NHTSA Complaint #10679608 — 2011 NISSAN ALTIMA

THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL TIMES THE CAR WAS UNABLE TO START AND UNABLE TO BE SHUT OFF WITHOUT HAVING TO BE TOWED. THEY CLAIMED IT WAS A BATTERY ISSUE, BUT THE CAR ALMOST ACTED LIKE IT WAS ENCOUNTERING A SOFTWARE CRASH BOTH TIMES. I'VE HAD TO HAVE THE EXHAUST / CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED ON THE CAR. I'VE HAD SEVERAL MAJOR STEERING PROBLEMS. AT ONE POINT, A TIE ROD HAD TO BE REPLACED ON THIS CAR. THE LATEST STEERING ISSUE JUST OCCURRED IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. ON JANUARY 16, I TOOK A ROAD TRIP WITH MY FIANCE AND HER SISTER TO MEMPHIS, TN TO VISIT HER OTHER SISTER. ON THE WAY DOWN WE NOTICED THE CAR WAS DIFFICULT TO STEER. UPON INSPECTION, WE FOUND THE POWER STEERING FLUID WAS LOW. WE REPLACED IT. HOWEVER, WE FOUND IT STRANGE GIVEN THE EXCELLENT MAINTENANCE ON THE CAR. AS WE DROVE, THE STEERING ISSUES RECURRED. WE FIGURED OUT THERE WAS A LEAK IN THE SYSTEM. WE BOUGHT A LOT OF POWER STEERING FLUID IN ORDER TO MAKE IT TO MEMPHIS (THERE WEREN'T MANY MAJOR CITIES ON OUR WAY BETWEEN WHERE WE CAME FROM AND MEMPHIS, SO WE HAD TO GET TO MEMPHIS.) SEVERAL MECHANICS CONFIRMED THE ISSUE WAS THE RACK & PINION SYSTEM ON THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP THAT ULTIMATELY REPAIRED THE CAR MENTIONED THIS BRAKE WAS HIGHLY UNUSUAL, NOT DUE TO POOR MAINTENANCE, AND NOT DUE TO ROAD HAZARDS. SINCE THE CAR IS NOT OUT OF WARRANTY, I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR MYSELF. GIVEN THE OTHER MAJOR REPAIRS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN THE SHORT TIME I'VE HAD THIS CAR, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE VERY DILIGENT MAINTENANCE I'VE BEEN PERFORMING ON THE CAR AND DESPITE THE MANY MILES ALREADY ON IT, I BELIEVE I'VE BEEN SOLD A LEMON. AS A RESULT OF THIS COSTLY REPAIR, I'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO SELL A PORTION OF MY 401K. I ADDITIONALLY HAD ADDED EXPENSES SENDING MY FIANCE AND HER SISTER BACK HOME SO THEY COULD GO TO WORK, ROOM & BOARD, CAR RENTAL, AND LOST A DAY OF WORK. *TR