2009 Nissan Altima STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle using the key fob, the vehicle failed to start. The contact depressed the brake pedal and ignition button, and the vehicle failed to start. The contact was unable to depress the brake pedal to start the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering lock mechanism needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
The component that failed was the steering lock control, and yes it's available upon request with a tow. I was stranded with no way of getting home. Problem has been confirmed by dealer. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer. No there was no symptoms prior to the failure. 06
There's an obvious issue with the steering lock system in 2009 Altimas that Nissan fails to address with a recall. They opened an extended warranty period that ended in 2020 apparently, with no notification from the manufacturer or dealership that this was happening. Also, I have been seeing complaints from owners who did get the steering lock box replaced at that time and are again having an issue where they are not able to use their cars for the very same issue. This needs an immediate recall as this shows negligence on the part of the manufacturer as well as the dealerships to notify owners. An owner should not be liable for costs to fix such issues that are the responsibility of a manufacturer. This is also a safety issue as the car is not reliable and puts the lives of drivers at risk while they can be found stranded in unforeseen and dangerous situations.
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. Additionally, the steering wheel was locked. A message to wiggle the steering wheel while depressing the PUSH to START button was displayed. The contact stated that she followed the instructions however, the failure persisted. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact related the failure to Nissan TSB Number: NTB17-018. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The steering column lock actuator went out & left me stranded at night away from my home. I got in the car & it wouldn't start.
The vehicle steering got locked and would not want to start again, this could of happen anywhere and spend more money to tow and also a risk being in the freeway. This should be a recall due to a lot of complaints, or a free repair due to being very expensive, almost 200 for a safety issue. There is a TSB NTB10-053 ,
THE 2009 ALTIMA ESCL FAILED IN MY CAR. THE KEY FOB REMAINS PROGRAMMED WITH THE VEHICLE HOWEVER THE STEERING COLUMN WILL NOT UNLOCK THUS RENDERING THE VEHICLE IMMOBILE. I WAS STRANDED IN A REMOTE AREA APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR'S DRIVE FROM MY APPARTMENT. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE OF WHICH A 'SERVICE CAMPAIGN' WAS ISSUED BY NISSAN. HOWEVER, MY VIN WAS NOT PART OF THAT CAMPAIGN.
STEERING LOCK MODULE FAILURE, NO START CONDITION. SECOND OCCURRENCE, STRANDED AGAIN. VEHICLE PARKED.
MY 2009 ALTIMA, WHILE PARKED, WILL NOT START, AND APPARENTLY, AFTER INVESTIGATING THE PROBLEM, THE ELECTRIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK DEVICE IS DEFECTIVE. I HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE HEARD THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS DEVICE BECAUSE OF THE FREQUENCY OF ITS OCCURENCE.
LEAVING FROM WORK I GOT INTO MY VEHICLE AND NOTICED A YELLOW KEY INDICATOR LIGHT. I PROCEEDED TO STEP ON MY BRAKE TO START MY ENGINE AND MY CAR DID NOT START. ONCE DOING RESEARCH ABOUT THE PROBLEM I BEGAN TO SEE THAT THIS WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH OWNERS OF THE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. I THEN LEARNED THAT MY CAR WOULDN'T START DUE A FAULTY STEERING COLUMN LOCKING THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS STOPPED ME FROM PUTTING MY CAR IN THE ON POSITION OR CONTROLLING MY GEAR SHIFT. I AM THANKFUL THAT I WAS IN A SAFE PARKING LOT BECAUSE THIS PROBLEM COULD'VE CAUSED A HUGE INCONVENIENCE OR PUT ME IN DANGER. NISSAN REFUSES TO RECALL THIS PART AND CONTINUES TO PUT MANY NISSAN OWNERS IN THIS UNSAFE SITUATION.
TAKATA RECALL . NISSAN ALTIMA WHILE PARKED AT A GAS STATION, THE STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY LOCKED. KEY FOB WAS STILL WORKING AND COULD OPEN AND LOCK THE CAR BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT START. THE DASHBOARD DISPLAYED THE KEY ALERT. I TRIED PUTTING THE KEY IN THE SLOT WHILE DOOR WAS OPEN, NOTHING HAPPENED. CAME TO FIND OUT IT' A DEFECTIVE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN LOCK. REPLACED IT BUT SCARED TO DRIVE IT AS IT IS STILL SHOWING THE KEY ALERT AND MIGHT LEAVE ME STRANDED LIKE IT DID THE LAST COUPLE OF TIMES AN HOUR AWAY FROM HOME. A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PART THAT NISSAN IS NOT COVERING FOR ALL 09 ALTIMAS. THE PART IS DEFECTIVE AND NISSAN WANTS UP TO 1200$ TO REPLACE IT. EXPENSIVE COST FOR AN OLDER CAR AND FOR THE FACT THAT IT'S NISSAN'S FAULT FOR SELLING A CAR WITH A DEFECTIVE PART.
STEERING LOCK MODULE KEEPS LOCK AND I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE MY CAR
THE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HAS A DEFECTIVE "STEERING LOCK" WHICH CAUSES OWNERS TO BE UNABLE TO START THEIR VEHICLES. THIS DEFECT CAN AFFECT OWNERS OF THE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA WITHOUT WARNING AND WITHOUT CAUSE. WHEN THIS ISSUE OCCURS THE ONLY WAY TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE IS TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE FAULTY STEERING LOCK REPLACED. THE CAR CANNOT BE STARTED AT ALL. THUS, OWNERS OF THE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA CONTINUOUSLY FIND THEMSELVES STUCK IN VERY INCONVENIANT CIRCUMSTANCES WITH NO ABILITY TO DRIVE THEIR CAR. THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS FOR DRIVERS WHO ARE IN REMOTE OR DANGEROUS AREAS. THIS SAME OCCURANCE HAPPEN TO FOLLOW ME THIS WEEK WHEN AT WORK. MY CAR WOULD NOT START AND AFTER SWAPPING REMOTE KEYS PLUS LOOKING AT ONLINE FORUMS, I REALIZED THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED TO OTHER OWNERS OF THIS YEAR/MAKE/MODEL. THE STREERING LOCK WAS SWAPPED IN 2010 BY NISSAN. HOPEFULLY THIS CAN HELP A LARGE GROUP BECAUSE I'M ABOUT TO SPEND MONEY ON REPARIING MY VEHICLE AND THIS COULD COST APPROX MORE THAN 500.00 IN PARTS ALONE. MY CAR IS STILL NOT STARTING AFTER 4 DAYS OF NOT BEING ABLE TO TURN IT ON.
MY CAR WOULDN'T START. THE ESCL BOX LOCKED UP FOR 3 DAYS! NOW I HAVE TO PAY $150 TO HAVE IT FIXED PER MY WARRANTY COMPANY. I HAVEN'T HAD THE CAR 60 WHOLE DAYS, AND IT'S BEEN IN THE SHOP 4 TIMES WITH VERY LITTLE SUCCESS AND A LOT OF FRUSTRATION AND TIME LOST! PLEASE CALL ME. WILL YOU PAY FOR THE $150 WARRANTY FEE? I HAD IT TOWED TO CARMAX NORCROSS MONDAY MORNING. IT'S WEDNESDAY. I'VE BEEN WITHOUT A CAR FOR 5 DAYS NOW!!! [XXX] SINCERELY [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
WON'T START ESLC STEERING WHEEL LOCK DEFECTIVE. PURCHASED CAR THEN STOPPED AT GAS STATION TURNED OFF CAR WON'T START AGAIN. SHOWED YELLOW KEY FLASHINGS LIGHT ON DASH.
CAR WOULD NOT START, LOCKED UP ON ME. VEHICLE TOWED TO NISSAN, TOLD IT WILL COST ME CLOSE TO $1000 TO REPAIR, NOTICED OTHER COSTUMERS HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM. NISSAN EXTENDED THE WARRANTY FOR 6 YEARS WHICH EXPIRED 4-25-2015. MY VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN PLAZA PARKING LOT
VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND THE STEERING COLUMN WENT OUT. VEHICLE WILL NOT START, SEEMS THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM, DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY A RECALL HAS NOT HAPPENED.
REPLACED STEERING LOCK DECEMBER 6, 2013, AND AGAIN MARCH 7, 2017. HAS LEFT ME STRANDED TWO DIFFERENT TIMES. REPLACED WITH NISSAN PART THAT THEY KNOW IS DEFECTIVE AND HAD TO REPLACE WITH SAME DEFECTIVE PART AGAIN 3 YEARS AND 3 MONTHS LATER AT MY OWN EXPENSE THE SECOND TIME.
MY VEHICLE WOULDN'T START AFTER FUELING AT A GAS PUMP.
MY 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA WILL NOT START, CAN NOT MOVE GEARS, LOCK OR UNLOCK DOORS AND WINDOWS DON'T WORK. THE PART HAD A RECALL THAT NEEDS TO BE REINSTATED.IF THIS HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE I COULD HAVE BEEN RAPED OR KILLED. THIS IS A TREMENDOUS SAFETY ISSUE!
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. WHILE TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE POWER STEERING LOCK WAS FAULTY AND THE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.
MY NISSAN ALTIMA 2009 LEFT ME STRANDED IN A PARKING LOT AT NIGHT. THE STEERING WOULD NOT LOCK AND THE CAR WOULD DO NOTHING! LUCKILY AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS THE CAR DID START. NOW A MONTH LATER, THANKFULLY, THIS HAPPENED AGAIN IN MY DRIVEWAY AT HOME! I COULD HAVE BEEN MURDERED OR RAPED IN THAT PARKING LOT! I AM HEARING THERE WAS A RECALL THAT WAS AMENDED IN JANUARY 2016. I DON'T HAVE OVER $10000. FOR THIS REPAIR THAT COULD HAVE TAKEN MY LIFE. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE FOR FEAR OF BEING STRANDED AGAIN!
OUT OF NOWHERE, I PARKED MY CAR AND WHEN I WENT TO START IT, THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND THE KEY LIGHT WAS ON. I THOUGHT MY KEY BATTERY DIED AND AFTER TRYING DIFFERENT KEYS, ETC, DETERMINED THERE WAS ANOTHER ISSUE. AFTER RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED THAT IT IS A WELL-KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE STEERING LOCK. AFTER TAPPING THE UNIT BELOW THE STEERING WHEEL, I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO LOCK AND START THE CAR. THEN, 2 DAYS LATER, IT HAPPENS AGAIN. I WAS ABLE TO TAP IT TO GET IT TO WORK AGAIN BUT THIS COULD HAPPEN AT ANY TIME IN ANY PLACE LEAVING YOU STRANDED. *TR
MY NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 S COUPE WAS FUNCTIONING NORMALLY WITH NO ISSUES WHATSOEVER UNTIL 3 MORNINGS AGO WHEN I WAS AT HOME AND LEAVING FOR WORK. I OPENED MY CAR DOOR WITH THE PUSH-BUTTON KEY AND TURNED ON THE HEADLIGHTS WITHOUT ISSUES. WHEN I PUSHED THE START/IGNITION BUTTON NEXT TO THE STEERING WHEEL ON MY PARKED CAR, THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSE FROM THE VEHICLE. THE ENGINE DID NOT TURNOVER OR MAKE ANY NOISE SUGGESTING IT WAS ATTEMPTING TO. I HAD DRIVEN THIS CAR 8 HOURS PRIOR AND SAW NO LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD OR ABNORMAL NOISES INDICATING THAT THERE WAS AN IMPENDING ISSUE. AFTER DOING MY OWN RESEARCH ON THE PROBLEM AND HAVING THE CAR EVALUATED AT A NISSAN DEALERSHIP, I DISCOVERED THAT I WAS NOT ALONE IN HAVING THIS OCCUR, AS THERE HAD BEEN OTHER NISSANS AND INFINITIS FROM THAT YEAR THAT HAVE HAD THE EXACT SAME ISSUE WITH THE ESCL (ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK) UNIT. NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN IN THE SAME SITUATION AS ME AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY/NIGHT AND LOCATIONS. THIS POSES A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY RISK TO PEOPLE WHO OPERATE THIS CAR. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE STEERING COLUMN AND CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE, AT ANY TIME, AND IN ANY WEATHER. LUCKILY I WAS IN A SAFE AREA AT THE TIME WHEN IT HAPPENED TO ME, BUT I FEAR FOR ANYONE ELSE THAT HAS THIS OCCUR IN AN UNSAFE LOCATION OR IN UNSAFE WEATHER CONDITIONS. I BELIEVE THAT NISSAN SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROBLEMATIC CAR PART, REGARDLESS OF WHEN THE CAR WAS PURCHASED, THAT HAS OBVIOUSLY GIVEN SEVERAL PEOPLE ISSUES AND CAN LEAVE PEOPLE STRANDED SOMEWHERE WITHOUT ANY WARNING. *TR
STEERING WHEEL LOCK /IGNITION , CAR NOT ABLE TO START USING KEY FOB , TOTAL STEERING AND BRAKE LOCK . GOT OFF WORK AND COULD NOT START CAR , WAS RUNNING FINE PRIOR TO WORK 7AM
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Quick Summary
The 2009 Nissan Altima has 186 STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.