NHTSA Complaint #10470271 — 2011 NISSAN ALTIMA

WHEN DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO START VEHICLE, ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON, ALL INTERIOR LIGHTS AND HEADLAMPS & RUNNING LIGHTS CAME ON, AND VEHICLE BECAME TOTALLY UNRESPONSIVE, STRANDING DRIVER & RUNNING DOWN BATTERY DUE TO INABILITY TO TURN ANY LIGHTS OFF OR TURN VEHICLE OFF. NO CONTROLS RELATED TO ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WERE CONTROLLABLE. SOME EXAMPLES INCLUDE: 1. POWER DOOR LOCK SWITCHES DID NOT FUNCTION (NO EFFECT FROM PRESSING). 2. POWER WINDOW SWITCHES DID NOT FUNCTION (NO EFFECT FROM PRESSING). 3. PRESSING THE VEHICLE POWER / IGNITION BUTTON (MODERN EQUIVALENT OF STARTING KEY SWITCH) DID NOT HAVE ANY EFFECT, WHETHER SHORT OR LONG DURATION PRESSES WERE USED, AND REGARDLESS OF DELAY BETWEEN KEY PRESSES. 4. HEADLIGHTS & RUNNING LIGHTS WERE ON REGARDLESS OF THE SWITCH POSITION OF THE HEADLIGHT CONTROL SWITCH. THIS RESULTED IN THE DRIVER BEING STRANDED. BECAUSE THE VEHICLE'S LIGHTING WOULD NOT TURN OFF, THE BATTERY RAN DOWN, DISABLING THE VEHICLE FURTHER. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A NISSAN DEALER. NISSAN SERVICEMAN INITIALLY REFUSED TO WRITE THE CUSTOMER PROBLEM DESCRIPTION AS PER THE CUSTOMER DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM. LATER, CUSTOMER CALLED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO REQUEST THE CUSTOMER DESCRIPTION INCLUDE SPECIFIC AND CORRECT INFORMATION ALREADY PROVIDED BY THE CUSTOMER SUCH AS VEHICLE WAS "COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE WHILE ALL THE WARNING LIGHT CAME [REMAINED TURNED] ON THE VEHICLE. DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK OR UNLOCK.", THE DEALER REPORTED THAT THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN FOUND TSB NTB12-041. DEALER RECORD READS: "REPROGRAMMED [SIC] BCM UPDATE AS PER TSB. VEHICLE IS NOW OPERATING AS DESIGNED [SIC] AFTER UPDATE." VEHICLE HAS FUNCTIONED NORMALLY SINCE. *TR