2009 Nissan ALTIMA HYBRID problems and owner complaints

THE STEERING LOCK UNIT (PART NUMBER 48700-9N00B) NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE STEERING LOCK UNIT DID NOT PROPERLY ENGAGE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. BECAUSE THE UNIT DID NOT ENGAGE, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. I WAS LEFT STRANDED IN A PARKING GARAGE AT NIGHT AND HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED. THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP WAS IN ALEXANDRIA, VA. THEY CHARGED $900 TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. SINCE THE VEHICLE HAD OVER 36,000 MILES, IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS A WIDELY KNOWN ISSUE WITH NISSAN VEHICLES AND IS PRESENT ON SEV…

Owner-reported narrative. 57,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10483610 at NHTSA ↗

THE KEY FOB UNLOCKED THE CAR BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT START WHEN I TRIED TO START IT. THE YELLOW KEY LIGHT INDICATOR WAS ON THE DASH. THE PUSH-START BUTTON STAYED IN THE LOCK POSITION. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE NISSAN DEALER. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE STEERING LOCK UNIT MALFUNCTIONED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR WILL NOT START UP UNTIL IT IS REPLACED. THE PART IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. MY FINAL QUOTE WAS $775 FROM THE DEALER. MY STORY IS SIMILAR TO OTHER STEERING LOCK UNIT COMPLAINTS NISSAN SHOULD RECALL THIS DEFECTIVE PART. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 63,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10493446 at NHTSA ↗

INTELLIKEY LIGHT BLINKING STARTED ON JANUARY 14TH. I REPLACED THE BATTERY IN THE KEY FOB. I WENT TO GET INTO MY CAR AFTER WORK ON SATURDAY AND WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK MY DOORS. I ATTEMPTED TO START MY CAR, AND THE INTELLIKEY LIGHT WAS BLINKING AGAIN, BUT I DID NOT HAVE ANY DASH LIGHTS COME ONE. THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND TO THE BYPASS OPTION EITHER. THERE WAS NO POWER OR ABILITY TO TURN THE CAR ON. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST NISSAN DEALER AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK MALFUNCTIONED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THERE I…

Owner-reported narrative. 60,400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10494502 at NHTSA ↗

MY WIFE WENT TO START HER 2009 ALTIMA HYBRID WITH THE INTELLIGENT KEY SYSTEM. NOTHING HAPPENED, THE KEY INDICATOR ON THE LEFT OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS LIT. SHE TRIED THE KEY IN THE IN DASH SLOT AND STILL NOTHING. BATTERIES WERE GOOD IN BOTH KEY FOB'S WE TRIED, CAR BATTERY WAS GOOD ALSO. IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE STEERING LOCK MOTOR AND SWITCH. YOU COULD HEAR THE STEERING LOCK WORK BUT EVIDENTLY IT NEVER CONTACTED THE SWITCH TO SHOW IT WAS UNLOCKED SO THE CAR WOULD NOT START OR EVEN GO INTO ACCESSORY MODE. PARTS AND LABOR WERE $923 ($550 FOR TH…

Owner-reported narrative. 44,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10500524 at NHTSA ↗

ON A SUNNY COLD AFTERNOON IN AVON CT, DOING 35 MPH, THE ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS SUDDENLY CAME ON MY DASH OF 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID WITH 10897 MILES. AN AUDIBLE CONTINUOUS ALARM WAS ON IN THE CAR. THE BRAKES WERE TOTALLY INOPERABLE. IT WAS A TOTAL CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALER AND NISSAN CLAIMS IT WAS A FAULTY ABS ACTUATOR THAT NEEDS REPLACEMENT. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 10,897 miles reported. Look up ODI 10299718 at NHTSA ↗

PUSHED ON BRAKES AND PEDAL WENT DOWN WITH NO BRAKES. ONCE PEDAL GOT TO A LOW POINT THE BRAKES CAME FULL ON WITH CAR ABRUPTLY COMING TO A STOP. AT THE SAME TIME ALARMS CAME ON. I SHUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED. THE ALARMS WERE STILL ON. I TRIED DRIVING FORWARD AGAIN AND SLOWLY PUSHED DOWN ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE BRAKE PEDAL CONTINUED DOWN WITH NO RESISTANCE UNTIL IT REACHED A LOW POINT AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR ABRUPTLY COMES TO A STOP. BEAVERTON NISSAN CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM. BEAVERTON NISSAN MECHANIC WITH THE HELP OF NISSAN TECHNICAL SUP…

Owner-reported narrative. 55,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10464098 at NHTSA ↗

NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID SUDDENLY ACCELERATION. I WAS GOING SLOW PULLING INTO A PARKING STALL WHEN MY CAR "JUMPED" AND SUDDENLY WENT FORWARD CRASHING INTO THE RAILING. THERE WAS A WITNESS THAT SAW ME PULLING INTO THE PARKING STALL SLOWLY WHEN MY CAR "JUMPED" CRASHING THROUGH THE RAILING. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 26,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10340166 at NHTSA ↗

ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK IS A KNOWN DEFECTIVE PART THAT IS NOT TREATED AS SAFETY ISSUE SINCE IT SEEMS TO OCCUR ONLY BEFORE STARTING SEQUENCE. HOWEVER, IF CAR STALLS OR ATTEMPT TO RESTART IN TRAFFIC SITUATION THERE IS POTENTIAL DANGER. NISSAN MODIFIED WARRANTY TO 72 MONTHS ON THIS PART BUT DID NOT NOTIFY OWNERS OF ISSUE. WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED AND PART REPLACED.... IN OUR CASE IT HAPPENED WHILE GETTING SERVICED -- AND EVEN REPLACEMENT FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED....

Owner-reported narrative. 46,715 miles reported. Look up ODI 10809289 at NHTSA ↗

MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID REFUSED TO RECOGNIZE THE WIRELESS KEY, LEAVING ME STRANDED. IT WAS SEVEN DEGREES IN CHICAGO AND THE WINDCHILL WAS BELOW ZERO, BUT I WAS ABLE TO RETURN HOME TAKING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED IF THIS HAD OCCURRED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I TOWED THE CAR TO A DEALER, WHO TOLD ME THAT THE "STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY" HAD FAILED, BUT THEY COULD FIX IT FOR $1170 PLUS TAX. I FOUND THAT THERE USED TO BE A SPECIAL WARRANTY IF THIS PART FAILED, BUT NISSAN HAD PUT A TIME LIMIT ON IT SO THAT CARS W…

Owner-reported narrative. 60,984 miles reported. Look up ODI 10692565 at NHTSA ↗

THE STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY SEIZED UP WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED, SO THE ENGINE STARTER WAS PREVENTED FROM TURNING ON AND THE STEERING AND TRANSMISSION REMAINED LOCKED. THIS HAPPENED IN THE DEAD OF WINTER AND AT NEAR-ZERO TEMPERATURES, REQUIRING A TOW TO A DEALER AND A $1200 REPAIR, WHICH NISSAN LATER REDUCED TO $450. I ACCEPTED THIS ON CONDITION IT WOULD NOT CONSTITUTE A SETTLEMENT. THIS IS A DEFECT THAT TURNS UP IN ALL ALTIMAS BUILT DURING SEVERAL MONTHS IN 2008, WHICH THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED. THEY OFFERED A 72-MONTH WARRANTY AFTER MANUFACTURE (N…

Owner-reported narrative. 55,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10807485 at NHTSA ↗