2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid

THE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID HAS CEASED TO FUNCTION SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY, PUTTING ME AT EXTREME DANGER. IN THE FIRST CASED, THE ELECTRONIC COMPUTER UNIT WAS THE DEFECTIVE PART, ON THE SECOND OCCASION, IT WAS THE IGNITION COILS. I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE, PLACING ME AT GREAT RISK AS THE VEHICLE SEIZES UP WITHOUT WARNING AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROADWAY.

I WAS ON MY WAY TO PICKUP MY WIFE AND THE FOR SONE REASON THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME LOCKED . I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS A MISTAKE OR SOMETHING GOT STUCK IN THE CAR. I PRESS ON THE BUTTON TO START ,NOTHING AND TRY TO TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL ,STILL NOTHING. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND BACK IN ,NOTHING ,SO I DID THIS FOR 30 MINUTES UNTIL FINALLY GAVE UP. I HAD TO RUSH TO GET OUR OTHER CAR TO PICK HER UP. LUCKILY, TRAFFIC WAS OKAY. I HAVE CONTACTED NISSAN TO SEE IF THEY CAN DO ANYTHING ,STILL WAITING TO HEAR FROM THEM. I CONTACTED THEM AT THIS SAME DAY. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN THE PARKING LOT OF OUR APARTMENT.

MY CAR WAS PARKED AND OFF, AND HAD BEEN WORKING FINE WHEN I PARKED IT ABOUT 8 HOURS EARLIER. IT WAS PARKED INDOORS IN A GARAGE ON A WARM FALL DAY, SO EXTREME TEMPERATURES AND WEATHER WERE NOT PRESENT. THE PARKING SPOT AND LOCATION WERE UNREMARKABLE (I WAS PARKED AT WORK, WHICH IS SAFE AND NO ONE WOULD HAVE TAMPERED WITH THE CAR). AFTER 7 YEARS WITH NO PROBLEM WITH THE PUSH BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH, IT SUDDENLY REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE REMOTE KEY FOB. THEY KEY CONTINUED TO WORK WITH THE DOORS AND TRUNK, AND THE CAR BATTERY WAS FINE. IT WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE KEY WHEN PLACED INTO THE EMERGENCY IGNITION SLOT, EITHER. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT THE LOCK STEERING UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR A PARTS COST OF $678 AND LABOR OF $303. I LOOKED ONLINE, AND FOUND THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER NISSAN OWNERS WITH CARS MADE AROUND THIS TIME FRAME WITH IDENTICAL ISSUE AND FIX. IT SOUNDS LIKE A SERIAL DEFECT TO ME, AND I BELIEVE NISSAN SHOULD BEAR THE COST.

THE NISSAN ALTIMAS AND MAXIMAS HAVE A FAULTY ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK (FACTORY PART #48700-9N00B & 48700-9N00A). WHICH WILL FAIL AND YOUR CAR WILL NOT START. THIS SHOULD BEEN RECALLED BECAUSE IT IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WHICH RENDERS THE CAR NON-DRIVABLE. ALSO THIS PART WAS ONLY ON THE 07-11 ALTIMAS AND 09-10 MAXIMAS. ALL THIS PART IS A LITTLE LOCK ACTUATOR THAT MOVES UP AND DOWN AND UNLOCKS THE STEERING WHEEL, THEN INFORMS TO VEHICLE TO START THE CAR. SO IF THIS FAILS WHEN YOU PUSH THE START BUTTON ON THE VEHICLE THE CAR WILL NOT START. NISSAN KNOWS THAT IT IS AN COMMON ISSUE, EVEN THEIR SERVICE TECHS INFORMED ME IT IS A ISSUE. UNFORTUNATELY THEY WOULD RATHER CHARGE THE CUSTOMER $680 FOR THE PART ANOTHER COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS IN LABOR. THIS ROUGHLY A $1000 REPAIR AND INSTEAD OF NISSAN TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR A FAULTY PART, THEY ARE PASSING THE COST OVER TO THEIR CONSUMERS. *TR

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.

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