Problems with 2009 Nissan Altima ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

The car losses acceleration while in the highway. it appears to happen when it's hot and there's no warning and thus could be fatal.

Stalled at interection would not turn on. had to be toughed to dealer.defective sreering lock. second time this part replaced. numberous complaints by others with petition submitted to senior vp sales marketing brian carolin. dangerous in remote or dangerous areas. no response.

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.

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

I have a nissan altima just bought 2016. when driving 20 min or more when you come to a stop about 3 seconds after. you feel a shift or jolt, in the engine the harmonic balancer or timing chain. i was driving 70 down i45 busy traffic, as audial and all a sudden my car starts loosing power and i was almost hit in the rear by a mac truck. when i was safely at a stop, i killed it and it cranked back up with half the power. 1500 rpms

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. on several occasions, while attempting to start the vehice, the message "no key" appeared on the instrument panel and prevented the contact from starting the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to jeffery nissan (located at 30800 gratiot ave, roseville, mi 48066, (586) 510-1378) where it was diagnosed that the locking mechanism that received the signal from the keys for the touch start needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 38,000. the vin was not available.

Start stop butting is stuck in lock position therefore not starting the car. fobs door unlock, lock, trunk and panic buttons work but car does not turn on. car will not turn on when fob is inserted in the left hand side insert either. happened at 67 east shore road, holbrook ma after car was shut off for the night. next morning it didn't read the key.

Steering lock failure will not allow the car to start up on 09 nissan altima. electrical works but ecsl doesn't allow sensor to start the car. car was stationary, in the parking lot. finding now this is a well document issue with many makes/years of nissan vehicles.

My wife and two young daughters were stranded for a time due to a sudden issue with the steering lock mechanism. this suddenly made the car inoperable and left them out in 102 texas summer heat. after much research this seems to be a fairly common and known issue. we bought our car from a dealership in 2014 and we not made aware of this issue or any potential warranty extension. this is a $500 part (excluding labor and towing fees) that can and has stranded people with little to no notice. how is this acceptable?

Driving on interstate with cruise control engaged at 70 mph, speed dropped to approx 30-40 mph. i had the pedal to the mat and it wouldn't go any faster than 30-40 mph. took it off cruise control, it still wouldn't pick up speed with the pedal to the mat. suddenly car accelerated to approx 80-90 mph and would not slow down when i removed my foot from the gas pedal for at least 30-60 seconds. the speed then dropped again to 30-40 mph for about 5-10 minutes until it would take off again. it would accelerate for only about 30-60 seconds then would lose power again and wouldn't go above 30-40 mph. tried to reset cruise control and still would not fix the issue. this is a safety issue and needs to be addressed asap. if travelling on the interstate in normal traffic, this could have caused an accident very easily. this happened late at night with no other cars on the road at the time.

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

Electronic steering column lock malfunction. vehicle was stationary. would not start. stranding wife in 0 degree temperatures.

Car caught on fire completely totaled. it was driven less than 2 miles parked and shut off. within 15 minutes the car was completely engulfed in flames.

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.

The push-button starter system failed, leaving me stranded. this is a steering lock issue very common to this make and model.

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.

I bought the car at roughly 54k miles. approximately around 62k, the air conditioner stopped blowing cold air. i work on residential ac units. my pressures are equalized. i bypassed the pressure switch temporarily during diagnostics to see if the pressure switch was the issue. the problem continued when bypassed.the issue is either the clutch specifically or the compressor is bad. here recently, i have noticed a "jerking" motion when attempting to accelerate. obviously, this will be the shift solenoid or the cvt. cvt fluid is good. these issues have been going on with 2009 altimas for over 8 years now. why hasn't there been a recall? what is required to get a recall in effect? there have been multiple complaints regarding cvts, start/stop procedures, and ac problems, but not one recall concerning this has happened. nissan refuses to help.

Several things are wrong or gone bad. nissan suppose to be awesome vehicles with good reputation but tell you if i had known or could have for seen all the trouble, wow. 1. have had problems with steering wheel locking, ok that was fixed it has done it again. module is bad. 2. had to replace transmission very costly 3000, and was told that in a couple yrs would need it again. push button start is part of the locking issue so why is this not fixed from what i have read it's an ongoing problem, actually the same issues with my 2009 altima is exactly what thousands of others are going through, why is this not fixed why are we all still having these problems, my car is taken all the way to nissan dealership in louisville ky. oh about 45-to an hour away, for all regular maintaining, all the way down to the oil changes. like i said nissan suppose to be superior vehicles this has been a nightmare, i can't afford to pay the price of fixing the car every time i turn around. trade in on it sucks, resale privately does too. something needs done, how many hundreds of thousands of people have the same problems with their altima

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.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. after the vehicle was started, it failed to shift out of park and the intelligent key system warning indicator illuminated the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that unknown parts related to the steering lock mechanism needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 88,000. updated 05/10/17*lj *cn

When i left the office to start my car yesterday evening on 2/15/2017, i used my key fob to remotely unlock my parked 2009 nissan altima. upon entering the vehicle and depressing the brake though, the push button ignition did nothing. the car did not start, nor would it switch to accessory mode. on the dash cluster, an amber colored "key" light lit up. the push button ignition glowed orange while the ring around it said "lock;" nothing seemed to allow the car to start. it was as if the key fob was not recognized by the car. even though i was repeatedly able to lock and unlock the doors remotely from outside the vehicle (the cr2025 battery inside was not dead...) and the interior lights would work (the car battery was not dead either...), the car refused to start. i consulted the manual and verified that the key fob was inserted correctly into the slot to the left of the steering column - still, the car refused to start. i called aaa to request a tow since nothing seemed to let me start the car. for the next hour and a half i sat in below-freezing temperatures while i waited for the tow truck i called for to arrive. my car was towed to the dealership where it was originally purchased. my spouse met me at the dealership with the other key fob so we could test whether my key was the only affected fob; unfortunately, the other key fob did not allow the car to start either. after searching online, others have been stranded too: https://2009nissanaltimarecall.wordpress.com/2013/04/08/victory-2009-nissan-altima-steering-lock-voluntary-recall/ while at the dealership, the service advisor told me she had seen many similar failures on other 2009 altimas - she also told me it could not be driven unless it was fixed for $1,200. nissan's carlos ghosn left me stranded with a broken vehicle and i am not a happy customer... i would never buy another nissan again.

Steering wheel lock failure rendered the car unstartable

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.

The start push button ignition and the intelligent key will not engage.. the steering wheel is locked and will not allow the brake pad to depress for the operation of the vehicle. i am left dead in the water with no way to start or use the accessories function to turn on the radio or allow my phone to charge in the battery port. i went to pick up my family went to start the car and there was no recognition.

Wife drove car to work, got ready to leave and car would not start. security lights on dash was lit up . i came home from work tried extra key fob and tried new car battery, still would not start. had car towed 25 miles to dealer and was informed the problem was steering lock assembly module, a well know problem with the 2009 nissan altima. this cost me 1124.00 dollars and should have been covered in a factory recall. the 2009 nissan altima is notorious for this problem. the car only had 68428 miles at time of incident

My vehicle wouldn't start after fueling at a gas pump.

I started my car as usual to run some errands. it started fine. i stopped at the gas station and shut off the car. it would not start again. it was freezing cold. my car was blocking the gas pump and it could not be moved. i ruled out the key fob because it still unlocked the doors. i inserted the key fob in the emergency socket that is supposed to start the car in case the battery in the key fob dies. still nothing. i had my brother bring me a new battery for the key fob. still nothing. he took me home. i had to leave the car there. after some internet research, many many others with nissans were having the same issues. the culprit is the electronic steering lock module. it locks the steering wheel and you cannot start the car when it is locked. i went back to the car tore the panel apart and located the steering lock. the research i did said that sometimes you could get it to release the lock pin if you tap on it with hammer. so i stepped on the brake while holding in the start button and tapping on the steering lock module. after 20 minutes of banging on the module it disengaged enough to start the car. i drove it home and shut it off. it won't start again. nissan says the warranty ran out jan. 1st, 2016. this should be a recall. the dealership quoted me a price of $679.51 just for the part not including labor. that is ridiculous! what if i were somewhere remote and the car would not start? i could have froze to death. please look into this issue as it seems to have happened to 1000s of people.

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

This is by far the worst vehicle i have ever purchased. i have replaced the transmission once....it still does not work properly and shifts so hard my passengers think i'm slamming on the brakes. and now the steering lock module has failed. after reading 100s of complaints from people with the same issue, i am appalled to find that this is not a recall. i will never purchase another nissan nor will anyone that knows me as they've witnessed all issues occur with zero accountability on nissan's account.

2009 nissan altima car would not start. left stranded at work. had to have car towed to home and then towed to dealership. cost of electronic box in steering 1100.00. this is wrong so many people are having this problem. this should be a recall. *tr

Intelligent key warning light causing steering wheel to lock up and need tow to nissan dealer for repair. there is no warning for this malfunction.

Car would not start would not recognize key fob. electrical steering control lock failed. left daughter stranded. vehicle was stationary.

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

As i was leaving work on friday night at about 11:35pm when i got to my car, i found myself stuck in a parking lot trying to turn on my ignition. the car didn't give me no warning as the dashboard gave me a symbol of the word "key" display with a key below it. i would push the brake and the start button and the car would not make a sound. i had to get my car towed to my house in order to remove it from the parking lot. as i was going through the manual i found out that it was the steering ignition lock that was causing this issue with the ignition. i'm a 24 year old pregnant woman and this is really unsafe. i was reading online and it said that nissan gave a 6 year extended warranty for this issue but i never received a notice from the dealer while i was paying it off and now that the issue has popped out being 2017 the dealer is telling me that the warranty has expired in 2015 and it will cost me $1,200 to fix the issue. *tr

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!

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!

I was at a gas station in a unsafe area (high crime) and my car would not start back up. my car went into "lock mode", after research the steering lock can malfunction on the 2009 nissan altima. looks like the warranty used to be 8 years and it was changed to 6 years. this would have been the 8th year for me. i was terrified being stuck with no ride. it took me an hour to find someone to pick me up. i had to leave the car overnight. if this is a common issue why was the warranty shortened? or why is there not a lifetime warranty on this part? being stranded for an issue that is the manufacturers fault is unacceptable. i have never been more scared in my life than i was last night. i sat in my car waiting for a tow. i am a female and i had multiple men approach my car. terrified. unsafe. this problem could have been much much worse but it needs to be addressed and under warranty.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. the failure occurred without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the electronic steering lock assembly needed to be replaced and reprogrammed. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 85,122....updated 05/19/17 *bf *cn

Owner of a 09 nissan altima 2.5 s. my whole family got stuck with the car that didnt start at all, there's a key logo in the dash panel showing so i went to find some solutions online and found that im lost because it wont start again until fix by a dealer. no fun at all because i found that i might have to pay out of my pocket and this been a old problem that i never was mentioned by my service dealer. nissan needs to do something about it.

Vehicle would not start. keylight flashed. car needed to be towed in heavy rain from my work in an unsafe area and towed to my house and dealership. car has faulty electronic steering column lock. nissan will not honor extended warranty even though this was a known issue to nissan. i was told by nissan consumer affairs that the extended warranty was never advertised to consumers and was not a recall but the extended repair warranty was available until april 25 2016. i find this unacceptable and i'm unsafe also putting my family at risk. nissan consumer affairs have assigned a case number to me. case number is [xxx]. please help me. thank you. * information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Steering lock defective, known problem by nissan since 2009, refused to recall the cars involved. i just spent $923.00 to fix my '09 with 91k miles on it. car left me stranded in a safe spot, fortunately. after i parked, walked away for a few minutes, tried to restart, nothiing but the two key lights in the dash, horn, overhead lights and alarm. steering wheel would not lock. this needs to be an active recall and owners reimbursed for the work involved!!!

The intelligent key system failed rendering the car completely inoperable. i drove the car which operated perfectly with no warning lights, turned it off and next time i got into the car to start it and drive away. the intelligent key (pushbutton start) did not recognize that the key was in the car so the car would not start. the steering wheel was locked so could not be steered, could not be pushed due to the car being locked in park. no accessories functioned inside the car. the remote functions on the key fob all worked, door locks, trunk release, panic button, but the ignition system was a complete fail. there is no bypass for the average consumer. while it is certainly inconvenient, it could also be dangerous if the car was to have been shut off in a remote area, in sever cold or beside a busy highway. the vehicle was stationary point of failure, parked on a side street. i was fortunate that i was at a relatives home as the temperature was -3 with a wind chill of -15. nissan realized that the steering lock mechanism was faulty and originally offered a free replacement for this part which is estimated to cost between $500-$900, but from what i have read they have rescinded that offer as of january of 2016.

We have a defects in the electronic steering column lock (escl) which has disable the push-button ignition on nissan altima 2009 sl. it can happened anytime which put a persons life in danger if you get stuck on or to f the road. based on my research i have read numerous cases where very same situation had caused by faulty electronic steering column lock (escl). the only option we have right now to get your car towed to deal ship and pay well over $1100. even though this nissan fault for choosing to use the faulty part. this is absolutely unfair on their part. please advice us as what can we do to have nissan to accept the responsibility and replace this faulty part replaced.

Nissan altima 2009 has a defective steering lock system. suddenly this evening after work when i get back to the car, it just did not start. this is a dangerous situation if it would have happened any remote place and i would have been stranded. i see there have been several people complained about this on the internet but nissan has not recalled this car. please investigate and take appropriate steps. they should either replace the defective part of just replace the car.

Electronic steering column lock (escl); this was a covered warranty replacement until january of this year. i was not aware of any recall or that this might have even been an issue. i was parked out near a lake and had to call my friends to pick me up and have my car towed. this is not a small issue, if someone was unable to start their car in a freezing situation they could die. or if i was needing to get a family member to the hospital i would be unable to.

Takata recall, defect steering lock unit, unable to start engine! after parked nissan 2009 altima at a shopping mall, "nokey" light is on, car can be lock and unlock through remote control key, but no display information visible at the dash board, wheel is locked and unable to switch gear. nothing can be done to the car!

The power lock steering keeps on locking the start system and car can`t start .

3 times in the last 2 weeks my wife has been stranded in sub freezing temperature due to the electronic steering column lock (escl) not unlocking. each time the car has been stopped and does not restart. having read multiple reports nissan extended the warranty on the part and even removed it from 2010 models however i am out of luck since the extended warranty has expired. this defective part should be part of a national recall and consumers should be reimbursed for fixes and towing cost. currently nissan will not fix the issue until it is occurring which means you have to wait to be stranded some where and have it towed to a nissan dealership to be fixed which is absolutely insane. i am lucky that me and my wife are handy and have been able to restart the card by literally hammering on the escl until it unlocked. if we had kids or were in the middle of an emergency this would be gathering national news attention on how nissan knew about a defective piece and (even replacing it in the next years model). i would appreciate anyone's help if bringing awareness of nissan's negligence. *tr