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Problems with 2009 Nissan 370Z ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On average, the 2009 Nissan 370Z starts to “feel” problems with the ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and its various aspects after 41 662 miles.

Recently reported ELECTRICAL SYSTEM problems on 2009 Nissan 370Z

The steering column lock device has been failing daily.i bought this car in march of 2014 and i have all of the paperwork that shows the previous owner took it to autonation nissan chandler and under recall p3208 it was supposedly fixed in 2013. i didn't even own the car til 2014!the ntb13-014 also was on the invoice. it says they replaced the steering wheel lock unit- i have spent over $20k on my z ( not including the price of the car, and i can't even get larry h miller nissan to take care of it. they want $1500. i just don't understand how larry h miller nissan knew about this and new the dates it was 'fixed' at the other dealership, and failed to notify me when i brought it to their attention.i have all my invoices for work done,and a nissan w 44,000 miles has had endless problems -please help. i am disabled, and this is a huge financial burden for me,i really had a lot of confidence in nissan taking care of their customers - it seems that isn't the case- on june 27 i got into a small accident and it ended up costing geico $14,850.35 - when they brought it back the fuel management system had gotten loose since it's located underneath the passenger side in the gas tank and is a typical problem with 370 z's and they wanted me to pay for it also the car is riding a lot lower to the ground than it ever was the black bumper guard at the very bottom is all scraped up and that never happened before so either the front shocks or struts are lower than before. i love my z and i've put over $40,000 into it and now i can't get people to do what they're supposed to do because they 'don't want to' the people who fix your car's know about all of these consistent problems & they should fix them and it seems like they don't want to fix problems that arise with the same model.i had to have my insurance adjuster call just to get the fuel pump fixed. nissan wanted me to pay for it

Electric steering column lock was replaced in a recall at 25,824 miles in may 2013. car in october 2016 with 37746 nukes had problems starting, had to push, "start" button from two to 12 times to get vehicle to start. first dealer replaced battery, needed to be done but problem did not go away. dealer found that steering column electric lock was intermittently not working and had to be replaced at a cost of $1,103.50. this is the same part that was replaced as part of the original recall. if stalled in traffic it could take up o 5 minutes to start vehicle.

The electric steering wheel lock mechanism has failed bad. there has been a recall on the part, but nissan refuses to acknowledge it. many complaints have been addressed on this issue.

Trying to start my 2009 370z approx 35k miles, i have to push the start button 2-7 times to get the car to start. checked clutch switch position, it is okay. occasionally it will start on the first time pushing the start button. get in car, depress clutch when light comes on, push start button, on lights, no start , push again access light on, nothing, again off light, push again, and so on until starts. dealer had no answers. replaced battery in both keys, no difference. has been an issue a couple times after stalling in traffic.

The fuel gauge does not display a full tank of gas after a fill up. this results in a very inaccurate depiction of fuel levels. this is a know issue but nissan has refused to acknowledge on the 370z. the problem it intermittent, but it has only gotten worst. i brought my car to the dealership a while ago and they replaced the instrument cluster, believing it to be an issue with the display. the issue is still there after they installed a new instrument cluster, but now i'm past my extended warranty. the real cause of this is within the fuel system and the way it measures the fuel level. this renders the fuel gauge, distance to empty and average mpg reading inaccurate and useless. there are others who have this issue and i would like for nissan to address it as a recall.

on monday 9/15/14 i attempted to start my car like i had done earlier in the day without any problems. when i went to push my start button, i noticed that nothing had happened at all except the illumination of a key lock light. after checking the gas, battery, and fuses, i did not know what to do about this issue. today is 9/17/14 and when i attempt to start my car i have to depress the start button 7-10 times before it actually starts the car. i called a nearby nissan dealership they said it probably had a steering lock failure, which is a common occurrence in the 2009-2010 370z. *tr

This is to rectify the complaint i submitted yesterday related to the steering lock unit failing. i did have the problem (no change there) and filed complaint #10614959 after doing the initial research and reading everywhere (including here) that nissan's recall did not cover my model year (2009), being that mine is not a gtr. after i had come to terms with having to pay for this out of pocket, i called the dealer in fort lauderdale, and he (voluntarily) said that recalls are vin specific and that mine was covered (what a relief). i also talked with nissan usa later and they told me that it is not a recall but that they have extended the warranty on that particular piece of equipment. i am not sure, but i think the difference is that if the program is an extended warranty, you have to wait until you have the issue whereas a recall you can take it in before (or after). whichever it is, those who had this problem early on and had to pay out of pocket may want to re-check with nissan to see if they can get reimbursed. maybe nissan extended the initial recall or offered the extended warranty long after some people had the problem and got missed in the process. if they ever sent me a note about this in the mail, i probably mistook it for junk mail and threw it out. in my case at least, nissan did right by me after i had the problem. when i called (nissan usa) and asked about the towing, the rep said the program did not specifically say either way, but they agreed to reimburse me for it. anyway, good luck with all of this. *tr

Same problem as everyone else is reporting about vehicle not starting because the smart key push button ignition is stuck in the lock position. i think they call it steering wheel system fail. apparently nissan has known about this for a long time, has recalled newer models but is not willing to recall the 2009s. so the question is, how many people need to have this problem before a mandatory recall is imposed? this is ridiculous. despite the problem being known, there is no warning on it, so people, including myself, get stranded in horrible situations. note to nissan. i have been a repeat customer. i have had 1 maxima, 2 altimas and now a z. i will fix this car, sell it and until/unless nissan does the right thing and issues a recall on this, i will never look at another nissan again. *tr

Constant problems with the clutch, car records shows clutch and csc has been replaced but is having problems yet again. always feel ticking in the clutch pedal when disengaged, and clutch sticks when taking off from stop (not talking about launches or dropping gears). also a lot of problems with electrical, like fuel gauge. last but not least, lots of wind noise when on the freeway, and window gets stuck when closed on freeway. have gone to dealership and of course they say theres nothing they can do even though forums show theres recalls.

My 370z will start up fine sometimes but most times i have to it the start button 7-10 times before it cranks. when i push the button all lights on dash come and it makes clicking sounds but just won't start the vehicle. i had my steering lock mechanism replaced 6 months ago because there was a recall but the problem still persist. i have taken it to the dealership but no one can give me a solid answer.

Attempted to start my 370z this morning, key light would come on, and the lock light came on the push button start. but no response. after some research, it appears that the steering wheel lock mechanism is stuck halfway so the steering wheel turns but nothing is indicating to the ecu that it is unlocked. nissan had issued a recall for the same part on 2009 gt-r's (ntb10-025 p0309) but not on 370z's. it became such an issue that in 2011/2012 nissan stopped installing the device on the 370z model. more and more 370z owners are becoming stranded because of this defect and it should be recalled and replaced. *tr

Engine power cuts out randomly. error code p0011 given. all mechanical components associated with code p0011 per nissan have been replaced. problem still persists. apparently, this is not an uncommon problem with the early 2009 370z. to date, nissan has not issued a recall for this problem.

I drove my 2009 nissan 370z to work in the morning and when i went to start my car at lunch... nothing. it was just dead. all of the lights worked, alarm, power seats, name it. but when you went to start, nothing. turns out the steering wheel lock broke. the fact that this is such a common occurrence, a simple 30 second internet search can diagnose the problem, frustrates me. how come it was taken care of in the more expensive models (the gtr's), but it wasn't recalled for the 2009/10 370z's? they've replaced the problem part in the 2012's, but that doesn't excuse the fact that they've left thousands of people stranded and have done nothing about it. i lucked out because i bought an extended warranty, but what about the people who have to pay out of pocket? the cost for the repairs is over a $1000, with the part itself in the hundreds. this is ridiculous and needs to be addressed. *tr

Steering lock unit failed. "key" light indicator appeared. car unable to start. tow needed to dealer for out of warranty repairs. there was a voluntary recall on the same part for 2009 gtrs models (reference: ntb10-025, campaign id#: p0309. it is ridiculous that there is no recall for 370z models which uses the same defective part!!!!!! *tr

Steering wheel lock unit failed in lock position disabling vehicle. out of warranty replacement required. research indicated that this part is based on a faulty design that has subsequently been removed from later model years. look at all the complaints - this is clearly a faulty part and nissan should recall all vehicles with this part. the car had to be towed and the cost to repair was close to $1,000.00. i will not consider another nissan purchase unless this issue is addressed. *tr

My 2009 nissan 370z failed to start on feb 21st without any warning. the intelligent key light was on while trying to start the car by pushing the 'start' button. tried inserting the key fob into the fob slot but the car still failed to start. after reading numerous threads related to this problem on www.the370z.com, i discovered that this is a common problem to the 370z. i was able to start the car one more time by hitting the steering lock unit. i immediately drove to the dealership where they confirmed that my steering lock unit had to be replaced. the cost was $1335.70 total for parts and labor. *tr

Car won't start. steering locking mechanism failed. *tr

As i was getting ready to leave my house for the evening, i attempted to start my car like i had done earlier in the day without any problems. when i went to push my start button, i noticed that nothing had happened at all except the illumination of a key lock light. after checking the gas, battery, and fuses, i was left wondering what i should do. after checking into the problem with various credible sources, i discovered that the steering lock unit had failed. i also found out that this is a major problem with 2009-10 models of my car. i was without a vehicle for 3 days, and was going to have to pay a good amount of money for a factory defective unit that fails at any given moment, leaving the driver ( and passengers) stranded wherever they may be. thank goodness i was at home and my car was in the garage. there should be a recall on this particular part, seeing that nissan knows that this part is prone to failure, yet does nothing to rectify the situation except discontinue the part on newer models. *tr

I had the infamous "steering lock failure." it has yet to become a recall and recognized as a fault by nissan, yet the fix is $700+. i got in my car and attempted to turn my car on only to get 0 response, whatsoever. after running through the manual and seeing there were only two options if the "key light" stayed on, i changed the battery in the key fob. that wasn't the issue, which then meant the only option was the steering lock failure. i now have to get my car towed and cough up $700+ at random (since it chooses when it's going to die). this is absolutely ridiculous. mind you, i was under the mileage warranty (21k, not 35) but i get screwed because the year. this will be the last nissan i ever buy. *tr

The car stop working when i tried to turn it on. i towed it to the shop and found out the steering lock and given up and this was very rare.... i searched only and found out so many people had the same issues with the same vehicle.. how is it that the car never been in any accident and now having an issue with electrical. i had stereo issues, electrical issues, and now the steering wheel issue.. they don't cover the car cause there is no recall.. how do companies get away with this.. i can not believe there is nothing that is being done about this. *tr

Car would not turn on. towed to local nissan dealer & they said the steering lock assembly failed. vehicle locked up. costing me $1400 to repair. *tr

Attempted to start car using the push button. the car wouldn't start. had aaa come out to test the battery. the battery was good. i towed to the dealership. they said it had a steering lock failure which cost $1100 to repair. it took a day to order the part. the mileage was 22,114. the service tech said he saw a lot of altimas come in with this problem. *tr

Attempted to start car using the push button. the car wouldn't start. had aaa come out to test the battery. the battery was good. i towed to the dealership. they said it had a steering lock failure which cost $1100 to repair. it took a day to order the part. the mileage was 22,114. *tr

Steering wheel lock assembly stopped working. *tr

Steering locking unit (part: 48700-jf00a) failed. note, there are revision models of this part 48700-jf00b, 48700-jf00c, 48700-jf00d, and 48700-jf00e -- all eventually fail. this part begins to fail as early as just a few thousand miles on the car's odometer. this is a common issue with nissan 370z 2009-2011 models. once this happens the car is stranded as the starter is disabled. the car must then be towed to a dealership for repair. repair costs average between $1,100 and $2,000. *tr

Parked car while getting lunch, tried to restart car afterwards and ignition wouldn't cycle (wont go to acc or on, stays at lock). indicator light implied keyfob needed to be inserted into the slot. after doing so, still would not start. replaced keyfob battery, jumped the car; none worked. eventually had to be towed to local dealer. steering lock unit was determined to have failed. unlike most reported failures, this one failed with the steering wheel unlocked (mechanism never engaged), however it would still not start. parts came in at $719 and labor at $259. had i been made aware of these costs before the work was done, as i requested in a voicemail left for the dealer, i would never have agreed and would have done it myself. although this event may not occur while the vehicle is in motion, posing an immediate and apparent safety issue, it did result in being stranded in 10degree winter weather. fortunately, this occurred in the middle of the day with people in the vicinity to help and a cell phone charged. had it happened 12hrs later and with a dead cellphone, it would pose a considerable safety issue in sub10 degree weather. this is a well known issue, known by nissan, and seems to have been addressed for the gt-r's under ntb10-025 issued 3/18/10. yet, for some reason, it has not yet been corrected for the 370z. according to service department at dealership where this work was performed, there were too many instances of this occurrence in their system to begin counting them all when i requested that information for reporting purposes. for others information, exact part number on the sticker of the replaced unit is as follows: 48700 9n00a-b1-01 t 4601101c e08 m01 31.03.09. *tr

Steering wheel lock has failed, rendering car unable to be started. *tr

My car will not start due to the well-known yellow key light problem. i had it towed to the shop and i am afraid that the repair bill will be very expensive. please make a recall for this obvious defect. it is very cold right now and could have been a real danger due to the cold weather. *tr

Drove to 7/11 to get gas. turned the car off. when i got back in the car to leave the car would not start. there was an amber key on the dashboard. there have been a major number of complaints filed for this same reason. the immobilizer locked out the wheel shaft which locked out the key faub. since the car thinks it has been stolen the car will do nothing. no nissan dealership is open on a sunday and they are knowingly doing nothing about the issue. i never received any notices that there could have been an issue in the 3 years i've had my car. there has been a huge number of complaints on blogs which i discovered today after attempting to get my car started again. *tr

I parked to get gas and when i went to start my vehicle, it did nothing. checked battery and everything else to my knowledge then had it towed to my local dealership. the dealership diagnosed the problem as the "steering wheel lock has gone bad." towing cost was $65 and total cost of repair was $1198.50. my warranty ended in october of 2012, so this was paid out of pocket. i was without a vehicle for 4 days. it happened without warning and i was stranded at the gas station. if your steering lock control unit is a "reva" or "revb", it is jut a matter of time before yours fails. nissan needs to do something about this like they did with the nissan gtr. *tr

This is a very common problem found in 2009 and 2010 nissan 370z vehicles. the steering locking unit fails at a premature rate and the car will suddenly not start without warning. this happened to me in a valet parking structure without any warning or indication. many, many individuals are being cheated without a recall on this highly defective unit. the dealership is looking to charge $1,200 for a replacement. nissan has already ordered a recall for their nissan gtr's for the same exact issue, but for some reason refuse to acknowledge the same problem of the same part with their 370z line. please nhtsa, listen to the hundreds of individuals with the same problem and order a recall and reimbursement for the 370z steering locking unit failures. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Steering wheel lock failed thank god while im in the driveway not on the road.. nissan said its common and will happen again.. cost 1200 dollars not including labor... this is insane.. i just bought this car now im wasting alot of money.. *tr

I parked the car in the lot and lock it. when i came back to drive away at 2:00 am where is nobody around i couldn't start the car and i had key warning indicator flashing on the dashboard. i found out later that is my steering wheel lock module failed like another couple of hundreds other 370z. nissan need to recall it. *tr

The vehicle in question, failed to start after a routine stop. a faulty steering lock control unit (slcu)resulting in the steering wheel failing to disengage from the locked position thus preventing the push button ignition system from starting the engine. the vehicle was able to be put in neutral, but only after accessing a compartmented shift lock switch. unfortunately, with the steering wheel being locked, the vehicle could only be pushed forward or back and not turned. this proved to be a problem as the tow truck driver was forced to "drag" the vehicle to a better position in order to be loaded onto the flat bed. the dealership confirmed that the slcu was the single point of failure and acknowledged that this was a known issue in the 2009 and 2010 model years. nissan failed to cover the repair costs because of the age of the vehicle, despise having under 20k miles. *tr

I drove my car to work and everything was running fine, as i stopped at a store to grab something and came back out my car no longer worked. the system would no longer recognize the intelligent key, and the push start button was in the "lock" mode. after researching this i found out that this is a common issue in the 2009-2010 z models. the same issue found in nissan gt-r models, the steering wheel lock malfunctions and is therefore enable to recognize the intelligent key due to the steering column being locked. nissan should definitely take responsibility for the faulty equipment as this leaves cars and owners stranded. for a relatively new car this should not be happening esp. under 36,000 miles. the majority of the complaints have not even surpassed the powertrain warranty. the government should show concern for consumers as well as nissan! *tr

I have a 2009 nissan 370z that after 3 days sitting in my garage wouldn't start without warning because the steering wheel lock failed. i was lucky that the issue didn't happen while i was out of town. the car had absolutely no power and had to be towed to the nissan dealership. the bill to have it fixed was $1051.01 with labor. i have a case open with nissan to try to get it covered since this part is out of warranty. *tr

My vehicle would not start after normal usage. had car towed to dealership and the steering wheel lock mechanism was shorted out. cost around 1,200 to repair. after search, found out that this is a very common problem with this vehicle. *tr

2009 nissan 370z worked perfectly then wouldn't start. found many other incidents of the same problem. the issue is a broken steering wheel lock which won't unlock. although the same part is known to have issues in many nissan cars, there is no recall so owner pays for an expensive part and labor. *tr

The steering lock mechanism part #48700-jf00a on 09 and 10 models fails after a while due to poor quality. this results in the steering column being unable to unlock and therefore disabling the car from being started. this can leave anyone stranded and needing the car towed. in my case the car is stuck in my garage because i am unable to start it due to this faulty part. this needs to be recalled because the part will fail its just a matter of when. *tr

Steering wheel /ignition system electronics switch failure ,causing vehicle and all electric accessory systems on vehicle to not function. *tr

Steering wheel lock failure (intelligent key system warning). was at a gas station and car would not start. "yellow" key light showed up but car would not start at all. had to have car towed to dealership. after research, i have discovered that this part has failed on many nissan models with this type of electronic steering wheel lock. this needs to be recalled and anyone who has paid to have it replaced needs to be reimbursed. a class action lawsuit needs to be filed because nissan refuses to accept that it is a faulty part. total cost to replace: $1084. *tr

Parked my car at the store came pushed the start nothing. changed the battery on the intelligent tried to start wouldn't start inserted the key into key slot nothing happened. *tr

Attempted to start vehicle. keyless entry system not working. vehicle would not start. had car flat bed towed to nissan. they said that it was the steering lock. there have been multiple complaints from consumers who own 2009-early 2010 nissan 370z. this part should be recalled by nissan since it prevents starting the car, thereby leaving you stranded. nissan had a recall on the gtr's but not the 370z. this is what happens 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. nissan is well aware of the faulty locks they installed and choose to ignore it. they stopped using these locks ( revb, revc etc) on the 2012 z's entirely. *tr

Car was parked at a local coffee shop. suddenly the steering lock, part of the starting system went haywire and disabled the car completely. now the car can't be turned on even though the key is in the car and the battery is full. i believe nhtsa needs to be made aware of this issue as it is a safety concern since every 370z is at risk of this problem, leaving all potential owners stranded. i believe nissan is aware of this problem as the nissan gt-r had a campaign to replace the very same part. it is called a steering lock. *tr

Car will not start, had to be towed to nissan, my 2009 370z had a electric steering lock problem. part with labor will be around $1000. there have been several complaints on this same issue and should have been recalled by now!! will be looking further into this problem nissan should be at fault 100%. *tr

On 11/22/2012 i attempted to start my vehicle and it would not start, or go into accesory mode. the car was towed to the dealership and determined to be caused by a faulty steering lock actuator. the car has under 19.000 miles. *tr

Steering wheel lock froze. no changing of fuses, disconnecting of battery , or any other suggested "fixes" worked. towed to nissan dealer. " highly unusual".. hahaha found over sixty other nissan model owners same problem. mechanism discontinued on 2012 models . cost &1400.00 to replace. not covered under warranty!!! *tr

In the 2009 and 2010 model years of this car (and other nissan vehicles), the steering wheel lock assembly is known to randomly fail, leaving the car unable to start. there is no recall or tsb for this as of yet, and it has affected several nissan vehicles including the gtr. revisions a and b of the steering wheel lock assembly are well known to fail, and revision c is also known to fail however there are fewer occurrences. this has left me stranded and unable to get to work, and nissan will straight up refuse to fix the problem for less than $1000. *tr

Car won't start, intelligent "key" light is on in the dash. ignition button has the "lock" lit up. headlights, dome lights, and doors unlock without problem. car just won't start. tried spare fob key, and placed into fob part, still won't start. read on forums, common problem amongst early 370z, ipdm or steering lock assembly faulty. being replaced under recall for gtr but not the 370z. module has been replace on newer 370zs. *tr

The steering lock assembly went out, which causes the car to not start at all. it leaves you stranded. reading through forums and talking to other 370z owners this is a common problem that needs to be recalled. you cant start your car or even turn it to accessory, which means if you break down away from home you cant even charge your phone to be able to call for help. the part is quite expensive and there are ways to disable it. i feel that if this issue is happening with so many of these cars it needs to be replaced free of cost. *tr

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