2009 Nissan Altima

OUR ALTIMA HAS FAILED TO RECOGNIZE OUR INTELLIGENT KEYS AND WILL NOT START. THE DOORS WILL LOCK AND UNLOCK. THE ALARM WILL SOUND AND THE TRUNK WILL OPEN BUT THE CAR WILL NOT START. I'M BEING TOLD THIS IS DUE TO A FAULTY STEERING LOCK MECHANISM THAT HAS BEEN RECALLED IN SOME NISSAN MODELS BUT NOT THE ALTIMA. THE PART ITSELF IS $500 AND THE LABOR WILL TAKE IT TO ALMOST $1000 OR MORE. THIS IS COMPLETELY ABSURD. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THIS HAPPENED TO MY WIFE AND INFANT DAUGHTER ON THE WRONG SIDE OF TOWN. WHAT IF THIS PART HAD FAILED WHEN WE WERE IN THE MOUNTAINS OR OFF THE BEATEN PATH. IF A PART IS GOING TO BE RECALLED IN ONE MODEL, IT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED IN ALL MODELS. THIS IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE AND TO KNOW THAT NISSAN IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE IS UNACCEPTABLE. WE ALSO OWN A MURANO THAT USES AN ACTUAL KEY TO START --- I'M CONSIDERING REPLACING BOTH AFTER LEARNING ABOUT THIS. I HOPE SOMEONE WILL RESPOND TO THIS. *TR

AFTER OUR FIRST REAL FREEZE OF THE WINTER (LOW 20'S), THE CAR WAS LOCKED UP FOR NO REASON. PRESSING THE PUSH BUTTON IGNITION, INSERTING THE FOB INTO THE KEY HOLDER, NOTHING WILL START THE CAR. THE BRAKE PEDAL IS HEAVY, NO LIGHTS COMES UP ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE STEERING WHEEL IS TOTALLY LOCKED OUT. HAD TO GET THE ALTIMA TOWED INTO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND COME TO FIND OUT IT'S A STEERING WHEEL LOCK OUT CONTROL UNIT THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. CAR JUST CAME OFF THE 36MONTH WARRANTY IN SEPTEMBER'12 AND I AM NOW TURNING IN THE 39MONTH LEASE AND NOW A $1K REPAIR. THANKS NISSAN... ALSO, HAD THE NISSAN ORIGINAL BATTERY REPLACED TWICE! ORIGINAL BATTERY ONLY HAS AN 18MONTH PRORATED WARRANTY! NOT SURE IF IT ALL RELATES SOMEHOW. THIS STEERING WHEEL LOCK CONTROL SHOULD BE A MANUFACTURER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP IT FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR. *TR

WHEN I ENTERED MY CAR I NOTICED THAT THE PUSH BRAKE LIGHT WASN'T ON LIKE IT NORMALLY IS FOR THE INTELLIGENT KEY START. I PUSHED DOWN ON THE BRAKE AND IT FELT VERY STIFF. A YELLOW KEY LIGHT KEPT FLASHING AND EVERYTIME I WOULD TRY AND START THE CAR IT WOULD STAY IN LOCK AND WOULDN'T EVEN TRY TO START. I DIDN'T HEAR THE IGNITION, NOTHING. I TRIED TO CHECK THE BATTERY, I USED A DIFFERENT KEY, I PUT THE KEY IN THE SLOT AND NOTHING WORKED. I WAS STRANDED. THE CAR WAS WORKING FINE AND HAD NO PREVIOUS INDICATORS THAT SOMETHING COULD GO WRONG. AS I SEARCHED ONLINE FOR A FIX I FOUND MANY PEOPLE WHO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAD TO PAY A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO GET IT FIXED. NISSAN PROMOTES HOW SAFE, RELIABLE AND ECONOMICAL THEIR CARS ARE, BUT THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM OF THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK CAN DISABLE THE VEHICLE LEAVING A DRIVER STRANDED WITH ONLY ONE OPTION, WHICH IS, TO BE TOWED TO A DEALER. THIS A SERIOUS SAFETY FLAW IN THE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. NISSAN WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A REPUTABLE COMPANY. HOWEVER, WITH THESE TYPES OF MALFUNCTIONS, AND NO SUPPORT FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS, I FEEL VERY UNSATISFIED AND UNSAFE WITH MY PURCHASE. NISSAN NEEDS TO PROVIDE A RECALL AND FIX THESE SENSOR ISSUES. *TR

UPON ATTEMPTING TO START THE CAR, IGNITION WOULD NOT CHANGE FROM "LOCK" TO "ACC" OR "ON". INTELLIGENT KEY WARNING LAMP WAS LIT STEADY ON DASH. STEERING WHEEL COLUMN WAS NOT LOCKED. ALL POWER AND OTHER FUNCTIONS WORKED (LIGHTS, DOOR LOCKS, ETC). BATTERY IS FINE. INDEPENDENT TESTING FOUND STEERING LOCK CONTROL MODULE PART 48700-9N00B FAULTY. SIMILAR/SAME PART ON NISSAN GTRS WAS RECALLED, PART NUMBER 48700-JF00A OR 48700-JF00B, BEING REPLACED BY 48700-JF00C SAME PART NUMBER IS FAILING FOR NISSAN 370ZS AS WELL, SAME YEARS AND SAME PART NUMBER 48700-JF00A OR 48700-JF00B, YET THEY ARE NOT BEING RECALLED. THIS PROBLEM IS ALSO OCCURRING IN NISSAN MAXIMAS AND NISSAN MURANOS HOWEVER I COULD NOT FIND THE PART NUMBER. IN ALL MODELS OF NISSAN THIS PART WAS REMOVED IN MID 2010 DUE TO CONSISTENT FAILURE. THE PART COSTS APPROXIMATELY $500 FROM NISSAN, IS USUALLY OUT OF STOCK AND BACK ORDERED, AND ALSO COSTS ANOTHER $400-$500 TO BE INSTALLED AT A DEALER. THERE SHOULD BE A MAKE-WIDE RECALL FOR ALL MODELS FOR THIS PART, NOT JUST THE GTR BECAUSE IT'S THE MOST EXPENSIVE OF THEM. *TR

WITHOUT ANY WARNING MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA WOULD NOT START. I COULD NOT DEPRESS THE BRAKE IN ORDER TO START THE CAR. THE CAR RECOGNIZED THE INTELLIGENT KEY WAS INSIDE THE CAR, I COULD LOCK/UNLOCK THE DOORS AND TRUNK, DOME LIGHTS WORKED. BASICALLY I WAS STRANDED. I CONTACTED THE DEALER I PURCHASED CAR FROM (WHOM ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH NISSAN VEHICLES) AND AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, THEY HAD ME TROUBLESHOOT. I CALLED LOCK & KEY COMPANY, NOT FAMILIAR WORKING WITH THIS NISSAN PROBLEM. CALLED NISSAN DEALER WHILE WAITING, THEY ADVISED ME A TYPICAL PROBLEM WITH THIS YR/MAKE AND I WAS AT THE MERCY OF NISSAN TO REPAIR, HE FORGOT TO TELL ME THAT IT WASN'T COVERED UNDER ANY WARRANTY PROGRAM AND NO RECALL. VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP/SERVICE DEPT I PURCHASED CAR FROM, THEY TOWED TO LOCAL NISSAN DEALER. NOW THEY WANT $750 FOR REPAIRS ON SOMETHING THAT EVEN NISSAN IS AWARE OF (I CALLED NISSAN NO. AMERICA) AND THEY WILL INVESTIGATE IF PERHAPS SOMETHING ELSE TRIGGERED THE SENSOR TO NOT WORK PROPERLY. MY CAR WILL STAY AT DEALER UNTIL I GET AN ANSWER AND THE $750. IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED AT ANY TIME, NO WARNING LIGHTS, CAR DIDN'T ACT UP IN ANY WAY. THIS POSES HUGE RISKS, PEOPLE COULD BE STRANDED AT NIGHT OR ON THE SIDE OF A ROAD. *TR

AFTER WORK MY WIFE'S CAR WOULD NOT START. THE INTELLIGENT KEY WARNING LIGHT WAS ON BUT THE PUSH BUTTON WAS NON RESPONSIVE EVEN WITH THE FOB IN THE KEY FOB SLOT. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT THE STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT HAD GONE BAD AND IS PREVENTING THE IGNITION SWITH FROM WORKING. THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED BY NISSAN SINCE IT PREVENTS STARTING THE CAR LEAVING YOU STRANDED.

WENT OUT TO START CAR IN THE AM TO LEAVE FOR WORK AND CAR WOULDNT START. ALL ELECTRICS HOWEVER STILL DID,. STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED I COULDNT GET IT OUT OF PARK. TRIED TO JUMP IT. THAT DIDNT WORK EITTHER. SO WE REPLACED THE BATTERY. THAT DIDNT WORK. STILL WOULDNT START. DEALER CAME AND TOWED IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TODAY. SAID ITS THE STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY GOING BAD. I NEED IT REPLACED. ITS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRENTY. 723.00 IT WILL COST ME. DEALERSHIP STATED THEY HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE WITH MANY MANY 2009 ALTIMAS.. WHY IS THIS NOT A RECALLED PART? *TR

2009 NISSAN ALTIMA COUPE WAS IN PARKING LOT AND WOULD NOT START. THE INTELLIGENT KEY WARNING LIGHT WAS ON DASH. HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALER. THEY ADVISED STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT (PART #48700-9N00B) WAS BAD. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON '09 ALTIMAS AS WELL AS 370Z. DEALER OFFERED 10% DISCOUNT AND ADVISED $600 TOTAL. I CALLED NISSAN CUSTOMER CARE AND ESCALATED TO REGIONAL OFFICE. THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE WHO KNOWS WHERE AND WHEN YOU CAN BE STRANDED. NISSAN HAS RECALLED THIS PART ON OTHER MODELS AND DISCONTINUED THIS FEATURE ON SUBSEQUENT MODELS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE! *TR