Problems with 2010 Nissan Altima ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The automatic locks aren't working. only the front passenger and back drivers side will lock and unlock with the key fob or switches. the back passenger side will lock with the fob and switch, but it won't unlock. drivers side has to be locked and unlocked manually.

The steering wheel lock

When accelerating from 20mph to 40mph the rpms increase to 3rpm and the transmission hesitates to change the gear. it seems to be an issue with the tcm (transmission control module). i bought my car brand new in 2010. it has 220,000 miles on it. i did some research online and saw this us a known issue with the car. nissan also sent out a bulletin ntb10-121b. they should recall these cars and fix the issue at their cost. attached is the pdf of the bulletin.

2010 nissan altima has an extremely dangerous safety defect that many other consumers are also experiencing, not just me. (see nhtsa id # 10899578). i have almost been rear-ended several times, sometimes with my small children in the car, because of this problem. the extremely dangerous safety defect is the car turns off completely while coming to stop, when stopped, and/or when accelerating from stop. all systems turn off including the ability to steer and stop. after turning off, the car will not immediately turn back on. took the car to the dealer several time but the dealer was unable to diagnose the problem. the dealer replaced the transmission, since it had a recall and was under warranty, to see if it fixed the problem. it did not, as the vehicle turned off this morning, 8/14/18, when coming to a stop on a main city street. i was almost rear-ended because the car unexpectedly turned off and the brake lights do not seem to work when this happens. the car did not turn back on for several minutes. there needs to be an investigation and recall of this extremely dangerous safety defect.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 nissan altima. on multiple occasions, the air conditioning and heating unit failed to operate. the contact also stated that the dashboard disintegrated and the radio malfunctioned and failed to operate. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was taken to hill nissan (6401 cypress gardens blvd, winter haven, fl 33884, (863) 299-2161) where it was diagnosed that the dashboard and the hvac were corroded and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was scheduled to be repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 138,025. *tt *as

On 9/10/17 about noon while driving on the highway, the brake light on the dash board came on, pulled to the side of the road. while looking for service phone number, smelled something burning, exited the car, and almost immediately the engine compartment and then the car was engulfed in flames.

When the car is turned off, the steering wheel locks and the car does not turn back on. to turn the car in can take an upwards of 15 min of fighting with the wheel. we believe there is a problem with the escl.

Key fob is inserted in slot and all lights and guages will light up, windows go up and down, doors will lock and unlock, but when brake depressed and start push button is pressed car will not start. battery less that 6 months old (just replaced in attempt to fix problem). brake switch just replaced in additional attempt to fix problem. nissan dealer in st. louis lists this as a recall for 2010 models, dealer in marion, il says it is not. marion dealer replaced two parts [24167-zx00j harness -sub] and [25320-jn00a switch assy-stop lamp] at cost to customer of $567. for parts and labor. car still would not start. dealer stated that on "tsb" they "found similar concerns" and additional parts need to be installed listed in procedure," and "confirmed power is switching at bcm but not engaging starter need to replace bcm and diag further - quoted customer $569.35 to replace bcm to fix other concern" (capitalization per dealer). i declined. car was stationary in dealer shop. i have tried to speak with corporate nissan, but have not had any satisfaction. my personal mechanic (has masters degree in auto mechanics) says it is a recall problem with recall listed on internet in march, april and may. date given below is repair attempt at dealer. ## vin passed ## nissan altima 2010 ##

Just filed complaint # 11000784. found additional information on internet dated march 7, 2017 - "nissan altima and maxima steering lock problem will be fixed for free after the automaker announced a 'service campaign' for 243,000 model year 2009-2010 nissan altima, altima coupe, altima hybrid and maxima cars. although not a recall, the service campaign will fix steering locks (ecls) that lock the steering wheel when the altima and maxima cars are parked and turned off. however, those steering locks have serious problems and can leave owners and their cars sitting in parking lots or driveways." "nissan has agreed to replace the steering lock with an electronic steering column box at no charge for parts and labor, a job that should take an authorized nissan dealer about an hour to complete." "the electronic steering column box will replace the escl assembly but will no longer lock the steering wheel when the car is parked and turned off. the automaker says the steering wheel locking function is not necessary because the altima and maxima are equipped with anti-theft immobilizers to help prevent theft." "if you have already paid for repairs to the steering column lock, nissan will reimburse what you spent as long as you can show proof of repairs. if those repairs were above $1,000., you'll need to show proof of ownership of the car." please add this to complaint #11000784 filed a few moments before this one.

I have had three separate occasions where when driving the vehicle and attempting to turn into a corner the car completely shuts off and loses all power and ability to steer. the first two occasions occurred where i could simply place the car in park and restart as if nothing happened. the last occurrence 2/9/17 happened as described above was turning into an alley going less than 20mph when car just shut off. i placed the car in park and when i attempted to restart, the car turned on but when pushing the gas the car would barely accelerate. i had the car towed and the wrecker tried to drive the car onto the tow truck but was unable to get it up the bed as it didnt have any power to drive up the bed. i took it to a nissan dealership who ran diagnostics and stated that there were no codes that were identified. they stated it was running just fine, and could not reproduce the same issue. this is a huge safety hazzard as there is absolutely no notice when the car will shut off and lose power steering. this could easily be a huge accident if occurs on the freeway. i would like answers as to what is going on with the car. i have seen hundreds of other nissan owners with similar problems (all reporting that no diagnostic codes prompted during diagnosing).

Front windows will roll down by themselves

Over the years ived had multiple problems with the branke and engine of my 2010 altima. the panel lights up but the engine does not crank. pushing the ignition button only locks the brake.no warning signals either the car just dies on you ived paid over 700 everytime it needs repair, im very frustrated with my car and will never buy another nissan vehicle.

The vehicle could not start when trying to start the engine, 'the instrument panel lights up, and 'the engine does not crank, (no crank, no start), (hybrid 'ready' will not light), and 'the ignition push button is not responsive (no action occurs when the button is pressed additional times). this has happened multiple times over the last several years

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 nissan altima. while stationary, the vehicle failed to switch out of park without warning. the contact stated that the vehicle was able to be moved after being restarted several times. in addition, the door locks failed to engage until the vehicle reached 15 mph. the contact also stated that the key fob activated by itself on numerous occasions and caused the doors to unlock and the power windows to roll down without warning. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failures. the failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

I have numerous starting problems and the vdc,abs, and slip light come on while driving. sometimes it can take 4 or 5 tries until the vehicle starts with the push button start. the battery,alternator and starter have been checked and found to be in good working order. this is a safety issue as the numerous lights that come on while driving present a problem especially if the abs system light comes on while driving.

Takata recal. we purchased vehicle used. our 2nd altima. had problems about 6 months after getting the car. it wouldn't start. brakes wouldn't even compress. replaced battery and worked for a few weeks. same issue continued. cabin lights would come on, new battery but still not starting. had starter replaced and worked for a while again. same issue again. get stuck in random places. some days it starts, others it doesn't. calling for a jum start doesn't work either. unreliable and unstable. called dealership, mossy nissan. they wants over $200 just for diagnostic and then could be a number of problems. also said break harness/switch seems to be a common problem. vdc lights also come on at random times while driving. there seems to be a common issue with these models. nissan should handle all repair expenses. car was stationary at all times it wouldn't start. this week is wouldn't start 3 times. last week it was 5 times. the whole month was 17 times out of 31 days. please recall.

The steering lock mechanism is faulty and will not let the car start. the vehicle was stationary where failure occurred. i've done research on this problem and it appears nissan extended the warranty for this part but never issued a recall so that it could be fixed. it is a safety issue that needs to be taken care of by nissan. people are being stranded because their car will not start but seems no one knows about the potential problem until they are stranded. this is an issue that nissan has admitted is a manufacturing problem. i for one will never buy a nissan again because of the poor customer service. things break, and parts fail, but this particular issue is very very common on 2009-2011 models.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 nissan altima. the contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal noise coming from the engine. the vehicle began to shake uncontrollably without warning. the failure occurred randomly. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the alternator failed and needed to replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact also stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer several times to be diagnosed. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 76,087.

All four of door locks failed, will not lock or unlock plus 1 window failed, will not lower.

When i tried to start the cay with the push button start it would not respond. i tested the battery which is only 1 year old and is in good condition. i took it to the dealership (nissan legacy) who reported that there was an issue with the brake switch and harness which need to be replaced. i have ready online that there were multiple incidents with this happening to this make and model

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 nissan altima. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start on several occasions and the abs and vdc warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle restarted after the vehicle was jumpstarted; however, the failure recurred on several occasions. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake light switch was faulty and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 67,000.

I have a 2010 altima that has the same safety problem as has been reported on this web site and many other automotive complaint web sites many, many times (not only for this nissan product but various nissan products of earlier years). namely, the switch that operates the brake lights fails intermittently. when it fails the brake lights won't illuminate when the driver steps on the brake. this is a rear end collision waiting to happen! does the nhtsa have to wait until someone is killed before requiring a manufacturer to fix a defect that both the manufacturer and nhtsa knew about for several years? to make matters worse, when the switch fails the anti-lock braking and traction control systems are disabled posing an additional safety risk. to make matter worse, when the switch fails the car won't start. would you like to be stuck in a dark, deserted area at 2 o'clock in the morning when your car decided not to start? as i said before, the manufacturer has known about this problem for years. in response to the deluge of customer complaints, in november of 2010 nissan acknowledged the defect by issuing a tsb (ntb10-139) to fix the problem. it involves a different stop lamp switch and a new electrical harness. the cost to implement the tsb is borne by the customer. my dealer wants $579 to do this! in response to an overwhelming number of complaints about a serious safety issue it is time for the nhtsa to act before someone gets killed. nissan should be required to implement tsb ntb10-139 in all nissan products that contain the defective brake light switch at no cost to the customer. updated 9/28/15 *ln updated 3/23/2016*js updated 12/5/2017*cn

On several occasions the vehicle has failed to start when the brake was depressed. at the present time the abs light, slip and vdc are now illuminated after driving the car for a few minutes. it is my understanding that this is supposed to blink if there is a problem driving in wet road conditions or it is slippery. i have read numerous complaints from other owners having the same issue with the car not starting. it takes several tries in order to get the car to turnover and start. i believe that nissan needs to investigate this issue further and issue a recall for these vehicles.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 nissan altima. the contact stated that the dashboard was melting and created a glossed finish that impaired the drivers visibility while the sun was shinning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the interior material needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 48,000.

Purchased used car from infiniti dealer in fort myers florida. three days later i was unable to get a gas gauge reading and the car would not start. i waited a minute and the car started. this has happened 6 times out of the 10 days i have owned the car. i am reading other complaints and found that other owners of the 2010 altima are having the same problem with the car not starting281. i think a car with 26,000 miles should start without a problem. *tr

My 2010 altima had been going dead for the last 3 days. i have to get a jump a jump in the am for work and after work when i leave. i took the vehicle to an auto parts store to test the battery and was told the battery was efficient so i am puzzled as to why this has been happening. i was told it may be the alternator. today my car wouldn't start or even take a jump from another vehicle so i was left stuck. i believe here should be a recall on this make n model for these electrical issues or at least a discount on alternator replacements at the dealership. *tr

The car failed to start because the brake switch and the entire harness sub failed. i had to tow away the car to the nearest nissan showroom and was charged $440 to replace harness-sub, switch assy sto, band hose plus labor. ps: this is a known problem but nissan wont refund my money. how can a vehicle just under 50k fail for such a thing if not for a bad factory harness. *tr

Problem with battery going dead, i have read there is a fault in the bcm not being programmed properly. *tr

I have read numerous accounts of the nissan altima being unable to start when the required brake/start button is used. i am having the same problem. when the brake is applied and the start button pushed, the acc light comes on then, if pushed again, the on light comes on (over the start button). then when pushed again, the system shuts off. by trying several times and pumping the brake, the car will eventually start. since this has been reported numerous times, there is obviously a defect in the car's parts/system. there should be a recall to have nissan replace the faulty parts free of charge. *tr

Norfolk, virginia - my 2010 nissan altima with push button start failed to start. all other electrical seemed fine. i had just previously noticed the abs, vdc and slip warning lit while driving. after checking fuses, key fob batteries, etc. i attempted to pump the brakes several times and it finally started. drove immediately to the dealer where i was told it was the brake lamp switch and harness which must be replaced at a cost of $550.00. he seemed to know with out of even looking what the problem was. when i questioned him about such an expensive switch, he only said "this happens a lot with this model." this should be recalled and fixed at nissan's expense. *tr

my 2010 nissan altima is not able to start due to the push button ignition. it is having the same issue as the 2009 nissan maxima's and altima are having, which is the electronic steering column lock (escl). nissan has issued a warranty extension for this issue for the 2009 model but not for the 2010 and other altima models that are having the same issue. i believe that nissan should extend it coverage to this vital part due to the cost being over $700 to replace and the fact that without this part, the car cannot function at all. *tr

Nissan altima 2010 (~25k miles so far) would not start upon press the start button, so the car is immobilized. walked away, came back 15 minutes, and by chance, it started. this happen several times for the past 2 months. the last try, no such luck when attempt to start the car. check the car battery was at 45%. so i charged the battery to 100% and still no luck starting the car. call nissanassist and recommended the car be towed to nissan authorized service center. i did and their diagnosis ($119.00) are a bad brake switch/wiring harness combo issue and cost about over $600.00. the car is now out of warranty. the local service manager said "off the record", this known defective brake switch will not allow the car to start, also it is consuming the battery electrical current and over time. this continuous bleeding of current will heat up the wire harness/connectors due to the car starting and its security features, and thus eventually draining your car battery and damaging the wire harness. that is why you will have a dead battery over time of 1-2 weeks. this is a money making proposition for nissan corporation and the local service person mentioned about a rash of bad switch occurrences last year (2013). in short, if you don't use the nissan service department for your car and spend $$$ with them, the nissanassist won't help you defray the cost for the car defective as you did not "invest" with them .so nhtsa, people won't die with this defective, but will cause many inconveniences with dead cars at various locations where drivers turn off their cars and frustrated on attempting to start their cars. this is the same problem noted on nissan blog and websites by frustrated nissan altima owners. in summary, can nhtsa investigated and force nissan to issue a recall for this recurring problem as no one die yet? yes, no one will die from this. *tr

The car will not start, steering lock malfunction. *tr

The brake couldn't be pressed so the push button start wouldn't work. also, the abs & vdc lights stay on even while driving(sometimes). you never know when its going to happen. i have been late to work, unable to take the kids to school, and afraid to drive my own car that i used to love, in fear of not being able to start the darn thing!! i see a lot of customers have had this same type of issue. is there any kind of recall? *tr

Car had intermittent no start condition and intermittent brake light outage. mechanic replaced faulty original stop lamp switch 25320-ax00c(n). *tr

My 2010 altima has a push start ignition last month while visiting in pa the brake light, vdc, and slip light came on and remains on. we stopped and then the car failed to restart. we were able to get back home to ny and i took it to my local dealer where they ran a diagnostic test result was a bad brake light switch. which completes the circuit from the brake to the push start button to allow the car to start. i researched on line and found a few different forums one being nissanclub.com where i found a number of ppl with the same issue. i contacted nissan customer affairs and got nowhere. i was wondering how many ppl with the same issue are needed for an issue like this to be considered a recall because with that being a damaged part there is no other way to start the car. *tr

My car wouldn't start when i pushed the push button start and pressed on the brake pedal. later that day the car started. i had it checked and the dealer said if it happened again to have it towed.yesterday the car wouldn't start again when i pressed the brake pedal and pushed the start button. after repeated attempts to get the brake pedal to start the car, it started. it is going to the dealer to be checked. the starting mechanism is poor and unreliable. *tr

I purchased a 2010 nissan altima about three years ago. the first problem started with the car failing to start. that problem still happens to this day. the next problem is my car will not accelerate at times. i have had several incident when i am at a stop light, intersection, or redlight where i apply the gas all the way to the floor and the car will not move. i put the car in reverse and it still would not move. after waiting about 20 second and apply the gas it finally goes and drive normal. me and my kids were almost in a serious accident when the car stalled in front of a big mack truck. now after this has been going on for a couple of months, my car sits in my front yard unable to move at all and now there's a burning smell coming from the car. these cars are a death trap and i refuse to keep putting my life and my children lives in danger. the government needs to do something!!! *tr

My 2010 nissan altima has had difficulty starting. all the electrical components would come on but the engine wouldn't turnover. at first i could get it to start after a few tries (i would pump the brakes, bang on the steering wheel). then i noticed while driving the vds (traction control), abs and parking brake light would remain illuminated while driving. this meant that my vds was not functioning. it also meant my brake lights weren't functioning while i was driving. on 6 /01/2014 i tried starting my car and could not. i had it towed to my auto repair shop (maple grove auto, maple grove mn) where the technician informed me that it required a new brake light switch, harness and band hoses. he told me there was a nissan service bulletin as this was a "known issue". so much so that nissan had actually developed a more dependable brake switch. the service bulletin number is ntb10-139- which was released on november 23rd 2010. he told me to repair it was going to cost over 500.00. the faulty brake switch is a safety hazard as it causes the car to throw error codes which deactivates the traction control and abs. why has this not been a recall? why does it cost $500 to repair a malfunctioning component that shortly after the car was released, the manufacture acknowledged it was faulty? why would the nhtsa wait until somebody dies in a crash caused by the vds and abs features not working before they force a recall/repair of this known issue? *tr

When driving door come unlocked .. once car is parked and locked both windows are coming down and both doors are unlocked car wide open every hour or so ... i am not pressing key fob or anything.. *tr

I started to hear a rattling noise under the hood of my car. it was found to be that the alternator/clutch was about to go out. i could also hear it when driving and pressing my foot on the gas. the rattling noise was present when i was in park or reverse. *tr

Most of the 2010 nissan altima cars do have a push button for the ignition to start. in order to start the car's engine, the driver would need to lightly press the brakes before pressing the button. i purchased the brand-new car back in september 2010 and i am still the only owner. in february 2014 with approximately 38,000 miles, the ignition started to stop working. after a few struggles, the ignition button would finally allow me to start the engine. then the problem gradually got worse. i noticed that the brakes would suck in so hard that i would be unable to "press" the brakes anymore in order for the ignition button to "enable" so i can start the engine. at one point last week, the car refused to start because of the brakes and i was unable to do anything but to put the car in neutral and push the car back and forth in the middle of a mcdonald's drive-thru route in baltimore, md. my roommate had to take leave in order to come and help me out. after 2 hours of struggling, we were able to get the "brakes light" on and the ignition would finally become enabled and we were able to start the engine. we drove straight to the nissan dealership in bowie, md and told them what happened. nissan about this and they acknowledged that this is a common problem among many drivers and that the "brake switch" is causing it. at the end, my warranty company had to pay more than $800 and i had to pay almost $300 out of my pocket just for this issue. i researched online and saw so many drivers are complaining the same thing and that nissan is refusing to issue a recall for this because they knew it is a "common problem" that they could make a profit out of the repairs charges. many drivers had to pay approximately $1,000 just for this "common issue" and i would like to make sure that nhtsa & dot are aware of this ongoing issue. thank you. *tr

When you try to start vehicle you push on brake pedal, but the pedal doesn't go down 1/16 of an inch. the brake lights wont even come on. if you push the start button it will only go to the accessory then off. when i asked service manager at nelson nissan in broken arrow, ok and i quote "he said you had to have key on before brake lights would come on"... i am like really!!! the brake lights umm no they should come on anytime you push the brake if the key is on or not. please help us american's and other hard working tax paying people get our cars fixed. we paid good hard earned money for them and now all we have in a lemon in are garage. thanks so much for you time, god bless you! and god bless america!!! *tr

2010 nissan altima. the automatic push-to-start ignition would not operate when engaged. checked battery good, fuses good. *tr

If i have to pump the brakes to get the car started, will i soon have to pump the brakes to stop?????? vehicle not recognize the key. happened several times prior to 6/15/2013. just thought the key needed to be charged. but on this date i pull up at a hotel, checked in and went to move the car and it wouldn't start. sat for an hour or two. replaced battery a few weeks prior so it wasn't that. had to be towed to a pepboys. too late for a dealership, a saturday evening, and i was over 5 hours from home. the car was dropped off across from the bays therefore they were unable to connect the diagnostic machine. after setting for a couple more hours it finally crank. they said it was the starter, as of today i have not replaced the starter. in august it did it again twice while my 16 yr was driving it to school. a couple of times in september. i took it to the dealer on 10/14/2013, their diagnosis were: replace brake sw, sub harness, and tie straps. and now almost on a daily basis want start without pumping the brakes. i'm the only one that drives the car now because i'm afraid of the brakes eventually giving out. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 nissan altima. the contact stated that the automatic push-to-start ignition would not operate when engaged. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 48,000 and the current mileage was 49,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 nissan altima. after the push to start button was installed, the vehicle would not restart after being driven after approximately 15 minutes. the contact mentioned that the vds, slip, and brake warning indicators illuminated. when attempting to depress the brake pedal in order to start the vehicle, the brake pedal was almost impossible to depress. the failure occurred multiple times. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and the technician stated that the brake switch was defective, which prevented the vehicle from starting. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

Vehicle was stationary. original battery went dead in 2012, additional batteries installed in 2013, 2014, 2015 by the dealer and towed to the dealer. aaa installed batteries in 2016 and may of 2018., i did not go back to the dealer. dealer told me first time was due to the weather, then they told me i was not putting enough miles on my car, they installed a larger battery and this one also went dead. i did tell the dealer this was a huge safety concern for me because most of the time i travel alone both in-state and out-of state, if memory serves me correctly this is when the dealer installed a larger battery and this one also went dead. diagnostic testing by the dealer and mechanic showed nothing but something electrical is causing so many batteries to go dead..i also told nissan usa this was a huge safety concern for me. nissan usa told me there were no recalls which i already knew and they would not do a buyback or repair. because out of warranty, this they had offered to check into for me, plus the dealer never offered this to me after replacing so many batteries. all i have for backup are my receipts which i didn't attach, if needed please let me know. mechanic did tell me if battery goes dead again to give him a call and he would come to try and see if he could find what was the cause in the electrical system. this didn't happen because battery went dead on a saturday and found out when i called monday he also got married over this weekend and was on his honeymoon, but monday they had my car for 3 days. i am thankful so far my car and not gone dead when driving. thank you.

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. *tr

Went out to start vehicle ,no start...towed to dealer ,denied under warranty,made me pay for replacement..dealer towed to a nissan dealer to perform install of steering lock assay. and misc hardware. *tr