Colnajoe

I brought my '09 sport tech in to dealership today to have my tilt feature repaired. It made a few grinding noises before it completely failed. Service dept said that they have seen a few of these come in lately. Searching here, I read that most had the complete steering column replaced. My shop said they now just replace the gear that is stripped.

Anyone with similar problems?

They gave me a '11 max as a loaner, big low end power increase on the '11 over my '09. They are doing my TSB...138 while there.....they said it will run with the '11's after the reflash....fingers crossed

LtLeary

There have been a few of us with this issue....I had mine replaced (both telescoping and tilt about a year or so ago. about $600 OTD) but not the entire column...just the motors/gear assys.

Makc1kNYC

Yeah I reset my ecu yesterday. Car pulls and has a better end torque!

I had a fiew issues to deal with like steering wheel power windows but I fixed it in 5 minutes lol :-)

trix_05

Now that i'm off warranty, I have disable the auto up/down steering wheel as I don't want the gears to strip then have to cover the repair from my own pocket.

sg1214

Mine makes a horibble squeaking noise that pisses me off, They didnt wanna fix it bc the noise was temporarily gone after moving it up and down a few times.

Colnajoe

Thats how mine started before it went completely out. Mine was covered, and they replaced the partd with redesigned stuff thats suppose to last. Would have cost me 600-700 bucks if not covered. Nissan told me that this was a common issue so it wont hurt to at least talk to the dealer, they might cover it.

sg1214

Ill see what I can do, the only thing Is I really dont wanna be driving loaner Altimas and Sentras while my cars getting fixed.

Colnajoe

I got to drive the new Murano convertable, fun for a couple days....

I got it back today and it looks like my whole steering column is new, even the turn signal and wiper arms, works like new

I also had the TSB******138 done for the tranny, my '09 has come alive

Mihomax

OFFICIAL NISSAN SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS GRINDING PROBLEM!
NTB09-094

I just had my 09 Max fixed via this service bulletin. Write it down and take it to the dealer...enjoy!

RedMax2010

Im trying to figure out why I havent been getting these!!

rays01se

dealer wouldn't fix mine since I am now out of warranty at 41k miles.

randyjpe

Try giving Nissan Consumer Affairs a call (1-800-NISSAN-1). This same problem happened with my wife's '09 Murano when she was over the 36k miles but under 36 months. The dealer said we'd have to pay to have it fixed since it was out of warranty, so she called Nissan ("Look, we have two '09 Nissans so we're loyal Nissan customers, it's obviously a defective part since there's a Service Bulletin out on it, it's not like it's a part that should wear out depending on how many miles are on the car, ..."). Nissan called her back a day or so later and said they would pick up the cost as a "goodwill warranty." They gave her some kind of reference number, she took it to the dealer, and it got fixed at no charge.

I now notice that I'm having a clunk-clunk-clunk noise coming from the steering column motor of my '09 Maxima. Fortunately, it's still under warranty for a few more months and several thousand miles so I don't anticipate any problems getting it fixed at no cost.

-randyjpe

trix_05

My warranty recently expired so I just turned off the feature of auto tilt to avoid a repair!

jlego1

New-be here. Just purchased an 09 with Nav/sport...its a great ride! My telecopic is not working and just grinding. It has 22k miles on it but its outside the warranty because of the inservice date. (previous owner didnt drive much) - I have a pre-owned preferred contract, would this be covered? Any ideas? I know there is a TSB out too.

Also - I notice my seat is doing the rocking bit, I assume this is covered.

Thanks guy/gals for your help. Really love this car...just have to get through a few issues.

Jbling700

Congrats man. Yeah just take it to the dealer. I had minor problems with mine and I did that since the car was under warranty. Any pics of your Max by any chance?

jlego1

Thanks for the response. I cannot believe it just broke literally a few days after I had it. Thank god for the pre-owned warranty.

I will get some pics up soon. Its white, black leather...sharp car. I am quite happy.

knish

How do you disable the tilt steering wheel on 09 Sport?

DarkSlateMaxima

I turned off the auto tilt function but I have noticed a lot of rattling/shaking (more than usual) while im idling at a traffic light. any ideas?

jmkelly731

Well the wife's Maxima tilt went out Saturday. She stop by work came in then when she got ready to leave, got in the car noticed something making a noise. Call me out there and it was the Tilt motor. Now it will not go up or down.

09Maxima_Sam

Add another to that list. Mine started to show signs, a few months back. Now it's totally out today. 34.9K and 4 years old, Out of warranty. I have an appointment at the the dealership tomorrow to see how much this is going to cost me.

It would be nice if Nissan would "own-up" to this issue and cover the repair of these things.

09Maxima_Sam

With a print-out of the TSB in hand, I took my 2009 in. Got an estimate of $750 to repair it. Since my car is 4 years old and 34.8K on the odometer, I am out of warranty.

The service manager said that he could not authorize a free repair, but he suggested that I call 1-800-NISSAN-1 (Consumer affairs) and plead my case. I just got off the phone with them and I am awaiting a call back. I will post back here when I learn more.

kneehead

How do u reset the ecu?

LASpurs

I had the same thing happen to mine. Thankfully covered under warranty and they replaced the motor.

lee3up1

Okay my 09' was making the grinding noise with the telescopic and tilt feature so i made an appointment with my local Nissan Dealership (Apple Nissan in York, Pa). I went in and advised them that of the issues with the steering wheel. About an hour had passed and the service tech Chelsea called and told me that the telescopic and tilt feature motors were broken ( No Shyt) and it would be $810 to repair both parts which of course I declined. I have a preferred pre owned warranty with plenty of time and mileage left on it. They told me that the parts were not covered. So i contact Nissan Consumer compliant department. A Rep (Myran) called me and stated that the call may be recorded for training purposes so I advised her likewise. GET This, she stated that she could not continue with the call because i was recording it. I asked her why not, she stated that she was not aware of the recording(Bull Shyt) I said THAT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE since she may/is recording me. I just put her on hold and acted like i stop recording. They dont want us to have information on the rep who is handling the cases. She advised that she was going to contact Apple in reference to the issue. I stated that I want Nissan to repair the motors as a good faith repair since they are well aware of the problems with the motors. I have a follow up with her in reference to my complaint on Tuesday. We will see!! By the way the Dealership charged me 59$ to tell me that the motors were broken.... Rip Off

LudaTej

iTrader: (2)

My steering wheel is stuck at the lowest position and it's difficult for me to enter/exit the car and drive as I am 6'2". I have an '09 so I'm out of the warranty period and I'm not paying $800 at the dealership to get this fixed. The motor costs about $175 for a DIY but considering I don't really use the tilt/telescopic feature, I'd rather spend that money on something well worth it. I've also read threads that say the motor eventually goes out again after replacement. All I want to do is tilt the steering wheel back up to a comfortable position. I know this is a long shot but is there a way I could just send a current to the motor or a wire in the steering column to tilt the steering wheel up?

dr_2010SV

I was wondering for those that had the issue of the tilt motor going bad does it also affect the in and out movement of the steering wheel? Are they one in the same or two seperate (and replaceable) motors?

LudaTej

iTrader: (2)

The "in and out movement" is the telescopic function and it has its own motor. It's also replaceable at a cost of $225 for a DIY.

dr_2010SV

Thanks, that's what I thought.

09Maxima_Sam

Update: still no call back from Consumer Affairs.

dr_2010SV

Yeah, starting hearing some squeaking sounds from the motor unit so the auto feature has now been officially disabled. I mean it still works but the tell tale signs of failure are present and with only 25K just another example why Nissan lags behind some of the "top tier" automakers for reliability......which is too bad.

guitarman

I'm wondering... those of you who use the entry/exit tilt feature...

Do you tend to "lean your hand" or put vertical pressure on the steering wheel as it rises when you exit the car?

I make a conscious effort not to do that myself.

dr_2010SV

Good point as I would avoid doing this when exiting the car as well.
I thought maybe this was causing some of the pre-mature motor failures but since I wasn't applying pressure when the wheel was moving and it's now making noise I don't believe it is a direct cause for early failure....at least on mine anyway.

09Maxima_Sam

Update: Consumer Affairs called last night at 7:00pm. I missed the call, I have called the representative at least 10 times today, and all I get is their voicemail. Do they ever answer??

LtLeary

On the plus side, since having mine replaced a few years ago, no more issues. Maybe they changed the parts/motors since 08/09? So if you either pay or get satisfaction thru Consumer Affairs it would appear the issue will stay resolved (knock on wood!)

traderumors

Mine showed these symptoms at 37 months. Yup, 1 month out of warranty (any only at 30k miles for what it is worth). Called consumer affairs to report and ask for help, was instructed to go to dealership to get an official diagnosis and cost estimate, which I did. Called them back, they got the info from the dealership. And after all that, they said, "nope, not gonna help you." I told them I had been a maxima owner since 1999 and was just looking for them to help out a loyal customer having an expensive issue less than 30 days out of warranty. "nope, not gonna help you." Ask why they couldn't, she said, "we could, but we are choosing not to". Seriously, that is what I was told. So good luck to anyone working with them. They are impossible to get a hold of and they really don't seem to care at all about these kinds of quality issues.

FYI, I shut off my exit-assist so the motor doesn't completely die in an undesirable position.

09Maxima_Sam

Consumer Affairs finally called me back yesterday. I gave them my story and they will review it and give a decision within 3 business days. So I should know something by Tuesday or so.

However after reading the post above, it does not give me much hope at this point.

srcn1

does anybody know how to shut this feature off on the amber screen. I dont have navigation or the color screen just the regular black and orange i been looking everywhere even asked the dealer but they wanted me to leave the car just to figure it out please somebody help me out i want to shut this off right away i just bought a 12 sport package.

lee3up1

Ok so I got the Consumer Affairs Rep to contact the dealership and BAM!!! They honored the Good Faith Repair and advised me to take my car to them. I called the same Tech and she was like pissed because Nissan said repair it for free. LMAO. Get this she told me she had to check and see if they had the parts in stock. Now that's funny because when they wanted to charge me $800+ they had plenty. She knew that I was not taking No for an answer and it was fixed the next day... Oh by the way I called Consumer Affairs and got reimbursed for my initial diagnostic check too. Bullshyt check really! But what the hell they gave me back my money!! Good luck to you guys I hope they fix your vehicle too. Contact Nissan Consumer Affairs. Mariah was my Rep. I will post her extension tomorrow and hope she can help you too!

09Maxima_Sam

Finally got my decision back yesterday from consumer affairs. They refused to cover any of the $750 that I was quoted to have mine repaired. He did state that they are aware of the problem but choose not to help at this time. Of course i stressed that this is a safety issue with a steering wheel in your lap pointing at your crotch. Mine is so bad that I am going to get repaired anyways, because two of us drive the car, and re-adjusting the wheel is a must.

I also agree with posts above that consumer affairs is very bogged down that they are very hard to get a hold of. Getting them to return your call usually takes three days of you constantly leaving 6 messages a day. Once you have them on the phone there is no sense of compassion or understanding. I think they read from a script just like every other "hamburger helper" on the phone. Even their "no" seemed scripted. The rep that handles your case, does not make the final decision, it's some corporate manager that does this. He is just the lower paid minion that is stuck giving out the bad news.

My advice is you can try, but it appears at least for those out of a warranty plan, it's not worth the week or so that you have your hopes up. Hopefully one day Nissan will "publicly" acknowledge our issue and perhaps offer some form of token reimbursement.

Now as far as the repair, i called my dealership and the car goes in Monday morning after I return from the beach. Estimated repair time 3 hours. So I will post more next week about how well that went.

09Maxima_Sam

I got mine finally fixed today. $744 for anyone's FYI. If there is ever a Class-Action lawsuit on this issue, count me it.

I an provide part numbers, if anyone wants them.