Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2012 Nissan Sentra submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
I was getting on the freeway all of a sudden my steering wheel gets stiff and my car comes to a complete stop traffic is going at full speed me and my children could of being in a serious accident and then a few minutes later the car is back to normal. I would really appreciate if it's looked into someone can get hurt.
DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR LOST 90% OF POWER AND COULD ONLY GO ABOUT 25MPH. THERE WAS NO WARNING. CAR JERKS VIOLENTLY STEERING BECOMES HARDER. YOU TRY TO PUNCH DOWN ON THE GAS AND NOTHING HAPPENS. ALSO WAS FORCED TO TAKE CITY STREETS DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO GO A SAFE SPEED TO STAY ON FREEWAY/HIGHWAY.
CANNOT MOVE CAR OUT OF PARK.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN SENTRA. WHILE STATIONARY AND WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL MADE A SQUEAKY GRINDING NOISE AND SHOOK WHEN BEING TURNED LEFT OR RIGHT. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 86,000.
POWER STEERING ASSIST (ELECTRIC IN THIS VEHICLE) SUDDENLY FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREET AT 25 MPH. THE "PS" WARNING LIGHT CAME ON CAR HAD BEEN DRIVEN ABOUT 5 MINUTES BEFORE THIS INCIDENT, AND I HAD JUST MADE A RIGHT TURN. STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT, BUT I WAS ABLE TO RETURN HOME. THE NEXT DAY, I STARTED THE CAR AND DROVE AROUND THE BLOCK; THE POWER STEERING WORKED AND THE WARNING LIGHT WAS OFF. I HAVE NOT DRIVEN THIS CAR SINCE THEN.
WE OWN A NISSAN SENTRA 2012. I WAS DRIVING MY CAR TO THE MECHANIC IN ORDER TO DO AN OIL CHANGE. FIVE BLOCKS BEFORE ENTERING THE MECHANIC SHOP, I HEARD A STRONG METALLIC NOISE ON THE LEFT BOTTOM PART OF MY CAR. I ASKED THE MECHANIC TO CHECK SUCH NOISE. HE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE ELECTRIC RACK AND PINION UNIT. IT WAS BROKEN. ACCORDING TO HIM IT IS VERY RARE THAT THIS PART OF THE CAR COULD BE BROKEN IN A 2012 CAR. SINCE HE WARNED ME THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DANGEROUS TO DRIVE THE CAR IN THAT CONDITION?A SERIOUS ACCIDENT COULD HAVE OCCURRED, FOR WHEN IT HAPPENS BOTH FRONT WHEELS WILL ROLL IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS?I ORDERED HIM TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IT COST ME $ 730. SEEKING SOME EXPLANATION AND SOME COMPENSATORY HELP, I WAS TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP FROM WHICH WE BOUGHT THE CAR AND TALKED WITH THE MANAGER?MR. ROURKE. THE DEALERSHIP IS: NISSAN CENTRAL?1919 CENTRAL AVE. YONKERS NY, 10710. HE TOLD ME THAT MY WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND THAT HE COULD NOT BE SURE OF THE INCIDENT SINCE I DIDN'T BRING THE CAR INTO HIS PLACE. ALSO, HE TOLD ME THAT IF I HAVE ALWAYS BROUGHT MY CAR INTO HIS PLACE TO MAKE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS, MAYBE I COULD HAVE SAVED MUCH MONEY OR MAYBE NISSAN COULD HAVE DONE IT FREE. THEREFORE, WE WOULD ASK YOU TO CONSIDER SEEKING OR SEARCHING POSSIBLE EVIDENCES TO RECALL THIS CAR OR TO WARN NISSAN SENTRA 2012 OWNERS OF POSSIBLE DEFECTIVE PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING SYSTEM OF THIS CAR. ALSO, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF I HAVE THE RIGHT TO ASK NISSAN U.S.A. TO HELP ME TO PAY MY BILL. THE MECHANIC SHOP IS: L. & S AUTO REPAIRS, INC., YONKERS NY., AND WE HAVE THE OFFICIAL INVOICE OF THE JOB. THANKING YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND COLLABORATION, WE REMAIN. UPDATED10/27/15*BF
THE VEHICLE DRIFTS BOTH DIRECTIONS WHILE DRIVING, WHEN BRAKING IT SERIOUSLY PULLS RIGHT. I HAVE ONLY HAD THE CAR 6 WEEKS AND HAVEN'T HIT ANYTHING YET BUT IF THERE ARE NARROW LANES WITH PARKED CARS I MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY. THERE ARE OTHER PROBLEMS THE HEAT SHIELDS THAT COVER THE EXHAUST COME LOOSE AND THE AIR SENSORS IN THE TIRES LEAK SO YOU NEED TO PUT AIR IN THE TIRES WEEKLY.
I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2012 NISSAN SENTRA. I IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THE VEHICLE DRIFTING TO THE LEFT. AS PART OF A WILL OWE FROM THE DEALERSHIP I ASKED FOR THIS TO BE REPAIRED. FIRST ALIGNMENT. AFTER THE ALIGNMENT WAS DONE I WAS INFORMED THE "SPECS" WERE FINE AND THE TECHNICIAN MENTIONED THIS COULD ALSO BE ROAD CROWN OR TORQUE PULL WHICH IS NORMAL FOR FRONT WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES. ?? I ASKED FOR A SECOND LOOK, THIS TIME THE SERVICE MANAGER WENT WITH ME FOR THE TEST DRIVE AND NOTICED THE DRIFTING AND KEPT THE VEHICLE. THEY DID ANOTHER ALIGNMENT (2ND) SPECS OK AND REPLACE THE OEM TIRES WITH A KNOCK- OFF SET.THE VEHICLE IS STILL DRIFTING. I INFORMED NISSAN AT THIS POINT TO SEE IF THEY CAN STEP IN. THEY RECOMMENDED TAKING IT TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP, THIRD ALIGNMENT. SPECS OK . I CONTINUED MY COMPLAINT WITH THE NISSAN REP. AND THEY HAD A ENGINEER COME OUT TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE. FOURTH ALIGNMENT. HIS OPINION IS: THIS IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF SENTRA MODELS AND STATED NO ADJUSTMENTS, NO ABNORMALITIES AND IT DRIVES THIS WAY BECAUSE THIS IS A DIFFERENT TYPE OF STEERING COLUMN. WOW I WOULD THINK NISSAN WOULD BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT A DANGEROUS DRIVING "CHARACTERISTIC" ON ONE OF THEIR VEHICLES. THIS PROCESS HAS TAKEN TWO AND HALF MONTHS, FOUR ALIGNMENTS, THREE SEPARATE OPINIONS OF THE DRIFTING ISSUE AND OTHER THAN A REPLACEMENT OF A SET OF KNOCK-OFF TIRES THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST.. THIS IS A DANGEROUS ISSUE THAT NISSAN IS NOT WILLING TO FIX. I HAVE SEEN ON CARCOMPAINTS.COM THAT THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED ISSUE THERE ARE QUITE A FEW COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME DRIFTING ON THE SAME VEHICLE SO THAT PROVES THE ENGINEER RIGHT BUT NISSAN IS STILL NOT WILLING CORRECT THE PROBLEM. SAD AND DANGEROUS ATTITUDE TO HAVE. I AM CONFIDENT THIS WILL END UP ON A RECALL. FOR NOW I'M STUCK WITH A DANGEROUS VEHICLE THAT I WOULDN'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO DRIVE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN SENTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO MANEUVER WHICH PREVENTED HIM FROM TURNING THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MERGED TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETECTED AND THE FAILURE MAY BE RELATED TO THE CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,979 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 6,000. ....UPDATED 12/20/12 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TWO MILES WITH MUCH EFFORT WITH NO POWER STEERING TO A NISSAN DEALER. THE ADVISOR ADMITS HE SAW AND FELT THE WHEEL NOT TURN WITHOUT GREAT EFFORT AND THAT THE POWER STEERING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. NISSAN ADMITTED IN WRITING THE VEHICLE HAD CATASTROPHIC POWER STEERING FAILURE. THE POWER STEERING RETURNED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF THEN ON AGAIN. THE VEHICLE WAS RELEASED BACK TO THE CONSUMER WITHOUT BEING REPAIRED. THE ADVISOR STATED THE VEHICLE MOST LIKELY HAD A BAD CPU. UPDATED 1/3/2013 *JS
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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