2009 Nissan Altima

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK COLUMN FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HAS BEEN FAILING TO START DAILY SINCE 07/13/2015. IT TAKES ME 20-30 MINUTES TO GET CAR STARTED. KEY FOBS APPEAR OPERATIONAL. WHILE PRESSING THE BREAK & PUSH BUTTON TO START THE CAR, THE RADIO COMES ON BUT THE CAR DOESN'T START. IT MAKES A CLICKING SOUND & WON'T DO ANYTHING. I HAVE TO WAIT A FEW MINUTES & RETRY SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE STARTING.

CAR WOULD NOT START AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO NISSAN DEALER TO HAVE FAULTY STEERING LOCK MECHANISM REPLACED FOR $1100.00. AND OF COURSE OUTSIDE WARRANTY PERIOD ALL OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE ON A ISSUE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF BY NISSAN AS THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURE ISSUE AND BAD PARTS OUT IN CAR, THIS SAME ISSUE HAS HAPPENED TO THOUSANDS OF OTHER 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA OWNERS.

THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK FAILED - THE CAR WOULD NOT START. THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED AND WIDESPREAD, MAJOR DEFECT ISSUE WITH 2009 ALTIMA MODELS.THIS APPARENT DEFECT IS WELL DOCUMENTED ON INTERNET FORUMS. THE CAR NEEDS TO BE TOWED TO A DEALER, AND A NEW STEERING COLUMN LOCK INSTALLED. APPROXIMATE COST $1,000. THE PROBLEM IS VERY WIDESPREAD. NISSAN EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THIS PART ONLY TO 6-YEARS. MY FAILURE OCCURRED AT 6-YEARS, 2-MONTHS. MOST FAILURES APPEAR TO OCCUR JUST AFTER 6-YEARS. RATHER THAN ISSUE A 6-YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH RECOGNIZES A PROBLEM EXISTS, NISSAN SHOULD HAVE ISSUED A RECALL BECAUSE THIS PROBLEM IS SO WIDESPREAD. LUCKILY FOR ME, THIS HAPPENED CLOSE TO HOME AND IN WARM WEATHER.

DROVE CAR TO WORK EVERYTHING RAN FINE. WENT ON BREAK AND GOT IN CAR IT WOULD NOT CRANK. THE INDICATOR LIGHT APPEARED( YELLOW KEYLESS LIGHT) ON THE LEFT SIDE. LOOKED IT UP IN MY CAR MANUAL AND IT SAYS STEERING ELECTRICAL PROBLEM CALL NISSAN. SO NOW IM STUCK WITHOUT A CAR AND I AM STILL MAKING CAR PAYMENTS. THIS SUCKS. I'VE BEEN READING OTHER COMMENTS ABOUT ISSUE. IT SEEMS THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED A LOT. SUPPOSEDLY THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT ONLY LASTED UP UNTIL FEB. BUT ITS NOW JULY, SO I GUESS IM ASSED OUT. SMDH!! THIS CAR NEEDS TO BE RECALLED ASAP

TRULY CANT BELIEVE NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS, ON 6/30/2015, MY ELECTRIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK WENT OUT. I CALLED CONSUMER AFFAIRS ON 6/30/2015, TO SEE IF ITS PART OF THIS EXTENDED WARRANTY, ( WHICH I FOUND OUT THOUGH GOOGLE), REP EXPLAIN MINE EXPIRED ON 6/3/2015, AND I NEEDED TO TOW IT TO DEALERSHIP. WHICH I DID, AND FOUND OUT THAT WAS THE PROBLEM, SO I CALLED BACK ON 6/30/2015, AND ASK SINCE IT WAS LESS THAN A MONTH WILL THEY HELP WITH THE COST. ON 7/1/2015, I HAD TO CALL 4 TIMES AND MESSAGE NISSAN THOUGH FACEBOOK TO EVEN GET A CALL BACK FROM THE REGIONAL CONSUMER AFFAIR AGENT, WHEN SHE FINALLY CALLED BACK AN HOUR BEFORE THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPT. CLOSES, SHE EXPLAIN THEY WOULDN'T HELP WITH ANY COST. THE COST TO FIX THIS PROBLEM, THAT NISSAN KNEW ABOUT SINCE 2009, WOULD BE 1,000 DOLLARS. PERSONALLY I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO FIX IT, AT THIS POINT OF TIME IT IS SITTING AT THE DEALERSHIP, I'M MISSING WORK EVERYDAY BECAUSE OF AN ISSUE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF NISSAN TOOK RESPONSIBILITY OF THERE FAILURE.

CAR COULD NOT BE STARTED AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO A NISSAN DEAL WHERE THEY CHARGED ME $900.00 TO FIX. THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PART, ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK, THAT NISSAN KNOWS ABOUT. THEY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR THIS PART AND HAVE IT LISTED ON THE NISSANASSIST.COM WEBSITE. IT IS SPECIFIC TO THE 2009 ALTIMA AND MAXIMA. THEY REFUSED TO HELP WITH COST IN ANYWAY BECAUSE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED 2 MONTHS PRIOR...EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW IT IS A BIG ENOUGH ISSUE TO HAVE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY ON IT. IF THE PART IS DEFECTIVE...WHY PUT ANY TIME FRAME ON IT. DO A RECALL, OR FIX THEM AS IT HAPPENS.

I FINISHED WORK LATE AT NIGHT DURING A SNOWSTORM, ONLY TO FIND THAT MY CAR WOULD NOT START AND I HAD TO GET A TOW. NISSAN LATER EXPLAINED THAT THE CAUSE WAS A DEFECTIVE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK (ESCL) UNIT. BECAUSE THIS MALFUNCTION OCCURRED A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE 6 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY, IN ADDITION TO WAITING HOURS FOR A TOW TRUCK IN A SNOWSTORM, I WAS THEN FORCED TO PAY $1000 TO FIX NISSAN'S DEFECTIVE PART.