2009 Nissan Maxima 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
CANT START CAR.. SEEMS LIKE STEERING WHEEL LOCK ASSEMBLY MALFUNCTION. I HAVE LOOKED AND NOTICED THAT ALOT OF 2009 NISSANS HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE. *TR
THE STEERING LOCK MODULE STOPPED WORKING. I WAS UNABLE TO START THE CAR, THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES WERE LOCKED. THE KEYFOB BATTERY WAS FINE, AS WAS THE CAR BATTERY. I HEAR THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2009 NISSANS. I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR 7 WEEKS AGO. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A DEALER. THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM. HAVE TO WAIT 3 DAYS FOR THE PART. TOTAL COST - APPROX $900. *TR
IN MY TRAVEL TO WORK I ARRIVED AT THE LOCAL GAS STATION TO FUEL UP. AFTERWARDS, I GOT BACK IN AND TRIED TO START MY CAR AND IT WOULD NOT START. THE "KEY INDICATOR" WAS THE ONLY LIGHT THAT WAS SHOWING ON THE DASH AND THE WORK "LOCK" WAS SHOWING ON THE PUSH TO START BUTTON. I END UP HAVING TO CALL A ROLL BACK TO TOW MY CAR TO THE NEAREST NISSAN DEALERSHIP WHICH IS OUT OF STATE AND CAUSED ME $200. ONCE I ARRIVED, THE NISSAN EMPLOYEE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE CAR LOCK STEERING THAT WAS PREVENTING THE CAR TO START AND THAT IT WAS GOING TO COST $866 TO REPAIR. I HAD TO OPTION BUT TO PAY BECAUSE I NEED MY CAR TO GO TO WORK. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM AND DISCOVERED THIS HAS HAPPENED TO SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE THAT OWN NISSAN MAXIMA'S AND OTHER NISSAN MAKES. THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED BECAUSE IT'S FREQUENTLY HAPPENED TO OTHERS RESULTING IN ALL BEING STRANDED. I HAD NO INDICATION THAT THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. IT HAPPENED SUDDEN. *TR
I HAD JUST STOPPED BY ANOTHER OFFICE IN MINNEAPOLIS TO PICK UP A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. IT WAS MY LAST ORDER OF BUSINESS OF THE EVENING. I WAS ABOUT 30 MINUTES FROM HOME. I WENT BACK OUT TO MY CAR AND IT WOULD NOT START. I SPENT ABOUT 2.5 VERY STRESSFUL HOURS TRYING TO GET IT STARTED. I HAD MY 17 YEAR-OLD BRING ME MY OTHER FOB, I REPLACED BATTERIES IN THE FOB, I LOOKED UP PROBLEMS IN THE MANUAL. I HAD TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED BACK TO THE NISSAN DEALER. TO MY DISMAY, THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A COMMON ISSUE AND IT COST $850 TO FIX. SINCE THAT DAY, I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THE INTERNET TO READ ABOUT SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND IT TURNS OUT THEY ARE EVERYWHERE! NISSAN MAXIMA, ALTIMA, 370Z...ALL 2009 TO 2010 MODEL YEARS. NISSAN NEEDS TO RECALL AND GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK! *TR
I WAS STRANDED IN A PARKING LOT WITH FREEEZING TEMPERATURE. NISSAN HAD TO REPLACE THE STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY TO THE TUNE OF $800. IT IS A PART THAT HAS BEEN RECALLED ON THE GTR. IT HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED ON THE 370Z. THEY HAVE DONE NOTHING ON THE MAXIMA OR ALTIMA. OWNERS OF THE 2009 ARE TOLD TO REMOVE THE FUSE TO TAKE THIS PART OUT OF THE EQUATION AND NOT GET STRANDED. NISSAN HAS REPLACED THIS PART ON 2010 VEHICLES AND NEWER. THEY SHOULD REIMBURSE ANYONE WHO HAS TO MAKE THIS REPAIR. IT IS A PART THAT IS NOT NECESSARY IN THIS VEHICLE. PROVEN BY NISSAN HAVING THEIR TECHNCIANS REMOVE THE FUSE IN 2009 MAXIMAS, ALTIMAS, 370Z AND GTR. THE FAULTY PART HAS BEEN PROVEN TO EXIST IN THE 2009 GTR, 370Z AND MAXIMAS. NISSANS CHANGING OF THE PART IN 2010 AND NEWER VEHICLES IS A DIRECT ADMSSION OF THEIR GUILT. *TR
ON DECEMBER 17, 2012 I HAD DRIVEN FROM MY HOUSE TO THE GYM. THERE WAS NO ISSUE WITH MY CAR AND WHEN I WENT TO LEAVE MY CAR WOULD NOT START. MY NISSAN MAXIMA HAS A PUSH START IGNITION AND WHEN I PUSHED THE BUTTON NOTHING HAPPENED. IN THE DISPLAY IT KEPT INDICATING THE YELLOW KEY LIGHT AND THE RED KEY SECURITY LIGHT. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL NISSAN DEALER WHO TOLD ME THE STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY HAD FAILED. IF I WANTED THIS FIXED IT WAS GOING TO COST ME $800.00. I ASKED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT IF THIS WAS A COMMON FAILURE AT THE MILEAGE THE CAR WAS AT AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT COMMON. RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM IT SEEMS THAT THIS ISSUE OCCURS REGULARLY FOR A 2009 NISSAN MAXIMA AROUND THIS MILEAGE RANGE. I WAS TOLD THE WARRANTY DOES TO COVER THIS AND IT HAD EXPIRED A YEAR EARLIER. I BELIEVE IF THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THEN IT SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM. *TR
STEERING WHEEL LOCK/IGNITION PART FAILED JUST OUT OF WARRANTY. PART# 48700-9N00B. *TR
THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK ISSUE IS LEAVING MAXIMAS STRANDED UNABLE TO START THE CAR WITH THESE SYMPTOMS. WHAT HAPPENS IS WHEN YOU TRY TO START THE CAR, WITHOUT WARNING, THE ELECTRIC LOCK FAILS TO UNLOCK SENDING ERROR MESSAGE TO THE BCM. THE CAR WILL NOT START IN THIS CASE AND WILL FLASH THE INTELLIGENT KEY WARNING IN THE CLUSTER. THIS IS A KNOWN COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND A $1000.00 REPAIR. IT IS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN FLAW. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR
WE BOUGHT OUR MAXIMA BRANDNEW IN JULY OF 2009. LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT UNTIL THIS PAST JUNE OF 2012. OUR FIRST PROBLEM WAS SOME CLITCHING ELECTRICAL WIRING. THE OUTSIDE MIRRORS WOULDN'T MOVE UP AND DOWN WHEN WE PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE. THIS WOULD HAPPEN OFF AND ON WHILE WE TOOK OUR TRIP OUT OF TOWN IN JUNE. AFTER WE CAME BACK MY HUSBAND MADE A APPOINTMENT TO GET IT CHECKED OUT, BUT BECAUSE THE OUTSIDE MIRRORS WERE WORKING AGAIN WE JUST LET IT BE AND DIDN'T FOLLOW UP WITH THE NISSAN SERVICE DEPARTMENT. IN JULY OF 2012 I WAS SITTING IN MY PARKED CAR WHEN I WAS READY TO LEAVE, I STARTED MY CAR ONLY TO HEAR THIS AWFUL SORT OF GRINDING NOISE. I HAD A TOW COMPANY COME TO TELL THAT MY BATTERY WAS "DEAD". WHICH I WAS SURPRISED, BECAUSE MY CAR IS JUST 3 YEARS OLD AND I ONLY HAD 24577 MILES ON IT. THE TOWING COMPANY CHARGED MY BATTERY FOR ME TO MAKE IT ACROSS THE STREET TO AUTOZONE, WHERE I GOT A NEW BATTERY. I REMEMBER THE LAST TIME WHEN I BROUGHT IN THE CAR FOR SERVICE, THE LADY WAS TELLING ME THAT I NEEDED TO DRIVE MY CAR MORE OFTEN DUE TO THE BATTERY BEING "LOW". WHICH I THOUGHT WAS STRANGE, I MEAN HOW INCONVENIENT IS THAT TO HAVE TO DRIVE YOU'RE CAR EVERY DAY, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T THE BATTERY JUST "DIES" ON YOU?! MY LAST INCIDENT WITH MY CAR HAPPENED THIS PAST MONDAY 09/17/2012 WHEN I TURN MY CAR OFF, SUDDENLY I HEAR AGAIN THIS AWFUL GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE PANEL. COME TO FIND OUT AFTER I CALLED THE NISSAN DEALER THAT IT WAS THE STEERING COLUMN AND THAT THE MOTOR NEED TO BE REPLACED AND THIS IS HAPPENING 2 MONTHS AFTER MY WARRANTY RAN OUT! I CALLED NISSAN DEALER, THEY TOLD ME TO BRING IT IN. SEEING MY CAR IS 3 YEARS OLD..TO ME IT SHOULD BE A RECALL FACTORY ISSUE! AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR IT! THEY SAY THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM? I DON'T THINK SO! NISSAN NEED TO MAKE THIS STEERING COLUMN A RECALL ISSUE! BECAUSE IT IS A DANGEROUS DEFECT. *TR
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2009 Nissan Maxima has 34 STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.