NHTSA Complaint #10494747 — 2009 NISSAN 370Z

PARKED CAR WHILE GETTING LUNCH, TRIED TO RESTART CAR AFTERWARDS AND IGNITION WOULDN'T CYCLE (WONT GO TO ACC OR ON, STAYS AT LOCK). INDICATOR LIGHT IMPLIED KEYFOB NEEDED TO BE INSERTED INTO THE SLOT. AFTER DOING SO, STILL WOULD NOT START. REPLACED KEYFOB BATTERY, JUMPED THE CAR; NONE WORKED. EVENTUALLY HAD TO BE TOWED TO LOCAL DEALER. STEERING LOCK UNIT WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE FAILED. UNLIKE MOST REPORTED FAILURES, THIS ONE FAILED WITH THE STEERING WHEEL UNLOCKED (MECHANISM NEVER ENGAGED), HOWEVER IT WOULD STILL NOT START. PARTS CAME IN AT $719 AND LABOR AT $259. HAD I BEEN MADE AWARE OF THESE COSTS BEFORE THE WORK WAS DONE, AS I REQUESTED IN A VOICEMAIL LEFT FOR THE DEALER, I WOULD NEVER HAVE AGREED AND WOULD HAVE DONE IT MYSELF. ALTHOUGH THIS EVENT MAY NOT OCCUR WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, POSING AN IMMEDIATE AND APPARENT SAFETY ISSUE, IT DID RESULT IN BEING STRANDED IN 10DEGREE WINTER WEATHER. FORTUNATELY, THIS OCCURRED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY WITH PEOPLE IN THE VICINITY TO HELP AND A CELL PHONE CHARGED. HAD IT HAPPENED 12HRS LATER AND WITH A DEAD CELLPHONE, IT WOULD POSE A CONSIDERABLE SAFETY ISSUE IN SUB10 DEGREE WEATHER. THIS IS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE, KNOWN BY NISSAN, AND SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED FOR THE GT-R'S UNDER NTB10-025 ISSUED 3/18/10. YET, FOR SOME REASON, IT HAS NOT YET BEEN CORRECTED FOR THE 370Z. ACCORDING TO SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT DEALERSHIP WHERE THIS WORK WAS PERFORMED, THERE WERE TOO MANY INSTANCES OF THIS OCCURRENCE IN THEIR SYSTEM TO BEGIN COUNTING THEM ALL WHEN I REQUESTED THAT INFORMATION FOR REPORTING PURPOSES. FOR OTHERS INFORMATION, EXACT PART NUMBER ON THE STICKER OF THE REPLACED UNIT IS AS FOLLOWS: 48700 9N00A-B1-01 T 4601101C E08 M01 31.03.09. *TR