| Issue ID | 1262562 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10836860 |
| Manufacurer | Nissan North America, Inc. |
| Brand | NISSAN |
| Model | ALTIMA |
| Model Year | 2009 |
| File date | 10/02/16 |
| Component | STEERING |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | I have a 2009 nissan altima with push-start ignition and respective 'smart key'. While 2 hours away from home and alone, the electronic steering column lock mechanism malfunctioned and therefore did not recognize my smart key was in the vehicle and would not allow me to start the car. I was stranded alone, at night, 2 hours from home with a vehicle that would not start due to malfunctioning part. I had to have the car towed to my local nissan dealership where the diagnosis was made that the steering column lock malfunctioned and needs to be replaced. Upon calling nissan corporate, i was informed that this was a known issue, however my car was no longer under warranty and it would not be covered. I purchased this car as certified pre-owned with the expectation that any safety related known issues would be addressed. I was never made aware of the issue or the possibility that i could be put in a dangerous situation. Nissan told me that while they were aware the part was mis-manufactured, the part was not a 'recall' (as determined by nhtsa) criteria) and as such would not have been proactively fixed if not broken. They did however extend the warranty on the part, but only for 6 years, assuming is a driver had this problem it would have occurred in the first 6 years of ownership. My occurrence was when the vehicle was 8 years old. I feel like this a major safety concern especially if there was potential for the steering column lock to malfunction while driving and nissan should have issued a voluntary recall or indefinitely extended the warranty. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 115000 |
| Number of Occurences | |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | MANTUA, NJ |
| VIN pattern | 1N4AL21EX9CXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | N |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | |
| No. of fatalities | |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
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| 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 | |
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