2009 Nissan Altima

I WAS RETURNING HOME FROM GOING OUT WITH FRIENDS AND I GOT IN MY CAR TO LEAVE WHICH I DROVE TO MY FRIENDS HOUSE A FEW HOURS BEFORE RETURNING. SHE LIVES IN AN APARTMENT COMPLEX SO I WAS PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT. I TRIED TO START MY CAR AND IT WOULDN'T START. THERE WAS A LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD THAT SAID KEY(IT'S YELLOW) . I COULD BARELY PRESS DOWN ON THE BRAKE AND I WASN'T ABLE TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL. I CALLED MY FRIEND WHO HAS THE EXACT SAME MAKE , MODEL AND YEAR NISSAN AS ME AND HE SAID HE HAD THE EXACT SAME ISSUE WITH HIS CAR A FEW MONTHS AGO. THANK GOD I WASN'T AT AN UNKNOWN PLACE OR I WOULD HAVE BEEN TRAPPED. I HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK TO GET HOME. I WANTED TO REPORT THIS BECAUSE I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO.

WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO GO TO WORK AND TRY TO TURN THE CAR, THE CAR DIDN'T WANT TO TURN ON, THE CAR LOCKED THE STEERING WHEEL, I HAVE THE KEY PRESENT AND IT'S TELLING ME IT'S LOCKED, THE STEERING WHEEL IS REALLY HARD (LOCKED) AND THE BREAK GOT REALLY HARD TO PRESS DOWN. I WAS DOING SOME RESEARCH AND IT'S TELLING ME IT'S THE ESCL (DEFECTIVE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK)

WHILE IN MOTION AND MAKING A LEFT TURN ONTO AN INTERSECTION MY STEERING WHEEL WAS MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT TO CONTINUE TURNING LEFT AND THEN IT LOCKED. WAS GOING TO HIT A CONCRETE BARRIER BETWEEN ROAD AND SIDEWALK WHERE PEDESTRIANS WALK, HAD TO HIT THE BRAKES TO PREVENT A CRASH. AFTER A COUPLE OF SECONDS THE CAR ILUMINATED ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE DASH AND TOLD ME THE CAR WAS OFF. I WAS ABLE TO TURN ON THE CAR, THE STEERING WHEEL UNLOCKED AND WAS ABLE TO GO IN REVERSE A BIT TO COMPLETE MY LEFT TURN. HAD A SIMILAR SCENARIO MANY YEARS AGO WHEN FIRST PURCHASING THE CAR, WHEN ACCELERATING IN THE HIGHWAY ND DRIVING STRAIGHT THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND THE CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING BECAUSE THE GAS PEDAL LOCKED, COULDNT TURN TGE STEERIBG WHEEL AT ALL. FELT AS IF THE CAR TURNED ITSELF OF EVEN THOUGH CAR ELECTRONICS WERE ON SUCH AS THE RADIO. SECONDS LATER THE LIGHTS ILUMINATED IN THE DASH AND WAS ABLE TO TURN ON THE CAR AND STEERIBG WHEEL UNLOCKED. BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE DEALER BUT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY ISSUES, SO THEY DECIDED TO RESTART THE COMPUTER AND DID NOT HAVE THE PROBLEM AGAIN UNTIL LAST THURSDAY WHERE IT TURNED OFF ON ME WHILE TURNING. EXRREMELY DANGEROUS AND CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE.

WHEN DRIVING FOR A PERIOD OF TIME IN HEAT, THE CAR LOSES SPEED AND BEGINS TO DROP ON ITS OWN. AND IF UTILIZING MANUAL, THE GEARS WON'T DOWNSHIFT. I'VE HAD TO PULL OVER NUMEROUS TIMES AND WAIT ABOUT 15 MINS BEFORE DRIVING AGAIN AND IT'S FINE. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE CAR NEEDS A TRANSMISSION COOLER KIT INSTALLED. I'VE SEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF THIS ISSUE AND WONDER WHY A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN DONE ON THIS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE ESPECIALLY DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AND THE CAR SUDDENLY LOSES SPEED. DATE LISTED BELOW IS THE LAST TIME THIS ISSUE HAS HAPPENED. BUT, HAS HAPPENED PREVIOUSLY A YEAR AGO ON A TRIP AND RECENTLY PRIOR TO LAST TIME, A MONTH AGO.

INTERMITTENTLY THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START. BASED ON REPLACING THE BRAKE SWITCH, KEY FOB, AND BATTERY THE MOST COMMON COMPLAINT FALLS WITH THE ESCL FAILING TO ENGAGE AND REPORT IT'S STATUS. SINCE THIS IS A PUSH BUTTON START AND THERE IS NO MANUAL BACKUP, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET THE VEHICLE TO START WITHOUT THIS PROPERLY REPORTING. CURRENTLY, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT MY CAR WILL START ON ANY GIVEN DAY AND I HAVE HAD TO LEAVE IT IN PARKING LOTS AND GET RIDES WHEN IT FAILS TO START IN THE PAST.