2009 Nissan Altima

I HAD STOPPED AT THE GROCERY STORE AND WENT TO GET BACK IN MY CAR AND IT WOULD NOT START, IT WOULD NOT EVEN RECOGNIZE THE KEY. MY KEY FOB WOULD UNLOCK, LOCK & POP MY TRUNK BUT MY CAR ACTED LIKE IT WOULDN'T ACCEPT MY KEY FOB. MY STEERING WHEEL WAS NOT LOCKED & IT HAS BEEN TOWED AND SAT OVERNIGHT & ITS STILL NOT LOCKED, MY ELECTRONIC STEERING WHEEL LOCK HAS GONE OUT ON MY CAR & WITH ALL THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE I FOUND OUT SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. NISSAN EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THIS PART TO 6 YEARS BUT IT SEEMS ALL THESE FAILURES ARE HAPPENING AFTER THAT 6 YEAR MARK HAS BEEN HIT. NISSAN IS WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND RELEASED A BULLETIN ON IT BUT NOT A RECALL, I BELIEVE WITH ALL THE PROBLEMS THAT EVERYONE IS HAVING THAT A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED I WAS QUOTED 800-1000.00 TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS EVIDENTLY A FAULTY PART INSTALLED BY NISSAN AND THEY SHOULD MAKE IT RIGHT

ON OCCASIONS MY CAR WOULD NOT START. WE WOULD SHAKE IT, PRESS THE START BUTTON CONTINUOUSLY, SIT AND WAIT UP TO 60 MINUTES BEFORE THE CARD RESTARTED. I DID A LOT OF RESEARCH ONLINE AND ASSUMED IT WAS THE BRAKE SWITCH. I HAD THE BATTERY, ALTERNATOR, AND STARTER CHECKED. TOLD THEIR WERE NO PROBLEMS. SO, AFTER RESEARCHING, I CONTACTED THE DEALER. WAS INFORMED IT WOULD COST ABOUT $400 TO REPAIR, AS THEY HAD BEEN EXPERIENCING OTHER CUSTOMERS COMING IN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I CONTACTED MY PERSONAL MECHANIC AND INFORMED HIM AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH, AND SPEAKING TO THE DEALER, I BELIEVED IT WAS THE BRAKE SWITCH. THE BRAKE SWITCH/BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH COST $45 FROM DEALER, AND HE CHARGED ME $35 TO PUT ON. A BIG SAVINGS FROM WHAT THE DEALER WOULD HAVE CHARGED ME..$400, PLUS A DIAGNOSTIC COST OF $125. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS SINCE HAVING THIS LITTLE SWITCH REPLACED.

THE DASHBOARD OF THE CAR IS MELTING. THE AREAS ON THE DASHBOARD THAT ARE AFFECTED ARE VERY STICKY AND CAN'T BE CLEANED. WITH THE DASHBOARD MELTING, THERE IS A GLARE THAT COMES UP FROM THE DASHBOARD ONTO THE WINDSHIELD WHICH MAKES DRIVING DURING THE DAY BOTH DIFFICULT AND HAZARDOUS BECAUSE OF THE LIMITED VISIBILITY. I ALSO DON'T KNOW IF THIS MELTING ISSUE IS CAUSING ANY TYPE OF TOXINS OR FUMES TO COLLECT IN THE CAR INTERIOR.

CAR COULD NOT BE STARTED AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO A NISSAN DEAL WHERE THEY CHARGED ME $900.00 TO FIX. THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PART, ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK, THAT NISSAN KNOWS ABOUT. THEY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR THIS PART AND HAVE IT LISTED ON THE NISSANASSIST.COM WEBSITE. IT IS SPECIFIC TO THE 2009 ALTIMA AND MAXIMA. THEY REFUSED TO HELP WITH COST IN ANYWAY BECAUSE THE WARRANTY EXPIRED 2 MONTHS PRIOR...EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW IT IS A BIG ENOUGH ISSUE TO HAVE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY ON IT. IF THE PART IS DEFECTIVE...WHY PUT ANY TIME FRAME ON IT. DO A RECALL, OR FIX THEM AS IT HAPPENS.

VEHICLE WILL NOT START MINUTES AFTER A SUCCESSFUL START. ALL OTHER FACTORS SUCH AS BATTERY, ELECTRICAL, AND FOB KEY ISSUES ELIMINATED AS POSSIBLE CAUSE. SIMILAR PROBLEM HAS BEEN WIDELY REPORTED, MOST LIKELY A DEFECTIVE STEERING LOCK MECHANISM, OR IN SOME CASES, A DEFECTIVE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WHEREIN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED BUT THE IGNITION SYSTEM IS REGISTERING AN UNPRESSED BRAKE PEDAL. A SAFETY ISSUE AS MOTORIST COULD BE STRANDED DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER OR OTHER DANGEROUS SITUATION.

THERE ARE LONG LINES OF CRACKS ALL OVER MY DASHBOARD. IT APPEARS THE MATERIAL FROM WHICH IT IS MADE, IS EXTREMELY INFERIOR. BOTH THE DEALER FROM WHICH IS WAS BOUGHT (CORAL SPRINGS NISSAN) AND THE CONSUMER AFFAIRS SECTION OF NISSAN NA TELL ME THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO AS THE WARRANTY IS UP. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ME IF THE DASHBOARD FALLS APART WHILE I AM DRIVING? I AM ALSO EXPERIENCING, TO A LESSER EXTENT, THE SHINY SPOTS WHICH I HAVE ALSO READ ABOUT FROM COMMENTS ONLINE, ON THE DASHBOARD. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 1999 NISSAN ALTIMA AND NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM AND FAIL TO SEE HOW A CAR WHICH I PURCHASED DECEMBER 2009 - NOTE EVEN 5 YEARS OLD - SHOULD BE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. I'M EXTREMELY DISSATISFIED THAT THE COMPANY IS UNWILLING TO ASSIST IN RECTIFYING THIS DEFECT. *TR