Problems with 2009 Nissan Altima STEERING

The electronic steering column lock failed - the car would not start. this is a well documented and widespread, major defect issue with 2009 altima models.this apparent defect is well documented on internet forums. the car needs to be towed to a dealer, and a new steering column lock installed. approximate cost $1,000. the problem is very widespread. nissan extended the warranty on this part only to 6-years. my failure occurred at 6-years, 2-months. most failures appear to occur just after 6-years. rather than issue a 6-year extended warranty which recognizes a problem exists, nissan should have issued a recall because this problem is so widespread. luckily for me, this happened close to home and in warm weather.

Car would not start, battery was charging. it is the steering lock mechanism. this issue will cost $1000.00 to repair. after research it is clear that nissan is aware of the issue. why has that not been a recall? this is unsatisfactory. i have been a nissan owner for 15 years, but if this is not resolved, this will be my last nissan. i thought nissan was a good company, but this is no way to treat your customers.

Drove car to work everything ran fine. went on break and got in car it would not crank. the indicator light appeared( yellow keyless light) on the left side. looked it up in my car manual and it says steering electrical problem call nissan. so now im stuck without a car and i am still making car payments. this sucks. i've been reading other comments about issue. it seems that this has happened a lot. supposedly there was an extended warranty that only lasted up until feb. but its now july, so i guess im assed out. smdh!! this car needs to be recalled asap

I was at the grocery store around the corner from my house i parked went into the store to purchase a few things. i got back to the car no more than 15 minutes later unlocked the car with the fob and got in. try to start the car and it did not start. i tried plugging it in to the fob holder and the car still did not start. i saw the key light on the dash turn on. i had to have the car towed to the nissan dealership upon having the vehicle examined it was determined that the electronic steering control lock had malfunctioned. they told me it will $ 1020.00 to fix. i researched to see if this was an issued with the 2009 nissan altima and what do i discover that people have been have the this issued since 2011 when the vehicle was not even 3 years old yet. this is rediculous and outright negligent on nissan's part for not recalling this part. i have seen well over a 1,000 complaint regarding this issue. some have left people stranded in bad conditions. nissan needs to reimburse each and every customer for this issue as they choose to use a very faulty part.

2009 nissan altima - steering wheel malfunction - nissan refuses to recall this defective part

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that on several occasions, the push button start failed to operate as intended. the contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the steering lock assembly needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 18,000. updated 04/20/16*lj updated 6/6/18*jb

My car was not starting. it was indicated as no key. i called nissan customer care. they told that my cars warrenty expired on march 2015. my cars first registration date is november 2009. i have heared that the ecsl of nissan altima is having 6 years of warrenty. but i am told by the nissan authorised dealer - pinnacle nissan scotsdate phoenix that my warrenty expired. my car have not completed its 6 year and i am wondering how the warrently would void. i have replaced the part from my pocket as well, i am really disappointed. it would be great if nissan can refund the cost of replacing the part. thanks, binu.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel seized and the vehicle failed to start. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician diagnosed that the electronic steering column was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 120,000.

Truly cant believe nissan consumer affairs, on 6/30/2015, my electric steering column lock went out. i called consumer affairs on 6/30/2015, to see if its part of this extended warranty, ( which i found out though google), rep explain mine expired on 6/3/2015, and i needed to tow it to dealership. which i did, and found out that was the problem, so i called back on 6/30/2015, and ask since it was less than a month will they help with the cost. on 7/1/2015, i had to call 4 times and message nissan though facebook to even get a call back from the regional consumer affair agent, when she finally called back an hour before the dealership service dept. closes, she explain they wouldn't help with any cost. the cost to fix this problem, that nissan knew about since 2009, would be 1,000 dollars. personally i don't have the money to fix it, at this point of time it is sitting at the dealership, i'm missing work everyday because of an issue that could have been avoided if nissan took responsibility of there failure.

Car will not start steering lock replaced

My 2009 nissan altima unexpectedly would not start in june of 2015 and i was on my way to pick up my brother from school. i thought it might have been a battery issue. so, i called my insurance company and they came out to give me a jump. that was not the culprit. unfortunately, it was after hours and i had to wait till morning to have my vehicle towed to tires plus. they were unable to figure out the problem. next, i had my vehicle towed to nissan who were able to diagnose the issue. after further research, i learned that the escl is a known defect and that an extended warranty was issued to these vehicles. my warranty expired a month prior to this incident (very inconvenient) resulting in a $1,000 out of pocket expense that i did not have readily available (i am a graduate student). i wish that instead of just offering an extended warranty for this part that nissan would have recalled the part to avoid this headache all together.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. while driving 40 mph, the steering wheel seized and the engine stalled. the vehicle continued to coast and crashed into a curb. the contact mentioned that the front passenger side tire bent inward. the contact was unable to restart the engine. the contact did not specify if a police report was filed or if any injuries were sustained. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the technician diagnosed that the power steering failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 55,000.

Got into my car & it would not crank. brakes were pressed & stayed in lock position. after turning the steering wheel back & forth it started.

The steering control unit seized up, the vehicle wont start. ...updated 08/12/15 *bf the consumer stated the cost of installation and reprogramming of the unit was $90.00. updated 12/23/2015 *js

Takata recall service bulletins. i have a 2009 nissan altima that is very dangerous on the road with my children we have had it a year amd already spent alot. call this dept and nissan several times with no result i have 13 of the service bulletins wrong with this car amd many lives at stake i may have to get am attorney before we loose a life. i paid 9000.00 for this one year ago amd no one can help the strut, the cvt the engine cooler leaks, push start, cruise control vehicle speed sensor abs ect please help is figure out what t9 do so i can sleep at night with all my babies safe

Car could not be started and had to be towed to a nissan deal where they charged me $900.00 to fix. this is a defective part, electronic steering column lock, that nissan knows about. they extended the warranty for this part and have it listed on the nissanassist.com website. it is specific to the 2009 altima and maxima. they refused to help with cost in anyway because the warranty expired 2 months prior...even though they know it is a big enough issue to have the extended warranty on it. if the part is defective...why put any time frame on it. do a recall, or fix them as it happens.

My 2009 nissan has a key warning light on it which can cause the steering wheel to lock up when i visited the nissan assist site it stated they had a extended warranty for this specific problem since it is a problem that affects the 2009 altima, the warranty expired in january so they refuse to get it fixed this should be a safety recall issue since its a problem they know affects the 2009 nissan altima sand maximas

Steering lock actuator

2009 nissan altima bought brand new. under 36,000 the motor was changed out, around 70,000 miles the transmission was replaced. good times. friday 5/22/15 went to friends house and went to leave and car would not start. checked battery and fuses and then noticed a yellow key flashing in gauge cluster. i called the dealer and told them what i saw. dealer told me there was no way i was going to get the car to start and that it needed to be towed to the dealer. called tow truck and was towed from helmet ca, to ontario ca 60+ miles in the rain with my windows down. i could not roll the windows up or do anything else besides unlock and lock the doors. nissan has extended the warranty for this problem but still denies that there is a problem. i was 3 months late for this warranty and i have been denied coverage for repairs that will cost more than a $1000 dollars. nissan knows there is a problem and will not recall this problem witch is wide spread. just google it and they will see. want to get the news involved. tired of being stranded by nissan. nissan step up to the plate and take care of your customers!!!

Drove car to work with no problem. reentered car 3 hrs later and it wouldn't start. a yellow key light displayed on the dash and the brake and steering wheel locked. replaced key batteries but that didn't work. had car towed to dealership and was told it was the steering lock mechanism which would cost $986.

My son went to work and when he got off of work the vehicle would not start. i called the nissan dealership they towed the vehicle and said it was the steering column lock. the manager stated "i see at least two of these a week every week for this same problem." it will cost us $999.00 to repair our vehicle. there are hundreds of the same problem with this model. why there is no recall is laughable if it weren't so sad

Steering column locked and has to be replaced. car will not turn on at all. had to get it towed to dealership where they are trying to slam me with a $1100 repair bill. car was bought in feb 2009, and extended warranty for said specific part ended feb 2015.

Notified by dealer that right inner tie rod was failing - slight play - at the time of a pa state inspection with only 31,869. no external damage noted. recommended replacement.

On may 1, 2015 my vehicle would not start. i had to have the car towed to a nissan dealer. my 2009 nissan altima's electronic steering column lock (escl) system failed 4 months after the warranty extension expired.this is a known issue that according to nissan "happening to only a small number of vehicles". if the number is so miniscule then why not issue a recall?? i cannot imagine what i would be dealing with if i experienced this failure away from home or traveling. i thank god that my family and i were at home. *tr

I have a 2009 nissan altima. apparently nissan is fully aware of the issues that the electric steering column lock is having. nissan chose to extend the warranty instead of recall the part. knowing that the majority of the effected altima owners would fall outside that warranty. of course now my steering column has malfunctioned even though nissan states that this would not be an issue for majority of car owners. they know this is a huge problem. i have found thousands of write ups on the internet. it is unfair to the altima car owners. nissan is not taking responsibility for using defective parts. they have since discontinued using these parts, and left nissan altima car owners holding their dirty little secret. the one car we have can not function, and they are asking for over$1000 to repair it. issue: the car will not drive because of this malfunction and defective part. please help us the 2009 nissan altima car owners g *tret this part fully recalled by nissan. thank you! *tr

Went to start the car and nothing happened. after several attempts the orange "key" light appeared on the dash. figured i needs to change the battery in the fob so i did... still nothing! googled the issue and found this is a known problem with this vehicle and that the warranty had been extended on this part. called the closest dealer who informed me my extended warranty expired in 2/09/15 and the repair was no longer covered. are they serious? i was never notified of this issue. nissan should be ashamed. will never buy another one... *tr

I went to start my car and an amber light with a key came on my dashboard. my car would not start. the car had to be towed to a nissan dealership where it was determined it was a malfunction of the escl(electronic steering column lock). the repair cost me 893.90. there was an extended warranty on this so nissan new it was a problem. the warranty ended 3 months ago. nissan will not pay for the repair. this is my 4th nissan. *tr

My car wouldn't start after leaving work, couldn't figure out what was wrong, until i did a google search. i contacted corporate nissan, who informed me that the warranty expired two months ago, exactly, and i would have to have it diagnosed by a nissan repair before they consider covering faulty parts. i had my car towed to the nissan repair, who confirmed that the power steering lock was faulty and needed to be replaced for $1020.00. nissan mechanic said that it is a known problem with 2009 and 2010 altima's. i reported back to corporate, who said they would "investigate" my claim, and assured i would be contacted two days ago. never received a call, despite several attempts to reach them, and convenient for nissan that the department i need doesn't have an available telephone number. *tr

My car wouldn't start after work and couldn't figure out what was wrong, until i searched the internet for some help, and found that this is a known problem with altima's from 2009 2010. i contacted corporate nissan, who informed me that the warranty expired two months ago, exactly, and i would have to have it diagnosed by a nissan before they consider covering faulty parts. my car was towed to the nissan repair, who confirmed that the power steering lock was faulty and needed to be replaced for $1020.00. nissan mechanic said that it is a known problem with 2009 and 2010 altima's. i reported back to corporate, who said they would "investigate" my claim, and assured i would be contacted two days ago. never received a call, despite several attempts to reach them, and convenient for nissan that the department i need doesn't have an available telephone number. *tr

Car wouldn't start in early morning. nissan states steering lock. this has been reported as a known issue yet nissan has not recalled the item. they even limit the warranty (which mine is out by 3 months). how can that be? they install a part that is known to prevent a car from starting and possibly leaving people stranded in dangerous areas or on interstates yet won't recall and want to charge us over $1000 to fix. absolutely crazy. i hope you mandate a recall or i will join in class action lawsuit. *tr

Steering lock my wife drove the car to church from there to her moms from there to work from there home we was getting ready to go back to church car would not start. warning light on dash showed steering lock. i looked on line there are a number of complaints listed for same problem they said nissan would fix it for $700-$1000 web site says you can beat on control and this might fix it. if nissan know they have the problem why dont they do a recall we do not have the money to fix the problem and a lot of other people do not . *tr

On or about april 4, 2015, l noticed that my vehicle would not start. the vehicle was subsequently towed to a nissan dealership where it was determined that the steering lock was defective and needed to be replaced. i contacted nissan on various occasions regarding the repair work that needed to be performed to my vehicle. ln response, the representative from nissan advised they would open a claim and investigate the matter further. i was ultimately told that the repair work would not be covered by nissan because the vehicle was out of warranty as of september 2014. ln fact, l was advised that the warranty had been extended for another year because of this particular issue. unfortunately, to my detriment, the steering lock in my vehicle malfunctioned past the warranty date. the particular defect in my vehicle is a defect occurring in this particular model, for which the manufacturer's warranty had been extended. in fact, the steering lock has since been altered in future models to correct this defect, which demonstrates that nissan was well aware of the defect in this particular model, yet chose to do nothing to remedy the problem. despite my amicable attempts to have nissan reimburse me for the repair work that was done to the steering lock, of which nissan should be responsible for, nissan has refused to reimburse me for said repairs amounting to $1,098.06. i recently contacted nissan again because nissan has now issued a recall concerning this same problem (steering lock malfunction). again, nissan has ignored my requests.

Car would not start in super market parking lot.had to be towed to nissan dealer causing much traffic congestion in the very busy lot ,as the car was being loaded onto the truck.nissan is aware of the faulty part and is not issuing a recall.just check out the internet for all the complaints. *tr

I went to start my car to go to work and the ignition locked and the car would not start. needless to say i was late for work because of this incident and had to rely on someone else for a ride. i called the dealer ship and they explained to me that the steering lock probably failed on the car. i had to have the car towed to bowser. i got a called today confirming it was steering lock failure and that it would cost almost a thousand dollars to fix. i did some research and found that this is a common problem with the car. i asked the dealer ship if they have had many other cars with this problem and they explained that they have. as i continued to do more research, i found that this is an engineering flaw on nissan's behalf. i do not believe i should have to pay for an engineering flaw that should have been a recall in the first place. *tr

I had tried to leave friday from work and my car would not start. the key light was on and nothing i did would start the vehicle. we were able to start the vehicle the next day and took it home and ran well for about a week but then as i was leaving for lunch the same issued happened. this time the vehicle would not start. i had to get the vehicle towed out of here to a nissan dealership where i was informed the steering wheel lock was wrong with it and a lot of the models from that year are having the same issues. i contacted the corporate nissan to file a claim and get the repairs paid by them since there is a known malfunction of this vehicles. after waiting for over two weeks and many calls to them to try and get them to return my calls i was told they would not be able to help with any of the repairs as it was outside the warranty. i explained to them or try to that if it was a warranty issue i would have paid for it through the extended warranty as well. but it was a well known malfunction they are having that should start a recall on it. the total for this repair is $1021 and nissan should be responsible for paying for this repairs or start a recall campaign as the vehicle becomes completely disabled and you can't move it or even start it. *tr

Vehicle would not crank vehicle needs steering column lock actuator. *tr

Steering lock escl, malfunctioned and car wouldn't start. i was at my job leaving to pick up my 2 children from school, and could not get my car to start. i had to wait for my sister to get out of work to pick me up and then go get my kids who were waiting at school long after hours to be picked up. nissan acknowledges that the error was theirs during manufacturing but did not notify altima owners and now i missed the "extended warranty" by 3 months when this should have been recalled in the first place and the cost to repair is over $1,000. thankfully my father in law was able to tow my car, but this has happened to 100s of nissan altima owners in the 2009 models. he was able to do a temporary fix, but it has not been replaced due to the expense that i cannot spare right now. but just because it doesn't happen while driving doesn't mean that it is not a safety issue. not being able to start your car in for example, winter, at night, on a vacation or far from home, with my 2 young elementary school daughters in the car with me is a safety issue!!!!!!!!! if a recall never happens, then this will be the last nissan i ever own, and i will be spreading the word on facebook as well!!!!!! *tr

I drove to pick up my daughter from the babysitter and i parked my car alongside the curb. it was less than 10 min and we went to the car and it would not start. i performed my usual routine when starting it...insert key in slot...press foot down on brake...then press the ignition start button and it still would not start. i tried the same routine a second time only to no avail. finally on the third time...my instrument panel displayed a yellow key and a red key and it the ignition button stayed in the lock position. i eventually called a tow truck and when he arrived he knew exactly what it was. i was informed by the tow driver that it was a steering wheel lock issue and the only reason he knew was because i was his 6th nissan in over a three day span. apparently...nissan is aware of this issue but refuses to acknowledge this issue as a recall. *tr

Last friday my car would not start. we try different things to get it going and it finally worked. today the same incident happened and started doingnsome research online online tonfind out this vehicles had a malfunction for a electronic steering column lock. i called the dealership to get my vehicle fixed and they stated the extension expired in february of this year. i asked why were the consumers not notified. he gave me h 1800 number for nissan to see i they can help out with this issue that apparently tons people are having. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. the contact attempted to use the spare key to start the vehicle; however, it failed to start. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that the steering lock module would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 83,902.

I had no electrical service in the vehicle at all, the ignition would not turn on the steering wheel was locked. *tr

My 2009 nissan altima did not start one morning as i needed to go in to work. i called nissan in libertyville il and i was told the it was probably the steering column locking issue that needed to be addressed. i provided them the vin number and they said it was still under warranty so it would be covered 100% if that was the issue. once at their shop they determined it was the steering column locking issue but switched their story and said it no longer was under warranty. i called nissan and they confirmed the warranty expired 4 months prior to the date of my nissan breaking down. after further complaints and appeals to nissan customer service i was forced to replace the part which cost me $850 in repairs. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the steering lock control unit needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unavailable.

I finished work late at night during a snowstorm, only to find that my car would not start and i had to get a tow. nissan later explained that the cause was a defective electronic steering column lock (escl) unit. because this malfunction occurred a few months after the 6 year extended warranty, in addition to waiting hours for a tow truck in a snowstorm, i was then forced to pay $1000 to fix nissan's defective part.

Electronic steering column lock (escl) failed while car was parked. this could certainly be a safety issue if it occurred late at night or in a dangerous area. the dealer said there was a short in this. could this have caused a fire? could they have fixed the short without charging me $993.65 because it was 3 months past the 6 year extended warranty? car has only 26466 miles on it. the starting mechanism which senses the brake being depressed had failed previously, and fixed under warranty, when i was far from home at a lakeside. two electrical starting failures on the same vehicle. from their web site: your nissan vehicle is equipped with an electronic steering column lock (escl) unit that locks the steering wheel when the vehicle is parked and the ignition is turned off to help prevent theft. on some vehicles, due to a manufacturing irregularity that has since been corrected, the escl may malfunction after the vehicle is locked and could prevent the engine from starting. this condition, should it occur, will only occur when attempting to start the vehicle, and not while driving. although nissan believes the majority of owners will never experience this unique condition, to assure your continued satisfaction and confidence in your vehicle, nissan has decided to extend the nissan new vehicle limited warranty, as it applies to the escl unit, from 3 years / 36,000 miles to 6 years / unlimited miles, whichever comes first. access to complete information and instructions including a reimbursement claim form will be available at www.nissanassist.com on april 1, 2013. *tr

On a very cold day (o degrees f), the steering lock control unit failed and car could not be started. car needed to be towed to dealership and the steering lock control unit replaced at a total cost of $1106.98. *tr

Just finished a 13 hour shift at work when i went out to my car to head home. the key fob opened the doors but would not allow the ignition to start. i had the car towed to the dealership and they told me it was a steering wheel lock failure, which nissan is well aware of. i spoke with two dealerships which told me this is indeed a chronic issue. i submitted a claim to nissan consumer affairs which they denied since my warranty had expired 8 weeks prior. when i returned to the dealership they again advised me to complain to consumer affairs as they had 5 cars come in for the same problem in the 4 days that my car was there. i again called consumer affairs who told me again that my claim was denied on the grounds that the warranty was expired, they would not budge on this. i had to argue with the representative for 15 minutes before he would have his supervisor call me back, still waiting for that call. nissan is very aware that this part is defective and expect the consumer to eat the costs when the part inevitably fails. they say that this is not a safety concern, but do not take into account the possibility of being stranded. nissan does not stand by its product or its consumers. *tr

The electronic steering column lock suddenly failed, resulting in the inability to start the car. i had to tow the car to the dealership to find out that the issue is out of warranty and would cost be $900+. after researching the issue, i found thousands of similar experiences with the 2009 altima and it is clear that nissan is well aware of this issue and they have not issued a recall. i was stranded, away from home, and had to rearrange my entire day while coming out of pocket a large sum of money which i, quite frankly, do not have. i submitted a warranty extension reimbursement form to nissan who turned around and told me that i was out of luck. i was referred to the nissan consumer affairs who confirmed that i was out of luck. i never received any notice that there was a recurring issue with the 2009 nissan altima, otherwise, i would have taken the car in to correct the problem before it became a problem. i am only 3 months outside of their extended warranty to be eligible for a reimbursement. it appears to me that nissan is aware of this problem but refuses to stand by their product. *tr

After stopping at the store my car no longer would start. i live in texas where it is hot, this is a danger to be stuck and no way to fix it. the key light popped on. apparently after research it is noted nissan is aware of the electronic steering lock problem. if there are so many issues why not recall the part instead of leaving motorist stranded. if the part malfunctions there is no way to move the car. i'm not sure where it is ok to charge 1200 dollars knowing your part is defective. this problem has left me stranded 3 different times. *tr

The electronic steering column locking mechanism is faulty and will not recognize the key pad and refuses to allow the push button starter to start the engine. according to what is on the internet, nissan knows of this problem. *tr