CarComplaints.com Notes: You don't want to get 2009 and 2010 Altima owners started about their cars. That is, unless, you know how to start their cars.
These vehicles can suddenly become impossible to start thanks to a faulty electronic steering column lock (ESCL). Nissan dealers will gladly replace it, but that will run you $1000.
More info & videos about the Nissan ESCL defect are available over at NissanProblems.com.
It's one of the many reasons this car was named CarTalk's Turd of the Week and given our Beware of this Clunker badge. Two dubious honors.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
47,959 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Cpsc:this winter I was noticing and having even more problems with glare and sun and lights at night reflecting on these shiny "melted" areas, making it difficult to see the road in the right conditions. As previously stated, my dash was all originally a black matte finish and glare was never a problem prior to the dash material appearing to break down. I decided to google "melting dashboards" to see what I could find to fix or repair, or reports, etc. Updated 08/31/2017...updated 10/03/17 updated 10/25/17
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the dashboard melted into a black, sticky, reflective liquid. The contact stated that the bottom half of the windshield was not visible due to the liquid reflecting the light. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the dashboard was melting and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed by the representative of the manufacturer that Nissan had no obligation to repair the dashboard because there were no open recalls. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.
1. the dashboard totally melted creating a blinding glare while driving. It is completely sticky to touch, which is great if I wanted a permanent and highly effective bug trap. The glare it creates on the windshield is so blinding that I've almost hit pedestrians crossing the street on several different occasions. The dealership where I purchased the car only offered to replace it at a ridiculous cost that I cannot afford as a school teacher. It was only 2 years old, however old enough to not be under warranty. My major concern is having an accident or hitting someone crossing the street. Will Nissan cover damages then" 2. headlights: Plastic headlight is completely covered in film creating a visibility hazard at night. Restoration processes did not work. Again after only 2 years they had a film over the lenses. Now they are worse. As a school teacher with a limited income I depend on my car lasting. I cannot even sell the car in these conditions for a decent price. Nissan is not holding up to the standards it should; especially safety standards. Let's hope myself or someone else does not wind up as another statistic. Let this be on records as a safety hazard complaint for the manufacturer and others who share the same occurrences. If pictures are needed, I have plenty. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my car! however, this is completely unacceptable and I am concerned for not only my safety but the safety of those around me, and all because of the manufacturer slacking in their safety standards division. Please help"
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the surface of the dashboard melted and became sticky and shiny. When the sunlight shined on the melted surface of the dashboard, a glare was present creating a visibility hazard. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Dash board is melting causing intense glare on windshield. First noticed last summer 2014 and now that hot warm weather has returned 2015 it is getting worse! dashboard is sticky/gummy. Unable to see clearly due to glare. Im am afraid to drive my car and cause an accident since it has become very difficult to drive. Glare obstructs visibility. I have always used a windshield sun shade dashboard is still hot and sticky when I return to my car and check it.
While driving on interstate, sun roof glass came out of roof. There is a recall on sun roof glass due to shoddy, improper installation. Contacted sun roof company about recall, filed a claim, was told that it would be fixed in a convenient and timely manner. They gave me their installers contact info and instructed me to contact them with some info and they( the installer) would handle the rest. When I contacted the installer I was told rather rudely that I was not to call them(installer), that they were very busy, and would get the info from the company(webasto) and contact me when they received the parts. After a week or so, I contacted webasto again to see if I could have an installer in my city to repair the glass due to the time it was taking and the fact that their installer was not in a convenient location. At first I was told yes, I would just have to get a one time authorization for the installer I chose. My installer followed the instructions given, then after about four days of no return call about the authorization, I contacted webasto again and was told they were refusing to O.K. my installer, and insisting that I use their installer even at the cost of it being done in a timely manner or at my convenience. Still have not heard from anyone to date. Today's date being 3/31/15.
The dash on my 2009 Nissan Altima has started melting. I noticed not long after I purchased it that there was a sticky substance on the dash. I thought it was adhesive and tried unsuccessfully to wipe it off. I have since realized that the dash is actually melting. The melting dash creates a shiny tar like substance that glares in the windshield during certain times of day and can create visibility issues. While searching the internet for a solution I learned that I am not the only one with this problem as greatly discussed here forums.nicoclub.com/my-dashboard-is-melting-T569582-90.html.
The dashboard on my Nissan Altima 2009 becomes really sticky for no apparent reason. This problem becomes a safety hazard because the stickiness tends to spread to the windshield blocking the visibility. Please help!
After owning this car less than 2 years I have noticed my dashboard melting and causing a terrible glare on the windshield in late morning and early afternoon. This has led to me almost hitting a few people and other vehicles due to lack of visibility. This is a severe safety concerned not only as a driver but for pedestrians and other drivers on the road as well.
I began to notice some stickiness on my dashboard a few years ago. Eventually, some sections of the dashboard melted so much that they became wet and shiny. Because the texture changed, the melted areas began to cause a glare on the glass of the windshield. It became very difficult to see straight out when any light reflected off of the dashboard and caused the glare. I am afraid because the glare can easily block the visibility of something in the road or someone ahead of me. I officially brought this problem to the attention of the dealership on 10/17/13 even though the problem had begun before then. On that date, I was taking my car to the dealership due to another issue that was covered by my warranty. Out of curiosity, I asked the greeter at the dealership about it and she said that she had seen many of these cases before. I couldn't believe it. One of the attendants took pictures and submitted it to the company for approval to cover repairs under warranty. He left me a voice message a week later indicating it was not approved. A year later, I saw this same situation covered by the news (nbc 6) and it is obviously a defect that many of us are being impacted by. This is not "wear and tear" but a poorly manufactured plastic dashboard. I am putting in this official complaint because I feel that this is a defect that causes unsafe driving conditions. I am also concerned about the possibility of there being toxic gases from the melting plastic that my family may be breathing. I've never seen dashboards melt like this before and I believe it needs to be investigated. Thank you for your attention in this matter. Updated 4/12/2016
Hello, I am an owner of an 09' Nissan Altima 2.5S. Within the last year my dashboard has begun to melt creating a mirror like glare which reflects off of my windshield and obstructs my view of the road. This presents a safety issue as I have a tough time seeing the vehicles brake lights in front of me. Please recall this issue.
The dashboard is melting and there was glare. I almost didn't see a pedestrian crossing in a crosswalk. There was no accident but the glare from the melting dashboard is dangerous.
Last year right before my 2009 Nissan Altima was paid off, the dash became very sticky. This problem became progressively worse in the heat of the Mississippi sun. Dust, bugs, flora, paper become embedded in the goo. It never dries. It just stays sticky and makes a dangerous glare on my windshield. I mistakenly thought my husband or I had done something wrong by cleaning the dash, but water would not cause this mess. I finally took it to my dealership who said they didn't know what had happened and gave me a $2000 estimate to replace the dash. Really" my car does not even have 60,000 miles on it now so Nissan has stuck us! I expected better from them. I recently discovered that there are 100's of 2009 melting dashes when I googled the subject. We have owned 2 Sentra, 1 frontier truck, 1 stanza, and a maxima. I we are suffering from mental stress over this ridiculous situation! Nissan should recall these melting dash vehicles. Where is the morality???"
1. dashboard totally melted creating a blinding glare while driving. It is completely sticky to the touch. The glare is so blinding almost hit a pedestrian crossing the street.. the dealership where I purchased the car only offered to replace it at a ridiculous cost I cannot afford as a school teacher. It was only 2 years old, however, old enough not to be under warranty. My major concern is having an accident or hitting someone crossing a street if I get hit with the glare. Will Nissan cover damages then? 2. headlights: Plastic headlight is completely covered in film creating a visibility hazard at nighttime. Restoration processes did not work. Again after only 2 years they had a film over the lenses. Now they are worse. As a school teacher with a limited income I depended on my car lasting. I cannot even sell the car in these conditions for a decent value. Nissan is not holding up to the standards it should; especially safety standards. Let's hope myself or someone else does not wind up as another statistic. Let this be on records as a safety hazard complaint for the manufacturer and others who share the same occurrence. If pictures are needed I have plenty.
My Nissan Altima coupe's dashboard is starting to melt. With that issue, the dashboard is starting to have a reflective glare that is making it very difficult to drive or see during daylight and nighttime when the street lights are on. This is beginning to get serious due to the fact that this dashboard problem is starting to really block my view from the front. When the sun is really bright, I am scared to drive because I may run into the car in front of me that I cannot see because of the glare. If I was to get into an accident because of this glare on my dashboard blocking my view, I will sue the maker of the car to the fullest.
My dashboard is melting right now is a ugly sticky mess, some heavy glare reducing 50% of the vision in my windshield affecting me watching for pedestrians, cars, the road., etc.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Lexington, KY, USA