Hi all, feel like this is a pretty dumb question, but just want a sanity check due to all the electrical nannies with the safety exit. I have read the Owner's manual (but maybe I didn't fully understand it with their conditions). I looked pretty dumb trying to open the NX's passenger door this past weekend for a few minutes while I was being picked up and couldn't open the front passenger door even though I was told that the doors were unlocked. Yes, I fully pressed the 'unlock' button behind the handle but it just would not unlock/open from the outside so was momentarily baffled.

If you're driving the NX (still in D, but fully stopped/braked) is it true or by design that the doors from the outside will not let you open them, even though the driver unlocks them? I can see the reason why due to safety but want to check in case I'm the driver and need to pick someone up (and thus need to put the NX in Park so the doors can open). Very different than my current car so just making sure that the passenger isn't standing there trying to open the door while I try not to panic

The only way that it would let a passenger unlock and open the doors from the outside while the NX is running would then be to put the NX in Park (P), as I was told/suspect. Is this the case with the NX?

Maybe I'll need to test it out again, but if anyone knows of a quick answer I appreciate it!

 

These new door locks seem to be pretty unpopular - at least at first . Yes the doors are locked when you are in D - from the Inside and the outside. You can used the emergency pull and the door will open which seems to be what I have taken to doing when my wife is dropping me off but does not put the car in park.

 

Thanks! So I'm not going crazy. I should really try the emergency double-pull but haven't had a need to yet. I really like how everything works so far once I fully understand it. It's nice that the unlock button/lever is basically where the door handle is reachable by thumb so it's pretty easy to get out with just one grip and push with thumb.

 

This happens with me when I back out of drive and my wife wants to get in. While still in D, and break applied, I unlock doors and she gets in. Not a big deal.
Safer I’m sure if in P but works for me so not sure why others have any issues. I have base model, it wouldn’t think that makes a difference.

 

I don't have the car to verify, but I'm pretty sure when I need to let in (or out) a passenger while still in D I just hit the unlock button on the driver's door

 

For a while, I was getting angry at my wife for not being able to open her door to get out before I pull into the garage (after explaining how the new electric latch works), not knowing the door is locked. I asked my service rep at 5K service if there was any setting to turn that off; he said no.

 

Agree that it's a bit of a hassle when dropping my wife off (for instance at the grocery store) while finding a place to park. I have to manually touch the unlock on the driver's door or put it in park briefly.

 

What is more fun is when you hit the unlock button and they are standing there waiting for you to unlock the car. Since they did not hear it unlock it must not be unlocked and they are standing looking at you like you are crazy.

I have had the car in drive and went to pick up the wife in front of a store. Use you stop you can hit the unlock while still in drive and it works. Also works to get out also, no need to pull the emergency handle twice.

 

I've hit this a number of times too, drives me nuts.

I did see briefly a popup that said it unlocked the doors automatically when I stopped but the next time I was in the car it was gone. Hopefully they add an option for that. i.e. auto unlock the doors when vehicle stopped or something...

 

Thanks for the insight/comments everyone. Our NX still has less than 150 miles on it and it's our weekend car, so haven't gotten a chance to really play around with the settings and or customizations, although I did set some immediately when we got the car. I believe from what you guys reported, as long as the door is 'unlocked' (either manually toggled or automatically) it should let the outside door open. I'm beginning to think that I just need to remember the visual cue, that is: If I see a green LED light on the passenger doors, that means it's locked (so no one can open it from the inside or out). Of course there's no audio cue with it clicking and makes it confusing in the traditional sense . Pretty much positive that I just need to hit the unlock button on the drivers side check to see that is unlocked with no green LED, and I think that should be good.

Side note on custom settings, here's something that might be helpful for those who want this feature based on your preferences/safety, and the settings that we are using. When we first got the NX, it drove me crazy that whenever the driver's door was unlocked/reached for first, the front passenger door would not be unlocked, and so I would get annoyed because I would have to wait for my door to unlock manually as the passenger (and I couldn't hear anything either). About 90% of the time, the NX is our passenger car with more than one occupant, so I set it on the key fob to where I walk up to the driver's door and it automatically unlocks all the doors (bypassing the default method of touching the rear passenger door handles to unlock all the doors and then reach for the driver's door if I have passengers... yes I'm lazy haha). I also have set the preference to where if the driver door unlocks first from the inside of the vehicle, then all the passenger doors will unlock too (from what I understand in the options, typically I almost always get out of the car first as the driver.) Caveat for this though is safety, I can see if you park the NX on a busy street or want to minimize other people getting in for safety reasons, you definitely don't want this setting. Not an issue for us though since the NX is garaged and it's always more than one person traveling together.

I think there's a way to do it in the head unit, but I just set it from the key fob as detailed in the owner's manual on PG84 a week after we got the NX:


If anyone cares, the below is also what I'm using on our head unit from the NX, I don't remember but I did change the auto-unlock to be based on "Driver Door":


I think by habit now I'm going to look for the green led light on the passenger door, and if I am the passenger and still see it as lit, would just unpress the unlock button to get out. It's the only consistent thing I have observed so far in terms of a visual cue while the car is fully stopped. Hit the unlock button on the driver's side depending on scenario, and remember to look for no green LED as confirmation!

I think there might be an option for this, maybe in the owner's manual on PG 755/745? (I'm looking at the 350H one though, could be different pages for others). Or maybe it was when you were stopped, shifted from D to P and it unlocked everything, I'm still getting used to all the settings and scenarios though and don't wany any surprises

 

Not a bad idea although I can imagine being in certain shady areas where having unlocked doors at each stop could be a safety issue.

 

My wife always gets annoyed when I drop her off at a store and she can't open the passenger door because the car is still running and in drive. I have to remind her to first select the unlock switch which is lit. There should be an option to allow the passenger to exit the vehicle in these situations but still keeps the door locked from the outside for safety.

 

A couple of options in the menu could solve it.

Unlock doors in drive while stationary:
- Disabled
- Unlock inside only
- Unlock inside and outside