2009 Nissan Altima

OUT OF NOWHERE, I PARKED MY CAR AND WHEN I WENT TO START IT, THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND THE KEY LIGHT WAS ON. I THOUGHT MY KEY BATTERY DIED AND AFTER TRYING DIFFERENT KEYS, ETC, DETERMINED THERE WAS ANOTHER ISSUE. AFTER RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED THAT IT IS A WELL-KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE STEERING LOCK. AFTER TAPPING THE UNIT BELOW THE STEERING WHEEL, I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO LOCK AND START THE CAR. THEN, 2 DAYS LATER, IT HAPPENS AGAIN. I WAS ABLE TO TAP IT TO GET IT TO WORK AGAIN BUT THIS COULD HAPPEN AT ANY TIME IN ANY PLACE LEAVING YOU STRANDED. *TR

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PROBLEM: THE ALTIMA'S AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WILL NOT DOWN SHIFT AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FOR AN EXTENDED TIME (>1.5 HOURS). THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME MULTIPLE TIMES DRIVING ON THE NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY ON LONG ROAD TRIPS. THE ALTIMA IS IN OVERDRIVE, TRAVELING AT 65 MPH. THEN ONCE I AM DRIVING UP A FAIRLY STEEP HILL THE CAR WILL NOT DOWNSHIFT TO ACCOUNT FOR THE INCLINE. THE CAR SLOWS DOWN FROM 65 MPH TO LOW SPEEDS (E.G. 40 MPH) AND THE ENGINE WILL NOT GO ABOVE 2000 RPM. THE CAR DOES NOT COME OUT OF OVERDRIVE (6TH GEAR). ATTEMPTS AT PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR ALL THE WAY DOWN OR MANUALLY SHIFTING TO A LOWER GEAR HAS NO EFFECT. THE ONLY WAY TO GET THE CAR TO SHIFT NORMALLY AGAIN ONCE THIS HAPPENS IS TO PULL OVER AND TURN OFF THE CAR AND RESTART IT. THIS PROBABLY INDICATES A REBOOT ON THE TRANSMISSION'S COMPUTER IS NEEDED. NISSAN HAS LOOKED AT THE CAR A FEW TIMES AND HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM AS IT CAN LEAD TO A REAR END ACCIDENT.

WATER LEAKS INSIDE THE CAR EVERY TIME IT RAINS, WHEN IT'S STATIONARY. WATER IS ALL OVER THE FRONT FLOOR MATS AND BACK FLOOR MATS. FROM THE MOMENT I BOUGHT THE CAR, WATER GOT TRAPPED IN THE PASSENGER FRONT DOOR. I HAD TO MANUALLY DRAIN THE WATER BY LIFTING THE RUBBER ON THE EDGES OF THE DOOR. CURRENTLY, THE WATER HAS MOVED INSIDE THE CAR. AS SAID ABOVE, ALL OVER THE CAR FLOOR. I TOOK THE CAR TO NISSAN AND THEY DISCOVER THE THE BODY DRAINING HOSE CAME OFF, $500 LATER. THIS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, HOW CAN A DRAINAGE HOSE JUST COME OFF. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE WATER CAN CREATE ELECTRICAL ISSUES WITH THE CAR AND PRESENT UNSAFE DRIVING.

WHILE VISITING A LOCAL PARK I CAME BACK TO MY CAR TO FIND IT UNABLE TO BE STARTED. IT IS AN AUTOMATIC START AND THE KEY FOB BATTERY HAD BEEN REPLACED BUT IT WAS A FAULTY PART WITHIN THE CAR, THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK, THAT PREVENTED ME FROM BEING ABLE TO START MY CAR. I WAS LEFT STRANDED IN THIS PARK WHILE IT WAS GETTING DARK AND I WAS BY MYSELF FOR 4 HOURS BEFORE A TRUCK COULD GET TO ME.

CAME OUT TO GET IN THE CAR WHICH WAS PARKED, USED THE FOB TO UNLOCK THE DOOR GOT INTO THE CAR AND NOTHING. THE BRAKE WAS HARD TO PRESS, THE STEERING WAS LOCKED, COULD NOT GO INTO ANY GEAR, THE CAR COULD NOT BE JUMPED WITH CABLES. I HAD 2 INDICATOR LIGHTS ON. I NEEDED TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO A NISSAN DEALER. THE DIAGNOSIS IS THE STEERING ACTUATOR. I AM BEING CHARGED ROUGHLY $1100. I DON'T YET HAVE MY DOCUMENTATION AS THE CAR IS WITH THE DEALERSHIP. THIS SOUNDS LIKE IT HAS BEEN AN ISSUE RECENTLY WITH SEVERAL 2009 NISSAN ALTIMAS. NISSAN MAY WANT TO RETHINK MAKING THIS A RECALL. I WAS LUCKY TO BE IN A PUBLIC PLACE IN THE DAYTIME.

MY DAUGHTER DROVE THE CAR TO HER HOSPITAL IN NJ AND WHEN SHE RETURNED A FEW HOURS LATER TO DRIVE BACK TO HER HOME ON LI THE CAR WOULD NOT START. THE REMOTE OPENED THE DOORS BUT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS HARD AND CAR WOULD NOT START WHEN SHE PUSHED THE START BUTTON. I WAS TOLD THE PROBLEM IS A FAULTY ESCL. APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2009 ALTIMA'S. I CALLED NISSAN AND WAS ASSIGNED A CASE NUMBER. DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL HELP. DEALER QUOTED ALMOST $700 JUST FOR THE PART, SAID THE PROBLEM IS SO COMMON HE KEEPS THE PART IN STOCK.