2009 Nissan Altima

IN THE EARLY MORNING OF MARCH 6, 2013, I ATTEMPTED TO START MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA (MILEAGE 46027), BUT THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DEAD (NO CRANK OR OTHER SOUND). I NOTED AN ILLUMINATED KEY SYMBOL IN THE DASH. I PROCEEDED TO CHECK (1) THE CAR BATTERY - IT WAS FULLY CHARGED, (2) INSERT THE KEY IN MANUAL SLOT - IT WOULD NOT CRANK/START, (3) RELEASE GEAR SHIFT AND MANUALLY SHIFT TO NEUTRAL - IT WOULD NOT CRANK/START, (4) USE THE SECOND REMOTE KEY - IT WOULD NOT CRANK/START, (5) PURCHASE A NEW ENERGIZER BATTERY FOR THE REMOTE KEY - ALL TO NO AVAIL. EVENTUALLY THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP; I WAS ADVISED THAT STEERING LOCK (REPLACEMENT NISSAN PART NUMBER 48700-9N00B) HAD FAILED AND GIVEN AN INITIAL ESTIMATE OF $915 TO REPLACE THE UNIT. LUCKILY. THE FINAL COST OF THIS JOB WAS REDUCED TO $769. AFTER FURTHER ONLINE RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED THAT NISSAN HAS A VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN BULLETIN (DATED MARCH 2010) TO REPLACE THE SAME STEERING LOCK WITH THE IDENTICAL PART NUMBER ON THE 2009 NISSAN GT-R (THIS CAR'S ORIGINAL BASE PRICE WAS $76,840). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE START BUTTON FOR THE IGNITION FAILED AND THE INTELLIGENCE KEY WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING LOCK UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 104,000. *TR

INCLUDE MY 2009 ALTIMA 2.5SL TO THE GROWING LIST OF STEERING COLUMN ELECTRICAL SHORT PROBLEMS. I TOO HAD JUST TURNED OFF THE CAR AND 20 MINUTES LATER RETURNED TO FIND IT WOULD NOT START. BRAKE FELT DEPRESSED WHEN I FIRST PUT MY FOOT ON IT. PUSHED THE BUTTON AND NOTHING HAPPENED. TRIED THE KEY IN THE DASH SLOT, AND NOTHING. CALLED DEALER, HE TOLD ME TO TRY AND JUMP START WITH CABLES AND THAT DIDN'T WORK. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO DEALER. WAS TOLD IT WAS THE VERY COMMON ELECTRICAL STEERING COLUMN SHORT, AND THE FIX WAS 1100.00. LUCKILY I HAD PURCHASED A SERVICE CONTRACT WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR IN 2011. PAID DEDUCTIBLE OF 100.00. THIS ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE A NISSAN RECALL. DEALER TOLD ME THE PROBLEM IS ON THE RECALL LIST FOR THE 370Z, BUT HAD NOT MADE IT YET FOR ALTIMA. I DID SEE THROUGH RESEARCH AND A FRIEND WHO WORKS FOR NISSAN, THAT THEY CHANGED THAT WIRING IN THE MODEL YEARS THAT FOLLOWED. *TR

OUR PUSH BUTTON START IMMEDIATELY STOPPED WORKING AS WE WERE AT A GAS STATION. THE BACK-UP METHOD AS DESCRIBED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL WOULD NOT WORK. WE HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. "LOCK STEERING" PIECE MALFUNCTIONED AND COST $981 TO FIX. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS BUT NISSAN HAS YET TO ISSUE A RECALL (HTTP://WWW.ARFC.ORG/COMPLAINTS/2009/NISSAN/ALTIMA/STEERING/PROBLEM.ASPX HTTP://FORUMS.NICOCLUB.COM/INTELLIGENT-KEY-ISSUE-WILL-NOT-START-T550340.HTML HTTP://WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM/NISSAN/ALTIMA/STEERING-PROBLEMS.PHP). *TR

DRIVING ON STREET WHEN MOONROOF SHATTERED. NO APPARENT CAUSE DETERMINED, BUT WAS RAINING AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. BREAK OF MOONROOF SOUNDED LIKE A GUN SHOT WITH GLASS FRAGMENTS GOING BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF VEHICLE. DRIVER AND FRONT SEAT PASSENGER COVERED IN GLASS, BUT NO INJURIES. HOWEVER, ROOF AND TRUNK HAD PAINT DAMAGE FROM BROKEN GLASS. *TR

I DROVE MY CAR THIS MORNING WITHOUT A PROBLEM. I TURNED IT OFF. WHEN I WENT TO RESTART THE CAR WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE MY KEY.I TRIED OVER AND OVER I EVEN CHANGED THE BATTERIES IN THE REMOTE TO NO AVAIL. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED. I READ SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER NISSAN OWNERS THAT ITS A STEERING LOCK. I AM ALSO BEING TOLD THAT THIS IS A VERY EXPENSIVE ITEM THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A WEAR AND TEAR ITEM. IT APPEARS TO BE MORE OF A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. *TR

I LEFT WORK ON FEBRUARY 6TH AND WENT TO DRIVE HOME, BUT MY CAR WOULD NOT START. MY CAR IS PUSH BUTTON START AND IT DID DETECT MY KEY AS I WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK MY CAR. WHEN I PUSHED DOWN ON THE BRAKE TO START MY CAR IT WAS VERY HARD TO PUSH. MY CAR WOULD NOT START AND A KEY WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALERSHIP CAME TO MY WORK AND HAD TO DISENGAGE THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK CONTROL UNIT IN ORDER TO DRIVE IT BACK TO THEIR SHOP. THEY SAID THAT THE CAR WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, EXCEPT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A FAILED STEERING LOCK. THIS IS AN ANTI THEFT COMPONENT OF THE CAR. MY ESTIMATE WAS $662.00. THE PART WAS ON BACK ORDER AT THAT TIME AND THEY DID NOT KNOW WHEN IT WOULD BE IN. NISSAN DID NOT OFFER ME A RENTAL CAR AND I WAS WITHOUT A CAR FOR A WEEK. THE PART CAME IN A WEEK LATER AND THE CAR WAS FIXED THAT DAY. MY BILL WAS $662.03. THIS STEERING WHEEL LOCK DEFECT IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN EITHER. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I FOUND THAT NISSAN CHANGED THIS PART OF THE ALTIMA WHEN MAKING THE 2010 MODELS. I NOTICED A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE AFTER RESEARCHING. THIS MALFUNCTION SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO FURTHER BY NISSAN AND IN MY OPINION IT NEEDS TO BE A RECALL. IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE WHEN NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR ISSUES HAPPEN TO YOUR CAR, BUT AN ISSUE LIKE THIS IS A DEFECT AND NEEDS TO BE PAID FOR BY NISSAN. MY CAR IS OF COURSE OUT OF WARRANTY AT THIS TIME. BELOW IS A WEBSITE THAT I CAME ACROSS WHEN DOING RESEARCH AND FOUND A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE: HTTP://WWW.ARFC.ORG/COMPLAINTS/2009/NISSAN/ALTIMA/STEERING/PROBLEM.ASPX. *TR