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:
1 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
52,131 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.
Door handles on car break internally preventing door from being unlocked or opened from inside or outside. Dealer has replaced two at my expense and now the other two are broken with the same symptoms. No abuse or accident involved they just alll of the sudden stop working. Concern is in an emergency (fire, accident, etc..) passengers or driver would not be able to exit car easily or at all in a timely basis, possibly causing severe injury or death. I have contacted Nissan and they lodged a complaint but nothing more. I have read of multiple instances on the internet with Nissan owners having the same problem. Fix is very expensive when done at the dealer and I belive a recall/reimbursement is due.
The dashboard on my 2009 Nissan Altima has started to produce a very shinny and sticky substance. This substance is creating a glare on the windshield of my car when the sun is shining making it very difficult to see the street in front of me. I have tried several methods to remove this substance without success. From what I understand this is due to heat and humidity but my car is always parked in the garage when I'm not out in it. This is a safety hazard that in my opinion should be addressed by Nissan. There was a class action lawsuit in 2017 where Nissan agreed to pay all but $250 for the replacement of these dashboards. See gibbs law group online for details. Https://www.classlawgroup.com/Nissan-melting-dashboard-lawsuit/ I would think if they agreed to replace these dashboards they know this is a flaw in their dashboards.
Nothing but problems with this car since I purchased it. Had to replace all tire sensors, speed sensors, coils, front passenger tire rod, the ctv transmission, and the trunk leaks into the trunk and the tail light's. I have repaired all these things out of my own pocket.I have been stranded several times, I have almost been hit, and have had the car towed. The dash has become sticky and everything sticks to it. It produces a glare on the wondow which makes it hard to see.the engine experiences loss of power and no mechanic can pinpoint the problem. I do not drive it much since I have purchased it. This car should be a lemon or recalled. The problems keep coming.
- Dacula, GA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
"takata recall" on May 14, 2019, I spoke with a Nissan representative regarding my defective dashboard that is melting and has become shiny and sticky with a glare. It is dangerous as the silk surface of my dash glares onto my windshield and totally obstructs my view. The representative instructed me to go to my Nissan dealer and have a diagnostic done. I went to the dealership, who gave me a piece of paper describing the defective dashboard and the cost of replacing it. On May 20, 2019, I spoke with another Nissan representation, where I explained that I have a piece of paper from Nissan stating the problem with my dashboard and what it will cost to fix it. I was then told that because my warranty coverage had expired, there is nothing Nissan can do about my defective dashboard. As indicated on the internet, this is a known issue with the make and model (Nissan Altima) car I have and there are several accidents that have resulted from it. I also noticed that Florida sued Nissan on this same issue and won. I'm disappointed that Nissan isn't owning up to its responsibility on this issue and is making me resort to sending this letter for a resolution. I'm asking that Nissan replace the dashboard at no charge as this is a defect that Nissan needs to correct. Please call me and let me know when I should bring my car in for repair.
I am experiencing two severe safety issues with my 2009 Nissan Altima coupe. 1. when I am driving on the highway, after about an hour, my transmission will not allow the car to go the speed limit or accelerate. No matter how hard I press on the gas pedal, the car will not shift, loses power and gets progressively worse the farther I drive. I had to pull off the highway for fear that someone would hit me because no matter how hard I tried to accelerate, the car would only go about 40 mph. 2. the dashboard is literally melting causing a blinding glare when the sun (during the day) or other headlights (during the night or rain) hit it...it creates a blinding glare making it impossible to see. Both of these issues, the transmission and dash make driving extremely hazardous.
Dashboard is melting, sticky and is discoloring inside windshield. The sun reflects off sticky dash. Brown sticky substance won't clean off. Electrical display behind the steering wheel goes off and on. Mostly is off.
Car caught on fire completely totaled. It was driven less than 2 miles parked and shut off. Within 15 minutes the car was completely engulfed in flames.
I have 2009 Nissan Altima and it has a very sticky, shiny dashboard. Some part of the dashboard is so shiny that it creates a glare on windshield during daytime when it is sunny outside and makes it very difficult to see the other cars, pedestrians etc.during driving. This a huge safety concern and should be take care of by Nissan asap.
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the dashboard material had melted and the surface became very smooth. The failure caused an extreme glare and visibility hazard while driving during the daytime. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 60,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that there was a glare on the dashboard of the vehicle, which made driving extremely difficult. The contact stated that the glare impaired the driver's vision. The contact also stated that the dashboard seemed as if it were melting. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 113,239.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Piscataway, NJ, USA