2009 Nissan Altima

AFTER MY 4.5 HR. SHIFT AT THE HOSPITAL, I WENT OUT TO START MY CAR & IT WOULDN'T START. IT SHOWED "NO KEY". I HAD BATTERY POWER BUT THE OWNER'S MANUAL SHOWED THAT THE FOB WAS NOT CONNECTING TO THE CAR. I WAS STRANDED AND IT WAS BELOW ZERO TEMPERATURES. THE NEXT DAY AFTER CHANGING THE BATTERIES IN THE FOB, MY SON BROUGHT ME TO THE CAR. STILL NO STARTING IT. WE HAD TO TOW THE CAR TO A DEALER WHO PROCEEDED TO CHARGE ME $1301 DOLLARS TO FIX. IT WAS THE "DEFECTIVE STEERING LOCK MODULE" (EXACT WORDS ON THE BILL) AND I NEEDED A NEW BATTERY EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD. THE DEALER DIDN'T KNOW WHY MY BATTERY WAS AFFECTED BUT IT WOULD NO LONGER HOLD A CHARGE. WHEN I LOOKED ON EBAY FOR THE STEERING PART, IT WAS $350. NISSAN CHARGED ME DOUBLE. I ASKED THE DEALER WHY THE DOUBLE CHARGE, THEY SAID "WHO KNOWS, CALL NISSAN." WHEN I ASKED WHY THIS "DEFECTIVE PART" WAS NOT RECALLED, THE REPLY WAS "NISSAN OFFERED AN EXTENSION ON THE WARRANTY. YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED." THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THERE WAS NO WARNING OF IT'S GOING OUT AND NISSAN KNOWS ABOUT IT.

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). I AM WRITING ON BEHALF OF MY 80 YEAR OLD PARENTS. THIS 2009 ALTIMA IS THEIR ONLY VEHICLE AND SOURCE OF TRANSPORTATION. AT WORK LAST WEEK, MY MOTHER WAS HEADED HOME TO CHECK ON MY FATHER WHO HAS RECENTLY HAD A STROKE. HER VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. AFTER CONVERSATIONS WITH DEALERS WHO ARE 75+ MILES AWAY, WE DETERMINED THAT HER STEERING WHEEL LOCK MECHANISM HAD FAILED. THIS RENDERED THE CAR UNDRIVEABLE AND IT HAD TO BE TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE THIS PART WAS REPLACED FOR $1055, (NOT INCLUDING TOWING FEE, $327). THIS IS THE SAME PART THAT NISSAN HAD ISSUED AN "EXTENDED WARRANTY" ON FOR 6 YEARS WITH FREE REPLACEMENT AND UNLIMITED MILEAGE RESTRICTION. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THEY HAVE YET BEEN UNCOMPROMISING THAT THIS IS NOW AN OUT OF WARRANTY REPAIR. STILL YET, THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PART FOR FAILURE AND NEVER CONTACTED MY PARENTS REGARDING THIS POSSIBLE ISSUE. THIS CAR HAD 43,989 MILES ON IT WHEN THIS EVENT TOOK PLACE. MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS ISN'T JUST A WORN OUT CUSHION ON A SEAT THAT COULD EASILY BE OVERLOOKED IF FAILURE OCCURRED. INSTEAD, THIS RENDERS THE VEHICLE UN-OPERABLE AND COULD HAVE HAPPENED AT A TIME OF GREATER NEED. IF THE PART HAS BEEN KNOWN TO BE DEFECTIVE AND WAS DISCONTINUED ON THE NEXT GENERATION OF THE ALTIMA, WHY WAS IT NOT RECALLED? THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS A BANDAID ON A LARGE WOUND. PERHAPS THE LOW NUMBER OF MILES NEVER LET THIS CAR BE CYCLED AS OFTEN IN ORDER FOR THE FAILURE TO OCCUR PRIOR TO THE 6 YEAR CUTOFF. STILL YET, A BILL OF NEARLY $1400 HAS BEEN GENERATED FOR TWO SENIOR ADULTS WHO LIVE ON A FIXED INCOME, BUT DO STILL RELY ON THEIR VEHICLE. AT THE VERY LEAST, THEY SHOULD COVER THEIR EXPENSES. IT HAS BEEN AN INCONVENIENCE, BUT COULD HAVE OCCURRED DURING A TIME OF MEDICAL NEED FOR THEM. PLEASE HELP, IF POSSIBLE. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, [XXX] C/O [XXX] *DL

THE CAR FAILED TO START DUE TO A STEERING WHEEL LOCK MECHANISM FAILURE AND THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK MECHANISM REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AT THE TIME OF THIS FAILURE, HOWEVER THESE UNITS SHOULD BE FAIRLY RELIABLE AND SHOULD NOT BE FAILING. IT APPEARS THAT THE UNIT USED IN THESE CARS HAS A PARTICULAR DESIGN FLAW THAT CAUSES THESE UNITS TO FAIL AND NISSAN HAS MANY COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE FAILURE OF THESE UNITS. MY BIGGER QUESTION IS TO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THESE UNITS FAIL WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT PEOPLE ARE DRIVING AROUND IN DEATH TRAPS THAT MAY LOCK THEIR STEERING WHILE DRIVING? I HAD THE UNIT REPLACED AND CONTACTED NISSAN AND WAS NOT ABLE TO GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER ON IF THESE UNITS ARE SAFE, IF THE REPLACEMENT IS SAFE, IF THE REPLACEMENT CONTAINS THE SAME DEFECT AS THE ORIGINAL UNIT. NISSAN HAD EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THIS UNIT, BUT OBVIOUSLY IT HAS NOT BEEN LONG ENOUGH, OR THE REPLACEMENT UNITS ARE FAILING AS WELL. SUCH A SIMPLE UNIT THAT OBVIOUSLY HAS A WEARING DESIGN FLAW THAT MAY POTENTIALLY LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL OF A VEHICLE IF IT DOES NOT FAIL SAFE. DOES IT FAIL SAFE?

OWNER OF A 09 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 S. MY WHOLE FAMILY GOT STUCK WITH THE CAR THAT DIDNT START AT ALL, THERE'S A KEY LOGO IN THE DASH PANEL SHOWING SO I WENT TO FIND SOME SOLUTIONS ONLINE AND FOUND THAT IM LOST BECAUSE IT WONT START AGAIN UNTIL FIX BY A DEALER. NO FUN AT ALL BECAUSE I FOUND THAT I MIGHT HAVE TO PAY OUT OF MY POCKET AND THIS BEEN A OLD PROBLEM THAT I NEVER WAS MENTIONED BY MY SERVICE DEALER. NISSAN NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

STEERING LOCK DEFECTIVE, KNOWN PROBLEM BY NISSAN SINCE 2009, REFUSED TO RECALL THE CARS INVOLVED. I JUST SPENT $923.00 TO FIX MY '09 WITH 91K MILES ON IT. CAR LEFT ME STRANDED IN A SAFE SPOT, FORTUNATELY. AFTER I PARKED, WALKED AWAY FOR A FEW MINUTES, TRIED TO RESTART, NOTHIING BUT THE TWO KEY LIGHTS IN THE DASH, HORN, OVERHEAD LIGHTS AND ALARM. STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT LOCK. THIS NEEDS TO BE AN ACTIVE RECALL AND OWNERS REIMBURSED FOR THE WORK INVOLVED!!!

CAR WAS PARKED. CAR WONT START OR CRANK. THE FOB OPENS AND LOCKS DOORS, BUT ENGINE WONT START. DEALER REPLACE STEERING LOCK UNIT. NISSAN FORUMS ARE FULL OF COMPLAINTS FROM 2012 - 2013 WITH THE SAME ISSUE. NISSAN DID EXTEND WARRANTY ON THIS PART BUT ONLY OF FEW YEARS WITH OUT ISSUING A RE-CALL OR NOTICE. PART AND LABOR ARE OVER $1100.

STARTED CAR WITH NO ISSUES AND DROVE TO A PLACE OF BUSINESS. APPROXIMATELY 3 HOURS LATER, CAR (STATIONARY IN A PARKING LOT) UNLOCKED, BUT WOULD NOT START. "KEY" INDICATOR LIGHT BLINKS, WHICH USUALLY MEANS REMOTE BATTERY IS LOW. AS I ATTEMPT TO PUSH BRAKE AND PUSH BUTTON TO START CAR, RED LIGHT BLINKS INDICATING MY CAR IS NOT RECOGNIZING THE KEY. IT'S 25 DEGREES OUTSIDE AND I HAVE MY 2 YEAR OLD CHILD AND NO HEAT IN MY CAR, SO I HAVE A FRIEND DRIVE ME HOME. I RETURN WITH NEW BATTERIES IN THE KEY. CAR STILL WILL NOT START. INSERTED THE KEY IN THE PORT, BUT THAT DIDN'T START THE CAR EITHER. AFTER READING AND RESEARCHING THE ISSUE, I'M SURE IT'S THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK MECHANISM. I THEREFORE HAVE TO CALL A TOW TRUCK AND HAVE MY CAR TOWED TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP.

MY BRAKE SWITCH WENT OUT IN SEPTEMBER. AT ANY GIVEN TIME MY CAR WOULDN'T START. WHEN I PRESS THE BRAKE PEDDLE MY BRAKE LIGHT WOULDN'T COME ON. THIS HAPPENED OVER AND OVER AGAIN. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE SOMEONE COULD RUN INTO THE BACK OF THE CAR AT ANY GIVEN TIME. I TRAVEL UP AND DOWN THE ROAD A GOOD BIT. HAVING THIS PROBLEM IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR ME. NOW, A FEW MONTHS MY CAR WANT START AGAIN. THE DEALERSHIP THINKS ITS THE STEERING COLUMN THIS TIME. MY CAR DON'T EVEN HAVE 70,000 MILES ON IT. THIS DOESN'T MAKE SINCE TO ME. I'VE BEEN TOLD BY SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT NISSAN IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM EXIST IN MOST ALL 2009 ALTIMA'S. WHY WOULD NISSAN RISK THE WELL BEING OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. IT'S SAD THAT WHEN I GIVE THEM THE YEAR AND MAKE OF MY CAR THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE PROBLEM IS WITHOUT EVEN CHECKING THEM OUT. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THESE PARTS. THESE PARTS. WHY IS NISSAN WILLING TO CHEAT THEIR CUSTOMERS AND WHY ARE THEY WILLING TO PUT OUR LIVES AS WELL AS THE LIVES OF OTHER DRIVERS AT RISK. *TR