2009 Nissan Altima

CAR WILL NOT START.DASH DISPLAY ILLUMINATES "NO KEY",WHICH IS A "FOB" TYPE SYSTEM WHICH HAS A START BUTTON.THIS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE PAST 2 WEEKS.CAR LEFT AT NISSAN OF MEDFORD,MA TODAY FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE ELECTRONIC LOCK MODULE UNDER THE DASH.NISSAN EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR UP TO 72 MONTHS JUST FOR THIS ISSUE,A KNOWN PROBLEM.NOT A RECALL YET.BETTER NOT BE A "DIAGNOSTIC"FEE FOR THIS.SOMEBODY NEEDS TO STEP UP AND DEMAND A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE.IT IS ALL OVER THE INTERNET FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS,AFFECTING 2009-2010 NISSAN ALTIMA'S. *TR

2009 NISSAN ALTIMA INTERMITTENTLY WILL NOT START. CAR WILL ONLY CLICK OVER AND UNABLE TO SHIFT CAR INTO NEUTRAL. AIR CONDITIONING AND RADIO WORK, BUT WHEN YOU PRESS ON BRAKE TO START CAR NOTHING HAPPENS. DEALERS WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE PROBLEM, BUT HAVE BEEN GOT CAUGHT OUT MANY TIMES WHEN CAR WOULD NOT START AND HAD TO NOTIFY AAA. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MANY NISSAN'S AND IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER ANY WARRANTY OR RECALL. *TR

THE CAR WILL NOT START. ALL ELECTRICS WORK, CAR AND KEY FOB BATTERIES ARE NEW, BUT WHEN YOU PRESS THE START BUTTON THE CAR WON'T START. THIS 'GIMMICK' OF A KEY-FREE VEHICLE IS FUNDAMENTALLY DEFECTIVE AND AN INTERNET REVIEW SHOWS THOUSANDS OF NISSAN ALTIMA OWNERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. COMMON WISDOM SAYS THAT THE ANTI-THEFT STEERING LOCK IS ENGAGING WHEN IT SHOULD NOT AND THE REPAIR COST IS @ $1,000. NISSAN SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO FIX THIS ON RECALL AS THEY DID SO ON OTHER VEHICLES AND MADE CHANGES TO NEWER ALTIMA MODELS TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. THE EFFECT IS THAT I CAN'T USE MY CAR AT ALL EVEN THOUGH IT IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION IN EVERY OTHER WAY. *TR

CAR DOORS UNLOCKED NORMALLY , THE DASH SHOWED A YELLOW KEY LIGHT BLINKING , NO RESPONSE TO PUSHING THE IGNITION BUTTON. CAR LOCKS AND UNLOCKS WITH THE REMOTE . HEADLIGHTS WORKED BATTERY WAS CHARGED FULL. EXITED THE DOOR , LOCKED THE CAR , UNLOCKED THE CAR , ENTERED IN - HELD THE REMOTE CLOSE TO THE IGNITION BUTTON. THE DASHBOARD STILL SHOWED YELLOW KEY LIGHT BLINKING . PUSHED IGNITION BUTTON NO RESPONSE. UPON GOOGLING THERE WAS A SUGGESTION TO REMOVED NEGATIVE FROM BATTERY WAIT FOR A 5 MINUTES , RECONNECT AND TRY . SAME RESULTS AFTER CONNECTING THE BATTERY. ONE ARTICLE SUGGESTED TO MOVE THE ADJUSTABLE STEERING UP AND DOWN VIGOROUSLY . I RELEASED THE STEERING BUTTON UNDERNEATH THE STEERING AND MOVED THE STEERING UP AND DOWN. PUSHED THE IGNITION BUTTON AND THE ENGINE STARTED. DROVE TO THE DEALER WHO REFUSED TO DO CORRECT THE PROBLEM STATING THAT AT THE TIME THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE EVERYTHING WAS FINE. HE DID NOT WANT TO SEE THE VIDEO I CAPTURED SHOWING THE YELLOW KEY LIGHT BLINKING. *JS

THREE MONTHS AFTER INSTALLATION OF A NEW (DEALER PROVIDED) BATTERY, THE POSITIVE TERMINAL AND CABLE HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO HEAVY CORROSION. THE ORIGINAL CAR BATTERY FAILED BECAUSE OF HEAVY CORROSION AROUND THE POSITIVE TERMINAL AS WELL. THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THE HARNESS AND CABLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED AT THE TIME OF BATTERY REPLACEMENT AND DO NOT KNOW WHY THIS WASN'T RECOMMENDED. THEY STATED THAT THESE BATTERIES ROUTINELY VENT EXCESS GAS THAT SHOULD CONDENSE INTO THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT. THEY DID NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE THAT HEAVY CORROSION RE-ACCUMULATED IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME (SHORTER THAN RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE INTERVALS FOR THE CAR). FURTHER, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I HAVE HEARD OF AN ALTIMA BATTERY ISSUE AS MY SISTER HAD TO REPLACE HER BATTERY TWICE AS WELL. I WOULD LIKE THE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE IF THIS IS A REPETITIVE ISSUE WITH THESE BATTERIES AS THIS COULD LEAD TO A SAFETY PROBLEM IF THE CAR WERE TO SPONTANEOUSLY SHUT DOWN DURING DRIVING DUE TO BATTERY MALFUNCTION. *TR

WHEN RETURNING TO MY CAR AFTER WORK ON FEBRUARY 14TH, 2014 THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START USING THE AUTOMATIC START INTELLIGENT KEY SYSTEM IN MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. UPON DOING RESEARCH, I FOUND THIS IS A HIGHLY COMMON ISSUE WITH THE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA MODEL. THERE ARE ALSO VARIOUS INDEPENDENT PETITIONS AND CLASS ACTION SUITS BEING FILED BY INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE SAME PART MALFUNCTION. IN FACT, THE COMPLICATIONS INVOLVING THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK (ESCL) MECHANISM WAS SO COMMON THAT NISSAN DID NOT IMPLEMENT THIS PART INTO THE 2010 OR IN ANY FUTURE ALTIMA VEHICLES. IN ADDITION (AND IN EFFORT TO AVOID A RECALL SITUATION) NISSAN NORTH AMERICAN, INC ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION - "AS IT APPLIES TO THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK UNIT TO 6 YEARS/UNLIMITED MILES." FURTHERMORE, NISSAN ALSO SENT A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TO ALL SERVICE SHOPS ON HOW TO HANDLE THIS PROBLEM CONCERNING 2009 ALTIMA'S. ULTIMATELY NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. DENIED MY REQUEST TO UTILIZE A BUY BACK PROGRAM TOWARD THEIR 2009 ALTIMA AND ALSO DENIED ME ANY FURTHER DETAILS AS TO HOW THEY REACHED THEIR DECISION. THE REGIONAL SPECIALIST SAID SHE COULD ONLY SAY 'ARBITRATION DECISION(S) ARE ALWAYS BASED ON THE SERVICE HISTORY OF VEHICLE. TOO CLOSE, IT IS IN MY OPINION NISSAN HAS MONOPOLISTIC CONTROLS ON CONSUMERS IN THIS SITUATION. ONLY A NISSAN DEALERSHIP/SERVICE SHOP CAN DIAGNOSE THE ESCL MALFUNCTION, AS IT REQUIRES A NISSAN PRODUCT SPECIFIC SCAN TOOL, AND IT IS THEIR COMPANY'S ARBITRATION DEPARTMENT WHO FACILITATES ALL LEGAL DECISIONS AT WHICH ARE TYPICALLY NOT IN FAVOR OF THE CONSUMER. I DO NOT BELIEVE A SERVICE HISTORY OF VEHICLE IS MATERIAL INFORMATION IN THIS SCENARIO. NISSAN SHOULD BE OBLIGATED TO BUY BACK ANY-AND-ALL 2009 NISSAN ALTIMAS WHEN ASKED TO DO SO BY THEIR CONSUMERS WHO PURCHASED THIS PRODUCT IN GOOD FAITH. UPDATED 04/07/14

ON THE MORNING OF 2/19/14 6:00 AM PROCEEDED TO START CAR TO USE IN WALKING DISTANCE. BOTH REMOTE BATTERIES WERE CHANGED WITHIN 30 DAYS PREVIOUSLY BY DEALER. EVERY COMMAND ON REMOTE SEEM TO WORK EXCEPT THAT THE CAR DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THE REMOTE TO START THE CAR. THERE WERE "NO KEY" SYMBOLS ON THE DASH. THE CAR JUST RETURNED FROM A HUNDRED MILE TRIP. THANK GOD IT DIDN'T HAPPEN THEN. MISSING WORK, TOWING CHARGES, BIG INCONVENIENCE. NISSAN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS UNDER RECALL!!! *TR

WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE TWO ALARMS WERE GOING OF ON MY DASH BOARD. I HAD NO CLUE WHAT EITHER ONE MEANT BUT BOTH INCLUDE A KEY TYPE ALARM. I WAS AFRAID THAT MY CAR WOULD SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD THINKING I WAS A BURGLAR. I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WITH THE VEHICLE STILL RUNNING, AND CALLED A FRIEND TO DRIVE BEHIND ME WHILE WE BOTH HAD OUR HAZARDS ON. SINCE THEN I COULD ONLY START MY VEHICLE ONCE AND AT THAT TIME I TOOK IT TO A DEALERSHIP, WITH MY FRIEND SO I HAD A RIDE BACK, AND I TOLD THEM I WAS HAVING TROUBLE STARTING MY CAR. THEY KNEW EXACTLY THE PROBLEM AND WHAT TYPE OF NISSAN I WAS DRIVING, THEY HAD TWO OTHERS COME IN WITHIN THE LAST MONTH, BEFORE I COULD EXPLAIN ANYTHING AND PROCEEDED TO EXPLAIN TO ME THAT THE PART WAS ON BACK ORDER AND SAID THEY WOULD GIVE ME A CALL IF THEY COULD DO ANYTHING. DRIVING BACK HOME WITHOUT EVER TURNING OFF MY CAR WAS VERY STRESSFUL AND WHEN I DID RETURN I TURNED IT OFF AND IMMEDIATELY TRIED TO TURN BACK ON AND IT WOULD NOT START. *TR