Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | ||||||||||||||||
| 12V494000 | Nissan North America, Inc. | from 06/04/2012 to 07/26/2012 | V (Vehicle) | 13919 | MFR | Nissan North America, Inc. | 10/10/2012 | 10/11/2012 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | Nissan is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 altima vehicles manufactured from may 10, 2012, through july 26, 2012. these vehicles may have been equipped with transverse link bolts and power steering rack bolts that were not torqued to proper specification. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | The affected bolts could become loose and fall out which may lead to a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the bolts to the proper torque specifications. the safety recall is expected to begin on, or about october 29, 2012. owners may contact nissan customer service at 1-800-647-7261. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - COLUMN | |||||
| DSA-PC-158 | 06/07/2012 | 10046039 | Nissan: on certain vehicles, the steering column mounting nuts should be checked, to ensure torque has been applied correctly. models 2013 altima. *pe | 09/26/2012 | |
| DSA-PC-156 | 06/07/2012 | 10046040 | Nissan: certain vehicles have service action regarding checking steering column pinch bolt torquing. models 2013 altima. *pe | 09/26/2012 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 10/08/2012 | 200 | ||
| The car wonders on the highway, you need to always correct the steering, it is very distracting. | |||
| 10/19/2012 | 20 | ||
| I purchased my nissan altima 2013 s car on 17 october 2012 with 12 miles. approximately two days later after buying this vehicle, i began hearing a constant whining noise coming from the engine compartment at a very low speed, a drumming slapping noise when i abruptly brake, a rather disturbing metal clonking sound that seems to generate from the fuel tank and finally intermittently clicking sound from the engine compartment at a high rate of speed. these sounds ar extremely nerve wrecking for a brand new car. i brought my car to three different nissan dealerships for inspection at least seven times only to be told that these concerning sounds are normal conditions for this model. the car has also hesitated multiple times on start up. filed a complaint that led to nowhere because nissan north america, inc insists that these are | |||
| 02/05/2013 | 1 | ||
| I am writing to you in the hope that someone will look into my complaint and safety concern with the power steering pump of the new 2013 nissan altima. there has been no accident to date. this complaint concerns the newly designed 2013 nissan altima that when driven has a constant, annoying noise that sounds like morse code. this noise problem has apparently been identified by nissan as coming from the power steering pump due to other owner?s complaints about the noise. nissan claims this is a ?normal noise? and both the dealer and the nissan customer service center are aware of the multiple owner complaints about this noise, yet will offer no corrective service to eliminate this disturbing noise emanating from an apparent defective power steering pump. 2013 altima drivers need to be warned of the possible defect of the power steering pump and to be alert and report any problems in steering while driving. as an owner of a 2013 altima, i am extremely disturbed about the dealer?s and nissan?s response to my complaints about the power steering pump that it is just normal noise. i have owned 7 new cars over my lifetime, the last 2 being 2009 altimas, and have never had such a noise from the power steering pump. my car and work experience is that unusual noise from a pump means that something is wrong with the pump; and usually the pump has to be replaced before its tragic failure. nissan?s non-response to fix or replace this power steering pump in the 2013 altima is unconscionable, and should not be condoned as an acceptable business practice regarding the safety of the vehicle occupants. i respectfully request that this issue be investigated to determine whether the power steering pump is defective or not - before there are serious accidents caused by the pump failure. *tr | |||
| 11/20/2012 | 100 | 1 | |
| At highway speeds over 65mph vehicle wanders. wandering creates the need for constant corrective steering action. steering is extremely sensitive. any wind or passing vehicle exacerbates problem. vehicle feels very unstable at highway speed. nissan north america had me take vehicle back to dealer. i did so today(freedom nissan in burlington, vt). vehicle has 5225 miles to date. service director [xxx] confirmed that he felt the same problem at highway speed. tire pressure was checked ok. an alignment was performed, minor adjustments made. on departure, service director said that the vehicle is mechanically correct. that the wandering is normal. on the drive home, there is no difference from prior to my visit to the dealer. no notable difference from alignment. i joked that i should buy a few hundred pounds of sand. i will not buy another nissan product. this vehicle is unpleasant to drive, and the wandering and steering sensitivity are potential safety hazards on the highway. i have left a message for my case manager at nissan north america. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr | |||
| 02/05/2013 | |||
| I am writing to you in the hope that someone will look into my complaint and safety concern with the power steering pump of the new 2013 nissan altima. there has been no accident to date. this complaint concerns the newly designed 2013 nissan altima that when driven has a constant, annoying noise that sounds like morse code. this noise problem has apparently been identified by nissan as coming from the power steering pump due to other owner | |||
| 11/20/2012 | 100 | ||
| At highway speeds over 65mph vehicle wanders. wandering creates the need for constant corrective steering action. steering is extremely sensitive. any wind or passing vehicle exacerbates problem. vehicle feels very unstable at highway speed. nissan north america had me take vehicle back to dealer. i did so today(freedom nissan in burlington, vt). vehicle has 5225 miles to date. service director eric smith confirmed that he felt the same problem at highway speed. tire pressure was checked ok. an alignment was performed, minor adjustments made. on departure, service director said that the vehicle is mechanically correct. that the wandering is normal. on the drive home, there is no difference from prior to my visit to the dealer. no notable difference from alignment. i joked that i should buy a few hundred pounds of sand. i will not buy another nissan product. this vehicle is unpleasant to drive, and the wandering and steering sensitivity are potential safety hazards on the highway. i have left a message for my case manager at nissan north america. | |||
| 02/05/2013 | |||
| I am writing to you in the hope that someone will look into my complaint and safety concern with the power steering pump of the new 2013 nissan altima. there has been no accident to date. this complaint concerns the newly designed 2013 nissan altima that when driven has a constant, annoying noise that sounds like morse code. this noise problem has apparently been identified by nissan as coming from the power steering pump due to other owner | |||
| 11/20/2012 | 100 | ||
| At highway speeds over 65mph vehicle wanders. wandering creates the need for constant corrective steering action. steering is extremely sensitive. any wind or passing vehicle exacerbates problem. vehicle feels very unstable at highway speed. nissan north america had me take vehicle back to dealer. i did so today(freedom nissan in burlington, vt). vehicle has 5225 miles to date. service director eric smith confirmed that he felt the same problem at highway speed. tire pressure was checked ok. an alignment was performed, minor adjustments made. on departure, service director said that the vehicle is mechanically correct. that the wandering is normal. on the drive home, there is no difference from prior to my visit to the dealer. no notable difference from alignment. i joked that i should buy a few hundred pounds of sand. i will not buy another nissan product. this vehicle is unpleasant to drive, and the wandering and steering sensitivity are potential safety hazards on the highway. i have left a message for my case manager at nissan north america. | |||
| 02/05/2013 | |||
| I am writing to you in the hope that someone will look into my complaint and safety concern with the power steering pump of the new 2013 nissan altima. there has been no accident to date. this complaint concerns the newly designed 2013 nissan altima that when driven has a constant, annoying noise that sounds like morse code. this noise problem has apparently been identified by nissan as coming from the power steering pump due to other owner | |||
| 11/20/2012 | 100 | ||
| At highway speeds over 65mph vehicle wanders. wandering creates the need for constant corrective steering action. steering is extremely sensitive. any wind or passing vehicle exacerbates problem. vehicle feels very unstable at highway speed. nissan north america had me take vehicle back to dealer. i did so today(freedom nissan in burlington, vt). vehicle has 5225 miles to date. service director eric smith confirmed that he felt the same problem at highway speed. tire pressure was checked ok. an alignment was performed, minor adjustments made. on departure, service director said that the vehicle is mechanically correct. that the wandering is normal. on the drive home, there is no difference from prior to my visit to the dealer. no notable difference from alignment. i joked that i should buy a few hundred pounds of sand. i will not buy another nissan product. this vehicle is unpleasant to drive, and the wandering and steering sensitivity are potential safety hazards on the highway. i have left a message for my case manager at nissan north america. | |||
| 11/18/2012 | 1400 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2013 nissan altima. the contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing two times. the second time the vehicle was taken to the dealer the technician advised the contact that the vehicle needed a front end alignment performed. the alignment was performed however, the failure persisted. the vehicle was not further repaired. the failure mileage was 1,400. kmj | |||
| 11/18/2012 | 1400 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2013 nissan altima. while driving approximately 65 mph the steering became difficult to maneuver. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing two different times. the second time the vehicle was at the dealer the technician stated the vehicle needed a front end alignment. after the alignment was performed the failure continued. the vehicle was not repaired 1,400. | |||
| 07/27/2012 | 155 | 1 | |
| On our first trip following purchase of the car, we noticed that the car was not tracking in a straight line at highway speeds. this condition was not noticeable at speeds lower than 65 mph. above that speed, the car wanders in the lane requiring continuous adjustments to the steering. inattention to the drift would allow the car to cross into the adjacent lane. the problem appears to be caused by the new steering system on the 2012 altima. it uses a power-steering system that consists of a hydraulic rack driven by an electric motor. we brought the car to the dealer and their test drive service manager confirmed the problem. after he talked with nissan usa, however, he disavowed ever saying that he noticed any problem. numerous contacts with nissan usa have resulted in no action to remedy the problem. the internet includes many 2013 altima buyers complaining about this problem. nissan management says that we just need to get used to it. this problem while it may sound minor, can be a serious safety issue on the highway. we have found that we often overcorrection to the lane drift, sending the car to the opposite side. *tr | |||
| 07/27/2012 | 155 | ||
| On our first trip following purchase of the car, we noticed that the car was not tracking in a straight line at highway speeds. this condition was not noticeable at speeds lower than 65 mph. above that speed, the car wanders in the lane requiring continuous adjustments to the steering. inattention to the drift would allow the car to cross into the adjacent lane. the problem appears to be caused by the new steering system on the 2012 altima. it uses a power-steering system that consists of a hydraulic rack driven by an electric motor. we brought the car to the dealer and their test drive service manager confirmed the problem. after he talked with nissan usa, however, he disavowed ever saying that he noticed any problem. numerous contacts with nissan usa have resulted in no action to remedy the problem. the internet includes many 2013 altima buyers complaining about this problem. nissan management says that we just need to get used to it. this problem while it may sound minor, can be a serious safety issue on the highway. we have found that we often overcorrect to the lane drift, sending the car to the opposite side. | |||
| 08/10/2012 | 1569 | 1 | |
| On aug. 10th we recd an email from the empire nissan fleet mngr [xxx]. he stated that they needed to have the car back and would pay our first mth pymt and give us a replacement car of like kind and quality. they would not tell us why the veh needed to be returned. we notified corp nissan consumer affairs dept and they contacted empire nissan. they finally advise that the reason they need the veh back was because there was an open campaign on it with a single recall. we agreed to return it for the repair. we took the veh back to nissan and later on that day, we were notified there were 10 recalls found on the veh! at this point we realized that was why they wanted to swap the veh. they agreed to give us a rental car during repairs. we picked up the veh & as soon as we left, there was a constant buzzing noise coming from the car, there was a lot of road noise and whistling from the windows, the engine was loud. we called the gm [xxx] & ask them to buy the veh back & they told us that we were asking too much and that we are acting like we are the victim. we also called the svs mgr, [xxx] to make have the veh serviced again. he was rude and said he didn't want to get in the middle of this with the manufacture & to not bring the veh in to them for svs & they will not be providing a loaner nor a rental for us. he stated he would have an engineer come out to look at the veh to determine the cond. we have heard nothing. nissan has been evasive and has not been honest with us. knowing that veh had several mechanical issues, they allowed us to cont to drive this veh and put us in danger with no regards to our safety. just a day ago we saw on the news there are now two more recalls on our veh. now a total of 12 recalls on a brand new car! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr | |||
| 08/10/2012 | 1569 | ||
| On aug. 10th we recd an email from the empire nissan fleet mngr dave ky. he stated that they needed to have the car back and would pay our first mth pymt and give us a replacement car of like kind and quality. they would not tell us why the veh needed to be returned. we notified corp nissan consumer affairs dept and they contacted empire nissan. they finally advise that the reason they need the veh back was because there was an open campaign on it with a single recall. we agreed to return it for the repair. we took the veh back to nissan and later on that day, we were notified there were 10 recalls found on the veh! at this point we realized that was why they wanted to swap the veh. they agreed to give us a rental car during repairs. we picked up the veh & as soon as we left, there was a constant buzzing noise coming from the car, there was a lot of road noise and whistling from the windows, the engine was loud. we called the gm adlie kakish & ask them to buy the veh back & they told us that we were asking too much and that we are acting like we are the victim. we also called the svs mgr, jerry to make have the veh serviced again. he was rude and said he didnt want to get in the middle of this with the manufacture & to not bring the veh in to them for svs & they will not be providing a loaner nor a rental for us. he stated he would have an engineer come out to look at the veh to determine the cond. we have heard nothing. nissan has been evasive and has not been honest with us. knowing that veh had several mechanical issues, they allowed us to cont to drive this veh and put us in danger with no regards to our safety. just a day ago we saw on the news there are now two more recalls on our veh. now a total of 12 recalls on a brand new car! | |||
| 08/01/2012 | 400 | 1 | |
| On interstates car wanders all over road requiring both hands on wheel making constant corrections to stay in lane and is severely buffeted by passing trucks and busses. at lower speeds constant corrections are still required to avoid running off road. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2012 | 400 | ||
| On interstates car wanders all over road requiring both hands on wheel making constant corrections to stay in lane and is severly buffeted by passing trucks and busses. at lower speeds constant corrections are still required to avoid running off road. | |||