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:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
41,412 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.
Inspection is available, but note that car is in very poor shape and melted. All persons in the vehicle at the time of the incident were in extreme danger as the car showed no warning signed in the engine heat or check lights in the dashboard before the engine sputtered and slowed, the electrical sparked, and the whole front of the car caught on fire. The fire spread on a matter of 10 minutes and burst the windshield and front tires from the flames. Police inspected the remains of the vehicle and were unable to discover the source outside of the leaking oil still on fire by the electrical unit. Claim has been reported to insurance provider for their review.
The dashboard is sticky and melty. It has also cracked open continuously from left to right across the entire front face of the dashboard. It continues to widen such that I can see some of the inside of the dashboard. There was a class action settlement made for 2008-2009 Altimas and this exact problem of melty and sticky dashboard. The car is available for inspection upon request. There are three primary concerns regarding this dashboard 1. glare from the melt causing accidents, 2. reduced function of safety systems, and 3. off gassing of plastic components proven to be carcinogenic.
My Nissan altima dashboard is melting and the reflection is causing glare on windshield in the sun. Salt buildup on the windshield in combination with a flash of bright sunlight suddenly caused visibility out of the windshield to be nonexistent. I caused an accident when this happen to me on the freeway, as I lost all visibility and started to swerve and slow down. I had pull to the shoulder blindly and almost died.
concern: melting dashboard safety: visibility - the dashboard is very shiny and sticky, potential glare confirmation: Florida recalls have already been made against 2008 and 2009 Nissan vehicles, but nothing further. symptoms: no idea that the dashboard was melting; college student used vehicle corrective action taken: washing/cleaners do not improve or correct the issue. Also, the replacement cost and/or labor required to fix the issue is extremely limited for consumers to take on personally.
I bought a Nissan Altima 2010 which I thought was shinny due to cleaning to realized later that it is actually sticky because it is defective. It gets worse after it is exposed to heat. The shade cover sticks to the dashboard and leaves particles attached to it, the worse thing is the reflection or glare it creates when driving in the sun. It makes hard to see forwards.
- Pearland, TX, USA
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The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the dashboard melted and was sticky. The vehicle was taken to naples Nissan (239-300-2765, located at 3640 pine ridge road, naples, fl 34109) where it was confirmed that the failure was a known issue. However, the manufacturer discontinued the free repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the failure was no longer repaired free of charge. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
Dash board is melting and creating shiny surface which creates a glare on windshield. Depending on time of the day and angle of the sun, that glare prevents clear vision to the road. Law suit for similar issue was already approved in Florida and Nissan replaced dash boards for Florida residents. I called Nissan and they were not willing to fix it even it relates to safety and visibility. This issue is widespread and can not be treated as state wise. Also I am not sure if this melting dashboard is creating any harmful fumes that I need to be worried about. I have attached image and can share more image if needed. Depending on time and angle of the sun this gets even worse when you are driving an sun hits the dash board at certain angle.
Couple of months ago my dash started to melt. The problem is that the sine on the dash is making driving really difficult because it is hard to see through the front mirror
I was driving on an open stretch of interstate when my sunroof shattered. I was not near a bridge and there was not a vehicle in front of me for some distance. The sunroof was in the closed position at the time of the event.
Paint chipped off and faded after one year. Have seen numerous Nissan with same issue. Nissan refuses to address the issue or reprint any faded Nissan.
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the entire dashboard was sticky and had cracks. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. In addition, the brake warning indicator illuminated inadvertently. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 28,000.
The dashboard is literally melting and has puddles of tacky residue. I live in Florida. The vehicle was purchased in Florida. The dashboard is breaking down and causing a dangerous glare on the windshield. It is a serious safety hazard for passengers, other mva's and especially pedestrians as they are almost impossible to see in daylight. The tacky substance cannot be cleaned. Anything that touches it sticks. Nissan knows about the problem. It is a defect in composite material and has not been caused by solvents or cleaners. Nissan refuses to cover dashboard replacement despite this being a known issue. The cost to replace is over $2K. Nissan has entered into a class action settlement for model years 2008 & 2009 (sanborn V. Nissan North America) but I have a 2010 and it has the same problem. 2010's should be recalled now and I shouldn't have to pursue legal action for this known and extremely dangerous defect but more importantly someone is going to get killed unless these dashboards are recalled and replaced. The problem seems to be most prevalent in Florida based on what I've seen online. Please google "Nissan Altima melting dashboard" - it's not an uncommon complaint. I'm providing 2 pictures to demonstrate visibility when parked in the driveway as well as driving on the road. Try to locate the license plate on the truck in front of me, let alone read it. Now imagine if someone were to walk in front of my car.
Dashboard is melting from the heat and sun, has become sticky, un-cleanable and causing a terrible reflection on the windshield both day and night. Issue appears to be getting worse every week as this car sits outside 24/7 not always in the shade. I called Nissan of american and they setup an appointment to have the car looked at by my local dealership/service center. The end result was a wasted day and I was told that since the car was not under warranty (80K miles and 5 years old) there is nothing they could do for me. Estimated replacement cost of $2000. A few months later my ac condenser coil was diagnosed by Nissan with a leak. Nissan said it would be about $1500 to replace (and the service technician noted that due to the condition of my dashboard they could not make any guarantee to the condition of the dash after the repair and recommended dash replacement as well bring my repair total to and estimated $3500. With the ac recharged (but not fixed) I brought the car over to carmax to see what they would give me for the car. They saild although most Altima of this mileage and condition would be worth at least $6500-$7000 due to the dashboard condition (needs replacement according to their paperwork) they offered me $4500 for the car.
The front drivers side floor gets soaked every time it rains. But only in one spot about the size of a regular size envelope. There is no signs where water streams there from any other part of the floor. Just that spot. It happens when I am driving and if the car is parked it just started this past may
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the dashboard was melting and the material was lifting on the driver side. Due to the failure, the dashboard had a glossy surface which obstructed the contact's vision out of the front windshield. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The lack of lighting indicator makes that car very dangerous to drive at dusk & dawn times. The dash board is slightly less lit when the lights are on. The driver would not know whether the board light is in the "more" or the "less" status. Unlike in older cars, the dash board is not dark when the light is not on so that the driver is alerted. This is a major human factor defect. It is the cause of collisions at times of rush hour traffic. I am a professional engineer with utmost qualifications in human reliability analyses(hra). For a period of 9 years, I was the elected chairman of a large international group of hra engineers responsible for minimizing human errors at nuclear power plants. Our car was totaled. My wife had 4 broken ribs. I had several injuries.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Herndon, VA, USA