2010 NISSAN ALTIMA Complaints

I HAVE A 2010 ALTIMA THAT HAS THE SAME SAFETY PROBLEM AS HAS BEEN REPORTED ON THIS WEB SITE AND MANY OTHER AUTOMOTIVE COMPLAINT WEB SITES MANY, MANY TIMES (NOT ONLY FOR THIS NISSAN PRODUCT BUT VARIOUS NISSAN PRODUCTS OF EARLIER YEARS). NAMELY, THE SWITCH THAT OPERATES THE BRAKE LIGHTS FAILS INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN IT FAILS THE BRAKE LIGHTS WON'T ILLUMINATE WHEN THE DRIVER STEPS ON THE BRAKE. THIS IS A REAR END COLLISION WAITING TO HAPPEN! DOES THE NHTSA HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE IS KILLED BEFORE REQUIRING A MANUFACTURER TO FIX A DEFECT THAT BOTH THE MANUFACTURER AND NHTSA KNEW ABOUT FOR SEVERAL YEARS? TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, WHEN THE SWITCH FAILS THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING AND TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEMS ARE DISABLED POSING AN ADDITIONAL SAFETY RISK. TO MAKE MATTER WORSE, WHEN THE SWITCH FAILS THE CAR WON'T START. WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE STUCK IN A DARK, DESERTED AREA AT 2 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING WHEN YOUR CAR DECIDED NOT TO START? AS I SAID BEFORE, THE MANUFACTURER HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR YEARS. IN RESPONSE TO THE DELUGE OF CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS, IN NOVEMBER OF 2010 NISSAN ACKNOWLEDGED THE DEFECT BY ISSUING A TSB (NTB10-139) TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IT INVOLVES A DIFFERENT STOP LAMP SWITCH AND A NEW ELECTRICAL HARNESS. THE COST TO IMPLEMENT THE TSB IS BORNE BY THE CUSTOMER. MY DEALER WANTS $579 TO DO THIS! IN RESPONSE TO AN OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE IT IS TIME FOR THE NHTSA TO ACT BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. NISSAN SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT TSB NTB10-139 IN ALL NISSAN PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN THE DEFECTIVE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH AT NO COST TO THE CUSTOMER. UPDATED 9/28/15 *LN UPDATED 3/23/2016*JS UPDATED 12/5/2017*CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REVERSE, AN ABNORMAL NOISE EMITTED FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT BOTH FRONT COIL SPRINGS HAD FRACTURED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD WAS MELTING AND THE MATERIAL WAS LIFTING ON THE DRIVER SIDE. DUE TO THE FAILURE, THE DASHBOARD HAD A GLOSSY SURFACE WHICH OBSTRUCTED THE CONTACT'S VISION OUT OF THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A BURNING ODOR UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE SEALS ON THE REAR OF THE ENGINE FAILED AND STARTED LEAKING OIL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

ENGINE OIL IS LEAKING ON THE GROUND CAUSING POSSIBLE FIRE AND OR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. I TOOK THE CAR TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND I INDICATED THAT THE REAR ENGINE OIL SEAL SHOULD NOT PREMATURELY LEAK ENGINE OIL ON THE GROUND WITH A 4 YEAR OLD CAR THAT HAS APPROXIMATELY 75,000 MILES SHOULD NOT LEAK OIL. I CONTACTED NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND THEY WILL NOT REPAIR MY VEHICLE. I ALSO INDICATED THAT NISSAN EXTENDED SUPPORT ON THE LEAKING CVT TRANSMISSION AND WHY NISSAN WILL NOT COVER FOR THE LEAKING ENGINE OIL?

AS APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT, BRAKES WERE DIFFICULT TO "GRAB" AND TOO EXTRA PRESSURE. STOP WAS RATHER SLOW, AND ANTI-LOCK BRAKES APPEARED TO KICK IN (BY ROUGH, STACCATO SHAKING TYPICAL OF THEM APPLYING). ONLY BY PRESSING DOWN AS HARD AS I COULD DID I PREVENT SMASHING INTO THE CAR AHEAD OF ME. DRY, SUNNY FLORIDA CONDITIONS, NO SAND OR SLIPPING AT ALL, JUST SLOW, ODD BRAKING. THEN THE ENGINE SEEMED TO BE REVVING A BIT - FASTER IDLING THAN NORMAL WHILE AT THE STOP LIGHT. WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT SPEEDING HERE, OR SUDDEN BRAKING, JUST A NORMAL APPROACH TO A KNOWN STOP SIGN OR LIGHT. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. THIS HAPPENED A COUPLE TIMES, THEN DID NOT REPEAT FOR A COUPLE MONTHS. THEN, WHEN IT DID REPEAT, I ASKED THE DEALER ABOUT IT. ALWAYS AT A STOP LIGHT OR STOP SIGN, ALWAYS IN DANGER OF SMASHING INTO THE CAR AHEAD OF ME OR ENTERING TOO FAR INTO THE INTERSECTION IF I COULD NOT CONTROL THE STOP. THEY WERE COMPLETELY PUZZLED, AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE IT BECAUSE, AS I SAID, IT IS VERY SPORADIC. AN ISPECTION DID NOT REVEAL ANYTHING. THEY LAUGHED AT ME, SAYING IT WAS TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES TO KICK IN IF THERE IS NO SKIDDING. OK, SO WHAT WAS IT THEN? IT SURE AS HECK SEEMED LIKE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES! (I COME FROM UP NORTH AND HAVE EXPERIENCED ANTI-LOCK BRAKES KICKING IN ON SNOW COVERED ROADS...) SINCE THE INITIAL REOCCURRENCE, IT WENT SEVERAL MONTHS, ABOUT SIX, WITH NO ISSUES OR REPEATS, THEN JUST THE OTHER DAY, IT DID IT AGAIN TWICE MORE. I SUSPECT IT COULD BE SOMETHING TO DO WITH COMPUTER CONTROLS, RATHER THAN THE BRAKES THEMSELVES, BUT I AM NO MECHANIC.

PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF LIGHT INDICATES INOPERATIVE PASSENGER AIR BAG WHEN ADULT PASSENGER IS SEATED. APPARENT SPORADIC OPERATION OF AIR BAG. SERIOUS SAFTEY HAZARD! WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED? AIR BAG SENSOR INDICATES SOMETIMES IT IS OPERATING PROPERLY, AND OTHER TIMES DANGEROUSLY INOPERATIVE. AND IT IS NOT A WEIGHT ISSUE. I ONCE HAD THE LIGHT TURN OFF (MEANING THE AIR BAG WAS ENGAGED TO OPERATE IN A CRASH) BASED ONLY ON THE WEIGHT OF MY BRIEFCASE (HOLDING A LAPTOP) ON THE SEAT! SO IT IS CLEARLY A SENSOR ISSUE. LIGHT ALSO GOES ON OR OFF SEEMINGLY AT WILL. WHILE DRIVING, IT SOMETIMES CHANGES SEVERAL TIMES (ON VS. OFF) DURING A TRIP. STARTED AROUND 22,000 MILES IN ABOUT 2013, AND STILL ERRATIC AT 32,000 MILES IN 2015 (LOW MILEAGE CAR) BASED ON A REVIEW OF PAST COMPLAINTS, THIS HAS BEEN A KNOWN, UNADDRESSED PROBLEM OF THIS MODEL SINCE 2010, AND COMPRISES WHAT APPEARS TO BE A WHOPPING PERCENTAGE OF ALL COMPLAINTS ON THIS VEHICLE! REFERENCE NHTSA NUMBERS 10705119, 10693858, 10621721, 10551401, 10538101, 10508652, 10462938, 10398851, 10386702 TO DATE. DEALER SAID SENSOR IS IN SEAT, AND ENTIRE SEAT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED TO FIX. REALLY? COST ABOUT $1,000, SO I NOW KNOW WHAT A LIFE IS WORTH TO NISSAN - LESS THAN $1,000, RIGHT? MAYBE A LAWSUIT WOULD HELP, BUT THEY KNOW PROVING THE AIR BAG SENSOR IS DEFECTIVE IS DIFFICULT AND EXPENSIVE FOR THE AVERAGE CONSUMER. KISS YOUR LOVED ONES BEFORE DRIVING WITH THE "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF" WARNING LIGHT LIT! WHY THE NHTSA AND NISSAN REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS WELL ESTABLISHED, AND HIGHLY RISKY DEFECT IS TRULY BEYOND ME. CONSIDER A DIFFERENT VEHICLE UNTIL THIS PROBLEM IS FINALLY ADDRESSED, IF EVER.

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE HAS FAILED TO START WHEN THE BRAKE WAS DEPRESSED. AT THE PRESENT TIME THE ABS LIGHT, SLIP AND VDC ARE NOW ILLUMINATED AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR A FEW MINUTES. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BLINK IF THERE IS A PROBLEM DRIVING IN WET ROAD CONDITIONS OR IT IS SLIPPERY. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE CAR NOT STARTING. IT TAKES SEVERAL TRIES IN ORDER TO GET THE CAR TO TURNOVER AND START. I BELIEVE THAT NISSAN NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE FURTHER AND ISSUE A RECALL FOR THESE VEHICLES.

TRAVELING EAST ON I-20 IN ARLINGTJON TEXAS OUR CAR BEGAN LOSING POWER AND COASTED TO A STOP. WE WERE POWERLESS TO MOVE AND COULD NOT GET OFF THE FREEWAY. WE WERE HIT FROM BEHIND AND AS REPORTED OUR CAR WENT AIRBORNE. THE TRUCK THAT HIT US ALSO HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE AND FLIPPED ONTO ITS TOP. IN ALL 4 PEOPLE WENT TO HOSPITAL INCLUDING MY SELF AND MY WIFE. IN RESEARCHING THE REASON THE CAR STOPPED, I FOUND A NUMBER OF OTHER CASES OVER SEVERAL YEARS OF PEOPLE ONLINE THAT LOST POWER IN THIS TYPE VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE A SENSOR FOR THE CRANKSHAFT/CAMSHAFT THAT FAILS CAUSING STALLING. I CONTACTED NISSANS REPRESENTATIVE(CASE NUMBER18593816) AT 615-725-7539. TOLD THEM THE CAR HAD BEEN SEALED AND SECURED AWAITING THEIR INSPECTION TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. THEY REFUSED TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE SAYING THEIR WERE NO RECALLS ON IT. I FEEL THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE KILLED US AND OTHERS.

THE DRIVERS POWER LOCK HAS STOPPED WORKING, BOTH OPENING AND CLOSING. THIS LEAVES THE DRIVERS DOOR LOCK IN A DIFFERENT STATE THAN THE OTHERS. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE IT GIVES A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY. *TR