2009 Nissan Altima

MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA IS CURRENTLY HAVING ISSUES WITH THE DEFECTS IN THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK (ESCL). THE CAR JUST CUT OFF ON ME AS I WAS PARKING IN A PARKING SPOT. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO FORCE THE GEAR IN PARK. IT DISABLED THE PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION ON MY CAR AND LOCKED MY STEERING COLUMN. SO, I WAS STRANDED! THIS IS BIG SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE MY CAR COULD'VE JUST CONTINUED TO ROLL IF I COULDN'T GET IT INTO THE PARKED GEAR! IT'S UNFAIR THAT AS A CONSUMER OF NISSAN, I HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THIS ISSUE AFTER THE NISSAN WARRANTY ON THE ESCL EXPIRED IN MARCH 2015 AND BE POSED WITH PAYING OVER $1000 IN REPAIR COSTS. PER NISSAN, THERE WAS NO SPECIFIC MILEAGE NUMBER THAT THIS DEFECT COULD OCCUR; SO THEY SHOULD RECALL THE ESCL SYSTEMS IN ALL AFFECTED CARS INSTEAD OF COVERING THEIR OWN BEHINDS AND GIVING A WARRANTY WITH UNLIMITED MILES AND AN END DATE OF MARCH 2015. CLEARLY NISSAN IS NOT CONCERNED WITH ITS CONSUMERS SAFETY. IT'S NOT FAIR TO CONSUMERS THAT BOUGHT NISSAN VEHICLES THAT EXPERIENCE THE DANGEROUS DEFECT AFTER MARCH 2015. I AM A VERY UNHAPPY CONSUMER AT THIS TIME.

I WAS OUT HANDLING BUSINESS ALL DAY FRIDAY AND LATER THAT EVENING I HAD TO MAKE MY LAST STOP. I WENT INTO THE STORE AND WHEN I CAME OUT MY CARE HAD NO POWER AND MY STEERING WHEEL WOULDN'T MOVE. THE KEY INDICATOR LIGHT WAS ON, BUT I STILL HAD NO IDEA OF HOW I WOULD GET MY CAR STARTED.. I CALLED MY HUSBAND BECAUSE IT WAS LATE AND GETTING DARK OUT (VERY DANGEROUS). I HAD TO GO THE WHOLE WEEKEND AND WEEK WITHOUT A CAR THAT I'VE HAD FOR THE PASS 6 YEARS. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE PART WOULD BE $1000.00, RIDICULOUS! I WAS UNAWARE OF ANY RECALL AND TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALER REGULARLY AND WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF A RECALL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, IT FAILED TO START. THE KEY FAILURE AND SECURITY WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE STEERING LOCK MECHANISM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 127,000.

FIRST PROBLEM IS STATIONARY WHILE PARKED. CAR WAS BUMPED BY ANOTHER WHILE PARKED AND STEERING COLUMN LOCKED UP. IT HAPPENED AGAIN WITHOUT BEING BUMPED FOR UNKNOWN REASON. HAD TO TOW TO GARAGE TO UNLOCK. HAS HAPPENED TWICE NOW. EXPENSIVE TO FIX . SECOND PROBLEM IS WHILE IN MOTION ON HIGHWAYS. ON HOT DAY, DURING LONGER TRIPS WHERE UPHILL CLIMBING IS PRESENT, THE ENGINE STARTS TO LOSE POWER GOING UP HILL AND MANUAL STATES IT IS A BUILT IN SAFETY FEATURE TO PROTECT ENGINE HOWEVER THIS IS A BIG SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO PULL OVER AND LET THE CAR COOL DOWN FOR A WHILE BEFORE DRIVING AGAIN. THIS HAS NOW HAPPENED TO MY FAMILY 3 TIMES.

DROVE MY CAR LIKE I NORMALLY DO. I PARK. RETURN TO MY CAR AND IT WOULD NOT START. THE RED KEY WARNING LIGHT WAS FLASHING COULD NOT TURN THE WHEEL. NOTHING HAPPENED WHEN I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND PUSH THE START BUTTON. MY STEERING COLUMN LOCK MALFUNCTIONED. MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED A LOT WITH 2009 NISSAN ALTIMAS. THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS BUT MY EXTENDED WARRANTY AND IT LAST YEAR AND I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

MY CAR WOULD NOT START AFTER I PARKED IT ON A CITY STREET, I WAS STRANDED AT NIGHT! AFTER THANKFULLY BEING ABLE TO SAFELY GET A RIDE AND LEAVING MY CAR, I HAD TO GO BACK TO MY CAR THE NEXT DAY. I HAD CHANGED THE KEY BATTERY THINKING THAT COULD BE REASON, BUT THE CAR STILL WOULD NOT START. I HAD TO CALL A TOW COMPANY TO BRING MY CAR TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP. I LEARNED THAT THERE HAD BEEN AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR 2009 ALTIMAS, BECAUSE THE ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK HAD FAILED. I NEVER WAS NOTIFIED AND HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO HAVE IT FIXED. THIS WAS A BAFFLING AND FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE AND I WAS LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!

LEFT ME STRANDED IN 98 DEGREE HEAT. HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED ONLY TO FIND OUT ONLY THE DEALERSHIP COULD DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. TOWED IT TO THE DEALER. FOUND OUT IT WAS A STEERING LOCK ISSUE THAT HAPPENS TO MOST 2009 AND 2010 ALTIMA'S. NISSAN HAD ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, KNOWING IT WAS AN ISSUE, BUT NOT A RECALL. UNFORTUNATELY, THE EXTENDED WARRANTY EXPIRED BEFORE MY CAR HAD THE PROBLEM. I'VE CONTACTED NISSAN CORPORATE ONLY TO HAVE THEM TELL ME "SORRY, THE EXTENDED WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED". NO KIDDING. SO, ABOUT TO HAVE TO SPEND $1,000 FOR A REPAIR THAT SHOULD BE A RECALL.