NHTSA Complaint #10569419 — 2010 NISSAN ALTIMA

MOST OF THE 2010 NISSAN ALTIMA CARS DO HAVE A PUSH BUTTON FOR THE IGNITION TO START. IN ORDER TO START THE CAR'S ENGINE, THE DRIVER WOULD NEED TO LIGHTLY PRESS THE BRAKES BEFORE PRESSING THE BUTTON. I PURCHASED THE BRAND-NEW CAR BACK IN SEPTEMBER 2010 AND I AM STILL THE ONLY OWNER. IN FEBRUARY 2014 WITH APPROXIMATELY 38,000 MILES, THE IGNITION STARTED TO STOP WORKING. AFTER A FEW STRUGGLES, THE IGNITION BUTTON WOULD FINALLY ALLOW ME TO START THE ENGINE. THEN THE PROBLEM GRADUALLY GOT WORSE. I NOTICED THAT THE BRAKES WOULD SUCK IN SO HARD THAT I WOULD BE UNABLE TO "PRESS" THE BRAKES ANYMORE IN ORDER FOR THE IGNITION BUTTON TO "ENABLE" SO I CAN START THE ENGINE. AT ONE POINT LAST WEEK, THE CAR REFUSED TO START BECAUSE OF THE BRAKES AND I WAS UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING BUT TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND PUSH THE CAR BACK AND FORTH IN THE MIDDLE OF A MCDONALD'S DRIVE-THRU ROUTE IN BALTIMORE, MD. MY ROOMMATE HAD TO TAKE LEAVE IN ORDER TO COME AND HELP ME OUT. AFTER 2 HOURS OF STRUGGLING, WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE "BRAKES LIGHT" ON AND THE IGNITION WOULD FINALLY BECOME ENABLED AND WE WERE ABLE TO START THE ENGINE. WE DROVE STRAIGHT TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP IN BOWIE, MD AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED. NISSAN ABOUT THIS AND THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG MANY DRIVERS AND THAT THE "BRAKE SWITCH" IS CAUSING IT. AT THE END, MY WARRANTY COMPANY HAD TO PAY MORE THAN $800 AND I HAD TO PAY ALMOST $300 OUT OF MY POCKET JUST FOR THIS ISSUE. I RESEARCHED ONLINE AND SAW SO MANY DRIVERS ARE COMPLAINING THE SAME THING AND THAT NISSAN IS REFUSING TO ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS BECAUSE THEY KNEW IT IS A "COMMON PROBLEM" THAT THEY COULD MAKE A PROFIT OUT OF THE REPAIRS CHARGES. MANY DRIVERS HAD TO PAY APPROXIMATELY $1,000 JUST FOR THIS "COMMON ISSUE" AND I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT NHTSA & DOT ARE AWARE OF THIS ONGOING ISSUE. THANK YOU. *TR