2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID Complaints

ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK IS A KNOWN DEFECTIVE PART THAT IS NOT TREATED AS SAFETY ISSUE SINCE IT SEEMS TO OCCUR ONLY BEFORE STARTING SEQUENCE. HOWEVER, IF CAR STALLS OR ATTEMPT TO RESTART IN TRAFFIC SITUATION THERE IS POTENTIAL DANGER. NISSAN MODIFIED WARRANTY TO 72 MONTHS ON THIS PART BUT DID NOT NOTIFY OWNERS OF ISSUE. WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED AND PART REPLACED.... IN OUR CASE IT HAPPENED WHILE GETTING SERVICED -- AND EVEN REPLACEMENT FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED....

THE STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY SEIZED UP WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED, SO THE ENGINE STARTER WAS PREVENTED FROM TURNING ON AND THE STEERING AND TRANSMISSION REMAINED LOCKED. THIS HAPPENED IN THE DEAD OF WINTER AND AT NEAR-ZERO TEMPERATURES, REQUIRING A TOW TO A DEALER AND A $1200 REPAIR, WHICH NISSAN LATER REDUCED TO $450. I ACCEPTED THIS ON CONDITION IT WOULD NOT CONSTITUTE A SETTLEMENT. THIS IS A DEFECT THAT TURNS UP IN ALL ALTIMAS BUILT DURING SEVERAL MONTHS IN 2008, WHICH THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED. THEY OFFERED A 72-MONTH WARRANTY AFTER MANUFACTURE (NOT A RECALL, THOUGH CUSTOMERS CLAMORED FOR IT) JUST FOR THIS ITEM, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE DEFECT TENDS TO SURFACE AFTER THIS PERIOD. MY CAR MISSED THE WINDOW BY 22 DAYS. MANY SIMILAR CASES HAVE BEEN REPORTED SINCE, AND NONE HAVE BEEN COVERED. HAD THE UNIT FAILED WHILE THE CAR WAS RUNNING, IT IS LIKELY THAT THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE FAILED TO LOCK UPON TURNING OFF THE IGNITION, LEADING TO A HAZARDOUS SITUATION. BEING IN THE COLD FOR HOURS WAS HAZARDOUS ON ITS OWN, ANYWAY, BUT I SURVIVED IT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 67,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING LOCK CONTROL MODULE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 111,000.

I WAS 50 MILES AWAY FROM HOME, WHEN I GO TO START MY CAR IT WILL NOT START AT ALL! MY KEY WOULD LOCK AND UNLOCK MY CAR BUT IT WOULDN'T TURN ON. INITIALLY I THOUGHT IT WAS THE KEY, I HAD MY SISTER DROP OFF MY SPARE TO SEE IF THAT WAS THE CASE, IT WASN'T. COME TO FIND OUT THE ESCL SEEMS TO BE FAULTY AND IS PREVENTING THE CAR FROM STARTING UP. RIGHT NOW I'M WAITING ON THE DEALER TO TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON, BEWARE NISSAN KNOWS ALL ABOUT THIS BUT IS REFUSING TO DO A RECALL! *TR

MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID REFUSED TO RECOGNIZE THE WIRELESS KEY, LEAVING ME STRANDED. IT WAS SEVEN DEGREES IN CHICAGO AND THE WINDCHILL WAS BELOW ZERO, BUT I WAS ABLE TO RETURN HOME TAKING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED IF THIS HAD OCCURRED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I TOWED THE CAR TO A DEALER, WHO TOLD ME THAT THE "STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY" HAD FAILED, BUT THEY COULD FIX IT FOR $1170 PLUS TAX. I FOUND THAT THERE USED TO BE A SPECIAL WARRANTY IF THIS PART FAILED, BUT NISSAN HAD PUT A TIME LIMIT ON IT SO THAT CARS WHERE THE DEFECT SHOWED UP WERE BEING DENIED COVERAGE AS EARLY AS OCTOBER OF 2014. NISSAN INSISTS THAT: (1) THIS DEFECT AFFECTS FEW CARS, SO THEY ISSUED A SPECIAL WARRANTY RATHER THAN A RECALL, (2) THE DEFECT DOES NOT HAVE SAFETY IMPLICATIONS, AND (3) CUSTOMERS ARE ADEQUATELY COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. I BELIEVE ALL THREE STATEMENTS ARE KNOWINGLY FALSE. (1) THE DEALER WHERE MY CAR WAS REPAIRED TOLD ME THAT THEY ARE SEEING SIMILAR CASES MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK. MULTIPLY BY THE NUMBER OF SHOPS IN THE COUNTRY AND PRETTY SOON YOU HAVE THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES AFFECTED. THE NHTSA WEBSITE ALONE HAS HUNDREDS OF CASES REPORTED. (2) ASIDE FROM THE DANGER STEMMING FROM BEING STRANDED IN BAD WEATHER OR LOCATION, IF THIS PART FAILS WHILE THE CAR IS RUNNING THE LIKELY RESULT IS A FAILURE OF THE STEERING AND TRANSMISSION LOCKS. A TRANSMISSION THAT DOES NOT LOCK CAN EASILY LEAD TO A CAR MOVING BY ITSELF IN AN INCLINE, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. (3) ALMOST ALL AFFECTED CARS MANUFACTURED AFTER OCTOBER 2008 ARE BEING DENIED COVERAGE. THE OWNERS WERE TOLD IN WRITING TO WAIT UNTIL THE DEFECT OCCURRED, AND THEN THE PROBLEM WOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF BY NISSAN. THIS DOES NOT LOOK LIKE TAKING CARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE SOLUTION: ASK NISSAN TO ISSUE AN OUTRIGHT RECALL OF THIS DEFECTIVE PART. THE SAFETY OF THOUSANDS IS AT STAKE. *TR

THE DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE FRONT DOOR ACTUATORS STOPPED WORKING ON MY NISSAN WHEN I USE MY FOB OR THE DOOR BUTTON TO OPEN. I PRESS THE BUTTON AND THE DOOR LOCKS WILL ONLY MOVE PART OF THE WAY, BUT WILL NOT FULLY LOCK OR UNLOCK THE DOOR. I HAVE TO PUT THE PHYSICAL KEY INTO THE LOCK AND TWIST TO OPEN THE DOOR. I KNOW THIS IS MY DOOR ACTUATORS BECAUSE THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED 4 MONTHS AGO TO MY REAR TWO DOORS. I REPLACED THEM AND THE DOORS WORK IN THE REAR NOW, BUT I BELIEVE THE ORIGINAL PARTS ARE FAULTY AND THAT IS WHY THEY ARE GOING OUT IN THE FRONT. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO REPLACE THEM IN A 5 YEAR OLD CAR. I AM A YOUNG WOMAN LIVING IN AN URBAN AREA AND REQUIRE SWIFT ENTRY IN AND OUT OF MY VEHICLE TO REMAIN SAFE. THIS IS WHY I REQUIRE USE OF MY FOB. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING HARD FOR AN EXTENDED AMOUNT OF TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ECM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND ADVISED FOR THE REPAIRS TO BE DONE AT A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO A DEALER WHERE THE REPAIRS WERE PENDING APPROVAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.

STARTING SYSTEM DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THE KEY FOB. I CAN LOCK AND UNLOCK THE CAR WITH THE FOB BUT CAN NOT START IT. INSERTING THE FOB INTO THE ACCESSORY KEY PORT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. RESEARCH CONCLUDES THIS IS A COMMON MALFUNCTION THAT LEAVES MOTORISTS STRANDED AND THAT THE SOLUTION IS RESOLVED WITH THE REPLACEMENT OF THE STEERING LOCK MECHANISM. AGAIN, THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON, KNOWN ISSUE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM (TPMS) WARNING LAMP WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE SENSOR FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000. UPDATED 06/17/14*LJ