2009 Nissan Altima

ELECTRONIC STEERING WHEEL LOCK IS DEFECTIVE. NISSAN KNOW ABOUT IT....EXTENDED THE WARRANTY, BUT IT EXPIRED IN 2015. NOW I'M STUCK WITH A $960 REPAIR BILL FOR A PROBLEM THAT THE COMPANY KNOWS IS A WIDESPREAD DEFECT. THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE. CONSUMER AFFAIRS TOLD ME: "WE WON'T PROVIDE ASSISTANCE" SINCE IT IS OUTSIDE THE WARRANTY EXTENSION. YET THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS, AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE NATIONWIDE ARE LEFT STRANDED WHEN THEIR CARS WONT START!

THE ELECTRONIC STEERING CONTROL LOCK FAILED AFTER 62,000 MILES. THE DEALERSHIP CHARGED ME $1,100 TO REPLACE IT. THIS IS A KNOW PROBLEM THAT NISSAN ADDRESSED WITH A SECRET WARRANTY EXTENSION THAT WAS NOT COMMUNICATED TO OWNERS. AT ONE POINT I BELIEVE NISSAN EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO 72 MONTHS/UNLIMITED MILES, BUT THEN CHANGED ITS MIND AND ENDED THE EXTENSION. I PARKED THE CAR ON 1/1/16 AND IT WOULD NOT START AFTER THAT.

ON JANUARY 19TH AT 6:00PM I ATTEMPTED TO LEAVE WORK AND MY CAR WOULD NOT START. I CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND JUMP WOULD NOT HELP. I HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK TO TOW MY CAR HOME. THE NEXT DAY ON JANUARY 20TH, I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP, NISSAN OF UNION CITY. I HAD THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST RUN AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE STEERING LOCK NO LONGER WORKED. MY NISSAN REP ADVISED THAT THIS ISSUE WITH THE STEERING LOCK APPEARS TO HAPPEN IN THESE MODEL CARS. I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE WITH MANY PEOPLE ONLINE SPEAKING ABOUT THEIR FRUSTRATION WITH NISSAN. NISSAN NORTH AMERICA IS AWARE THAT THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE AND EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THIS PART. THEY DID NOT MAIL ME ANY INFORMATION ON THE WARRANTY EXTENSION WHICH EXPIRED ON 8-15-15. THE WARRANTY EXTENSION WAS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE STEERING LOCK SINCE NISSAN KNEW THIS WAS A HUGE ISSUE. THE TOTAL COST TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE AND FIX MY CAR IS $1000.00. I HAD TO TAKE OUT AN ICARE PLAN WHERE THE TOTAL COST WAS BROKEN DOWN INTO PAYMENTS FOR 6 MONTHS. I CALLED NISSAN CORPORATE TO FIND OUT IF THEY WOULD HELP WITH THE COST OF THIS MAJOR ISSUE AND THEY ADVISED ME THEY WOULD NOT. THEY STATED THEY LOOKED INTO THIS ISSUE AND THE WARRANTY WAS EXTENDED. SINCE I DID NOT BRING BEFORE THE WARRANTY EXTENSION EXPIRED, IN THERE WORDS, NOTHING COULD BE DONE. I CONTACT CLARK HOWARD, AND THEY ADVISED I FILE A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA. THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS ARE HAVING THIS MAJOR ISSUE AND NISSAN IS PUTTING ALL THE RESPONSIBILITY ON THE CONSUMER VS. THEMSELVES. THIS IS AN OBSTRUCTION AND NISSAN NEEDS TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE.

I'VE HAD TO REPAIR MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA DUE TO ESCL THAT DISABLED MY CAR ON MY WAY TO WORK!! I HAD TO HAVE MY VEHICLE TOWED IN, AFTER DOING RESEARCH ONLINE I NOTICED I WASN'T THE ONLY HAVING THE ISSUE. I CALLED NISSAN CONSUMERS AFFAIR WHICH TOLD ME I MISSED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY BY A COUPLE OF MONTHS. THIS IS A DEFECT ON NISSAN AND THEY SHOULD BE HELD LIABLE FOR THE 1,000 REPAIR I HAD TO PAY. THIS IS MY SECOND NISSAN BUT WILL ALSO BE MY LAST!! I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND I GUESS IT WILL TAKE A FATALITY FOR THEM TO DO A RECALL ON THE STEERING COLUMN LOCK

THE STEERING LOCK MALFUNCTIONS ON THIS CAR, AND OTHER YEARS AND MODELS. THIS CAUSES THE DRIVER TO BE STRANDED WHEN THE CAR WILL NOT TURN ON DUE TO THE CAR BEING IN AN ANTI THEFT MODE. NISSAN IS WELL AWARE THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE AND IS PROFITING FROM IT. THE CUSTOMER WILL HAVE TO TOW THE CAR TO NISSAN (SINCE THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT CAN FIX IT), AND IT WILL COST $1000 TO FIX. NISSAN STATES THAT DUE TO IT NOT BEING A SAFETY CONCERN, THEY DO NOT HAVE TO RECALL THIS. THIS HAS AFFECTED COUNTLESS CUSTOMERS HOWEVER AND IT IS UNETHICAL. THIS IS NOT EVEN SOMETHING THE PERSON THEMSELVES OR ANOTHER MECHANIC CAN FIX SINCE IT IS ELECTRICAL. I DO NOT FEEL THAT NISSAN SHOULD BE PROFITING FROM A PART THAT THEY KNOW IS DEFECTIVE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PUSH TO START FAILED TO OPERATE AND START THE VEHICLE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA WOULD NOT START AND STRANDED MY WIFE IN A PARKING LOT. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH AND A TOW TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED. THE STEERING LOCK FAILED. NISSAN IS AWARE THAT THIS PART IS DEFECTIVE SO THEY INCREASED THE WARRANTY. NOW THAT THE WARRANTY IS UP, I AM STUCK WITH A $1000 REPAIR OF A PART THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED!

STARTED THE VEHICLE AT HOME AND DROVE TO THE STORE, APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES AWAY. AFTER SHOPPING LESS THAN 30 MINUTES, WENT TO START THE VEHICLE AND IT WOULD NOT START. THE LITTLE KEY LIGHT WENT ON SO WENT BACK INTO THE STORE TO BUY A BATTERY FOR THE REMOTE AS SOME PEOPLE REPORTED THAT AS THE PROBLEM. REPLACED THE BATTERY AND THE VEHICLE STILL WOULD NOT START. CALLED THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALER, THEY SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK WHICH WAS UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT DUE TO THE AGE OF OUR VEHICLE (6 YEARS OLD) IT WAS NO LONGER COVERED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE NISSAN DEALER, THEY REPLACED THE LOCK STEERING AT A COST OF $1000. CALLED NISSAN TO REQUEST A REIMBURSEMENT BUT THEY SAID IT WAS NOT A SAFETY CONCERN, SO IT IS NOT A RECALL ONLY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS ISSUED AND SINCE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY THERE IS NO REIMBURSEMENT. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN AND REQUEST IT IS ISSUED AS A RECALL. MANY PEOPLE ONLINE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE LOCK STEERING ISSUE.

ONE MORNING WHILE ON MY WAY TO WORK, MY CAR WOULD NOT START. A YELLOW KEY LIGHT CAME ON IN THE DASH THAT I HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE. THE STEERING WHEEL WASN'T COMPLETELY LOCKED UNTIL TRYING TO START IT SEVERAL TIMES. THE CAR STAYED IN THE LOCK POSITION AND WOULD NOT SWITCH OVER TO ACCESSORY MODE OR START AT ALL. I QUICKLY FOUND SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ONLINE WITH THE SIMILAR PROBLEM. I WAS ABLE TO PULL A VIDEO UP ON YOUTUBE THAT SHOWED ME HOW TO TEMPORARY FIX THIS ISSUE. WE REMOVED THE CASE OFF FROM UNDER THE WHEEL, USED A WRENCH OR STURDY METAL OBJECT AND LOCATED THE STEERING LOCK ITSELF AND SLOWLY TAPPED ON IT. SURE ENOUGH, WE WERE ABLE TO GET MY CAR STARTED AFTER A FEW TAPS. IT WORKED FINE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. AFTER DISCOVERING THIS PROBLEM I FOUND A WEBSITE THAT SHOWED THIS PART WAS NOT ON RECALL BUT DID HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. UNFORTUNATELY, MY STEERING LOCK WENT OUT 3 WEEKS AFTER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. GO FIGURE.... AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS WITHOUT THE ISSUE, THE CAR LOCKED UP AGAIN ON WHILE I WENT TO HEAD HOME FROM WORK. I WAS ABLE TO DO THE SAME TAP AND GET IT STARTED TO GET MYSELF HOME AND IT WORKED A FEW WEEKS. NOW, MY CAR IS CURRENTLY STUCK AT MY WORK UNTIL I CAN AFFORD A TOW AND THE REPAIRS AT THE DEALERSHIP WHICH WILL COST ME $950-$1,200. I'VE CALLED OTHER LOCAL MECHANICS TO SEE IF THEY COULD GET ME A BETTER DEAL AND UNFORTUNATELY MOST OF THEM DO NOT HAVE THE PROPER TOOLS/EQUIPMENT TO COMPLETELY REPAIR THE PROBLEM. ONCE THEY REPLACE THE STEERING LOCK THE CAR WILL NEED TO BE REPROGRAMMED WHICH ONLY A NISSAN DEALER CAN DO SUPPOSEDLY. IT'S PRETTY AWFUL NISSAN ISN'T DOING MORE TO HELP PEOPLE OUT IN THIS SITUATION WHEN THERE IS CASE AFTER CASE WITH THE SAME STORIES.