2009 Nissan Altima

STEERING LOCK MECHANISM FAILED LEAVING THE CAR COMPLETELY DISABLED AND UNABLE TO MOVE AT ALL. NISSAN HAS KNOW ABOUT THIS BEING A VERY CHRONIC PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS BUT DID NOT RECALL THE PART. THE EXTENDED WARRANTEE ENDED MARCH 31 2015 AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INDEFINITELY BECAUSE NISSAN KNOWS THESE ARE FAULTY AND HASN'T COMMUNICATED TO OWNERS ABOUT IT AS FAR AS I KNOW.

I WAS ABOUT TO START MY CAR AT A GAS STATION THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND MY CAR WOULD NOT START LEAVING ME STRANDED IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH NISSAN AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT FAILURE WHICH PREVENTS THE VEHICLE FROM SENSING YOUR KEY FOB WHICH PREVENTS YOU FROM STARTING THE VEHICLE AND YOU ARE STUCK. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS DEFECT LEAVING DRIVERS STRANDED AND THE CAR USELESS. I COULD HAVE BEEN ROBBED OR OTHER. NISSAN IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND HAS DONE NOTHING TO NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE STEARING CONTROL UNIT.

WAS GOING OUT OF TOWN AND DUE TO BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS ON THE AREA I WAS SUPPOSED TO DRIVE TO, I DID NOT GO. HOWEVER, ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON I GOT INTO VEHICLE, TRIED TO START IT AND IT WOULD NOT START. NOW, IF I HAD OF GONE OUT OF TOWN LIKE I WAS SUPPOSED TO, I WOULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED. I OFTEN HAVE MY SMALL GRANDDAUGHTER WITH ME. GLAD SHE WASN'T THIS TIME. HAD TO CALL TOW SERVICE.

DROVE TO LAREDO, TEXAS TO GET NEW TIRES FOR MY VEHICLE. WHEN THE AUTO TECHNICIAN WENT TO MOVE THE CAR FROM THE PARKING LOT IT WOULD NOT START. THEY CHECKED EVERYTHING THEY COULD THINK OFF, BATTERY, BATTERY CABLES, ALTERNATOR. THEY CALLED AN ELECTRONIC SPECIALIST TO COME CHECK THE CAR. IT SEEMED IT WAS THE STEERING LOCK MODULE. NO WARNING, NOTHING. I NEVER EVEN RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THIS PART. I CALLED THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND OF COURSE THE RECALL HAD JUST EXPIRED. TO TOP IT OFF THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP WANTED TO CHARGE ME TOWING FEES FROM THE TIRE DEALERSHIP TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND TO FIX IT WAS GOING TO BE OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS. I ENDED UP PAYING 850.00 TO REPAIR THE CAR SOMEWHERE ELSE. I LIVE IN A VERY RURAL AREA WHERE THERE ARE NO STORES, GASOLINE STATIONS, ETC. NEAREST CITY IS LAREDO WHICH IS OVER FORTY MILES AWAY. AT LEAST I WAS AT THE PARKING LOT OF THE TIRE DEALERSHIP. I DON'T WANT TO THINK IF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WHEN I AM TAKING MY ELDERLY MOTHER TO THE DOCTOR, HOSPITAL, OR FOR CHEMO TREATMENTS. I FEEL NISSAN SHOULD REIMBURSE ME FOR THE REPLACEMENT FOR THE STEERING COLUMN MODULE. FOR INSTANCE, NEVER DID I RECEIVE THE RECALL NOTICE AND THIS WAS SUCH AN UNEXPECTED EXPERIENCE. NOT ONLY WAS I WITHOUT A VEHICLE FOR ALMOST A WEEK BUT FINDING SOMEONE TO PICK ME UP TO TAKE ME HOME AND THEN SOMEONE TO TAKE ME BACK TO PICK UP THE CAR. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT NISSAN DIDN'T HAVE THE COMMON COURTESY TO NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS OF THIS STEERING COLUMN DEFECT AND THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION.

I LEFT WORK AND WENT TO START MY CAR WHEN I WASN'T GETTING ANY SORT OF RESPONSE. TRIED REPALCING THE BATTERY AND THE KEYFOB BATTERY TO NO AVAIL. I LEARNED IT WAS THE STEERING LOCK AND THAT WOULD COST ME 1100 DOLLARS TO HAVE REPAIRED. HOW COULD THE WARRANTY NOT BE UNLIMITED ON A CAR SO TERRIBLE. WHAT IF I COULDN'T GET HOME TO FEED MY KIDS WHEN THE CAR BROKE DOWN? I DON'T LIVE CLOSE TO MY JOB, THAT'S WHY I HAVE A CAR. TO NOT BE ABLE TO TURN IT ON FOR THIS IS RIDICULOUS. IT'S EVEN MORE RIDICULOUS TO NOT HAVE AT LEAST A 10 YEAR WARRANTY FOR THIS PART. STOP SELLING DEFECTIVE CARS.

MY CAR STARTED FINE YESTERDAY I SAW THE KEY LIGHT CAME ON I ASSUMED IT WAS BECAUSE THE BATTERY WAS LOW. I CHANGED THE BATTERY IN BOTH KEYS. THE NEXT DAY MY FIANCEE DROVE MY CAR TO WORK AN HOUR AWAY. IT WOULD NOT START AT ALL, THE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE STEERING IS NOT LOCKED BUT THE CAR WILL NOT START AT ALL AND IT CAN NOT SHIFT AT ALL. AFTER LOOKING IN THE MANUAL IT STATES THAT IT IS AN IDICATOR THAT THE STEERING LOCK HAS FAILED. THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH HUNDREDS OF OTHER CARS AND IT IS GOING TO COST 1200 TO FIX THIS. MY FIANCEE WAS STRANDED AN HOUR FROM HOME AND HIS CELL DIED, NOT TO MENTION HE WORKS NIGHTS AND GOT OFF AT 5AM AND COULD NOT FIND A RIDE OR A NEARBY PLACE TO CALL HOME LONG DISTANCE.