Car worked one day, then not the next. Had to have it towed out of my garage to dealer. Due to the holiday, it took them a couple days to even look at it, then when they did, it cost be over $1200 to repair. And the best part...they found a bad wheel hub bearing, which had to be fixed. I had to drop almost $2K right before Christmas.
I didn't realize how broad the problem was, now at least I don't feel alone!
This issue that I have with my car was part of an extended warranty. Nissan doesn't call it a recall, but they issued this extended warranty for steering column lock. Well my warranty expired last year. What makes me mad is that I didn't know about this extended warranty or this issue because I bought the car used. I don't feel like I should have to pay 1200 dollars for an issue that has received numerous complaints. As a used car owner, I'm not notified of these types of issues. I never had any major issues and then one morning the key light comes on and by the evening time my car is dead. When I finally got my car to the dealership, they didn't look at it until a day and a half later. I called them to see what was going on and the technician tells me that this issue is rare... Um, no it's not. I called consumer affairs because I want some help with this outrageous bill!
This is a well documented problem at this point. Over 400 complaints on this website alone. Nissan seems to have aknowleged it but what they've done about it seems unclear, seems like not much. Nice money maker for them at about $1000 a pop. As usual big business wins and the consumer is the loser. This is not the first issue I have had with Nissan, won't buy another.
Wife and kids were headed to church and the car would not start. The fob worked fine but the Key light kept coming on the dash. I searched the problem online and found the same symptoms. The online help said if you tap on the steering lock that it may allow the mechanism to drop down and allow car to start. I tried it and sure enough it worked. Now I have to go in and hope that the Dealer pays for the part or I'm out time and big money for a defective part.
Update from Mar 15, 2016: Called Nissan Consumer Affairs and they gave me no "Good Will" on this defective part. The Extended Warranty had expired in Oct. The dealer wants $1500 bucks to replace this defective part. Known Defective part, and car has less the 60k miles on it.
Nissan should have owned this problem from the start but Corporate greed stood in the way.
Very frustrating. Like all the others, it just happened out of the blue. Came into work - no problem. Came out after work and it wouldn't start. An indicator light lit up on the dash and the manual said it might be related to a steering malfunction. That is for sure. Had to have the car towed to a dealer and $1000 later, it was fixed.
I had never heard about the extended coverage until the incident. Very frustrating and costly. I have not contacted Nissan yet, but that does not look promising.
- Mike P.,
Berkeley Heights, NJ, US
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My 2009 Nissan Altima has a defective "Steering Lock" which caused me to be unable to start my car. This defect can affect owners of the 2009 Nissan Altima without warning and without cause. When this issue occurs the only way to resolve the issue is to have the car towed to a Nissan dealership to have the faulty Steering Lock replaced. The car cannot be started at all. Thus, owners of the 2009 Nissan Altima continuously find themselves stuck in very inconvenient circumstances with no ability to drive their car. This can be very dangerous for drivers who are in remote or dangerous areas.
The steering lock assembly just seized up, as apparently happens to all the Altimas and other models made lasting several months in 2008, and the engine would not turn over. Nissan has acknowledged the problem and even offered a limited-time warranty just for this item, ending 72 months after manufacture.
Unfortunately, my car missed the warranty by 22 days, as have thousands of other cars since. It seems the period was chosen to look good to the press while minimizing the actual coverage.
Because I threatened to sue them, they lowered the bill to one third of the original quote, which was over $1200. I only accepted on condition that this would not constitute a settlement of any future claims. They have a recording to remind them of this.
Does anyone else want to join me in a class-action lawsuit? I'll be happy to lead.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Car worked one day, then not the next. Had to have it towed out of my garage to dealer. Due to the holiday, it took them a couple days to even look at it, then when they did, it cost be over $1200 to repair. And the best part...they found a bad wheel hub bearing, which had to be fixed. I had to drop almost $2K right before Christmas.
I didn't realize how broad the problem was, now at least I don't feel alone!
- Geoff B., Middletown, CT, US