2011 Nissan Altima

THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL TIMES THE CAR WAS UNABLE TO START AND UNABLE TO BE SHUT OFF WITHOUT HAVING TO BE TOWED. THEY CLAIMED IT WAS A BATTERY ISSUE, BUT THE CAR ALMOST ACTED LIKE IT WAS ENCOUNTERING A SOFTWARE CRASH BOTH TIMES. I'VE HAD TO HAVE THE EXHAUST / CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED ON THE CAR. I'VE HAD SEVERAL MAJOR STEERING PROBLEMS. AT ONE POINT, A TIE ROD HAD TO BE REPLACED ON THIS CAR. THE LATEST STEERING ISSUE JUST OCCURRED IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. ON JANUARY 16, I TOOK A ROAD TRIP WITH MY FIANCE AND HER SISTER TO MEMPHIS, TN TO VISIT HER OTHER SISTER. ON THE WAY DOWN WE NOTICED THE CAR WAS DIFFICULT TO STEER. UPON INSPECTION, WE FOUND THE POWER STEERING FLUID WAS LOW. WE REPLACED IT. HOWEVER, WE FOUND IT STRANGE GIVEN THE EXCELLENT MAINTENANCE ON THE CAR. AS WE DROVE, THE STEERING ISSUES RECURRED. WE FIGURED OUT THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE SYSTEM. WE BOUGHT A LOT OF POWER STEERING FLUID IN ORDER TO MAKE IT TO MEMPHIS (THERE WEREN'T MANY MAJOR CITIES ON OUR WAY BETWEEN WHERE WE CAME FROM AND MEMPHIS, SO WE HAD TO GET TO MEMPHIS.) SEVERAL MECHANICS CONFIRMED THE ISSUE WAS THE RACK & PINION SYSTEM ON THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP THAT ULTIMATELY REPAIRED THE CAR MENTIONED THIS BRAKE WAS HIGHLY UNUSUAL, NOT DUE TO POOR MAINTENANCE, AND NOT DUE TO ROAD HAZARDS. SINCE THE CAR IS NOT OUT OF WARRANTY, I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR MYSELF. GIVEN THE OTHER MAJOR REPAIRS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THE SHORT TIME I'VE HAD THIS CAR, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE VERY DILIGENT MAINTENANCE I'VE BEEN PERFORMING ON THE CAR AND DESPITE THE MANY MILES ALREADY ON IT, I BELIEVE I'VE BEEN SOLD A LEMON. AS A RESULT OF THIS COSTLY REPAIR, I'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO SELL A PORTION OF MY 401K. I ADDITIONALLY HAD ADDED EXPENSES SENDING MY FIANCE AND HER SISTER BACK HOME SO THEY COULD GO TO WORK, ROOM & BOARD, CAR RENTAL, AND LOST A DAY OF WORK. *TR

STEERING WHEEL IS PEELING ON THE TOP AND IS SOFT TO THE POINT WHERE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT THE FOAM WILL BE IN MY HAND.THE CAR WAS A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLE BY NISSAN AND BOUGHT AT NISSAN. THEY REVIEWED THE DEFECT TO BE REPLACED AT "GOODWILL" BUT IT DID NOT QUALIFY AS A REASON TO A REPLACE; EVEN THOUGH IT IS A POTENTIAL DANGER TO THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

MY ALTIMA FAILED TO RESPOND TO THE START BUTTON AND EXHIBITED ALL ALARMS LIT ON THE DASHBOARD (INCLUDING ERRONEOUS INDICATIONS OF OPEN DOORS.) AAA SERVICE WAS FORBIDDEN BY AAA TO PROVIDE ANY SERVICE BEYOND BATTERY AND TOWING. AFTER BEING TOWED TO A TIRE SHOP, I BEGGED THE MECHANICS TO DETACH THE GROUND WIRE IN ORDER TO REBOOT THE COMPUTER. THIS WORKED! AN INTERNET SEARCH REVEALED THAT THIS CONDITION AND FIX WAS IDENTICAL TO ONES DESCRIBED IN SERVICE BULLETIN NTB12-041. MY COMPLAINT IS AGAINST THE DEALERSHIP (NISSAN BRIDGEWATER NJ) WHO FAILED TO APPLY THIS SOFTWARE PATCH WHEN IT FIRST APPEARED IN APRIL 2012 DESPITE MANY RETURNS I MADE TO THEM FOR ROUTINE WARRANTY SERVICE. THE OCCURRENCE OF THIS FAILURE AND CITATION OF THE SERVICE BULLETIN HAS BEEN REPORTED BY SEVERAL USERS IN NISSAN USER FORUMS. THIS IMPLIES THAT OTHER DEALERS ARE SIMILARLY NEGLIGENT IN KEEPING CARS CURRENT WITH SERVICE BULLETINS APPLICABLE TO THEIR VEHICLE. *TR

I WAS IN A BUMPER TO BUMPER ACCIDENT AND THE FRONT END OF MY CAR WAS SMOOCHED IN. MY CHEST HIT THE STEERING WHEEL (MY SEAT BELT WAS BUCKLED) KNOCKING THE AIR OUT OF ME, BUT MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. WE HAVE TAKEN OUR CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SENSOR. EVERY TIME WE GET IT BACK WE GET THE SAME ANSWER "WE DON'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE SENSOR". WE RECENTLY TOOK OUR CAR IN 2 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AND WE ASKED THEM IF OUR CAR WAS ON THE AIR BAG RECALL LIST THAT WAS ALL OVER THE NEWS. THEY TOLD US NOT TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING BECAUSE OUR CAR WAS NOT ON THAT LIST. I ENDED UP IN URGENT CARE AFTER THE ACCIDENT WITH MUSCLES SPASMS AND A BRUISED CHEST. WHY DIDN'T MY AIRBAGS GO OFF?! *TR

I WAS TRAVELING ON THE 60W IN MORENO VALLEY. THE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 90, IT WAS PRETTY DRY AND HOT. I WAS CRUISING ALONG AT 70 MPH WITH MY BROTHER, INFANT NIECE AND 10 YEAR OLD SON. WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE SPEED JUST DROPPED TO ABOUT 35 MPH, DUE TO THERE NOT BEING ANY WARNING AT ALL (NO ERROR LIGHTS OR BRAKE LIGHTS), THE CAR BEHIND US NEARLY REAR ENDED US. THEY HAD TO SWERVE SO SUDDENLY IT ALMOST CAUSED THEM TO CRASH INTO THE CAR NEXT TO US. I ENDED UP PULLING OVER FOR A FEW MINUTES, EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE FINE, SO WE CONTINUED THE DRIVE HOME. ABOUT 8 MILES DOWN THE ROAD, THE CAR'S SPEED DROPPED AGAIN. THIS TIME I WAS ALREADY IN THE SLOW LANE AND WAS ABLE TO AVOID ANY NEAR CRASHES. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO NISSAN IN CORONA CA. AFTER A COUPLE DAYS, THEY WERE ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM BEING THE CVT. I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE SOME SORT OF A RECALL ON THE ALTIMA CVT. NISSAN HAS BEEN AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM WITH THE SPEED REDUCING WHILE THE CVT GOES INTO SAFE MODE WITHOUT ANY WARNING TO THE DRIVER OR OTHERS ON THE ROAD. NISSAN HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS ISSUE FOR QUITE SOME TIME, BUT THEY DO NOT SEEM TO CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMER'S SAFETY AND WELL-BEING. *TR

ON JUNE 26, 2014 AROUND 8PM, THE CAR BEGAN TO ABRUPTLY LOSE ACCELERATION. I WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE PAST 25MPH. I FORTUNATELY MADE IT HOME THAT EVENING, BUT FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 2014; THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AT ALL. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT REV IN ANY GEAR AND I WAS ALMOST STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF I95S DURING LUNCHTIME RUSH HOUR. I UNFORTUNATELY HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO CHAPMAN NISSAN, WHERE I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD ATTEMPT TO LOOK AT MY CAR ON MONDAY, JUNE 30. I CALLED ON MONDAY, JUNE 30 AND DID NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE UNTIL 230PM, WHERE I WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION ON THE CAR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I IMMEDIATELY FILED A COMPLAINT WITH NISSAN THE MANUFACTURER AS THIS WAS EXTREMELY UNEXPECTED ON A 3 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. I RECEIVED A VOICE MESSAGE FROM A REGIONAL COMPLAINT MANAGER ON JULY 1 WHO STATED THAT SHE WOULD CALL BACK ON JULY 2. I HAVE CALLED EVERY BUSINESS DAY SINCE JULY 2 WITH NO ADEQUATE RESPONSE FROM NISSAN. IN DOING MY RESEARCH FOR NISSAN ALTIMA TRANSMISSION ISSUES, I DISCOVERED THAT THIS "WAS" A COMMON ISSUE FROM 2006-2010, WHERE THEY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THE TRANSMISSION TO 120K MILES. IN 2011, THEY REDUCED THE WARRANTY TO 60K MILES. HOWEVER, WHAT NISSAN FAILED TO DO WAS ALERT OWNERS, THAT THEY HAD ISSUED "SERVICE BULLETINS" TO THEIR DEALERSHIPS DOCUMENTING THE EXACT PROBLEM I HAD EXPERIENCED ON JUNE 27. THE SERVICE BULLETIN NOTICES ARE: 336174, 361957, NTB10121, NTB1012057. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, A FABRIC TYPE MATERIAL FROM THE REAR WHEEL FENDER WELL WOULD MAKE CONTACT WITH BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRES. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE REAR WHEEL FENDER LINERS WERE DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

2011 NISSAN ALTIMA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO BRAKING SYSTEM SERVICE BULLETIN. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN HE RECEIVED THE SERVICE CAMPAIGN AND SERVICE BULLETIN, IN THE MAIL HE WAS NOT EXPERIENCING ANY PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, IN NOVEMBER 2013, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DISPLAY SOME OF THE IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SERVICE CAMPAIGN. THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. ALSO, THE BRAKES WERE SQUEAKING AND OCCASIONALLY MADE A GRINDING NOISE. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND VALIDATED HIS COMPLAINT AND THEY REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SERVICE BULLETIN. HOWEVER, WHEN THE CONSUMER LEFT THE DEALER, THE BRAKES CONTINUED TO SQUEAK. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER, FOR ITS 45,000 RECOMMENDED SERVICE. HE ASKED THE DEALER TO CHECK THE BRAKES, AS THEY WERE STILL GRINDING AND SQUEAKING. AN INSPECTION REVEALED THE FRONT BRAKES WERE WORN TO A LEVEL OF 2MM, WHICH EXPLAINED THE SQUEAKING AND GRINDING. THE CONSUMER DID NOT BELIEVE, THE PREVIOUS DEALER INSPECTED THE BRAKES OR FALSIFIED THE MULTI-POINT INSPECTION RECORD. *JB UPDATED 07/29/14 UPDATED 07/30/14