NHTSA Complaint #10651922 — 2010 NISSAN MAXIMA

OUR 2010 NISSAN MAXIMA WOULD NOT START. THIS PRESENTED AN UNSAFE SITUATION IN WHICH MY WIFE WAS VIRTUALLY STRANDED LATE IN THE AFTERNOON WITH INCLEMENT WEATHER. THE IGNITION SWITCH WOULD NOT START THE CAR WHEN DEPRESSED AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED. WE ATTEMPTED TO USE TWO SEPARATE KEY FOBS FOR OUR CAR BUT NEITHER WORKED. WE HAD OUR CAR TOWED TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATED THAT IT HAD A DEFECTIVE STEERING LOCK AND THEREFORE WOULD NOT START. THE PARTS NEEDED AND PART NUMBERS ARE SHOWN BELOW: ** STEERING LOCK (SOME REFERENCED PARTS SOURCES ONLINE ALSO REFER TO IT AS AN IGNITION LOCK ASSEMBLY) (1 EA) PART #: 48700-9N00B ** LOCK BOLT/SCREW (4 EA) PART # 48703-06F0A WE WERE QUOTED AN ASTRONOMICAL PRICE OF $1,650 DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE STEERING LOCK. IT JUST SEEMS OUTRAGEOUS AND UNBELIEVABLE! I READ SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE ONLINE FOR OWNERS OF THIS SAME TYPE OF NISSAN VEHICLE. MANY HAD THE SAME PROBLEM ARISE AT ROUGHLY THE SAME RECORDED MILEAGE. THIS APPEARS TO BE A MECHANICAL DEFECT THAT NISSAN HAS BEEN AWARE OF BUT HAS DONE NOTHING TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. I KNOW OF ABSOLUTELY NO RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THAT THIS PROBLEM CONSTITUTES AN INHERENT MECHANICAL DEFECT IN THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE STEERING AND IGNITION SYSTEM WHICH PRESENTS A HAZARD FOR OWNERS/OPERATORS, AN UNREALISTIC COST FOR AN ISSUE THAT ACTUALLY SHOULD NOT OCCUR, AND LEAVES OWNERS/OPERATORS STRANDED AND BECAUSE THE SYSTEM WON'T OPERATE AND TURN ON THE VEHICLE. I SEE IT AS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE WHICH SHOULD BE EXAMINED CLOSELY FOR AN IMMEDIATE RECALL. I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE TAKE ACTION WITH NISSAN TO REMEDY THIS ISSUE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU. *TR