NHTSA Complaint #10482796 — 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA

MY CAR IT WOULD NOT START. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO ACTIVATION OF THE IGNITION SYSTEM. AFTER FOLLOWING ALL TROUBLE SHOOTING ADVICE IN THE CAR'S MANUAL, I TOWED THE CAR TO DEALER WHERE THEY STATED AN OPEN CIRCUIT IN STEERING CONTROL UNIT IS NOT TELLING THE CONTROL UNIT THAT THE STEERING WHEEL IS UNLOCKED AND READY TO START. THE STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT (PART# 487009N00B) NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS ALL PART OF THE VEHICLE ANTI-THEFT IMMOBILIZER SYSTEM. THE COST TO REPLACE THIS UNIT WAS $1,062.90. I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY FLAW IN THE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. 1. THIS WAS A FULLY FUNCTIONING CAR (EXCEPT FOR ANTI-THEFT GLITCH) THAT LEFT ME AND MY DAUGHTER STRANDED IN A VERY REMOTE AREA. 2. NISSAN PROMOTES HOW SAFE, RELIABLE AND ECONOMICAL THEIR CARS ARE, BUT THE ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM CAN DISABLE THE VEHICLE LEAVING DRIVER STRANDED WITH ONLY ONE OPTION, WHICH IS, TO BE TOWED TO A DEALER BECAUSE OF ANT-THEFT SYSTEM GLITCHES. 3. THE CAR, BEING ECONOMICAL, SHOULD NOT REQUIRE AN OVER $1,000 REPAIR BECAUSE OF AN ANTI-THEFT DEVICE CIRCUIT MALFUNCTION. 4. THERE ARE SEVERAL CONDITIONS THAT CAN OCCUR THAT WILL RESULT IN THE NISSAN ALTIMA BECOMING IMMOBILIZED STRANDING DRIVERS. I AM STATING ONLY ONE. THIS IS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY TO FEMALE DRIVERS. 5. I FEEL THAT NISSAN SHOULD COME UP WITH AN OVERRIDE CODE OR DEVICE THAT WILL ALLOW A DRIVER TO ESCAPE FROM POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS THAT WERE CREATED BY NISSAN'S VEHICLE IMMOBILIZER SYSTEM. ESPECIALLY WHEN THE CAR IS FULLY FUNCTIONAL EXCEPT FOR AN ANTI-THEFT IMMOBILIZING CIRCUIT FALSELY TELLING THAT THE VEHICLE IS NOT READY TO START. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY FLAW IN THEIR VEHICLE SECURITY SYSTEM. *TR