and reconnected it the tailgate opened...
but only once.. Removing fuse again allowed me to open it....better than climbing over the back seat.
Also believe it is possible to 'mechanically open tailgate from inside using screwdriver inserted into
hole in lever mechanism which presumably pushes the solenoid core back. Not quite got my head around the problem yet...maybe voltage problem or switch problem

john, January 2014

Yes, I am having exactly the same problem on and off for 6 months now. it will work fine for a couple of months and then I will not be able to open it. Sometimes I will hear the boot making clonking and clicking like I am opening it but I am either driving at the time or standing near it. Like it has a mind of it's own!

Sue, June 2013

Yes, we have just bought a new mechanism, which worked as soon as it was fitted then immediately stopped working!

Nyla, March 2013

Know all about this ! Common problem with Nissan Micra, our 2005 does same. Needs new tailgate switch, costs c£70 although some people make a new switch - see other sites. It will drain the battery if the car s left for any time longer than overnight. If OK with general DIY worth taking back tailgate panel off an removing switch - problem caused by water getting into electrics due to poor sealon switch housing.

Lawrence, March 2013

Right. I had same problem. Boot kept opening on starting (and stopping) engine. Boot would remain locked when it wanted to. Then battery was draining and car wouldn't start at all. I followed Jon Trew's instructions below (thank you, Jon) and sent the switch off to EWAN DONALDSON at the website address Jon gives.
EASY to take the book lock off, even easier to refit.
Cost of Ewan's work plus postage - job done -car fixed. Brilliant!
Certainly can't thank you enough, Ewan.

D. Stephens, Cardiff, February 2013

Same problem but on an 05 1.2 micra, boot lid intermittently not unlocking then would not unlock at all. Fix sequence went like this
1) Drop back seats from inside car - you might have to take off parcel shelf, reach over seat and pull the 2 levers to make seat backs drop down..
2) Remove boot trim panel (It just pops off)
3) Once this is removed follow two wires from switch back to a white connector block tucked up behind the exposed metal frame of the boot lid.
4) Split this connector block - Try shorting out the 2 pins exposed in the part of the block still fastened to the loom (use a flat bladed screwdriver to do this - if this works the problem is the switch - this can be removed by undoing the 2 10mm bolts from inside the boot lid then undoing the 4 torx screws inside the plastic trim on the outside. The switch itself can then be split and dried out if wet or replaced as explained in other posts below. If shorting the switch does not work you still have to open the boot lid which is actually fairly easy to do.
5) Follow the wiring down to the lock mechanism, remove the 4 way connector from the right of the lock actuator by squeezing the central tab and pulling the connector apart. It does not take a lot of force to do this.
6) There is no emergency lever on our Micra but if you look at the domed top of the lock actuator (where you have just taken the 4 way connector from) you will see it is clipped onto the body of the lock with 3 snap on clips on the front, gently undo these with a flat bladed screwdriver, once the front 3 are released the lid can be 'popped off'. Rotate the exposed white worm gear drive on the left - this will release the lock and open the boot lid.
7) Once you have opened the boot lid fully you then need to gently ease the flexible pipe (best way I can describe it) at the top right of the boot opening. This exposes the wiring loom from the body into the boot lid. This was where our fault was with 5 yes 5 of the wires snapped.
8) Remove fuse if not confident (I was just careful not to short anything at this stage).
9) The black insulation tape was removed and all the exposed wires were repaired. I also extended the length of the 3 that had not already snapped at the same time so all the wiring was the same length. (Adding approx 50mm) wiring, all fully soldered connections x2 per wire - you can get suitable cable from Maplins and heat shrink to cover the soldered joints. Wrap up the updated wiring with fresh insulation tape to make one new extended loom.
8) Before refitting everything check out switch operation - the above steps sorted our problem out and refitting is the reverse process of the above being carefull to ease enough of the new section of wiring back into both the body and boot lid to fully fit the flexible cable covering and making sure none of the wiring is trapping when the boot lid is closed.
Total cost - approx £13 in Maplins and about 4 hrs start to finish including trip to Maplins :-)
Hope this helps you - good luck

Paul T, February 2013

I had the same problem, twice nissan dealership charged £47 for switches, it then happened again, when I took it to my local garage for MOT, the fixed it, they explained it was a wire running through above the boot hatch they said it was constant use of boot, when it happed again my son fixed it,

SHIRLEY ANNE SHIELDS, December 2012

hello !

on my 2007 micra i have the same problem .

but i get about 8 volts to the "lock eletric motor"
dosent work, but if i direct connect from a battery the engine works ? what to do ?

regard daniel

daniel, June 2012

Thank you, everybody. Looked inside the rubber sheath and found five severed wires. Grafted in short pieces and soldered, wrapped with insulating tape and checked the bundle wasn't getting trapped when boot closed. All good, no garage bill! Today's 'mend it' sorted.

Susannah Batstone, May 2012

Fit a new micro switch to the tailgate button
That will solve your problem

Iain Caldwell, March 2012

it is more than probable that the wiring loom at nearside of tailgate where it enters roof of car is worn and links soldered in to facilitate repair

jim, February 2012

I had the same problem. You don't need WD40 - you need a new boot switch. The part Nissan currently supply is substandard. We were quoted £80 plus VAT and £100 labour from a garage! I thought that was a rip off for a simple switch. After some research I discovered a small business that re-manufactures the part and fits a far better quality switch into your existing boot handle http://www.3dlabellingsystems.com/pages/micra_faulty_boot_switch.html
All you need to do is remove the boot handle send it to them. They then replace the switch fit it into the handle and return it to you (they took 3 days) You don't need any DIY skills at all, just a small adjustable spanner and an old spoon handle.
First - with the spoon handle remove the black panel from the inside of the boot. It is attached by press studs, so if you use your blunt knife or spoon handle to get between the metal and the plastic panel and then leaver until you hear each clip pop free Move the spoon around to the next place where it is attached levering until all the press studs have come free and the panel comes right off.
Second - locate the back of the boot handle on the inside of the boot, it is attached by two bolts each side. Undo the bolts with your spanner and keep the bolts safe - you will need them to reattach the refurbished boot handle lalter.
Third- The handle is electrically connected by TWO cables. Follow the wires from the handle (about 6 inches or so) until you find each of the the small plastic connectors. Each clip comes free easily if you press a small clip on the side of each connector. If you have to pull hard then you are doing it wrong and have not pressed the release tab.
Finally - Now the handle should come free. There is a rubber grommet around the hole that the cables go through and you might have to pull that free. Post it to Ewan and wait for the new part.
To refit you follow the instruction but in reverse.
It is simple and writing this took me longer than the refit and dismantling!

Jon Trew, January 2012

yes mine was the same so i have now just put a switch on to the dash and by passed the old wiring the only way to unlock the boot is now from inside the car plus this is now an added safty feature and it means i don't have to worry about not getting into my boot again all for £25:00 and a couple of hours work

clive, November 2011

Had problem with my Dad's tailgate on a Nissan Micra.

Tested switch and boot lock servo motor - all OK.

No power getting there!

Took loom apart where rubber boot is over the wiring on the R/H side looking at the rear, and lo and behold, 4 wires were broken!

Resoldered a piece in and heat shrinked, all wrapped in tape securely, and then routed more correcly.

Problem solved!

So check door switch 1st with an ohm meter 1st, if it isn't this, then prize the cover off the servo motor housing inside the car, and rotate the white gear until the rear opens up, one way will go stiff, the other way will wind the lock open with patience.

There was no release catch, but could have maybe also undo two bolts to remove lock, so possibly another way to do it.

Once open, check that power is getting to the servo motor's connector between chassis and one of the wires and between them.

If not check the loom wiring under the door hinge.

Also check that a fuse hasn't blown, if this has shorted out.

Be careful when resoldering, as power may short out onto chassis, so it may pay to pull the fuse. I was careful and didn't bother. Not sure which fuse it is. Maybe in dash on RH side, second fuse from left, but not 100% on this one.

Anyway, problem solved, make sure cable routes to the right when door closes, and does not pinch in between the door and the bodywork when it is closed.

Cable was routed wrong on my dad's car, but I have corrected this now.

Job is a good one now, no probs with wiper or the door solenoid.

If problem is intermittent, there is every chance that the loom is fracturing so this needs immediate attention if it is beginning to occasionally not work when opening of the rear is attempted.

Good luck, and hope this helps, has to be better than your dealer charging you £££, and changing parts at random, when there is nothing wrong with the parts!

Mark Lawton, May 2011

More often than not it is a break in one or more of the wires inside the rubber sheath on the right hand side that connects the tailgate to the main body of the car. Nissan ( or Renault as they designed the electrics ) have made the wiring harness too tight/rigid and the constant opening and closing of the tailgate causes the wires to chaff and eventually break. To repair peel back the rubber sheath and hold in place with a clamp. Any wires that are chaffed or broken are best bridged with a piece of new wire, soldered and covered with heatshrink rubber or tape. Just done this on my wifes Micra K12. I would always recommend this fault finding method and fix first before forking out a lot of money on a new boot switch or bootlock actuator. A lot of Nissan main dealer mechanics are incapable of doing this as they are now technicians in clean overalls who prefer to whip off suspect parts and replace with new. Nissan should have recalled all K12 Micras and modified/repaired problems with the K12 tailgate as numerous problems have been reported with this particular issue. Just look at the number of posts on this site alone.
Hope this is of some use to you if you are having problems with the tailgate on your Micra K12

Steve, March 2011

My daughter's 04 micra has same problem . Her car was recently recalled for something and when we mentioned tailgate problem we were told this was a recall sometime back and we are waiting a call to say part is in to fix it. In meantime battery keeps draining. We have taken out luggage area bulb to see if that makes any difference.

Jane, February 2011

Surely Nissan should do a recall for this matter. Of course it is a safety issue if you're travelling down the motorway at 70 mph with children and a small dog in the car and a full boot of shopping when the boot opens. I intend contacting Nissan direct to push for a recall and would be grateful if others would contact them as well to try and see whether we can get some action.

Mair Davies, January 2011

Hi, I had the same with my 04 micra. I took it to a mecanic friend and he loosened off the latch on the bumper and adjusted it so the two locks connected properly. It would seen that the latch had come loose and twisted slightly thus the lock found it difficult to catch and release it! I used to have to give the boot a good slam to get it to close.

For good measure he also took out the male latch in the boot door (it comes off easily by removing the 2 screws and then wiggling it out up through the door (you need to take off the plastic cladding on the Inside of the door for this). He put some grease in the latch and worked it in and the difference was amazingly notable.

pete, October 2010

I've had similar problems to those described. Last year the tailgate of my wife's 54 plate Micra kept opening intermittently, and for the last couple of months the tailgate has been permanently locked. On both occasions this has caused the battery to go flat when the car hasn't been used for a few days. I tried using the emergency lock on the passenger door (on both occasions) but it won't open. Is this a separate problem or is it linked to the battery being flat? My limited knowledge tells me that the emergency lock should be purely mechanical in case of electrical faults.

Jusgaz, August 2010

I have a '56 plate micra an the boot locked and un-locked even when your driving ( a bit scary when the family dog was in the boot at the time) . After reading there is a common fault with water getting in the boot and shorting the micro-switch I decided to investigate and the switch casing had split . It's not too difficult replace it yourself if you have basic DIY skills and ratchet set. I purchased a new boot switch from Nissan for a little over £55 and fitted it and the boot works fine now. Nissan admitted there was a common fault with the switch and it had been revised twice before and they think new switch should be faultless . It's not covered by any recall though because it's not a safety issue.

simon, August 2010

hi, tailgate prob, same symptoms as most ive read. found out that there was a recall by nissan so get in touch with your local dealer and see if yours is a recall, you will need the model and vin i think but since ive had it done no problems. hope this helps . eddie

eddie, August 2010

I've had the same problem. The Fix: Replace the contact switch on the boot which you press to open the boot. Bought an equivalent at Maplins for 89p. Remove cover panel on inside of boot. Unscrew the two 10 mm nuts holding the lock/unlocking mechanism in place. Disassemble the unit, which is held together with 4 screws. Make sure you select the correct switch to disassemble, its the one under the boot handle. The next bit is fiddly. You need to take the unit apart, insert the new contact switch. It took a fair bit of cutting and drilling to fit it. Reseal, as ingress of water caused the original switch to fail. Reassemble and it should all work

Nissan Man, June 2010

My problem was with the wires going to the tailgate inside the right hand rubber sheath. 4 breakages, initially causing occasional inability to open the boot that would be relieved after shaking the boot door (must have caused intermittent contact to be made between broken wires). I got into the boot by removing the parcel shelf and took off the plastic boot door covering panel. I pulled off the connector to the boot locking mechanism and pushed a couple of reasonably long wires into the back of the connector to make contact with the two orange / brown wires of the connector. Then I put the connector back on. I didn't know which one would supply the current to unlock the door so I tried both of them one after the other. What I did was to start the car and put on the rear screen heater. Kneeling on the rear seat looking out the rear window there is a screen heater connector on the left hand side of the windscreen. When the heater is on this supplies 12V. I briefly touched both of my trailing wires in turn to this and on the second attempt (isn't it always so?) the boot unlocked. Then I could get at the broken wires and bridged the gaps in them by twisting short new sections of wire between the breaks and taping them up. Boot door now works perfectly but I think I'll leave my trailing wires connected in case of emergency!

Cliff, June 2010

I have finally solved the problem of my wife's car boot on her Nissan Micra late 04 model from either locking me out or opening at will even when you are travelling along the road. I replaced the boot lid catch thinking it was that only to find it was still providing me with the same problem. I eventually tried to open the boot from the inside but couldn't find how to open it manually. I happened to move the wire and tried it again and it opened from the outside. So I took the connector off the latch and took each cable out of the connector one by one and used the pliers to crimp the end tighter onto the wire and it seems to be working well now, well it has done for the last four days.

Steve, June 2010

Hello, Not sure this is exactly the place to put this but it is a Nissan tailgate catch problem. My wife's 2006/7 Nissan Micra recently had a problem with the locking mechanism randomly clicking on and off, ie tailgate opened when inside the car and travelling.
It appears that the lamp, for illuminating inside the boot, was loose in its fitting...
We have secured the lamp (simply by bending the rudimentary fitting more closed) and this seems to have resolved the problem. It seems this may have been causing an electrical glitch on the mechanism for the tailgate!!!

See you later.

N.O.

N O, May 2010

I am experiencing the same problem, my boot will not open at all. This is very frustrating as it used to work occasionally until I have shopping to put in then it won't!

I really want to do a car boot sale this Bank Holiday Monday but how can I do that without a Boot????

Can anyone give me a quick manual way of opening the boot from the inside for now please, I am a 23 year old female who will not be able to take things apart and put a new switch in etc on my own.

Thankyou

Charlytte, May 2010

Hi, I've climbed into the back of my 03 micra but couldn't for the life of me find the manual release at all. I assume it's supposed to be down the centre line of the tailgate, approx how many cm/inchs down is it from there? There's a mechanism with two bolt holes situated right behind the outside tailgate lever, however it's just completely smooth, with no latch or anything prise off.

Simon, May 2010

Hiya my dads boot 0n his nissan micra 04 wont shut. Well sometimes it does if you give it a good slam. Now it wont shut at all, its like something is stopping it, (nothing is there weve checked, were gonna take it to the garage on monday (boohoo) but because the boot is open the battery has drained because of the lights being on. Were gonna jump start it tomorrow, but does anyone know how to turn off the courtesey light in the boot as it doesnt seem to be controlled by the lighting panel above the rear view mirror, help would be appreciated as my dads a worrier and about to have a coronary!

swanseasian, May 2010

Hi Sian, I have a locked 2003 Nissan Micra boot which I need to open from the inside. Thanks for your expalantion on how to open from the inside but could you please provide a more detailed idiot's guide as I can't quite follow the instructions. I've been able to open the boot in the past by removing the immobiliser fuse but unfortunately that method no longer works. Hope you can help. thanks

Marian, May 2010

I've also had this problem with my 04 Micra, the boot unlocks slightly then if I haven't noticed it the battery drains, or the boot wont open at all. Two trips to the garage, I now have a new switch (£60), hope this solves it.

Sian, May 2010

Similar problem
Boot suddenly would not open.
Removed the large plastic panel from the back of the hatch.
Removed connector from BCM (Boot Catch mechanism or solenoid)
It has 4 pins. Outside 2 permanently read 12v
Inside 2 switched on and off with boot switch, so boot switch working
Bought a BCm from a breakers yard online for £47, job sorted.

One thing to watch out for. On the front of the BCM there is a white plastic recessed slider which can and has to be used to release the boot lock before you can remove it

However, it is hidden under the black plastic plate that looks like part of the BCM. It isn't, it is easily prised off with a screwdriver. Looking at the BCM in Situ, just above the lock, there is a raised bevel, this is actually the removalable plate.

Good luck

Ivan Gill, April 2010

My elderly mother has had the problem of the tailgate on her 04 reg Nissan Micra opening of its own accord. Three separate visits to the Nissan garage has still not solved the problem and yes she has paid 125 Pounds to have the switch replaced. They suggested the BCM could be replaced at a cost of over 600 Pounds but could not guarantee that this would solve the problem. The Nissan garage has now completely given up and given the car back without finding a solution. Does anyone have any other ideas as to what could be the problem?

John, March 2010

I have an 08 Micra. The tailgate wouldn't open and the luggage compartment light and rear fog light were permanantly on - this drained the battery in a couple of days. Just had the car into Nissan dealers and they had to replace the BCM.

Simon F, March 2010

Hi Andy, i have solution to your problem i have 06 micra the handle on tail gate lets in water onto solenoid and micro switch, i spoke to jenny at nissan customer services very good too! she said that they have redesigned the micro switch and sealed it properly and my nissan dealer replaced foc completely today some dealers say it is,nt covered by warranty but this a design fault (by nissans own admission) so that is rubbish just stand fast and argue tell the dealers what they already know.
Hope this helps you call me on 07768251006 and i,ll talk you through it this in,st a problem.

regards julian halifax, February 2010

same problem with boot sometimes will not open .just had a problem with alarm inside the car would not turn off even when the engine was turned off . to turn it off all i had to do was open and shut the boot 53 plate

keith, January 2010

Without reading other peoples problems I came to the same solution as others i.e the micro switch in the tail gate is not fit for purpose. The switch was undamaged with no signs of water ingress. When testing the switch which is a push to make contact, I found that the switch never actually shut off as there was a small leakage of 2 meg ohms, which is enough to tell the system Open all the time. The tail gate does not actually open as the control unit freezes shut. I have not done it yet but it looks plausable to replace the mirco switch with something up to the job. I have fitted a domestic push to make switch on a lead, so we can get into the car and it works a treat, appart from looking rather silly. I contacted nissan, however our car is out of warranty, so as a good will measure Nissan might pay for the switch only which alone I was quoted £80 for (What!!), however I would have to take it to a dealer to be diagnosed as a manufacturing fault, therfore I would be further out of pocket by the time they put the labour on it. It appears to me that the part is NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE and as such should be fixed at NISSAN'S cost, whether in or out of Warranty, particularly when they want such a rediculous sums of money, for a £2 switch.

Paul, December 2009

On the Micra passenger door the small plastic cover (rear part of handle) comes off exposing the emergency key hole to get into the car. On the rear hatch you price off a small plastic cover and you can manually open the hatch from inside

S Passmore, November 2009

thank goodness someone else is having this problem, mine is driving me to distraction, had it to the garage twice and it's still doing it, it may make me actually insane!! can anyone write me girl instructions to fix it?? lol i have no idea about how to do this stuff but i am very probably going to actually loose my mind and smash it up soon!! oh and mine is an 03 plate i assume it's the same??

charlotte, September 2009

Remove the switch, not to hard a problem cover fixed with press studs,4 bolts,4 screws.
Take out offending switch( about 1/8 inch square) You have to sort of dig it out of sealer.
Cut off 2 Wires to it. Fit a replacement micro switch more or less any small one will do (try Maplins or any Electrical Hardwere Repair`s) You will have to fix it in the holder behind the " Press Rubber seal" I used Quick Cure ARALDITE .
Resolder (or crimp) the 2 wires to the normally open connections.
(no connection to the normally closed contact).
Replug any little connecting leads you may have taken unplugged.
Reassemble and test out. Hi Presto Sanity Returned.
Max Cost £1.50 Plus your own time, about 30mins. Plus Araldite hardening time.

Brian Shipley (new2Brian), August 2009

I have the same problem with my 53 plate Micra, and I must admit, I think Nissan are having a laugh at our expense. My dealer claimed never to have come across this problem, but having "googled" I see there are many of us, paying for daignostic checks and new boot catches or relays, then to be told it will cost £600 to replace the BCM. It seems to me to be a design fault that WE are paying for. I even took mine to our local garage, who brought in a specialist auto-electrician who checked all wiring etc to find no fault, but reckoned it was the BCM. My car's 6 years old, it's not worth 20% + of its value being spent on repair, so where does that leave me? With a car I can't even sell?!
My husband was going to trade in his Astra for a Note, but not any more, we couldn't face this hassle and expense again.
Nissan, if you want to go out of busines, you're doing a fine job.

Bev T, July 2009

I Have had exactly the same problem, and isolated it to the switch, Nissan were going to charge me £55 for a switch!! So i took it all apart, eventually getting underneath the rubber cover that you push. Inside here was a small switch with a orange piece of rubber. This was also tired. So i replaced it with another push button switch http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=4196. I had one at home, but they are at great expense of 90p. The casing of the car switch housing took a bit of adaptation, and i had to remove the wires from the plastic, then reattach the bare ends to the switch. So the wire now goes through the side of where the two parts join ( I hope this makes sense) And also underneath the rubber cover there is a white plastic pusher, i had to trim this down about 5mm. Apart from that a bit of UHU where the old switch was to attach the new one to.

Hey presto, works every time. And feels alot more secure.

Matthew Orford, April 2009

regards nissan micra tailgate. my wife had the same problem. it the tailgate switch. i fitted a new switch and the problem has gone.cost is about 56 pounds from nissan.this is a common problem with nissan micra.

andy, April 2009

I am having the same problems as everyone else here; and exactly the same as sally. It's very unnerving whilst driving, not knowing at what point the tailgate will unlock. Does anyone know does this problem progress to the rest of the electronic system or will it remain an intermittent problem with the tailgate only? I was wondering whether the Micra is now available with a seperate lock for the tailgate, rather than attached to the central locking? Any advice would be appreciated.

ann, April 2009

Yes I had a similar problem, the boot would not open using the tail gate switch. I fixed it by removing the tailgate switch, pretty easy to do, follow Keith. B instructions. Instead of using wd40, I dryed it with a hair dryer. Reassembled it, makeing sure that the putty seals the switch well before putting it back in the tail get. Job done and no problems since then (over two years now, car is 04 reg). I think some moisture got in shorting the switch. Suppose wd40 also despels any moisture, but not sure with some residue oil left behind could cause problems later.

BeePee, April 2009

The rubber that protects the switch perished on mine and gave the symptoms described above! If you can open the boot.....1 pop off the inside tailgate trim by carefully pulling it off.

Disconnect the 2 connectors for the wiring. Grey & White.
Undo the 2 10mm bolts with a socket.
Remove the whole tailgate handle assembly.
Check the rubber cover on the rear of the switch and if it has perished remove it.
Remove the 4 screws that hold the switch assembly into the door handle assembly.
Carefully, open the switch with a small screwdriver to lever the plastic lugs. (You'll see a tiny micro switch inside)
Dry the inside of the switch and spray with WD40...

Reassemble.....(Reverse of the disassemby)

In the long term, you should order a new switch assembly but this fix will work for a short time.

Hope this helps

Keith B, March 2009

I wish I had an answer to the problem. I have 04 Micra and am experienceing exactly the same problem. It seems to be intermittent sometimes working, sometimes not - at the moment not! Consulting the users manual is of no help as it states there is a switch on the inside of the tailgate. It has to be accessed by dropping the back of rear seat, not easy when the levers to lower the back are located right at the bottom of the seat. Even when this task is accomplished there is no switch to open the tailgate. If a Nissan dealer cannot sort it out it speaks volumes for the company. Needless to say I will not be buying another Micra.

Tel Moss, March 2009

I have had a problem with 2 Micras. The boot opens on ignition or whilst driving and the battery goes flat. The first a 2003 model started playing up on Feb 08. I was informed that it was the boot switch but after 3 trips to the garage with the same problem they said they would need to investigate the problem. I traded the car in for a 2007 model and last week the same thing happened, the boot either not opening or opening on ignition. Again I was told it was the boot switch and have just had it replaced. I am now keeping my fingers crossed in case it goes again.

janruth, February 2009

Same problem here on a 2003 plate. The problem is however intermittant (Although at the moment I've got all the shopping in the back seats!).

I'm going to check the wires and change the key fob battery before I resort to going to a dealer.

I've been quoted £600 to have a new BCM fitted. That puts the car almost beyond economic repair.

Ridiculous design. What on Earth is wrong with having a key as a back up? I couldn't even get into the car when the battery died and now I can't get the spare tyre should I get a puncture.

Gareth T, February 2009

My Boot is now being held down with a shoe lace, as for quiet some time it would not open, than my son opened it when coming out of the supermarket, he was very happy but then we noticed that it would not shut, there is a spring coming out of the black box.
after reading reviews about this I am wondering if there is a fault with the car.

Debbie, February 2009

Interested to hear that other people have experienced the same problem . . . I have an 05 Micra and having trouble with the boot. Has anybody had this problem fixed if so how much did it cost?

Thanks

Rebecca, February 2009

Well regarding the problem below. In this instance it was not the BCM afterall. The fault was found with 8 breakeages in the wires and end up at the tailgate. The actual placing of the fault lay in the flexible rubber sheath which joins the tailgate to the rear of the vehicle. Constant opening and closing of the tailgate had fatigued through this many wires to cause initally intermittant faults and then permanent ones. Once the wires had been resoldered and sheathed both the rear wiper and the tailgate locking mechanism worked.

Martin Amor, December 2008

I have been looking into tailgate locking problems on a 2004 Nissan Micra. After checking the obvious, ie fuses earthing points and the locking mechanism, all of these appear to be ok.

It would seem that the answer possibly lies with a faulty BCM (body control unit) this is located under the front upper facia and consists of a black box. Inside are some electronics, microprocessor and relays. This module controls central locking, also boot release servo mechanism and rear wiper mechanism to name a few. I believe it could be this component which is at fault. Unfortunately Nissan have it all sewn up as I am told that even if you were able to fit the module (it is quite easy to do so) it requires programming from a Nissan garage or the car wont start!

Martin Amor, December 2008

My tailgate has been locked for a week! Previously had lock replaced for same problem. It usually opens itself again but no joy this time. Any suggestions out there?

Dolly, November 2008

yes mine does exactly the same sometimes locks and then opens and sticks. Apparently it is the button mechanism waiting to get mine fixed. o4 plate and now the starter motor and windscreen wipers have gone

Pauline Leadbitter, October 2008

My 04 Micra had the same problem, first it was the tailgate wouldnt unlock, now the door wont close, or it does for about 15 mins and then opens.
It is verty dangerous as I was on the motorway when this first happened. Also if I lock the boot using the lock button in the car, after about 15 mins there is a really loud constant alarm noise, when I use teh lock button to unlock the car the alarm closes and then the boot door opens. Can you help me?

sally coulson, September 2008

Yes, sometimes it's the boot but more often the passenger door. Just keep pressing the key, or unlock & lock again. It's the wifes car but i can recognise the sound of the lock activating & seems to respond to a certain amount of time after that particular lock unlocks.....
She also has problems starting which can be 3 or 4 months between. No turnover at all but all lights are on. Not got any better or worse in 4 years !!!! Not worth investigating as to intermittent.

Dave, September 2008