2009 Nissan Altima

TL- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE WITH A PASSENGER IN THE FRONT SEAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE INDICATING THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SYSTEM WAS DEACTIVATED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT THE CAUSE FOR THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100. JFT

ON FEBRUARY 21, 2015, WHILE TRAVELING 300+ MILES OUT OF TOWN MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA FAILED DUE TO THE BROADLY KNOWN ISSUE OF "STEERING COLUMN LOCKOUT," IN WHICH THE CAR WILL NOT START AND REQUIRES A TOW TO THE DEALER FOR EXPENSIVE REPAIRS. I AM REQUESTING THE NHTSA LAUNCH OR EXPAND AN INVESTIGATION OF THIS KNOWN ISSUE AND PROVIDE A PUBLIC WARNING TO DRIVERS OF NISSAN VEHICLES. THE CAR HAD REGULAR SERVICE ON FEBRUARY 10, 2015, AT MOSSY NISSAN OCEANSIDE, CA AND I WAS TOLD "SAFE TO DRIVE" FOR MY TRIP OUT OF STATE. IT WASN'T, THE DEALER DOESN'T CHECK FOR THIS WELL KNOWN ISSUE DURING SERVICE. NISSAN REFUSES TO ISSUE A FULL RECALL, INSTEAD EXTENDING THE WARRANTY TO 1,000,000 MILES OR 5 YEARS. IN THIS WAY NISSAN PROFITS FROM REPAIRS OF CARS FAILING AFTER 5 YEARS YET BEFORE OR AFTER 1,000,000 MILES WHEN THE CAR STRANDS DRIVERS, AND BECAUSE NOT A FULL RECALL THERE IS NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE FOR AN NHTSA INVESTIGATION. NISSAN DOES NOT HAVE THE CONTROLS TO KNOW WHICH VEHICLES WILL FAIL, AS EVIDENCED BY MY AND MULTIPLE PAGES OF IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS FILED WITH THE NHTSA. I AND MY FAMILY DO NOT ACCEPT THE MULTIPLE APOLOGIES FROM NISSAN, AND THERE IS NO WAY FOR NISSAN TO MAKE UP FOR ME MISSING MY DAUGHTER'S EVENT. NISSAN'S ACTIONS INDICATE THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN PASSENGER SAFETY. THIS NISSAN HAS STRANDED ME 5 TIMES SINCE PURCHASED NEW IN 2009 FROM MOSSY NISSAN OCEANSIDE, AN AUTHORIZED NISSAN DEALER. REGARDING PASSENGER SAFETY, ALSO THE AIRBAG SYSTEM HAS FAILED TO TURN ON TO PROTECT PASSENGERS. ON AIRBAG FAILURE, NISSAN TESTED THE AIRBAG ON MY VEHICLE WITH A MALE PASSENGER AND STATED THEY DIDN'T SEE AN ISSUE, MISLEADING MYSELF, CUSTOMERS, AND THE NHTSA BY TESTING WITH A MALE PASSENGER OVER 120 POUNDS YET PUBLISHING RESULTS AS APPLYING TO BOTH GENDERS - A FEMALE PASSENGER WILL LIKELY NEED TO BE OVER 150 POUNDS TO BE PROTECTED BY THE NISSAN PASSENGER AIRBAG SYSTEM. *TR

ON OCTOBER 31ST THE RED AIRBAG LIGHT STARTED FLASHING ON MY DASHBOARD. I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO MY NEAREST DEALERSHIP ON NOVEMBER 13TH TO COMPLETE A DIAGNOSTIC. I WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS THAT THERE IS NO SIGNAL COMING FROM THE PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR FOR THE AIRBAG AND THAT IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT THE AIRBAG MAY OR MAY NOT DEPLOY. ALSO IT WAS NOTED ON THE INVOICE THAT THERE IS NO SIGN OF ANY DAMAGE TO THE WIRING. OF COURSE MY VEHICLE IS NOT UNDER RECALL AND NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. MY DASHBOARD IS ALSO MELTING AND THE MATERIAL THAT IS USED CAUSES EXTREME GLARE. SO NOT ONLY DO I HAVE A LARGE GLARE ACROSS MY WINDOW WHICH INCREASES MY RISK OF AN ACCIDENT BUT POSSIBLY NO AIRBAG TO BOOT. I CONTACTED NISSAN SINCE THIS EXACT SAME ISSUE HAS BEEN FOUND IN OTHER YEARS OF MY MODEL AND RECALLED. ALL NISSAN HAS CONTINUED TO DO IS SAY MY VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND THAT THEY WILL FORWARD MY COMPLAINT FOR REVIEW. *TR

SINCE PURCHASE AS NEW IN 2009, OCCASIONALLY WHEN MY WIFE IS IN PASSENGER SEAT, THE DISABLE AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON. I TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY FOUND NO PROBLEM. SUGGESTING THAT MAYBE MY WIFE WAS NOT HEAVY ENOUGH FOR '(SENSOR)" TO DETECT.!!!??? MY CONCERN WITH RECENT NEWS OF DEFECTIVE AIR BAGS THAT WHEN WE TRAVEL TOGETHER THAT THE "(OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM)" IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND MY WIFE AS A PASSENGER IS NOT PROTECTED IN THE EVENT OF A ACCIDENT. THE DISABLED AIR BAG LIGHT DOES NOT LIGHT UP ALL THE TIME AND IS ONLY OCCASIONALLY, BUT THIS DOES NOT GIVE ONE A FELLING OF SECURITY AND SAFETY. WITH RECENT CNN & FOX NEWS AS WELL AS LOCAL TV NEWS CONCERNING (AIR BAGS) MAKES ONE TO WONDER ABOUT THE SAFETY OF OUR 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. *TR

HELP, A MELTING AND SHINY STICKY DASH ON MY 2009 ALTIMA GENERATES A TREMENDOUS GLARE ON THE WINDSHIELD AND PREVENTS ME FROM CLEARLY VIEWING THE HIGHWAY IN FRONT DURING THE DAY. IT ALSO DISTORS THE VIEWING DURING THE NIGHT DUE TO THE ON-COMMING VEHICLES HEADLIGHTS. IT IS HIGHLY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS DRIVING SAFETY HAZARD PROBLEM THAT COULD/WILL "IT IS JUST A TIMING ISSUE" CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, THE DASH CAN'T BE CLEAN AND IS MELTING. IT IS ALSO MINIMAZING THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE. PLEASE ADVISE IF THERE IS SOLUTION OR RECALL FROM NISSAN TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR

MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA DASH IS MELTING. DASH HAS CRACKS AS WELL NEAR THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS AND NEAR THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. READ IN FORUMS THAT THE CAR DEALERSHIPS SAY THAT WHEN THE DASH HAS CRACKS AND IS MELTING AIR BAGS COULD NOT DEPLOY CORRECTLY. NISSAN WILL NOT REPLACE DASH DUE TO THE CAR BEING OUT OF WARRANTY AND EXPECT ME TO BUY A NEW ONE WHEN THIS SEEMS LIKE A MANUFACTURING ISSUE NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT AS PART OF THE DESIGN. *TR

OCT 2012: PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF SYMBOL ILLUMINATED WITH ADULT SITTING IN THE SEAT. DEALER DIAGNOSIS: NO CODES IN SYSTEM FOUND. DEALER RECALIBRATED THE AIR BAG. CUSTOMER COST $100 DEC 2013: PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF SYMBOL ILLUMINATED AND DASHBOARD AIR BAG SYMBOL FLASHING. DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT CUSHION SENSOR NEEDED REPLACING. CUSTOMER COST $130 FOR DIAGNOSIS, $399 FOR SENSOR. MAY 2014: BODY SHOPS REFUSE TO HANDLE AIR BAG ISSUES AND WAS REFERRED BACK TO A NISSAN DEALER. SEAT CUSHION ASSEMBLY WAS NOW OVER $700 BECAUSE THE ENTIRE SEAT CUSHION NEEDED REPLACING. NISSAN NO LONGER REPLACES JUST THE SENSOR. A COMPLAINT WAS FILED WITH NISSAN ASKING FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPLACEMENT PART . NISSAN REQUIRED ANOTHER DIAGNOSIS TO BE WITHIN A 3 MONTH PERIOD. JULY 2014: NISSAN REFUSED TO ASSIST WITH THE COST BECAUSE IT WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. *JS

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT STAYS ON AT ALL TIMES, AND NOW THIS WEEK THE SUPPLEMENTAL AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT HAS BEEN FLASHING. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND THEY TELL ME THAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS MALFUNCTIONING. IF THE CAR WAS IN A COLLISION AND SOMEONE WAS SEATED IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, THE AIRBAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP, WHILE THIS CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY WITH SAME COMPLAINT, BUT THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. FUNNY, HOW 2013-2014 ALTIMAS ARE BEING RECALLED FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM, BUT THE EARLIER MODEL YEARS HAVE NOT BEEN. *TR