2008 Nissan Altima

THERE WAS A PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF A RECALL IN MARCH, 2014 RELATED TO THE RELIABILITY OF GAUGES ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE FRONT SEAT, THAT TELL THE PERSON, AS WELL AS THE MECHANICAL SYSTEM, THAT THE PASSENGER FRONT SEAT AIRBAG IS "NOW ENGAGED" AND READY TO ACTIVATE IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT/EMERGENCY.. FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT I TOOK MY 2008 ALTIMA TO THE DEALER TO ENSURE I WAS PART OF THE RECALL. THE DEALER IS AT 3275 SW 8TH STREET, ,MIAMI,, FLORIDA. AND IS CALLED AUTONATION NISSAN. THE SERVICE AGENT TOTAL ME, AFTER CURSORY RESEARCH IN HIS DATA BASE, THAT WHILE MANY, MANY NISSANS WERE RECALLED IN MY MODEL YEAR AND IN MY CAR GROUP, MINE WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR INCLUSION WENT BY SUPPLIER, AND NOT JUST BY TYPE OF CAR AND MODEL YEAR. TO ASCERTAIN IF MY CAR HAD A FAULTY AIR BAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE FRONT SEAT, I WOULD THEREFORE HAVE TO PAY A $150 UPFRONT DIAGNOSTIC FEE, AND, IF DAMAGE WAS NOTED, I WOULD NEED TO PAY FOR REPAIRS MYSELF, AS MY CAR DID NOT HAVE THE AFFECTED PARTS WHICH WERE PROVIDED BY ONLY SELECT SUPPLIERS. THERE IS A PROBLEM. I HAVE NOTED FOR SOME TIME THAT WHEN A PASSENGER IS SEATED IN THE FRONT, RIGHT SIDE, SEAT, A BEACON LIGHT IN A SMALL SQUARE BOX ON THE DASH BOARD FLASHES ON AND CLEARLY STATES: "PASS. OFF - AIR BAG (X) PSG.. 2" THE REFERENCE FROM THE LIGHT LEAVES ONE WITH THE IMPRESSION THE AIR BAG, FOR THE PASSENGER IS NOT ACTIVATED. DURING A DRIVE, NO SET TIME PERIOD NOTED, THE LIGHT WILL GO OFF FOR A WHILE, AND LATER, COME BACK ON AGAIN. I AM CONVINCED THAT AT SOME CERTAIN POINTS THE SYSTEM IS TRYING TO TELL ME IT IS NOT ACTIVATED.. OF ALL THE CARS INVOLVED IN THE NISSAN RECALL, HOW COULD IT POSSIBLY BE THAT MINE IS EXCLUDED??? PLEASE, PLEASE TRY TO GET THIS CORRECTED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON HWY 610 IN HOUSTON, TEXAS WHEN THE VEHICLE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND CAUGHT FIRE. I HAD GONE TO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES INITIALLY FOR A START UP KEY ISSUE, THEN TIRES, HUB CAP, AND THEN THE ENGINE SHUT OFF ON THE HWY JANUARY 25TH 2014, THE WARRANTY COMPANY NOTED THAT THERE WERE UNDERLYING ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE WHEN IT WAS FIRST SOLD, MADE A PROPOSAL TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND DEALERSHIP EVENTUALLY PLACED AN ENGINE I WAS TOLD LATER BY A YOUNGER GENTLEMAN NAMED [XXX] THAT IS WAS A SUED ENGINE. I HAD TAKEN IT HOME, AND NEXT DAY HAD ISSUES AGAIN. TOOK IT IN TO GET SPARK PLUGS CHANGED, BUT THE END RESULT WAS FIRE ON THE HWY WAY MAY 12, 2014. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

HAD THE OIL CHANGED AT DEALERSHIP. UPON DRIVING BACK HOME THE CAR WOULD NOT START. I RECEIVED THE YELLOW KEY LIGHT ON THE DASH AND COULD NOT DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL OR START THE CAR. I ATTEMPTED TO PUT IN A NEW BATTERY TO THE INTELLIGENT KEY AND ALSO JUMPSTART THE VEHICLE. STILL WOULD NOT START. NOTHING WARNS YOU OF THIS ISSUE AND GLAD THAT I WAS NOT DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS HAPPENED OR PART FAILED. ON THE FOLLOWING DATE THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP. ON MONDAY THE 7TH THE CAR WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE ELECTRIC STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY FAILURE. SAME DAY I CONTACTED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS TO FIND OUT THERE WERE NO RECALLS NOR WOULD THEY OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE OR RECALL THIS PART AS THEY HAVE ON OTHER SIMILAR MODELS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE CAUSED ALL OF THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS IN THE VEHICLE TO MALFUNCTION. IN ADDITION, THE TPMS WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A TIRE DEALER WHERE THE TPMS WAS REPLACED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN I.D. NUMBER 07V599000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) AND CALLED THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000.

THE SWITCH THAT ALLOWS THE CAR TO START AND LIGHTS THE BRAKE LIGHTS IS STICKING, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT NISSAN IS AWARE OF. THE CAR NOT STARTING IS ANNOYING, IF THE SWITCH STICKS AFTER THE CAR IS STARTED THEN THE BRAKE LIGHTS WILL FAIL TO ILLUMINATE, THAT IS DANGEROUS. THE CAR FAILS TO START WITH REGULARITY, IF THE SWITCH IS MANIPULATED IT STARTS, I DO NOT KNOW IF THE BREAK LIGHTS ARE FAILING BUT I ASSUME THIS IS OCCURRING. THESE CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR REPLACEMENT OF THESE SWITCHES. *TR

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

MY CAR STARTING HAVING PROBLEMS STARTING...IT WAS INTERMITTENT...BUT WOULD START WITH A JUMP (MOST OF THE TIME), SO I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY AND HAD IT REPLACED. BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER ON 9/17 AND THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSIS WAS THE ELECTRIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT ALL 2009 MODELS HAD THE WARRANTY FOR THIS PART EXTENDED TO 6 YEARS/UNLIMITED MILEAGE, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST...BUT ONLY THE 2009 MODELS. I ALSO NOTICED DURING MY RESEARCH THAT MANY INSTANCES OF THIS SAME PART OCCURRING ON 2008 MODELS AS WELL. WHEN I CONTACTED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS, THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT HELP ME AS MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. I WANT TO KNOW WHY ONLY THE 2009 MODELS ARE INCLUDED? THE NISSAN TECHNICIAN WHO WORKED ON MY VEHICLE SAID THAT THE PART IS THE SAME FROM 2007-2009...AND IN HIS OPINION, ALL SHOULD BE INCLUDED. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS RESEARCHED FURTHER TO HAVE ADDITIONAL MODEL YEARS INCLUDED IN THE WARRANTY EXTENSION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INTELLIGENT KEY WOULD NOT UNLOCK THE DOORS FOR A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TIME. AFTER THE DOORS WERE UNLOCKED, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE BUT THE NO KEY WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT THEN CHANGED THE BATTERIES IN THE KEY FOB BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 35,000.

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS I HAVE TRIED TO START THE CAR BUT THE BRAKE RESISTS BEING PRESSED IN. I PRESS THE PUSH TO START BUTTON BUT THE CAR DOES NOT START, ONLY THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS AND RADIO COME ON (AS THOUGH I AM NOT PUSHING THE BREAK IN). I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID I NEEDED TO REPLACE MY BRAKE SWITCH AND HARNESS FOR THE LOW, LOW PRICE OF $500. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT SO THEY CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY NISSAN IMMEDIATELY, AS I SEE ALL OVER THE WEB THAT EVERYONE WITH A 2007 OR 2008 ALTIMA IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM. WHAT ARE RECALLS FOR EXCEPT FOR PRECISELY THIS TYPE OF ISSUE?? *TR