NHTSA Complaint #10949965 — 2010 NISSAN MAXIMA

ON SUNDAY, 5 FEBRUARY 2017, I LEFT MY HOUSE TO VISIT MY BROTHER AT 10AM AND WHEN I CAME BACK OUTSIDE (20MINS LATER) TO MY CAR, IT WOULD NOT START. AN ORANGE LIGHT THAT READ "KEY" POPPED UP ON THE DASHBOARD. TRIED TO START THE CAR AND THE KEY LIGHT CAME ON, BRAKES WERE HARD TO PRESS, AND THE IGNITION WOULD NOT START ONLY LOCK WOULD SHOW UP ON THE PUSH TO START BUTTON. AFTER TWO HOURS, I HAD TO GET THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. WHILE WAITING FOR THE TOW TRUCK TO ARRIVE, I DID SOME SEARCHING ONLINE AND FOUND OUT THAT THIS WAS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM WITH THE NISSAN MAXIMA AND NOT COVERED BY ANY EXTENDED WARRANTIES; THOUGH I READ THAT THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED OFTEN ENOUGH WITH THE 2009 MAXIMA THAT NISSAN ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY TO COVER THIS REPAIR. THE PIECE IN QUESTION THAT WAS THE PROBLEM... QUOTED BY NISSAN IS THE "STEERING LOCK." THIS PIECE HAS BEEN RECALLED BY NISSAN IN THE EARLIER MODELS, BUT APPARENTLY NOT FOR MY VEHICLE (WHICH IS THE YEAR AFTER THE ONE THAT IS RECALLED) APPARENTLY THEY DIDN'T FIX THIS ISSUE. MONDAY, 6 FEBRUARY 2017, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE DEALERSHIP TO CONFIRM MY CAR ISSUE (LOCK STEERING) AND THE COST WAS GOING TO BE $1104 TO REPAIR, WITH MY MILITARY DISCOUNT THE COST WAS $985.46. STILL THIS IS MONEY I SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO PAY CONSIDERING THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURER MALFUNCTION AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WEAR AND TEAR OF VEHICLE. WHICH, BTW, THE VEHICLE IS IN GREAT SHAPE AND HAS HAD REGULAR MAINTENANCE CHECKS AND ALL WORK COMPLETED BY A NISSAN TECHNICIAN WHICH MAKES THIS EVEN MORE FRUSTRATING. THIS COMPLAINT IS TO NOT ONLY BRING ATTENTION TO THE ONGOING ISSUE WITH THE 2010 NISSAN MAXIMA, BUT TO ALSO GET REIMBURSED FOR MY OUT OF POCKET REPAIR. I HAVE BEEN A LOYAL NISSAN CUSTOMER SINCE 2000 (THIS IS MY THIRD MAXIMA; FAVORITE TYPE OF CAR), BUT I CAN HONESTLY SAY NISSAN, YOU'RE LOSING YET ANOTHER CUSTOMER'THIS IS RIDICULOUS.