2009 Nissan Altima

MY WIFE PARKED HER 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5S AND TURNED OFF HER ENGINE ON 11/15/14.THE NEXT DAY WHEN SHE WENT TO START HER CAR, IT REFUSED TO START, GIVING HER AN ERROR CODE THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK (ESCL) MECHANISM WAS MALFUNCTIONING. THERE WAS NO WAY TO GET AROUND THE PROBLEM AND WE EVENTUALLY HAD TO TOW THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET IT FIXED. MY WIFE WAS LUCKY, IN THAT SHE WAS SOMEWHERE SAFE WHEN SHE WAS STRANDED. BUT, SINCE SHE HAD NO PRIOR WARNING THAT THE PART WAS ABOUT TO FAIL, SHE VERY EASILY COULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED SOMEWHERE MUCH LESS SAFE. NISSAN IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM FOR THE 2009 ALTIMA, WHILE ISSUING A RECALL FOR ALL OTHER MODELS WITH THIS PART. UNFORTUNATELY, OUR VEHICLE FELL OUTSIDE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WINDOW AND NISSAN WILL NOT HELP WITH THE REPAIR. I FIND IT VERY DISCONCERTING THAT NISSAN WOULD PREFER TO HAVE ITS CUSTOMERS FIGURE OUT THAT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM BY GETTING STRANDED IN POSSIBLY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS THAN ISSUE A RECALL TO ENSURE THAT THE PROBLEM NEVER HAPPENS IN THE FIRST PLACE. I AM ASKING THAT THE NHTSA MAKES NISSAN ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM SO THAT OTHERS ARE NOT PUT IN POTENTIAL DANGER. *TR

I WENT TO OSH WITH MY KIDS. WHEN WE GOT BACK IN THE CAR IT WOULDN'T START. SAT IN PARKING LOT FOR TWO HOURS. HAD TO HAVE CAR TOWED EVENTUALLY. PROBLEM WAS A FAULTY STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT. LOOKED ONLINE - APPARENTLY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH THE 2009 ALTIMA (AND IMAGINE ALL THE ONES WHO HAVEN'T POSTED ONLINE). IF YOU DO A SEARCH IN YAHOO FOR "STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT," 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA AUTOMATICALLY POPS UP. THEY NEED TO BE RECALLED. IT'S NOT SAFE TO HAVE A CAR WITH A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT WILL CAUSE IT NOT TO START AND LEAVE YOU STRANDED. EVENTUALLY, SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET STUCK SOMEWHERE AND BE HURT OR KILLED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START AND AN UNKNOWN LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING LOCK MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

HAVE HAD SEVERAL ISSUES WITH MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. I BOUGHT IT NOVEMBER 2012. BY FEBRUARY 2013, I REPLACED TIRES. WAS SOLD A CAR WITH INCORRECT LICENSE PLATES THAT OWED REGISTRATION FEES TO DMV. I ALMOST GOT TOWED AND DIDN'T KNOW WHY. BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND NOVEMBER 2013, I REPLACED BRAKES, ANOTHER SET OF TIRES, THIRD BRAKE LIGHT TWICE, AND BATTERY. MAY 2014, TOOK IT TO ROGERS & ROGERS DEALERSHIP FOR AN OIL CHANGE. MAINTENANCE OTHER LIGHT AND TIRES ON. (CAR WAS BOUGHT WITH A FLASHING TIRE MAINTENANCE LIGHT ON) MOUNTS AND STRUTS WERE REPLACED AND WAS ADVISED TO REPLACE SENSORS. AUGUST 2014, CAR WOULDN'T START AGAIN. STEERING LOCK UNIT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. IT'S NOT COVERED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. REAR LEFT WINDOW DOESN'T WORK EITHER. EVERYTHING ADDS UP TO OVER $3000. *TR

VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. APPEARED NOT TO BE A BATTERY ISSUE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR. HOWEVER, CAR STARTED AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SEEMED FINE. SUBSEQUENTLY (AFTER A DISCUSSION WITH THE SERVICE PERSON), IT SEEMED APPARENT THE THERE WAS A WHEEL LOCK SWITCH ASSY FAILURE (WHICH IS UNDER A FORMAL RECALL). I WAS TOLD THAT THE PART IS SEVERELY BACKORDERED. I THEN DECIDED TO RETURN IN A FEW MONTHS (DURING THE NEXT OIL CHANGE) AND ATTEMPT TO SCHEDULE A WARRANTY REPLACEMENT PER THE FORMAL RECALL. HOWEVER, THE DEALERSHIP (GRUBBS NISSAN IN HURST, TEXAS) TOLD ME THAT "SINCE THE SWITCH WAS NOT BROKEN NOW, THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO HONOR THE WARRANTY". I WAS GIVEN A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL CORPORATE. AFTER SOME RESEARCH ON THE WEB, IT APPEARS THAT MY WARRANTY REQUEST SHOULD HAVE BEEN HONORED (ESPECIALLY SINCE I ALREADY WAS STRANDED AND HAD TO PAY FOR TOWING ONCE BEFORE!). I WILL CALL CORPORATE ON MONDAY, BUT WANTED TO FILE THIS OFFICIAL COMPLAINT (IF YOU LOOK ON THE WEB, YOU CAN NOTE COUNTLESS PEOPLE IN THE SAME SITUATION WITH MIXED RESULTS (OBVIOUSLY, VERY POORLY COMMUNICATED FROM CORPORATE OUT TO THE DEALERSHIPS OR VERY POORLY COMPLIED WITH AT THE DEALERSHIPS (WHICHEVER IS THE ANSWER, IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE). THANKS FOR LISTENING, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

CAR WILL NOT START.DASH DISPLAY ILLUMINATES "NO KEY",WHICH IS A "FOB" TYPE SYSTEM WHICH HAS A START BUTTON.THIS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE PAST 2 WEEKS.CAR LEFT AT NISSAN OF MEDFORD,MA TODAY FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE ELECTRONIC LOCK MODULE UNDER THE DASH.NISSAN EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR UP TO 72 MONTHS JUST FOR THIS ISSUE,A KNOWN PROBLEM.NOT A RECALL YET.BETTER NOT BE A "DIAGNOSTIC"FEE FOR THIS.SOMEBODY NEEDS TO STEP UP AND DEMAND A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE.IT IS ALL OVER THE INTERNET FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS,AFFECTING 2009-2010 NISSAN ALTIMA'S. *TR

WHEN RETURNING TO MY CAR AFTER WORK ON FEBRUARY 14TH, 2014 THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START USING THE AUTOMATIC START INTELLIGENT KEY SYSTEM IN MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. UPON DOING RESEARCH, I FOUND THIS IS A HIGHLY COMMON ISSUE WITH THE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA MODEL. THERE ARE ALSO VARIOUS INDEPENDENT PETITIONS AND CLASS ACTION SUITS BEING FILED BY INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE SAME PART MALFUNCTION. IN FACT, THE COMPLICATIONS INVOLVING THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK (ESCL) MECHANISM WAS SO COMMON THAT NISSAN DID NOT IMPLEMENT THIS PART INTO THE 2010 OR IN ANY FUTURE ALTIMA VEHICLES. IN ADDITION (AND IN EFFORT TO AVOID A RECALL SITUATION) NISSAN NORTH AMERICAN, INC ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION - "AS IT APPLIES TO THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK UNIT TO 6 YEARS/UNLIMITED MILES." FURTHERMORE, NISSAN ALSO SENT A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TO ALL SERVICE SHOPS ON HOW TO HANDLE THIS PROBLEM CONCERNING 2009 ALTIMA'S. ULTIMATELY NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. DENIED MY REQUEST TO UTILIZE A BUY BACK PROGRAM TOWARD THEIR 2009 ALTIMA AND ALSO DENIED ME ANY FURTHER DETAILS AS TO HOW THEY REACHED THEIR DECISION. THE REGIONAL SPECIALIST SAID SHE COULD ONLY SAY 'ARBITRATION DECISION(S) ARE ALWAYS BASED ON THE SERVICE HISTORY OF VEHICLE. TOO CLOSE, IT IS IN MY OPINION NISSAN HAS MONOPOLISTIC CONTROLS ON CONSUMERS IN THIS SITUATION. ONLY A NISSAN DEALERSHIP/SERVICE SHOP CAN DIAGNOSE THE ESCL MALFUNCTION, AS IT REQUIRES A NISSAN PRODUCT SPECIFIC SCAN TOOL, AND IT IS THEIR COMPANY'S ARBITRATION DEPARTMENT WHO FACILITATES ALL LEGAL DECISIONS AT WHICH ARE TYPICALLY NOT IN FAVOR OF THE CONSUMER. I DO NOT BELIEVE A SERVICE HISTORY OF VEHICLE IS MATERIAL INFORMATION IN THIS SCENARIO. NISSAN SHOULD BE OBLIGATED TO BUY BACK ANY-AND-ALL 2009 NISSAN ALTIMAS WHEN ASKED TO DO SO BY THEIR CONSUMERS WHO PURCHASED THIS PRODUCT IN GOOD FAITH. UPDATED 04/07/14