2009 Nissan Altima

OUR 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID DIED WITHOUT WARNING. WE WERE UNABLE TO TURN THE CAR ON, NOTHING ON THE DASHBOARD LIT UP EXCEPT A YELLOW KEY SYMBOL. THE LIGHTS, LOCKS, AND KEY FOB CONTINUED TO WORK, HOWEVER. I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE WE WERE HAVING AND DISCOVERED A NUMBER OF CONSUMERS HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THEIR NISSANS. IT IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT WITH THE STEERING LOCK WHICH RENDERS THE CAR INOPERABLE, APPARENTLY. THIS IS NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. OUR CAR GAVE NO INDICATION OF SOMETHING BEING WRONG. IT HAS ONLY ABOUT 64,000 MILES ON IT AND WE HAVE HAD NO MAJOR ISSUES PREVIOUSLY, AND NO INDICATION THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG PRIOR TO IT DYING. WHEN I CONTACTED NISSAN OF MARLBORO, MA, THE INDIVIDUAL I SPOKE WITH DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM OVER THE PHONE. HE SAID HE WAS 99% CERTAIN IT WAS THE STEERING LOCK. THIS WAS CONFIRMED ONCE WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR REPAIR. FOR HIM TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM ACCURATELY OVER THE PHONE, THEY MUST SEE THIS ISSUE OFTEN ENOUGH. ONLY FURTHER SOLIDIFYING THAT NISSAN IS AWARE THAT THERE IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. I WAS TOLD HOWEVER, THAT DESPITE NISSAN BEING AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, WE HAD MISSED THE DEADLINE FOR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH ENDED IN JUNE 2015. AGAIN, THIS IS NOT DUE TO NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. OUR CAR WAS IN PERFECTLY GOOD CONDITION UNTIL THE MOMENT IT SIMPLY STOPPED WORKING. WHEN I CONTACTED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS TO REPORT THE PROBLEM, I WAS ALSO MADE AWARE THAT THE REASON WE NEVER HEARD OF THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THEY HAD THE PREVIOUS OWNER, MICHAEL SOMETHING, LISTED RATHER THAN US. SO THE MAILING MAY HAVE GONE TO HIM, NOT US. WE PURCHASED THE CAR FROM NISSAN OF WOBURN AS A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE. BY THE TIME I SPOKE WITH THE SECOND INDIVIDUAL FROM NISSAN, OUR INFORMATION WAS UPDATED AND SHE CLAIMED NISSAN CAN NOT GUARANTEE THAT RECALL INFORMATION IS MAILED TO THE CORRECT OWNER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 97,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND PREVENTED THE KEYLESS IGNITION FROM STARTING THE ENGINE. THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 122,000.

STEERING LOCK UNIT FAILED. CAR WILL NOT START OR EVEN TURN OVER. NISSAN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE UNIT, BUT I AND ALOT OF OTHERS FEEL IT SHOULD BE A RECALL. THEY DIDN'T NOTIFY ME OF THIS PROBLEM AND I HAD CAR IN FOR RECALL FOR A DIFFERENT ISSUE WHEN THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM WITH THESE UNITS AND WARRANTY ON THIS WAS STILL IN EFFECT. LUCKILY I WAS AT HOME AND NOT STRANDED SOMEWHERE. BY TAPPING ON UNIT WITH A HAMMER IT STARTED TO WORK I JUST HOPE IT DOESNT FAIL DURING DRIVING AND LOCK THE STEERING WHILE DRIVING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEYLESS IGNITION FAILED TO OPERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK WAS REPLACED. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED, THE INTELLIGENT KEY FAILED TO START THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED FOR THE SECOND TIME BUT THE DETAILS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 81,000. UPDATED 02/19/16*LJ UPDATED 5/20/18*JB

I PURCHASED MY BRAND NEW 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5S ON APRIL 14, 2009. ON NOVEMBER 30, 2015 I WAS STRANDED AFTER DINING IN AT A RESTAURANT TO FIND THAT MY CAR WOULD NO LONGER START. I READ THE MANUAL AND IT STATED THAT THE ELECTRONICAL STEERING COLUMN WAS LOCKED AND IT WOULD NEED TO BE SERVICED AT A NISSAN DEALERSHIP. I CONTACTED A LOCAL DEALERSHIP IN PINE BLUFF, AR AND WAS GIVEN AN ESTIMATE OF $961.01. I CONTACTED NISSAN CORPORATE ABOUT THE PROBLEM TO SEE IF THEY COULD ASSIST ME WITH THE ISSUE AND WAS TOLD THAT MY WARRANTY EXPIRED IN APRIL 14, 2015. THE WARRANTY WAS ORIGINALLY 3 YRS/36,000 MILES THEN WAS EXTENDED TO 6YRS/UNLIMITED MILES. THE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THERE WAS NEVER A RECALL ON IT. THE ISSUE I HAVE WITH THAT IS, ALTIMA OWNERS WERE NEVER NOTIFIED OF THIS PROBLEM WHEN IN FACT NISSAN KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FROM 3 TO 6 YEARS. HOW WOULD AN OWNER KNOW THERE WAS EVER AN ISSUE WITH THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK UNTIL THEY'VE EXPERIENCED IT? SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE, NISSAN SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.

THE ELECTRONIC STEERING WHEEL LOCK SYSTEM DIDN'T ENGAGE ON MY 2009 ALTIMA. THIS WOULD NOT ALLOW THE CAR TO BE STARTED. NISSAN EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THIS PART BUT MINE EXPIRED IN AUGUST OF 2015. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS YOU COULD BE STRANDED AT ANYTIME ANWHERE WITH THIS ISSUE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL. THERE WAS A BAD SNOW STORM IN DENVER ON SUNDAY WHEN THIS OCCURRED AND IF IT HAD HAPPENED UP IN THE MOUNTAINS CROSS COUNTRY SKIING I WOULD HAVE BEEN STUCK IN A VERY UNSAFE SITUATION. I CONTACTED NISSAN AND THEY SAID THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING FOR ME AS THE EXTENDED WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. HOWEVER THEY NEVER CONTACTED ME STATING IT WOULD BE COVERED AND HAD I KNOW I WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE IN BEFORE IT LEFT ME STRANDED WITHOUT A CAR FOR 4 DAYS. I HAD TO GET THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET IT WORKED ON. THIS ISSUE IS SO BAD THEY HAD TO ORDER THE PART AND WON'T GET IT IN UNTIL 2 DAYS AFTER I HAD BROUGHT IT IN TO GET FIXED. SOMEONE NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THIS BEFORE PEOPLE START GETTING HURT OR WORSE STRANDED AND DIE SOMEWHERE.

I PARKED MY CAR WENT INTO THE STORE EVERYTHING WORKED JUST FINE BEFORE I GOT OUT, BUT WHEN I CAME OUT MY CAR WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING! I WAS STRANDED, AFTER READING THE OWNERS MANUAL I FOUND IT WAS THE STEERING LOCK UNIT! IF I HAD BEEN ON THE (WRONG SIDE OF TOWN) IT COULD'VE BEEN EVEN MORE DANGEROUS THAN IT ALREADY WAS! I CALLED THE THIS SIMPLE PART IS $764 PLUS LABOR! AFTER READING MANY COMPLAINTS ONLINE THIS PART SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED AS IT WAS ON THE 350Z