2009 Nissan Altima

ELECTRIC STEERING WHEEL LOCK (ECSL), IS WELL-KNOWN DEFECT THAT IS KNOWN ACROSS ALL 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA, MAXIMA, AND EARLY 2010 350Z. I WAS FILLING UP AT A GAS STATION WHEN MY CAR DID NOT START. I WAS LEFT STRANDED AT A LOCATION THAT WAS UNSAFE LOCATION DUE TO THIS DEFECT. THIS LOCK WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO START MY VEHICLE NOR GO ON ACCESSORY MODE, THUS I WAS NOT ABLE TO ROLL UP MY WINDOWS. I WAS NOT INFORMED OF THIS DEFECT OR EXTENDED WARRANTY. MY EXTENDED WARRANTY EXPIRED LAST MONTH. NISSAN NORTH AMERICA REJECTED MY CLAIM TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM.

OUR 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID DIED WITHOUT WARNING. WE WERE UNABLE TO TURN THE CAR ON, NOTHING ON THE DASHBOARD LIT UP EXCEPT A YELLOW KEY SYMBOL. THE LIGHTS, LOCKS, AND KEY FOB CONTINUED TO WORK, HOWEVER. I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE WE WERE HAVING AND DISCOVERED A NUMBER OF CONSUMERS HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THEIR NISSANS. IT IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT WITH THE STEERING LOCK WHICH RENDERS THE CAR INOPERABLE, APPARENTLY. THIS IS NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. OUR CAR GAVE NO INDICATION OF SOMETHING BEING WRONG. IT HAS ONLY ABOUT 64,000 MILES ON IT AND WE HAVE HAD NO MAJOR ISSUES PREVIOUSLY, AND NO INDICATION THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG PRIOR TO IT DYING. WHEN I CONTACTED NISSAN OF MARLBORO, MA, THE INDIVIDUAL I SPOKE WITH DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM OVER THE PHONE. HE SAID HE WAS 99% CERTAIN IT WAS THE STEERING LOCK. THIS WAS CONFIRMED ONCE WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR REPAIR. FOR HIM TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM ACCURATELY OVER THE PHONE, THEY MUST SEE THIS ISSUE OFTEN ENOUGH. ONLY FURTHER SOLIDIFYING THAT NISSAN IS AWARE THAT THERE IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. I WAS TOLD HOWEVER, THAT DESPITE NISSAN BEING AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, WE HAD MISSED THE DEADLINE FOR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH ENDED IN JUNE 2015. AGAIN, THIS IS NOT DUE TO NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. OUR CAR WAS IN PERFECTLY GOOD CONDITION UNTIL THE MOMENT IT SIMPLY STOPPED WORKING. WHEN I CONTACTED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS TO REPORT THE PROBLEM, I WAS ALSO MADE AWARE THAT THE REASON WE NEVER HEARD OF THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THEY HAD THE PREVIOUS OWNER, MICHAEL SOMETHING, LISTED RATHER THAN US. SO THE MAILING MAY HAVE GONE TO HIM, NOT US. WE PURCHASED THE CAR FROM NISSAN OF WOBURN AS A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE. BY THE TIME I SPOKE WITH THE SECOND INDIVIDUAL FROM NISSAN, OUR INFORMATION WAS UPDATED AND SHE CLAIMED NISSAN CAN NOT GUARANTEE THAT RECALL INFORMATION IS MAILED TO THE CORRECT OWNER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 97,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND PREVENTED THE KEYLESS IGNITION FROM STARTING THE ENGINE. THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 122,000.

STEERING LOCK UNIT FAILED. CAR WILL NOT START OR EVEN TURN OVER. NISSAN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE UNIT, BUT I AND ALOT OF OTHERS FEEL IT SHOULD BE A RECALL. THEY DIDN'T NOTIFY ME OF THIS PROBLEM AND I HAD CAR IN FOR RECALL FOR A DIFFERENT ISSUE WHEN THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM WITH THESE UNITS AND WARRANTY ON THIS WAS STILL IN EFFECT. LUCKILY I WAS AT HOME AND NOT STRANDED SOMEWHERE. BY TAPPING ON UNIT WITH A HAMMER IT STARTED TO WORK I JUST HOPE IT DOESNT FAIL DURING DRIVING AND LOCK THE STEERING WHILE DRIVING