Problems with 2009 Nissan Maxima STEERING

My family and i were driving south bound on the new jersey turnpike at 75 mph and the car shutdown, it would not accelerate and lost power. luckily we were in the right lane and i acted quickly to turn on the hazards and get off the highway on to the shoulder to avoid a serious accident. this car only has ~16000 miles as well as all of its scheduled maintenance is up to date. after getting it towed to the nissan dealership they informed us that it was a problem with the mass air flow sensor and that even though the car was within the warranty period the warranty would not cover it as they found a leaf in the sensor. we have no way to verify that there was a leaf in the sensor and the car is kept in a garage and/or driveway nowhere near a tree. we wanted to report this incident so that if more incidents like this occur maybe a recall is warranted as nissan's engineering of the vehicles could be at fault. how could a leaf in get in there? if a leaf does get in why would that corrode the part? *tr

Steering component - telescope and tilt function: 1. the steering column telescoping function stopped working and can no longer be adjusted leaving the steering wheel in a locked position. potential for injury if the steering wheel cannot be moved far enough away from the driver if the air bag deploys during a frontal crash. 2. steering wheel tilt function stopped working and can no longer be adjusted leaving the steering wheel in a locked position. this also poses a potential for injury if the steering wheel cannot be adjusted up or down to properly accommodate the driver if the air bag deploys during a frontal crash. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan maxima. the contact stated that after refueling, the vehicle would not start. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the steering lock unit needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired because the necessary parts were on back order. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the parts would become available in a few weeks. the failure and the current mileages were 40,000.

The steering wheel tilt and telescope motor stop working. i took it to the nissan dealership to have repaired under warranty. only to be told that i was one month out of factory warranty 3 years or 36,000 miles. the service advisor showed me that it was a bulletin dated in 2009, at the dealership service department showing there was an issue with the tilt and telescope motor. i'm out of warranty so i have to pay out almost 1,500 dollars to get it repaired. its not fair to consumers when paying almost 40,000 dollars for a vehicle that has issues. it's not fair when the dealerships are aware of problems and not informing the owners until it's discovered after the warranty has expired. there should have been a recall on this vehicle or at least notified the owner to have done at their leisure. *tr

Tilt steering wheel locked in the extreme up position when drivers door was opened at approx 2 years/52,000 miles. tilt steering wheel could not be lowered until disassembled by the dealer. driver visibility was seriously obstructed, especially for shorter drivers. potential air bag effectiveness was also seriously degraded. nissan identified the problem is with the steering column adjustment motors (tilt or telescope) in service bulletin ntb09094. however, nissan has not issued a recall and refused to reimburse this first-time nissan owner for this safety defect. there is no certainty of whether replacement nissan steering column adjustment motors do not have the same underlying design defect and will not fail shortly after installation. the telescope adjustment motor failed at approx 1 year/38,000 miles. total replacement cost for parts and labor for both adjustment motors was approximately $400+. i request nissan and nhtsa issue a recall for this serious safety defect. *tr

The collar will move up and down slow ... report the motor is bad. *tr

In nov. 2009, approx 3 months after purchasing new car, it started intermittently having heavier vibration in the steering wheel. since then, there is a constant minor pulsing/vibration, with intermittent vibration that has more intensity. when i have more instances of the "heavier" vibration during my commute it causes my hands to tingle. i have been to the dealer 4 times with this complaint - the last time with a regional rep present. to date, the dealer and nissan corporate consumer assistance has not identified any solution nor any other compensation. i feel there is a defect or design flaw that is producing the vibration, which i can only assume will get worse over time. i am afraid it will eventually put my hands to sleep on a longer trip. *tr

In january 2009 i purchased a brand new 2009 nissan maxima. in april my interior lights, steering wheel and seat and the heat on my drivers side seat stopped working. i took my car in to the nissan dealer for repairs, i was told that there was and electrical problem and that they had repaired it. two weeks later the same thing happened to me when i went to georgia, when i got back to maryland i took my car into the nissan dealer for repairs again and was told that they could not find anything wrong with my car. on may 19th my steering wheel stuck in the highest upward position again and also my seat was not working, and the locks on the doors kept locking and unlocking while my car was turned on but not being driven, on may 20th i took my car in for repairs again, the service writer at the nissan dealer looked at it and also noticed the problem ( my steering wheel was still stuck in the upward position and the seat was not working), after he played around with several buttons he told me that everything seemed to be doing fine and he didn't know if they could do anything for me. i told him that i would leave my car for repairs because i knew something was wrong still with my car. i received a phone call from the dealer and was told that they could not find anything wrong. i know something is wrong, so where do i go from here. this has been three times that they have tried to fix my car and i am getting nowhere. *tr