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.
I've been having some odd electrical bugs with my 2009 Nissan Altima 2.5s lately. The instrument cluster (speedometer, tach, fuel and temp gauges) goes dark and gauges freeze at whatever location they were last at. I have a bluetooth obd 2 reader and the ecu is still sending the correct info to the port and thus my phone in real time, but it doesn't make it to the instrument cluster I guess.
In addition, when the gauges freeze, I can't turn the car off normally, it goes from the on position to the acc position, then back to the on position (without turning the starter) and finally all the way off. It's a push button start so I don't really control this process. In the beginning, the gauges would come back to life if I flicked the wipers, but not anymore. When they would come back on the intelligent key symbol would be lit, but then shut off later. More recently, my key won't work properly with the push button start or locking/unlocking, I have to use the physical key to lock/unlock, and put the key fob into the holder to turn the car on.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I've been having some odd electrical bugs with my 2009 Nissan Altima 2.5s lately. The instrument cluster (speedometer, tach, fuel and temp gauges) goes dark and gauges freeze at whatever location they were last at. I have a bluetooth obd 2 reader and the ecu is still sending the correct info to the port and thus my phone in real time, but it doesn't make it to the instrument cluster I guess.
In addition, when the gauges freeze, I can't turn the car off normally, it goes from the on position to the acc position, then back to the on position (without turning the starter) and finally all the way off. It's a push button start so I don't really control this process. In the beginning, the gauges would come back to life if I flicked the wipers, but not anymore. When they would come back on the intelligent key symbol would be lit, but then shut off later. More recently, my key won't work properly with the push button start or locking/unlocking, I have to use the physical key to lock/unlock, and put the key fob into the holder to turn the car on.
- Sayyaf A., Snellville, GA, US