NHTSA Complaint #10596376 — 2010 NISSAN ALTIMA

MY 2010 NISSAN ALTIMA HAS HAD DIFFICULTY STARTING. ALL THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS WOULD COME ON BUT THE ENGINE WOULDN'T TURNOVER. AT FIRST I COULD GET IT TO START AFTER A FEW TRIES (I WOULD PUMP THE BRAKES, BANG ON THE STEERING WHEEL). THEN I NOTICED WHILE DRIVING THE VDS (TRACTION CONTROL), ABS AND PARKING BRAKE LIGHT WOULD REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING. THIS MEANT THAT MY VDS WAS NOT FUNCTIONING. IT ALSO MEANT MY BRAKE LIGHTS WEREN'T FUNCTIONING WHILE I WAS DRIVING. ON 6 /01/2014 I TRIED STARTING MY CAR AND COULD NOT. I HAD IT TOWED TO MY AUTO REPAIR SHOP (MAPLE GROVE AUTO, MAPLE GROVE MN) WHERE THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME THAT IT REQUIRED A NEW BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH, HARNESS AND BAND HOSES. HE TOLD ME THERE WAS A NISSAN SERVICE BULLETIN AS THIS WAS A "KNOWN ISSUE". SO MUCH SO THAT NISSAN HAD ACTUALLY DEVELOPED A MORE DEPENDABLE BRAKE SWITCH. THE SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER IS NTB10-139- WHICH WAS RELEASED ON NOVEMBER 23RD 2010. HE TOLD ME TO REPAIR IT WAS GOING TO COST OVER 500.00. THE FAULTY BRAKE SWITCH IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS IT CAUSES THE CAR TO THROW ERROR CODES WHICH DEACTIVATES THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS. WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN A RECALL? WHY DOES IT COST $500 TO REPAIR A MALFUNCTIONING COMPONENT THAT SHORTLY AFTER THE CAR WAS RELEASED, THE MANUFACTURE ACKNOWLEDGED IT WAS FAULTY? WHY WOULD THE NHTSA WAIT UNTIL SOMEBODY DIES IN A CRASH CAUSED BY THE VDS AND ABS FEATURES NOT WORKING BEFORE THEY FORCE A RECALL/REPAIR OF THIS KNOWN ISSUE? *TR