2009 Nissan Altima

LEAVING WORK I WENT OUT TO MY CAR TO GO HOME. WHEN I WENT TO THE START THE CAR, THE CAR WOULD NOT START. A YELLOW KEY LIGHT CAME ON. UNABLE TO START THE CAR, I LOOKED UP ONLINE POSSIBLE CAUSES AND FIGURED OUT IT WAS THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED WHICH COST $30+ AND HAD TO BE REPAIRED. NISSAN ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY BECAUSE OF THIS PARTICULAR PART HAVING CAUSED PROBLEMS IN THE PAST. THE REPAIR COST $1092.

ONE MORNING WHILE ON MY WAY TO WORK, MY CAR WOULD NOT START. A YELLOW KEY LIGHT CAME ON IN THE DASH THAT I HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE. THE STEERING WHEEL WASN'T COMPLETELY LOCKED UNTIL TRYING TO START IT SEVERAL TIMES. THE CAR STAYED IN THE LOCK POSITION AND WOULD NOT SWITCH OVER TO ACCESSORY MODE OR START AT ALL. I QUICKLY FOUND SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ONLINE WITH THE SIMILAR PROBLEM. I WAS ABLE TO PULL A VIDEO UP ON YOUTUBE THAT SHOWED ME HOW TO TEMPORARY FIX THIS ISSUE. WE REMOVED THE CASE OFF FROM UNDER THE WHEEL, USED A WRENCH OR STURDY METAL OBJECT AND LOCATED THE STEERING LOCK ITSELF AND SLOWLY TAPPED ON IT. SURE ENOUGH, WE WERE ABLE TO GET MY CAR STARTED AFTER A FEW TAPS. IT WORKED FINE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. AFTER DISCOVERING THIS PROBLEM I FOUND A WEBSITE THAT SHOWED THIS PART WAS NOT ON RECALL BUT DID HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. UNFORTUNATELY, MY STEERING LOCK WENT OUT 3 WEEKS AFTER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. GO FIGURE.... AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS WITHOUT THE ISSUE, THE CAR LOCKED UP AGAIN ON WHILE I WENT TO HEAD HOME FROM WORK. I WAS ABLE TO DO THE SAME TAP AND GET IT STARTED TO GET MYSELF HOME AND IT WORKED A FEW WEEKS. NOW, MY CAR IS CURRENTLY STUCK AT MY WORK UNTIL I CAN AFFORD A TOW AND THE REPAIRS AT THE DEALERSHIP WHICH WILL COST ME $950-$1,200. I'VE CALLED OTHER LOCAL MECHANICS TO SEE IF THEY COULD GET ME A BETTER DEAL AND UNFORTUNATELY MOST OF THEM DO NOT HAVE THE PROPER TOOLS/EQUIPMENT TO COMPLETELY REPAIR THE PROBLEM. ONCE THEY REPLACE THE STEERING LOCK THE CAR WILL NEED TO BE REPROGRAMMED WHICH ONLY A NISSAN DEALER CAN DO SUPPOSEDLY. IT'S PRETTY AWFUL NISSAN ISN'T DOING MORE TO HELP PEOPLE OUT IN THIS SITUATION WHEN THERE IS CASE AFTER CASE WITH THE SAME STORIES.

PARKED MY CAR IN A STORE PARKING LOT. WHEN I RETURNED MY CAR FAILED TO START WITH A FAILURE TO RECOGNIZE MY KEY FOB. I REPLACED THE FOB BATTERY STILL WON'T START. IT WAS GETTING DARK I HAD TO LEAVE MY CAR IN THE PARKING LOT. RETURNED THE NEXT DAY. NOTHING WILL START MY CAR. WHEN ONLINE TO SEE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MY CAR. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. WAS TOLD THE EXTENDED WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED 03/15. I ONLY HAVE 44500 MILES ON MY CAR. NISSAN NEVER NOTIFIED ME THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. IT COST ME $964.00 TO GET IT FIXED. AND OF COURSE THIS ALL HAPPEN WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS OUT OF TOWN. WHY WAS THIS NOT A RECALL?

KEYLESS START MALFUNCTIONED, STEERING WHEEL LOCK MECHANISM FAILED AND RENDERED THE CAR UNABLE TO START. PART:LOCK ASSY STRG 48700-9N00B REPLACEMENT PART USED AT THE COST OF TOWING AND 899.95 AT MENTOR NISSAN OHIO. THROUGH RESEARCH FOUND THIS IS A WIDELY KNOW ISSUE, MANY CASES INVOLVED THIS. 250,000 HITS ON INTERNET. CERTAINLY THE CONSUMER SHOULD BE PROTECTED AND REIMBURSED BY NISSAN.

YESTERDAY, AFTER DRIVING TO LUNCH, MY CAR WOULD NOT START AFTER IT WAS PARKED FOR APPS. 1 HOUR. THERE WAS NO WARNING THAT THERE WAS ANY SORT OF MALFUNCTION ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT WAS NOT RECOGNIZING MY KEY FOB INSIDE OR OUTSIDE OF THE MANUAL SLOT. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, THE BREAKS WOULDN'T DEPRESS, NOTHING HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER TO THE TUNE OF $125. THEN HAD THE DEALER RUN DIAGNOSTICS AT $75. ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THIS WAS WHAT I HAD EXPECTED, THE STEERING LOCK. THIS MUST BE REPLACED AND WILL COST $946. AFTER CONTACTING NISSAN, I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD NOT BE HELPING OUT IN ANY WAY, DESPITE THAT THIS IS A WELL KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED FLAW. WHEN ASKED WHY I WASN'T CONTACTED BY THEN SOONER, THEY SAID I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUT HAD NO DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF CONTACTING ME. I AM CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF FILING A COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB AND THE AG. WILL NEVER PURCHASE FROM NISSAN AGAIN.

MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA STEERING LOCK HAD AN INTERNAL FAILURE. NISSAN FAILED TO RECALL THIS PART SO NO INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED TO CONSUMERS OWNING THIS MAKE AND MODEL. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS WHICH THEY OF COURSE DENIED, BUT AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES OF ME REQUESTING THEM TO LET ME KNOW WHEN I WAS NOTIFIED OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY REGARDING THIS PART, I WAS TOLD NO LETTER WAS SENT TO ME. I PURCHASED MY 2009 NISSAN BRAND NEW IN 2010, SO UNLESS THE NISSAN PART WENT BAD EARLY IN OWNERSHIP I WOULD HAVE NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE COVERED UNDER THIS SO CALLED EXTENDED WARRANTY. TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY, THIS IS A BAD NISSAN PART, THEY ARE CHARGING $700 JUST FOR THE PART ALONE TO BE REPAIRED, AND ONLY GUARANTEEING THE PART FOR 12 MONTHS, CAN'T MAKE THIS UP. IT APPEARS THAT NISSAN MADE THE ADJUSTMENTS IN LATER MODELS AND THAT 2009 OWNERS ARE LEFT HOLDING THE BAG. I UNDERSTAND PARTS GOING BAD, AND IN SOME CASES PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE STRANDED (AS I WAS IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION) DUE TO UNFORESEEN ISSUES. BUT I WOULD LIKE FOR SOMEONE TO EXPLAIN TO ME WHY ALL OF THESE PEOPLE POSTING THE SAME COMPLAINT (AND THERE ARE TONS) ARE BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BY NISSAN THAT THIS (THE PART THEY BUILT INTO THE CAR) PART IS SOMEHOW DIFFERENT THAN MOST PARTS BEING RECALLED EVEN AT THIS VERY MOMENT. SHAME ON YOU NHTSA FOR NOT HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS HORRIBLE BUSINESS AND SAFETY ISSUE. THE CAR WILL NOT START WITHOUT THIS PART, BECAUSE IT IS SO EXPENSIVE IT IS REQUIRING PEOPLE TO TRY AND REPAIR THIS THEMSELVES, WHICH IS GOING TO CAUSE EVEN FURTHER SAFETY ISSUES IN MY MIND. WE OWN 2 NISSAN'S IN MY HOUSE, DO ALL OF OUR SERVICING THERE, WE WILL NEVER PURCHASE NISSAN AGAIN.