Steering issues make up roughly 6% of all Nissan owner complaints. The majority of the issues have been reported by Altima owners.
The complaint we hear about most often is steering wheel lock failure in the 2009 Altima.
Nissan owners are fed up with not being able to start their cars due to a ESCL defect. A new service campaign means defective steering locks will be fixed (at least in some models)…
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Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.
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Years of complaints and countless warranty claims have finally forced Nissan's hand as the automaker announced they will issue a service campaign for 243,000 vehicles with ESCL problems. Service campaign, recall, banana ... whatever you want to call it, Nissan.
The campaign is only for the 2009-2010 Altima, Altima Coupe, Altima Hybrid, and Maxima cars. They all come equipped with ESCLs that lock the steering wheel when the cars are parked and turned off.
Nissan says a manufacturing issue caused the ESCL to malfunction after the car had been turned off. Up until now, the owner's only option was to replace the part which cost, on average, around $1000 with parts and labor.
Nissan will replace the ESCL with an electronic steering column box. If you've already paid for repairs, Nissan will reimburse you with the proper proof. Additional service campagin info is available on CarComplaints.com.
keep readingAccording to Nissan, a manufacturing problem with the outer tube in the steering column is responsible for a recall of 17,000 vehicles.
"In the words of the automaker, the outer tube might have been manufactured 'out-of-round.' The wrong specifications can cause stress at the upper bearing and cause the bearing retainer to fracture. Once broken, the steering wheel will move without turning the vehicle as intended."
The recall includes the 2009 Nissan GT-R, 2008 Infiniti EX35, and the 2009 Infiniti FX35/FX45.
This post originally appeared on InfinitiProblems.com.
keep readingThe lower steering column joint on the affected Frontier and Xterra vehicles can develop corrosion that limits the movement of the joint, although they're saying that's rare.
If the vehicle continues to be driven in this condition it may, in an extreme case, lead to cracking of the steering shaft.
The affected vehicles include any of the following manufactured between August 2003 and June 2006:
Additionally:
Nissan plans to begin owner notification in early December once replacement parts are available. Owners will be asked to bring their vehicles to the dealer to have the new parts installed free of charge.
keep reading