2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID Complaints

CAR OPERATED NORMALLY IN THE MORNING, ABLE TO START AND DROVE PERFECTLY FINE TO THE OFFICE. WHEN I WENT TO START MY CAR TO GO GET LUNCH, THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND THE INTELLIGENT KEY LIGHT FLASHED. I CALLED THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THE FOB MUST HAVE SOMEHOW UN-SYNCED. AAA TOWED TO DEALERSHIP, WAS THEN TOLD THAT MY STEERING CONTROL LOCK HAD FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. DUE TO HIGH DEMAND FROM THE PART (INDICATING A SIGNIFICANT CURRENT FAILURE RATE) THE PART WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR ALMOST A WEEK. I THEN WENT HOME AND GOOGLED THE ISSUE, FOUND HTTP://WWW.ARFC.ORG/COMPLAINTS/2009/NISSAN/ALTIMA/?Q=&PAGE=24 WHERE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR PART FAILING OVER THE PAST YEAR WERE BEING REPORTED. WHAT IF I WASN'T AT THE OFFICE? I COULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED ANYWHERE, IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER. THIS POSES A SERIOUS HEALTH RISK. BEYOND THAT, THE TOTAL COST OF REPAIR WAS ALMOST $800. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE CONTACT TOWED THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST SHOWED A DEFECTIVE STEERING LOCK CONTROL MODULE WHICH PREVENTED THE VEHICLE FROM STARTING. THE DEALER DID NOT HAVE THE PART REPLACED DUE TO THE PART BEING ON BACK ORDER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,700. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

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 FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE STEERING LOCK COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND A CASE WAS OPENED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 69,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

INTELLIKEY LIGHT BLINKING STARTED ON JANUARY 14TH. I REPLACED THE BATTERY IN THE KEY FOB. I WENT TO GET INTO MY CAR AFTER WORK ON SATURDAY AND WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK MY DOORS. I ATTEMPTED TO START MY CAR, AND THE INTELLIKEY LIGHT WAS BLINKING AGAIN, BUT I DID NOT HAVE ANY DASH LIGHTS COME ONE. THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND TO THE BYPASS OPTION EITHER. THERE WAS NO POWER OR ABILITY TO TURN THE CAR ON. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST NISSAN DEALER AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK MALFUNCTIONED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THERE IS NO ETA AS THERE IS A BACK ORDER NATIONWIDE FOR THE PART. *TR

IT WAS IN NIGHT AROUND 11PM, I STEPPED OUT TO NEARBY WALMART. UPON RETURN, THE CAR DID NOT START. I WAS GETTING THE "YELLOW KEY" SYMBOL. MY FIRST IMPRESSION WAS THAT SOMETHING WAS FAULTY WITH MY FOB KEY. I CALLED MY FRIEND AND GOT TO TRY THE KEY. EVEN THIS WAS FUTILE. I LOOKED UP MY MANUAL FOR THIS SYMBOL CODE AND REALIZED THAT THERE WAS SOME MALFUNCTION IN THE KEYLESS IGNITION SYSTEM. I WAS SURPRISED COS THE CAR WAS WELL MAINTAINED, WITH PERIODIC SERVICE AND VERY LOW MILES(30K).IT WAS PERFECT UNTIL THEN. I RETURNED HOME WITH MY FRIEND AND NEXT DAY, I TRIED ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE WHO TRIED JUMP START WITHOUT ANY LUCK. FINALLY, IT WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. LATER THE DEALER CALLS ME TO TELL THAT IT IS STEERING LOCK PROBLEM, AND THAT HE DOESN'T HAVE THE REPLACEMENT NOR CAN HE GIVE ME DATE OF WHEN IT IS EXPECTED. AFTER SEEING THE MESSAGES IN FORUM HERE, I REALIZE IT IS SERIOUS PROBLEM ON NISSAN PART. I AM JUST LUCKY THAT THIS DID NOT HAPPEN ON DAY WHEN I WAS FAR AWAY FROM HOME. I CANT IMAGINE BEING STUCK IN OUTSKIRTS IN MIDDLE OF NIGHT. I HOPE THEY SERIOUSLY DO SOMETHING TO RECALL THIS PART. IT IS A TOTAL RISKY THING AND WONDER HOW NISSAN DID NOT LOOK INTO IT. *TR

THE KEY FOB UNLOCKED THE CAR BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT START WHEN I TRIED TO START IT. THE YELLOW KEY LIGHT INDICATOR WAS ON THE DASH. THE PUSH-START BUTTON STAYED IN THE LOCK POSITION. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE NISSAN DEALER. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE STEERING LOCK UNIT MALFUNCTIONED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR WILL NOT START UP UNTIL IT IS REPLACED. THE PART IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. MY FINAL QUOTE WAS $775 FROM THE DEALER. MY STORY IS SIMILAR TO OTHER STEERING LOCK UNIT COMPLAINTS NISSAN SHOULD RECALL THIS DEFECTIVE PART. *TR

THE STEERING LOCK UNIT (PART NUMBER 48700-9N00B) NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE STEERING LOCK UNIT DID NOT PROPERLY ENGAGE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. BECAUSE THE UNIT DID NOT ENGAGE, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. I WAS LEFT STRANDED IN A PARKING GARAGE AT NIGHT AND HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED. THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP WAS IN ALEXANDRIA, VA. THEY CHARGED $900 TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. SINCE THE VEHICLE HAD OVER 36,000 MILES, IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS A WIDELY KNOWN ISSUE WITH NISSAN VEHICLES AND IS PRESENT ON SEVERAL ONLINE FORUMS. MOST OF THE STEERING LOCK UNIT FAILURES OCCUR AFTER THE WARRANTY PERIOD, BUT BEFORE 60K MILES. THERE IS AN EXISTING SAFETY RECALL FOR THE 2009 NISSAN GT-R MODEL FOR THE STEERING LOCK UNIT (CAMPAIGN ID P0309). THIS IS NISSAN'S TOP TIER VEHICLE. AT THIS TIME NISSAN HAS CHOSEN NOT TO ISSUE A RECALL FOR OTHER MODELS TO INCLUDE THE ALTIMA. ANYONE DRIVING A NISSAN WITH THIS KNOWN ISSUE CAN BE STRANDED AT ANY TIME. *TR

PUSHED ON BRAKES AND PEDAL WENT DOWN WITH NO BRAKES. ONCE PEDAL GOT TO A LOW POINT THE BRAKES CAME FULL ON WITH CAR ABRUPTLY COMING TO A STOP. AT THE SAME TIME ALARMS CAME ON. I SHUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED. THE ALARMS WERE STILL ON. I TRIED DRIVING FORWARD AGAIN AND SLOWLY PUSHED DOWN ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE BRAKE PEDAL CONTINUED DOWN WITH NO RESISTANCE UNTIL IT REACHED A LOW POINT AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR ABRUPTLY COMES TO A STOP. BEAVERTON NISSAN CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM. BEAVERTON NISSAN MECHANIC WITH THE HELP OF NISSAN TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOUND THE PROBLEM TO BE A BRAKE BRAKE PEDAL SENSOR FAILURE. FORTUNATELY I WAS DRIVING SLOW IN AN AREA WITH NO TRAFFIC. HOWEVER I HAD NO CONTROL OVER THE BRAKES, EITHER THEY WERE NOT ENGAGED OR ENGAGED TO A POINT THAT THE CAR WOULD ABRUPTLY STOP. I WANT TO EMPHASIS THE WORD ABRUPTLY. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: WHAT IS I WAS IN TRAFFIC AND I NEEDED TO SLOW DOWN? I WOULD START TO APPLY THE BRAKES AND THERE IS NOTHING, THIS DELAY WOULD HAVE CAUSED ME TO REAR END SOMEONE. OR LETS SAY THE TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF ME SLOWED DOWN, I WOULD HAVE SLOW FEATHERED THE BRAKES AND FINDING NONE I WOULD HAVE CONTINUED TO PUSH ON THE PEDAL AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I HAVE FULL BRAKES. I WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED. AND ANY OF THIS OVER A BRAKE SENSOR FAILURE. NISSAN CONSUMER AFFAIRS BRUSHED IT OFF LIKE IT IS JUST A SENSOR FAILED, NOTHING MORE. IF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED 5 MINUTES DIFFERENCE I WOULD HAVE WRECKED THE CAR. *JS

NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID 2009 TPMS MALFUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT IN AUG 2009 AND THE TPMS FAILED AT LEAST FOUR TIMES TILL TODAY (MAR 2 2011). THE TPMS LIGHT WAS ON EVEN WHEN ALL THE TIRES WERE IN STANDARD PRESSURE. THE DEALER/SERVICE CENTER WAS ABLE TO REPAIR IT ALL THE TIME BUT THE EQUIPMENT CAN LEAD TO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY. *TR

NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID SUDDENLY ACCELERATION. I WAS GOING SLOW PULLING INTO A PARKING STALL WHEN MY CAR "JUMPED" AND SUDDENLY WENT FORWARD CRASHING INTO THE RAILING. THERE WAS A WITNESS THAT SAW ME PULLING INTO THE PARKING STALL SLOWLY WHEN MY CAR "JUMPED" CRASHING THROUGH THE RAILING. *TR