2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid

FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON MY CAR WOULD NOT START ON THANKSGIVING. IT ONLY SHOWED A KEY. I WENT TO NISSAN THE NEXT DAY TO GET A NEW BATTERY FOR MY KEY FOB. AND HAD TO GET IT TOWED. THEY SAID IT WAS A STEERING COLUMN LOCK AND IT WAS OVER $900. NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING AND AT SUCH A RIDICULOUS EXPENSE. APPARENTLY THIS IS COMMON FOR THIS MODEL AND I'M HOPING FOR REIMBURSEMENT AS I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT BEFORE 1/1/16. I'M GLAD WE WEREN'T ON AN OUT OF TOWN TRIP THAT DAY.

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

2009 ALTIMAS APPEARED TO HAVE A KNOWN ISSUE REGARDING THE STEERING LOCK COLUMN. NISSAN DID NOT ISSUE A RECALL, BUT INSTEAD OFFERED TO REPLACE THE STEERING LOCK ONLY ONCE THE VEHICLE BROKE DOWN, WITH THIS OFFER EXPIRING JAN 1ST 2016 APPARENTLY. MY CAR HAS ONLY 55,000 MILES ON IT, AND IN MARCH 2016 STARTED EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE. CAR WOULD JUST BE UNABLE TO START AT ALL. I HAVE SPENT MONEY HAVING TO GET THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND NOW IT WILL COST ME $1325.00 TO REPLACE THE STEERING LOCK. SINCE THIS WAS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT NISSAN KNEW ABOUT, THE REPLACEMENT COVERAGE PERIOD SHOULD BE EXTENDED INDEFINITELY, OR A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ISSUED.

TAKATA RECAL THE CAR WAS AT A GAS STATION WHEN I RETURNED TO IT, IT WOULD NOT START. IT SARTS WITH A FOB. INSERTED THE FOB AT KEY LOCATION AND WOULD NOT START. MECHANIC TRY STARTING THROUGH THE BATTERY. WOULD NOT START. THE STEERING COLUMN WAS THE ISSUE. THE WARRENTY FOR THIS PART WAS FOR 6 YEARS. I NEVER RECIEVED NOTIFICATION FOR THE WARRENTY. NISSAN AMERICA SAID IT WAS MY RESPONSIBLITY TO LOOK IT UP ON LINE. THE REPAIR COST ME $1263.58. I WAS ONLY ASKING FOR THE PART PRICE WHICH WAS $898.63. WHY WOULD A PART BE ON WARRENTY FOR 6 YEARS AND THEN BREAK DOWN 9 MONTHS LATER AND THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PART FAILURE.