2009 Nissan Altima

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO USE THE SPARE KEY TO START THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, IT FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING LOCK MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,902.

I WENT TO START MY CAR TO GO TO WORK AND THE IGNITION LOCKED AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. NEEDLESS TO SAY I WAS LATE FOR WORK BECAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT AND HAD TO RELY ON SOMEONE ELSE FOR A RIDE. I CALLED THE DEALER SHIP AND THEY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE STEERING LOCK PROBABLY FAILED ON THE CAR. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO BOWSER. I GOT A CALLED TODAY CONFIRMING IT WAS STEERING LOCK FAILURE AND THAT IT WOULD COST ALMOST A THOUSAND DOLLARS TO FIX. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. I ASKED THE DEALER SHIP IF THEY HAVE HAD MANY OTHER CARS WITH THIS PROBLEM AND THEY EXPLAINED THAT THEY HAVE. AS I CONTINUED TO DO MORE RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT THIS IS AN ENGINEERING FLAW ON NISSAN'S BEHALF. I DO NOT BELIEVE I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR AN ENGINEERING FLAW THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL IN THE FIRST PLACE. *TR

I DROVE TO PICK UP MY DAUGHTER FROM THE BABYSITTER AND I PARKED MY CAR ALONGSIDE THE CURB. IT WAS LESS THAN 10 MIN AND WE WENT TO THE CAR AND IT WOULD NOT START. I PERFORMED MY USUAL ROUTINE WHEN STARTING IT...INSERT KEY IN SLOT...PRESS FOOT DOWN ON BRAKE...THEN PRESS THE IGNITION START BUTTON AND IT STILL WOULD NOT START. I TRIED THE SAME ROUTINE A SECOND TIME ONLY TO NO AVAIL. FINALLY ON THE THIRD TIME...MY INSTRUMENT PANEL DISPLAYED A YELLOW KEY AND A RED KEY AND IT THE IGNITION BUTTON STAYED IN THE LOCK POSITION. I EVENTUALLY CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND WHEN HE ARRIVED HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS. I WAS INFORMED BY THE TOW DRIVER THAT IT WAS A STEERING WHEEL LOCK ISSUE AND THE ONLY REASON HE KNEW WAS BECAUSE I WAS HIS 6TH NISSAN IN OVER A THREE DAY SPAN. APPARENTLY...NISSAN IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE BUT REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS ISSUE AS A RECALL. *TR

JUST FINISHED A 13 HOUR SHIFT AT WORK WHEN I WENT OUT TO MY CAR TO HEAD HOME. THE KEY FOB OPENED THE DOORS BUT WOULD NOT ALLOW THE IGNITION TO START. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A STEERING WHEEL LOCK FAILURE, WHICH NISSAN IS WELL AWARE OF. I SPOKE WITH TWO DEALERSHIPS WHICH TOLD ME THIS IS INDEED A CHRONIC ISSUE. I SUBMITTED A CLAIM TO NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS WHICH THEY DENIED SINCE MY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED 8 WEEKS PRIOR. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY AGAIN ADVISED ME TO COMPLAIN TO CONSUMER AFFAIRS AS THEY HAD 5 CARS COME IN FOR THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE 4 DAYS THAT MY CAR WAS THERE. I AGAIN CALLED CONSUMER AFFAIRS WHO TOLD ME AGAIN THAT MY CLAIM WAS DENIED ON THE GROUNDS THAT THE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED, THEY WOULD NOT BUDGE ON THIS. I HAD TO ARGUE WITH THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR 15 MINUTES BEFORE HE WOULD HAVE HIS SUPERVISOR CALL ME BACK, STILL WAITING FOR THAT CALL. NISSAN IS VERY AWARE THAT THIS PART IS DEFECTIVE AND EXPECT THE CONSUMER TO EAT THE COSTS WHEN THE PART INEVITABLY FAILS. THEY SAY THAT THIS IS NOT A SAFETY CONCERN, BUT DO NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING STRANDED. NISSAN DOES NOT STAND BY ITS PRODUCT OR ITS CONSUMERS. *TR

ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK (ESCL) FAILED WHILE CAR WAS PARKED. THIS COULD CERTAINLY BE A SAFETY ISSUE IF IT OCCURRED LATE AT NIGHT OR IN A DANGEROUS AREA. THE DEALER SAID THERE WAS A SHORT IN THIS. COULD THIS HAVE CAUSED A FIRE? COULD THEY HAVE FIXED THE SHORT WITHOUT CHARGING ME $993.65 BECAUSE IT WAS 3 MONTHS PAST THE 6 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY? CAR HAS ONLY 26466 MILES ON IT. THE STARTING MECHANISM WHICH SENSES THE BRAKE BEING DEPRESSED HAD FAILED PREVIOUSLY, AND FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, WHEN I WAS FAR FROM HOME AT A LAKESIDE. TWO ELECTRICAL STARTING FAILURES ON THE SAME VEHICLE. FROM THEIR WEB SITE: YOUR NISSAN VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH AN ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK (ESCL) UNIT THAT LOCKS THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PARKED AND THE IGNITION IS TURNED OFF TO HELP PREVENT THEFT. ON SOME VEHICLES, DUE TO A MANUFACTURING IRREGULARITY THAT HAS SINCE BEEN CORRECTED, THE ESCL MAY MALFUNCTION AFTER THE VEHICLE IS LOCKED AND COULD PREVENT THE ENGINE FROM STARTING. THIS CONDITION, SHOULD IT OCCUR, WILL ONLY OCCUR WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, AND NOT WHILE DRIVING. ALTHOUGH NISSAN BELIEVES THE MAJORITY OF OWNERS WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE THIS UNIQUE CONDITION, TO ASSURE YOUR CONTINUED SATISFACTION AND CONFIDENCE IN YOUR VEHICLE, NISSAN HAS DECIDED TO EXTEND THE NISSAN NEW VEHICLE LIMITED WARRANTY, AS IT APPLIES TO THE ESCL UNIT, FROM 3 YEARS / 36,000 MILES TO 6 YEARS / UNLIMITED MILES, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. ACCESS TO COMPLETE INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDING A REIMBURSEMENT CLAIM FORM WILL BE AVAILABLE AT WWW.NISSANASSIST.COM ON APRIL 1, 2013. *TR

MY DAUGHTER, AGE 24, STOPPED BY A LOCAL WALGREENS AFTER WORKING AS A PERSONAL TRAINER. IT WAS LATE EVENING AND THE TEMPERATURE WAS 15 DEGREES. SHE WENT TO START HER CAR (PUSH BUTTON START) AND IT WOULDN'T START. SHE WAITED FOR 2 HOURS BEFORE SOMEONE COULD COME HELP. THIS IS AN ISSUE NISSAN IS WELL AWARE OF AND HAS ADMITTED IS DUE TO A "MANUFACTURING IRREGULARITY". IT'S NOT A MATTER OF IF THE PART WILL FAIL BUT WHEN THE PART WILL FAIL. WHILE THE CAR MAY BE STATIONARY, IT NONE THE LESS PUTS THE DRIVER AT RISK. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE PARKING THE VEHICLE, THE THEFT SYSTEM LOCKED WITHOUT WARNING AND PREVENTED THE VEHICLE FROM STARTING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE THEFT SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,690.

MY VEHICLE BEGIN TO NOT START PROPERLY AROUND NOVEMBER 2014. IT HAS SINCE GOT TO THE POINT THAT IT WILL NOT START, DUE TO A MALFUNCTION OF THE ELECTRONIC STEERING CONTROL LOCK. I FOUND THIS OUT AFTER SOME TROUBLE SHOOTING AND RESEARCH. I ALSO FOUND THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE AND YET A FULL RECALL WAS NEVER MADE, DUE TO IT BEING LABELED AS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. MY WIFE AND 18 MONTH OLD SON WERE STRANDED IN 14 DEGREE WEATHER FOR OVER 3 HOURS TODAY AND THE WIND CHILL WAS BELOW ZERO. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW A COMPANY LIKE NISSAN CAN GET AWAY WITH SAYING THIS MALFUNCTION IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. NISSAN HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE ISSUE, BUT CLAIMS IT WILL NOT BE COVERED AS OUR CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. WE NEVER RECEIVED ANYTHING STATING THAT THERE WAS POSSIBLY A DEFECTIVE PART ON OUR CAR. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ONLINE AND I'M SURE SEVERAL HAVE ALREADY FILED COMPLAINTS HERE AS WELL. NISSAN NOW WANTS US TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE ALREADY DIAGNOSED, I FIND THIS TO BE AN UNACCEPTABLE BUSINESS PRACTICE, WHICH INDICATES THEY ARE MORE CONCERNED WITH MONEY THEN THE WELFARE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL VEHICLES THAT HAD RECALLS AND NEVER ONCE WAS I REQUIRED TO PAY TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. *TR