2009 Nissan Altima

I LEFT WORK ON FEBRUARY 6TH AND WENT TO DRIVE HOME, BUT MY CAR WOULD NOT START. MY CAR IS PUSH BUTTON START AND IT DID DETECT MY KEY AS I WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK MY CAR. WHEN I PUSHED DOWN ON THE BRAKE TO START MY CAR IT WAS VERY HARD TO PUSH. MY CAR WOULD NOT START AND A KEY WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP CAME TO MY WORK AND HAD TO DISENGAGE THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK CONTROL UNIT IN ORDER TO DRIVE IT BACK TO THEIR SHOP. THEY SAID THAT THE CAR WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, EXCEPT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A FAILED STEERING LOCK. THIS IS AN ANTI THEFT COMPONENT OF THE CAR. MY ESTIMATE WAS $662.00. THE PART WAS ON BACK ORDER AT THAT TIME AND THEY DID NOT KNOW WHEN IT WOULD BE IN. NISSAN DID NOT OFFER ME A RENTAL CAR AND I WAS WITHOUT A CAR FOR A WEEK. THE PART CAME IN A WEEK LATER AND THE CAR WAS FIXED THAT DAY. MY BILL WAS $662.03. THIS STEERING WHEEL LOCK DEFECT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN EITHER. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I FOUND THAT NISSAN CHANGED THIS PART OF THE ALTIMA WHEN MAKING THE 2010 MODELS. I NOTICED A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE AFTER RESEARCHING. THIS MALFUNCTION SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO FURTHER BY NISSAN AND IN MY OPINION IT NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE WHEN NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR ISSUES HAPPEN TO YOUR CAR, BUT AN ISSUE LIKE THIS IS A DEFECT AND NEEDS TO BE PAID FOR BY NISSAN. MY CAR IS OF COURSE OUT OF WARRANTY AT THIS TIME. BELOW IS A WEBSITE THAT I CAME ACROSS WHEN DOING RESEARCH AND FOUND A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE: HTTP://WWW.ARFC.ORG/COMPLAINTS/2009/NISSAN/ALTIMA/STEERING/PROBLEM.ASPX. *TR

DROVE MY CAR TO LOCATION, TURNED CAR OFF, RETURNED TO CAR 5 MINUTES LATER WOULD NOT START. THOUGHT IT WAS BATTERY, FUSE, OR DEAD KEY FOB BATTERY. CALLED DEALERSHIP SERVICE MANAGER STATED OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD SAME ISSUE. HE INSTRUCTED ME TO TURN STEERING WHEEL AND PUSH IGNITION BUTTON...DIDN'T WORK. ON MY DASH PANEL I NOTICED THE KEY LIGHT SYMBOL WAS LIT UP, WHEN I TRIED TO START CAR WITH THE KEYFOB THAT DIDN'T WORK EITHER. HAD TO HAVE CAR TOWED AND AT DEALERSHIP TO CHANGE THE STEERING LOCK. IT MALFUNCTIONED AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. PART HAS BEEN ORDERED AND SHOULD BE REPLACED ON 03/21/2013. ESTIMATE IS 914.00. *TR

ON 3/13/2013 I DROVE MY VEHICLE TO WORK AT APPROXIMATELY 8:55AM AND PARKED EVERYTHING IN CAR WAS FULLY OPERATIONAL AND FUNCTIONED PROPERLY. AT 6:30PM I APPROACHED MY VEHICLE UNLOCKED THE DOOR USING MY KEY FOB, ENTERED THE VEHICLE AND PROCEEDED TO PRESS THE IGNITION BUTTON AND NOTHING HAPPENS. AFTER SWITCHING ON THE HEADLIGHTS AND NOTICING NO POWER ISSUES I NOTICED A FLASHING INDICATOR LIGHT IN THE DASH THAT SAID NO KEY PRESENT. AFTER BEING THE ONLY CAR LEFT IN THE DARK SECLUDED PARKING LOT I STARTED OFF ON A JOURNEY TO PURCHASE A BATTERY FOR THE KEY FOB AND IT DID NOT SOLVE THE PHENOMENON. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP WHICH IS ABOUT 60 MILES AWAY FROM MY HOME. THE DEALER AFTER INVESTIGATING FOR A MATTER OF MINUTES WERE QUICKLY ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM WHICH WAS A STEERING LOCK MODULE THAT WAS VERY COSTLY. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT THERE ARE A GREAT NUMBER OF ALTIMA'S AND OTHER NISSAN VEHICLE THAT ARE INFECTED WITH THE SAME DEFECTIVE STEERING LOCK DEVICES THAT CAUSES YOU TO RANDOMLY BE STRANDED IN SECLUDED AREAS WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE. THIS I FIND HIGHLY UNETHICAL FOR NISSAN TO BE TOTALLY AWARE OF SUCH DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT AND NOT HAVE ANY CONCERN FOR THE WELFARE OF IT'S CUSTOMERS NOR THEIR CHILDREN. IM HOPING THAT THE NHTSA CAN PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM BULLIES LIKE NISSAN AND HELP US GET THE RECALL WE DESERVE. ALL WE WANT IS A RELIABLE PRODUCT THAT CAN PERFORM THE WAY IT WAS INTENDED TO PERFORM. SO LET'S DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO HOLD NISSAN UP TO THE AMERICAN STANDARD OF PUTTING OUT QUALITY RELIABLE PRODUCTS AND NOT RIPPING OFF CONSUMERS. *TR

AS WITH DOZENS OF OTHER COMPLAINTS ONLINE, WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO START MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA (WHICH HAD BEEN SITTING WITH ITS ENGINE OFF FOR NO MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES), THE KEY ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD, THE STEERING AND BRAKES FELT UNRESPONSIVE, AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. LATE, COLD, AND RAINY THE NIGHT OF THE INCIDENT, THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT MORNING. THE DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FAILED STEERING LOCK UNIT--A RESULT THAT IS UNSURPRISING TO ANYONE WHO TYPES THOSE SYMPTOMS INTO A GOOGLE SEARCH. FOR THE SMALL FEE OF $900, MY CAR WAS BACK ON THE ROAD TWO DAYS AFTER THE INCIDENT. GIVEN THE FREQUENCY WITH WHICH THIS APPEARS TO BE HAPPENING TO OTHER OWNERS, THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT THAT THIS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT PRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF INJURY SHOULD THE CAR NOT START IN A REMOTE AREA OR IN THE PATH OF TRAFFIC. *TR

DROVE CAR TO WORK. AFTER WORK WENT OUT TO VEHICLE AND IT WOULD NOT START. AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH LEARNED THIS HAS HAPPEN TO MANY NISSAN ALTIMA OWNERS. THERE IS NO WARNING. ONCE THE CAR IS TURNED OFF THE STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT HAS BEEN FAILING LEAVING PEOPLE STRANDED - I AM ONE OF THEM. THE PART CAN ONLY BE PURCHASED AT A NISSAN DEALER. THE COST IS $1000.00. NO WARNING. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS I LIVE IN MN. WE HAVE EXTREMELY COLD WINTER. IF I WENT ICE FISHING IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE AND CAME BACK TO MY VEHICLE I WOULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED WITH NO SOURCE OF HEAT. MY ONLY HOPE WOULD BE A CELL PHONE, PROVIDING I HAVE ONE. THE SECOND PART IS A LOCAL GARAGE WOULDN'T EVEN BE ABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. IT CAN ONLY BE REPAIRED BY NISSAN. I HOPE YOU RECOGNIZE MY CONCERN. *TR

I WOULD LIKE TO ADD MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA TO THE GROWING LIST OF OWNERS WHO'VE EXPERIENCED THE ILLUMINATED KEY OF DEATH. I'VE HAD THE CAR FOR 4 1/2 MONTHS AND THE VEHICLE HAD 34,900 MILES ON IT. NOTICED THE ILLUMINATED KEY ON FRIDAY, RESEARCHED IT AND SAW IT SAID CALL THE DEALER IN THE MANUAL. SATURDAY THE LIGHT WAS OFF SO I FIGURED I WAS GOOD. HAD A MAJOR SNOWSTORM SATURDAY. SUNDAY, WENT TO THE SHOPPING CENTER, PARKED AND WENT INSIDE. CAME OUT AN IT WAS DEAD. I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS FROM READING THE HUNDREDS OF REPORTS ON IT. HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER ON MONDAY. HE HAD THE PARTS AND BACK ON THE ROAD LATER THAT EVENING. ONLY $950 POORER AND AGGRAVATED THAT I ONLY PURCHASED THIS "RELIABLE" VEHICLE 4 MONTHS EARLIER. THIS IS DEFINITELY MY FIRST AND LAST NISSAN. WHEN YOU SEE THAT KEY, OR EVEN IF YOU DON'T, ITS NOT A MATTER OF IF YOU'LL BREAK DOWN, BUT WHEN AND WHERE. NISSAN, YOU SUCK! STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND AT THE VERY LEAST, COVER THE REPAIRS AND TOWING. I KNOW YOU DON'T GIVE A RAT'S [XXX] ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMERS BUT DO THE RIGHT THING. A NISSAN WILL NEVER BE IN MY DRIVEWAY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING LOCK FAILED AND WOULD NOT ALLOW THE CONTACT TOM MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL TO START THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM ENGAGED ERRONEOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING LOCK UNIT MALFUNCTIONED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 59,050. *TR

ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY FAILED PREVENTING THE CAR FROM POWERING ON OR STARTING. IT TOOK ALMOST TWO WEEKS FOR THE DEALERSHIP TO RECEIVE THE REPLACEMENT PART. FROM MY RESEARCH, IT APPEARS THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PART FAILURE. THE PART WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE POWER-TRAIN WARRANTY AND WAS ALMOST $900 TO GET REPAIRED. NISSAN RECOMMENDED WE REPORT THE ISSUE FOR A POSSIBLE FUTURE RECALL. *TR

2009, NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5S. WOULD NOT START, YELLOW ILLUMINATING KEY IN LEFT HAND CORNER. TOWED TO DEALERSHIP SAID COULD BE ONE OF 3 THINGS. I TOLD HIM I LOOKED ONLINE AND IT WAS THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK MECHANISM. HE CALLED ME THE NEXT DAY AND CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM. COST WOULD BE 900 WHICH INCLUDED A FREIGHT FEE OF 50.67. FIRST TIME EVER FOR A SHIPPING FEE AT A CAR DEALERSHIP. MILEAGE IS 60,149. *TR

LAST MONDAY FEB 4 I WENT OUT TO START MY CAR AN GO TO WORK . NOTHING HAPPENED. IT DIDN'T EVEN RECOGNIZE MY KEYFOB. THE KEY LIGHT WAS LIT UP ON DASH. I HAD MY BATTERY IN MY CAR REPLACED AND MY KEYFOB BATTERY REPLACED. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH I FOUND THAT ITS THE STEERING CONTROL LOCK THAT WAS FAILING. I CALLED MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALER IN OWENSBORO KY AND THEY SAID THE PART WAS ON BACK ORDER AND DIDN'T KNOW WHEN IT WOULD BE IN? I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT A CAR FOR OVER A WEEK . [XXX] AT NISSAN IN OWESBORO SAID NO RENTAL CARS WHERE AVAILABLE. I HAVE A SMALL CHILD AND I WORK SO I NEED MY VEHICLE IN WORKING ORDER. I CALLED NISSAN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SHE SAID I WOULD ONLY BE REFUNDED IF THE PART WAS RECALLED WHICH IT ISN'T. SO I HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR THE PART, LABOR, AND $90 TO HAVE IT TOWED 22 MILES TO OWENSBORO TO BE FIXED. IM SORRY BUT IN MY OPINION ITS NOT MY FAULT IT FAILED. I PAID OVER $12,000 FOR THE CAR NOW I HAVE TO PAY ANOTHER $800.00 TO BE FIXED? THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE! SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR