2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid

ON THE MORNING OF 11-28-2013 I ENTERED MY VEHICLE TO LEAVE WORK AND PROCEEDED TO TURN IT ON, HOWEVER IT WOULD NOT START. THERE WAS AN AMBER COLORED LIGHT ON THE DASH OF A CAR AND KEY AND THE VEHICLE STAYED IN LOCK MODE. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE, JUMPING THE BATTERY TO MAKE SURE IT WAS CHARGED AND CHANGING THE FOB BATTERY IT STILL WOULDN'T WORK. AFTER SOME RESEARCH AND SPEAKING WITH THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT THE PROBLEM IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY HAD MALFUNCTIONED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. MY CAR AT THIS POINT IS COMPLETELY USELESS. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE I FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2008-2010 NISSAN ALTIMA'S AND THE PART WAS ACTUALLY REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS IN 2010. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE THERE IS NO WAY TO MOVE THE VEHICLE ONCE IT MALFUNCTIONS OTHER THAN TOWING IT. ALL THAT IT TAKES FOR THE MALFUNCTION TO OCCUR IS THE VEHICLE TO BE TURNED OFF. I HAD NO NOTICE THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. IT SIMPLY WOULD NOT START. WITH THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS PART AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN STRANDED DUE TO THIS FAULTY MECHANISM , THE MANUFACTURER NEEDS TO ANSWER TO SOMETHING. NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS MALFUNCTION CAN BE FOUND AT THIS LINK HTTP://WWW.FAQS.ORG/CAR/NISSAN-ALTIMA-2009/STEERING/#B. *TR

WENT TO START THE CAR AND THE START CONTROL WOULDN'T RECOGNIZE THE KEY. REPLACED THE BATTERY TO REMOTE KEY, THIS MADE NO DIFFERENCE. THE STEERING IS NOT LOCKED. [XXX] IN RIVERDALE CITY, UT. CHECKED IT AND SAID IT WAS THE STEERING LOCK COMPONENT THAT IS KEEPING THE CAR FROM BEING ABLE TO START. THEY ASKED FOR VIN NUMBER, WHICH WE GAVE THEM AND IN CHECKING THEY TWICE SAID IT WAS COVERED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY, SINCE THERE HAD BEEN NUMEROUS PROBLEMS DEALING WITH THE STEERING LOCK. THEY THEN CALLED US THE FOLLOWING DAY AND SAID NISSAN WOULDN'T COVER THE WARRANTED SINCE IT WAS A BRANDED TITLE AND SAID THE COST WOULD BE $818, WHICH WE DON'T HAVE AND NOW THE CAR IS DEAD IN THE WATER DUE TO THIS FAULTY STEERING LOCK. PLEASE REQUIRE NISSAN TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS PART/PROBLEM. THANKS FOR LISTENING. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

MY HUSBAND WENT OUT TO MOVE MY CAR AND IT STARTED FINE. ABOUT AN HOUR LATER I WENT TO GET INTO MY CAR TO LEAVE FOR WORK AND IT WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING. THE ONLY LIGHT THAT CAME ON THE DASH WAS A SMALL KEY THAT KEPT FLASHING. AFTER HAVING MY CAR TOWED TWICE AND CALLING ALL OF THE NISSAN DEALERSHIPS AROUND HERE, I WAS TOLD NO ONE COULD FIX MY CAR BECAUSE IT WAS A HYBRID. FINALLY I CALLED THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP ONE MORE TIME AND THIS TIME ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY SAID THEY COULD WORK ON IT. I WAS VERY FRUSTRATED AND HAD ALREADY BEEN WITHOUT MY CAR FOR 3 WEEKS. ONCE I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY WERE ABLE TO FIX IT AND SAID THAT IT WAS A FAMILAR PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR OF CAR. IT WAS THE STEERING MECHANISM AND ENDED UP COSTING ME OVER $800. THE GUY AT THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THEY HAD ALREADY FIXED 30 VEHICLES LIKE MINE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM SINCE NOVEMBER OF 2012. IF THIS IS SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM THEN WHY HASN'T NISSAN ISSUED A RECALL ON THIS?????? *TR

DROVE TO WORK ON MON 3/11/13. WHEN GOING OUT AT LUNCHTIME TO RUN ERRANDS, CAR WOULD NOT START AND DIDN'T START UNTIL REPAIRED BY NISSAN SERVICE. REPAIR SHOP KNEW INSTANTLY WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND WHY. I'M A SINGLE PARENT IN A 1-CAR HOME AND THIS ISSUE CAUSES ME/MY SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN BOTH NEED AND FINANCIAL HARDSHIPS. OVER 132 FOLKS HAD SAME PROBLEM AS FOUND ON ABOUT AUTOMOBILE COMPLAINTS WEBSITE ALONE. THIS DOESN'T FACTOR IN THE NUMBER OF CONSUMERS WHO HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM AND DIDN'T WRITE ABOUT IT PUBLICLY. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUE. NISSAN SERVICE REPLACED "STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT". TOTAL COST TO ME WAS $700.41. *TR

CAR WAS PARKED IN PUBLIC TRANSIT PARKING GARAGE. UPON RETURNING, CAR WOULD NOT TURN "ON." THE IGNITION BUTTON REMAINED IN THE LOCK POSITION AND THE YELLOW INTELLIGENT KEY SENSOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. CAR HAD TO BE TOWED AND NISSAN DEALER QUOTED $800 TO REPAIR. DEALER SAID THE TSB IS NTB10-053 - THE STEERING LOCK HAS AN INTERNAL FAILURE AND MUST BE REPLACED. INTELLIGENT KEYS MUST BE REPROGRAMMED UPON STEERING LOCK REPLACEMENT. *TR

RETURNED TO MY VEHICLE AFTER WORK AT 5PM, AND CAR WOULDN'T START. IGNITION BUTTON WAS LIT, WITH 'LOCK' LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AND 'KEY' LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED IN THE HUD. RESEARCHED IN OWNERS MANUAL, WHICH REFERRED TO THE STEERING LOCK UNIT, AND TOLD ME TO CONTACT DEALER. INTERIOR LIGHTS WORKED, BUT LITTLE ELSE. HAD AAA TOW ME THE NEXT DAY TO LOCAL DEALER; SERVICE ADVISOR STATED THE STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT HAD FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED (PART# 487009N00B). THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH NISSAN ALTIMAS, CIRCA 2007-2009, BASED ON CONSUMER COMPLAINTS, BUT NISSAN WILL NOT WARRANTY THE PART NOR ISSUE RECALL. TOTAL COST WAS $800 . I WILL BE CONTACTING NISSAN CONSUMER HELP TO SEE ABOUT RECOURSE. *TR

MY WIFE WENT TO START HER 2009 ALTIMA HYBRID WITH THE INTELLIGENT KEY SYSTEM. NOTHING HAPPENED, THE KEY INDICATOR ON THE LEFT OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS LIT. SHE TRIED THE KEY IN THE IN DASH SLOT AND STILL NOTHING. BATTERIES WERE GOOD IN BOTH KEY FOB'S WE TRIED, CAR BATTERY WAS GOOD ALSO. IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE STEERING LOCK MOTOR AND SWITCH. YOU COULD HEAR THE STEERING LOCK WORK BUT EVIDENTLY IT NEVER CONTACTED THE SWITCH TO SHOW IT WAS UNLOCKED SO THE CAR WOULD NOT START OR EVEN GO INTO ACCESSORY MODE. PARTS AND LABOR WERE $923 ($550 FOR THE PART, THE REST LABOR) TOWING WAS ANOTHER $100. NISSAN WOULD NOT HELP OUT EVEN THOUGH I READ IN NISSAN FORUMS THAT IT'S BEEN A RECALL ITEM ON A DIFFERENT MODEL AND THAT THEY DIDN'T USE THE SAME SYSTEM IN NEWER CARS. *TR