| Issue ID | 709937 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10256444 |
| Manufacurer | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| Brand | NISSAN |
| Model | ALTIMA |
| Model Year | 2009 |
| File date | 23/01/09 |
| Component | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | The 2009 nissan altima has an electrical discharge design flaw. The headlights turn off automatically after 5 minutes, apparently the battery rapidly drains even after the auto-headlight shutoff with the car turned off. I purchased a 2009 nissan altima 2500s december 7th, 2008, the car died january 23rd, 2009. I drove the car from home to work in the rain. The car was parked for around 10 hours, after returning to drive home, the car was dead - the keyless entry didn't work, using the mechanical key to enter the car, the start button didn't work. Aaa couldn't tow the car due to a height beam blocking the tow truck - the car couldn't be moved because the car was frozen in park due to the dead electrical system - the trunk couldn't be opened with the switch on the trunk or by the switch on the dash. Aaa jumped the battery and the car has run for 3 days now without any problems. The battery was so fully drained that the radio needed to be reprogrammed with the time and stations. This raises questions of how many safety systems relying on the battery will fail - for example the car can roll away if shutoff in neutral - if the battery discharges, is the shift gear then frozen in neutral? The rapid discharge of the battery with the car off is a design flaw which leaves the consumer stranded, potentially in a dangerous situation. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 1478 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | CARLSBAD, CA |
| VIN pattern | XXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | 0 |
| No. of fatalities | 0 |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 0 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |