2009 NISSAN ALTIMA Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START WHEN PROMPTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000.

I WAS DRIVING THE CHILDREN TO SCHOOL AND A "KEY" INDICATOR CAME ON. AFTER I DROPPED THEM OFF AND WENT TO LEAVE AGAIN, THE CAR WOULDN'T START. I COULD LOCK/UNLOCK THE DOOR WITH THE KEY SENSOR; BUT NOTHING ELSE WOULD WORK. I HAD AAA CHECK THE BATTERY AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. THE TECHNICIAN CALLED INTO THE OFFICE AND LEARNED THAT THIS MODEL IS ONE OF TWO CARS THAT HAVE AN ISSUE WITH A FAULTY STEERING WHEEL LOCK. THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND IT HAD TO BE TOWED INTO THE DEALERSHIP FOR A $979 REPAIR. I ALSO HAD TO RENT A CAR FOR TWO CARS WHILE THIS WAS FIXED. I'M A SOCIAL WORKER AND I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN TRAPPED AT A CLIENT'S HOUSE IN A BAD SITUATION AND HAD NO WAY TO LEAVE. THIS IS A DANGEROUS FAULT THAT SHOULD BE AT THE COST OF THE MANUFACTURER AND NOT THE CUSTOMER. WHY WERE THESE VEHICLES NOT RECALLED SINCE THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT?? WE SHOULD PRACTICE PREVENTION; NOT WAIT UNTIL A "MAGIC NUMBER" OF LIVES HAVE BEEN COMPROMISED. *TR

WHILE I WAS AT WORK AND DONE WITH MY SHIFT I WENT OUT TO MY CAR AND PRESS THE BREAK AND PUSH THE PUSH START BUTTON IT DID NOT START IT TURNS OUT THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING CONTROL LOCK IS DEFECTIVE I COULD'VE BEEN HURT OR KILLED OR PUT IT IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION IF I HAD NO ONE AROUND ME TO HELP ME OUT. MY LIFE WAS PUT AT RISK WITH A CAR THAT WOULD NOT START. THE CAR WAS STATIONARY WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND IT HAPPENED IN A RULE AREA OF CALIFORNIA WHICH IS THE SEARNE VALLEY WHICH IS ALMOST ALL DESERT. I WAS ABLE TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO THE VALLEYHIGH NISSAN IN VICTORVILLE CALIFORNIA AND THEY ARE QUOTING ME $947 TO HAVE THIS PART REPLACED.

STEERING WHEEL LOCK CONTROL I HAVE BEEN STRANDED 4 TIMES DO TO ME CAR NOT STARTING WITH MY CHILD IN CAR I RESEARCHED AND NISSAN HAS HAD ALIT OF COMPLAINTS ON IT JUST WANT IT FIXED BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER.

NISSAN HAS REFUSED TO RECALL THEIR FAULTY ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK UNIT THAT IS NEEDED TO TURN THE VEHICLE ON. IF IT DOES NOT LOCK THE WHEEL IN PLACE IT WILL NOT ALLOW THE PUSH START IGNITION TO START THE VEHICLE, THUS LEAVING THEIR OCCUPANTS STRANDED WITH NO OPTION OTHER THAN TO HAVE THEIR VEHICLES TOWED TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND FORCED TO PAY UPWARDS OF $1200 FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF A DEFECTIVE FACTORY PART. THEY OFFERED A EXTENDED WARRANTY TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, BUT NEGLECTED TO INFORM CONSUMERS OF THIS. THEY ARE CLEARLY TRYING TO GET OUT OF PAYING FOR THEIR MISTAKES AND ARE PASSING THE COST ON TO THEIR UNSUSPECTING CUSTOMERS.

AFTER ROUTINE DRIVE, CAR "FROZE-UP" DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN, CAR WOULD NOT START, WHEEL DID NOT TURN, CAR WOULD NOT START, CAR DEAD. AFTER SOME RESEARCH FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS, IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH "STEERING / ENGINE LOCKING-UP" AND CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE AT ANYTIME WITHOUT ANY WARNING. NISSAN AT ONE POINT HAD EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THIS INDEFINITELY, THEN ARBITRARILY ENDED IT IN MID 2015. THIS IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS....CAN LEAVE YOU STRANDED ANYWHERE!!!

ESCL - ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK I WENT TO THE STORE FAR FROM HOME AND WHEN I TRIED STARTING THE CAR IT DID NOT START. THE DOOR LOCKS WORKED BUT NOTHING ELSE WOULD COME ON. I CHECKED ONLINE AND IT STATED THAT IT WAS ESCL. I PUT IN A USED ONE AND IT WORKED. I WOULD LIKE NISSAN TO REPLACE THAT PART WITH A NEW PART. I WAS STRANDED FOR HOURS AND HAD TO LEAVE MY CAR IN THE STORE PARKING LOT FOR 3 DAYS.

MY MOTHER-IN-LAW DROVE THE CAR TO WORK IN THE MORNING WITH NO ISSUES. WHEN SHE WENT TO LEAVE AT THE END OF HER EVENING SHIFT, THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN ON WHEN THE PUSH BUTTON START WAS PRESSED. THANKFULLY A CO-WORKER WAS STILL WITH HER AND ABLE TO DRIVE HER HOME, OTHERWISE SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED IN A PRECARIOUS SITUATION WAITING FOR A TOW TRUCK FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG. THE CAR WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT OF A BANK BRANCH (WHERE SHE WORKS). AFTER RESEARCHING THE BEHAVIOR, WE LEARNED ABOUT THE STEERING LOCK MODULE FAILURE. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY CONFIRMED OUR FEARS. UNFORTUNATELY, THE REPAIR WAS GROSSLY EXPENSIVE. UPON FILING A CLAIM FOR PAYMENT ASSISTANCE OR REIMBURSEMENT WITH NISSAN, WE WERE DENIED AS THEY SAID IT WAS NOT A RECALL/SAFETY ISSUE, THEIR "CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WARRANTY EXTENSION" OFFERED HAS EXPIRED, AND THE NHTSA DID NOT FEEL THE ISSUE WAS TIED TO CUSTOMER SAFETY THEREFORE IT WASN'T A RECALL. I BELIEVE THIS IS UNREASONABLE. MY MOTHER-IN-LAW, OR ANY DRIVER, COULD BE STRANDED WITH A USELESS VEHICLE, UNABLE TO START THE CAR, DUE TO A KNOWN FAILURE IN A NISSAN PART. AT A MINIMUM, NISSAN SHOULD HAVE BEEN REQUIRED TO NOTIFY OWNERS OF THIS KNOWN AND THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING LEFT STRANDED SHOULD THE CAR FAIL TO PROPERLY TURN ON.

THE ALTIMA IS EQUIPPED WITH AN ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK (ESCL) UNIT THAT LOCKS THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PARKED AND THE IGNITION IS TURNED OFF TO HELP PREVENT THEFT. ESCL MAY MALFUNCTION AFTER THE VEHICLE IS LOCKED AND COULD PREVENT THE ENGINE FROM STARTING. THIS CONDITION, SHOULD IT OCCUR, WILL ONLY OCCUR WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, AND NOT WHILE DRIVING. I TURNED ON MY CAR AND TOOK MY 6 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER TO THE DOCTOR AS SHE WAS RUNNING A HIGH FEVER. UPON LEAVING THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE AT 12A.M. I PUSHED MY START BUTTON TO TURN ON MY VEHICLE AND IT WAS UNRESPONSIVE. I WAS LEFT IN THE DARK UNABLE TO OPERATE MY VEHICLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH MY 6 M MONTH OLD BABY. THE PARKING I WAS IN DID NOT ALLOW FOR OVERNIGHT PARKING AND I WAS ALONE WITH MY BABY. UPON RESEARCHING NISSAN HAD EXTENDED THE WARRANTY TO THE ELECTRONICS STEERING COLUMN LOCK TO 6 YEARS UNLIMITED MILES FROM 3 YEARS 36,000 MILES WARRANTY. I NO LONGER FALL ON THAT AND I AM HAVING THIS ISSUE. NISSAN SAYS I AM OUT OF WARRANTY AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO FOR ME. ACCORDING TO THEIR ANNOUCEMENT THIS IS A 'MANUFACTURING IRREGULARITY' THAT NOW I HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO PAY. I HAVE NO SAVINGS TO PAY FOR SUCH PART AND THE TOWING ALREADY COST ME A HANDFUL AND PUT MY BABY IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION. I AM A SINGLE MOM AND TRULY UPSET WITH THE SITUATION. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL! PLEASE SEE LINK: REGARDING THE WARRANTY HTTP://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20150219214832/HTTP://WWW.NISSANASSIST.COM/WEB/ESCL_WARRANTY_EXTENSION/PROGRAMDETAILS.PHP?MENU=61

THE STEERING LOCK IS CAUSING THE CAR NOT TO START AT ALL. I HAVE BEEN STRANDED MANY TIMES AND THIS IS NOT SAFE. I HAVE BEEN AT MY HOUSE WHERE IT HASN'T WORKED, I HAVE BEEN AT WORK.