CarComplaints.com Notes: You don't want to get 2009 and 2010 Altima owners started about their cars. That is, unless, you know how to start their cars.

These vehicles can suddenly become impossible to start thanks to a faulty electronic steering column lock (ESCL). Nissan dealers will gladly replace it, but that will run you $1000.

More info & videos about the Nissan ESCL defect are available over at NissanProblems.com.

It's one of the many reasons this car was named CarTalk's Turd of the Week and given our Beware of this Clunker badge. Two dubious honors.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
47,812 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 Nissan Altima electrical problems

electrical problem

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2010 Nissan Altima Owner Comments (Page 3 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #25

Sep 052014

Altima 4-cyl

  • 74,400 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car will not start, steering lock malfunction.

- Cary, NC, USA

problem #24

Aug 122014

Altima

  • 26,000 miles
The brake couldn't be pressed so the push button start wouldn't work. Also, the ABS & vdc lights stay on even while driving(sometimes). You never know when its going to happen. I have been late to work, unable to take the kids to school, and afraid to drive my own car that I used to love, in fear of not being able to start the darn thing!! I see a lot of customers have had this same type of issue. Is there any kind of recall?

- Yuba City, CA, USA

problem #23

Aug 042014

Altima 4-cyl

  • 18,047 miles
Car had intermittent no start condition and intermittent brake light outage. Mechanic replaced faulty original stop lamp switch 25320-ax00C(N).

- Edison, NJ, USA

problem #22

Jun 212010

Altima

  • 100 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the push-to-start button failed to respond. The contact also stated that the ABS and the slp warning lights illuminated. The vehicle would start after multiple attempts or the vehicle would have to receive a jump start to the battery from another vehicle in order to start properly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing and the mechanic stated that the brake and the park light switch failed. As a result the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100.

- Westfield, NJ, USA

problem #21

Jun 172014

Altima 4-cyl

  • 53,000 miles
My car wouldn't start when I pushed the push button start and pressed on the brake pedal. Later that day the car started. I had it checked and the dealer said if it happened again to have it towed.yesterday the car wouldn't start again when I pressed the brake pedal and pushed the start button. After repeated attempts to get the brake pedal to start the car, it started. It is going to the dealer to be checked. The starting mechanism is poor and unreliable.

- Wappingers Falls, NY, USA

problem #20

Jun 212014

Altima

  • 27,400 miles
My 2010 Altima has a push start ignition last month while visiting in pa the brake light, vdc, and slip light came on and remains on. We stopped and then the car failed to restart. We were able to get back home to NY and I took it to my local dealer where they ran a diagnostic test result was a bad brake light switch. Which completes the circuit from the brake to the push start button to allow the car to start. I researched on line and found a few different forums one being nissanclub.com where I found a number of ppl with the same issue. I contacted Nissan customer affairs and got nowhere. I was wondering how many ppl with the same issue are needed for an issue like this to be considered a recall because with that being a damaged part there is no other way to start the car.

- Franklin Square, NY, USA

problem #19

Jun 012014

Altima 4-cyl

  • 37,410 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2010 Nissan Altima has had difficulty starting. All the electrical components would come on but the engine wouldn't turnover. At first I could get it to start after a few tries (I would pump the brakes, bang on the steering wheel). Then I noticed while driving the vds (traction control), ABS and parking brake light would remain illuminated while driving. This meant that my vds was not functioning. It also meant my brake lights weren't functioning while I was driving. On 6 /01/2014 I tried starting my car and could not. I had it towed to my auto repair shop (maple grove auto, maple grove mn) where the technician informed me that it required a new brake light switch, harness and band hoses. He told me there was a Nissan service bulletin as this was a "known issue". so much so that Nissan had actually developed a more dependable brake switch. The service bulletin number is ntb10-139- which was released on November 23rd 2010. He told me to repair it was going to cost over $500. The faulty brake switch is a safety hazard as it causes the car to throw error codes which deactivates the traction control and ABS. Why has this not been a recall" why does it cost $500 to repair a malfunctioning component that shortly after the car was released, the manufacture acknowledged it was faulty? why would the NHTSA wait until somebody dies in a crash caused by the vds and ABS features not working before they force a recall/repair of this known issue"

- Maple Grove, MN, USA

problem #18

Jun 042014

Altima 4-cyl

  • 120,000 miles
I purchased a 2010 Nissan Altima about three years ago. The first problem started with the car failing to start. That problem still happens to this day. The next problem is my car will not accelerate at times. I have had several incident when I am at a stop light, intersection, or redlight where I apply the gas all the way to the floor and the car will not move. I put the car in reverse and it still would not move. After waiting about 20 second and apply the gas it finally goes and drive normal. Me and my kids were almost in a serious accident when the car stalled in front of a big mack truck. Now after this has been going on for a couple of months, my car sits in my front yard unable to move at all and now there's a burning smell coming from the car. These cars are a death trap and I refuse to keep putting my life and my children lives in danger. The government needs to do something!!!

- Lower Peachtree, AL, USA

problem #17

May 152014

Altima 4-cyl

  • 46,760 miles
When driving door come unlocked.. once car is parked and locked both windows are coming down and both doors are unlocked car wide open every hour or so... I am not pressing key fob or anything..

- Mabelvale, AR, USA

problem #16

Apr 182014

Altima 4-cyl

  • miles
I started to hear a rattling noise under the hood of my car. It was found to be that the alternator/clutch was about to go out. I could also hear it when driving and pressing my foot on the gas. The rattling noise was present when I was in park or reverse.

- Ralph, AL, USA

problem #15

Apr 102012

Altima 4-cyl

  • 40,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2010 Nissan Altima has had difficulty starting. All the electrical components would come on but the engine wouldn't turnover. At first I could get it to start after a few tries (I would pump the brakes, slam the car hood, bang on the steering wheel). Then I noticed while driving the vds (traction control), ABS and parking brake light would remain illuminated while driving. This meant that my vds was not functioning and as such I lost control of my car several times on wet surfaces. On 4/22/2014 I tried starting my car and could not. I had it towed to a Nissan dealership (orr Nissan in corinth Texas) where the service manager informed me that it required a new brake light switch, harness and band hoses. He told me there was a Nissan service bulletin as this was a "known issue". so much so that Nissan had actually developed a more dependable brake switch. The service bulletin number is ntb10-139- which was released on November 23rd 2010. He told me to repair it was going to cost over $500. The faulty brake switch is a safety hazard as it causes the car to throw error codes which deactivates the traction control and ABS. Why has this not been a recall" why is a dealership charging 500 dollars to repair a malfunctioning component that shortly after the car was released, the manufacture acknowledged it was faulty? furthermore, based on my calculations the dealership is putting a 300% mark up on the parts required. Why would the NHTSA wait until somebody dies in a crash caused by the vds and ABS features not working before they force a recall/repair of this known issue" I am sending a copy of this to local and national news organizations.

- Lantana, TX, USA

problem #14

Oct 252012

Altima

  • 24,000 miles
The lack of lighting indicator makes that car very dangerous to drive at dusk & dawn times. The dash board is slightly less lit when the lights are on. The driver would not know whether the board light is in the "more" or the "less" status. Unlike in older cars, the dash board is not dark when the light is not on so that the driver is alerted. This is a major human factor defect. It is the cause of collisions at times of rush hour traffic. I am a professional engineer with utmost qualifications in human reliability analyses(hra). For a period of 9 years, I was the elected chairman of a large international group of hra engineers responsible for minimizing human errors at nuclear power plants. Our car was totaled. My wife had 4 broken ribs. I had several injuries.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #13

Feb 192014

Altima 4-cyl

  • 38,000 miles
Most of the 2010 Nissan Altima cars do have a push button for the ignition to start. In order to start the car's engine, the driver would need to lightly press the brakes before pressing the button. I purchased the brand-new car back in September 2010 and I am still the only owner. In February 2014 with approximately 38,000 miles, the ignition started to stop working. After a few struggles, the ignition button would finally allow me to start the engine. Then the problem gradually got worse. I noticed that the brakes would suck in so hard that I would be unable to "press" the brakes anymore in order for the ignition button to "enable" so I can start the engine. At one point last week, the car refused to start because of the brakes and I was unable to do anything but to put the car in neutral and push the car back and forth in the middle of a mcdonald's drive-thru route in baltimore, md. My roommate had to take leave in order to come and help me out. After 2 hours of struggling, we were able to get the "brakes light" on and the ignition would finally become enabled and we were able to start the engine. We drove straight to the Nissan dealership in bowie, md and told them what happened. Nissan about this and they acknowledged that this is a common problem among many drivers and that the "brake switch" is causing it. At the end, my warranty company had to pay more than $800 and I had to pay almost $300 out of my pocket just for this issue. I researched online and saw so many drivers are complaining the same thing and that Nissan is refusing to issue a recall for this because they knew it is a "common problem" that they could make a profit out of the repairs charges. Many drivers had to pay approximately $1,000 just for this "common issue" and I would like to make sure that NHTSA & dot are aware of this ongoing issue. Thank you.

- Landover, MD, USA

problem #12

Aug 062010

Altima 4-cyl

  • 300 miles
The light indicating "airbag off" for the passenger seat is frequently illuminated even when an adult (140 lb) passenger is sitting in the seat. The occurrence is approximately 10 percent of the time and occurs at any speed, even on the highway at 65 mph. This error has persisted throughout the life of the vehicle (purchased new in 2010), but the dealerships we visited insist that the system complies with their electrical tests, even though we showed them photographs of the "airbag off" light taken by a passenger while sitting in this seat. Nissan needs to be made to issue a recall to correct this life-threatening error.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #11

Jun 152013

Altima 4-cyl

  • 41,287 miles
If I have to pump the brakes to get the car started, will I soon have to pump the brakes to stop"????" vehicle not recognize the key. Happened several times prior to 6/15/2013. Just thought the key needed to be charged. But on this date I pull up at a hotel, checked in and went to move the car and it wouldn't start. Sat for an hour or two. Replaced battery a few weeks prior so it wasn't that. Had to be towed to a pepboys. Too late for a dealership, a Saturday evening, and I was over 5 hours from home. The car was dropped off across from the bays therefore they were unable to connect the diagnostic machine. After setting for a couple more hours it finally crank. They said it was the starter, as of today I have not replaced the starter. In August it did it again twice while my 16 yr was driving it to school. A couple of times in September. I took it to the dealer on 10/14/2013, their diagnosis were: Replace brake sw, sub harness, and tie straps. And now almost on a daily basis want start without pumping the brakes. I'm the only one that drives the car now because I'm afraid of the brakes eventually giving out.

- Mc Intosh, AL, USA

problem #10

Aug 172012

Altima

  • 33,000 miles
This vehicle stalls or loses power when driving. It seems to happen during long trips, especially in hot weather during prolonged driving (several hours). It seems to do well if kept at highway speed, but as soon as the car makes a stop or slows down, it completely stalls or accelerates with great difficulty at insufficient speed. It is a dangerous traffic hazard. The Nissan dealer expressed surprise when I called him regarding this problem. He said it was probably a batch of poor gasoline. After we experience another power failure, we took the car to the Nissan dealer to check it out, but they could not find the problem. After running tests, our personal mechanic said he thought it was a transmission problem, but we had the transmission analyzed and serviced, and the battery cables checked. The car recently lost power again on a trip from Montana to California. It lost power at stop signs or when I had to decelerate and then try to accelerate. After the car was turned off for the evening, it did not start the next morning, at first. Later it started and drove fine. I see there have been other complaints about other Nissan losing power or stalling. I would appreciate it if you would tell me what steps you are taking to address this problem.

- Paradise, CA, USA

problem #9

Jul 182013

Altima

  • 42,000 miles
2010 Nissan Altima. The automatic push-to-start ignition would not operate when engaged. Checked battery good, fuses good.

- Lake Charles, LA, USA

problem #8

May 252012

Altima 4-cyl

  • 28,000 miles
Subject: 2010 Nissan Altima hesitation problem contact information: NHTSA id: 370601 contact source: Owner follow up/ I now have 42000 on the car and the fix did not work!! I am still having problems and have been back to the dealer numerous times. They did find low transmission fluid and are checking it once per month. My wife feels that there is enough concern that she does not drive it often. I believe that it could cause the car to stall in oncoming traffic and may have caused several accidents already which have gone un-noticed as mechanical !!!

- Lufkin, TX, USA

problem #7

Oct 172012

Altima 6-cyl

  • 39,590 miles
Went out to start vehicle, no start...towed to dealer, denied under warranty, made me pay for replacement..dealer towed to a Nissan dealer to perform install of steering lock assay. And misc hardware.

- Bensalem, PA, USA

problem #6

Jun 182012

Altima 4-cyl

  • 54,732 miles
My vehicle did not recognize the ikey, and would not start leaving me stranded. This has occurred on several occasions (all during daylight hours) and is getting worse. I have previously replaced the key batteries thinking that might be the problem it is not. I am very concerned that I might be in the parking lot after work late at night and not be able to star/drive my vehicle. Being a young adult female this is a major concern of mine.

- St Marys, WV, USA

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