NHTSA Complaint #10324923 — 2004 NISSAN ALTIMA

PROBLEM VEHICLE IS 2004 NISSAN ALTIMA WITH 80,000 MILES. NOTICED WHEN PULLING OUT OF DRIVEWAY AFTER CAR HAD SIT OVERNIGHT IN GARAGE THAT STEERING WHEEL WAS BINDING WHEN I TRIED TO TURN THE VEHICLE. DURING THE COURSE OF THE DRIVE THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD BIND BOTH DURING TURNING AND WHEN RETURNING TO STRAIGHT. THE BINDING CAUSED EXTRA EFFORT (REQUIRING BOTH HANDS) TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AND ALSO REQUIRED EXTRA EFFORT TO RETURN THE WHEELS TO STRAIGHT BECAUSE THE BINDING PREVENTED THE WHEELS FROM RETURNING TO STRAIGHT ON THEIR OWN. THE BINDING WAS BAD ENOUGH THAT IT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE EFFORT REQUIRED TO TURN THE WHEEL AND THE DIFFICULTY IN STRAIGHTENING THE WHEELS TO STOP TURNING. THE BINDING FORCE WAS INTERMITTENT AND SEEMED TO BE RELATED TO CERTAIN PLACES IN THE ORIENTATION OF THE WHEEL. AFTER RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET I DISCOVERED THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH SIMILAR YEAR AND MODEL OF CAR AND THEY ALL REFERENCED THE LOWER UNIVERSAL JOINT IN THE STEERING LINKAGE AS THE PROBLEM PART (NISSAN PART 48080-8J000). WHEN I REMOVED THE PART IT WAS RUSTY AND EXTREMELY TIGHT (I WILL HOLD ONTO THE OLD PART IN CASE ANYONE WANTS TO SEE IT OR USE IT AS EVIDENCE). THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS BACK ORDERED BY NISSAN WHEN I ORDERED IT FROM THE DEALER. THE DEALER SAID THAT THEY HAVE BEEN SELLING LOTS OF THIS PART AND THE PART HAS BEEN TAKING A FEW DAYS TO TWO WEEKS TO ARRIVE DUE TO HIGH DEMAND. CLEARLY THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE DESIGN OF THIS PART. WHEN I FINALLY GOT THE NEW PART (48080-8J000 LOWER STEERING U-JOINT) AND INSTALLED IT THE STEERING WORKED SMOOTHLY AGAIN. *TR