Problems with 2009 Nissan Altima ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While driving my nissan 2009 altima today the warning light (yellow key) came on after hitting a pot hole, when i had to press on my brakes to stop at a red light the car killed and the red car warning light started flashing , when the car came to a complete stop i put it in park and tried to depress the start button. nothing happened, the car was not recognizing the intelligent key. the yellow key warning light means the steering mechanism is failing so the intelligent key won't work. so here i was sitting in the middle of traffic with a car that won't start and i cannot get out of park to put in neutral to push out of the traffic. i had to have the car towed. after much research i am finding this is an issue known by nissan they no longer put this part in the 2010 have done recalls for this on other models and years but not this one. this is a safetyy issue and should be a recall are they waiting for someone to get hurt before they issue a recall? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact was driving approximately 35 mph when the vehicle suddenly stalled. the contact attempted to restart the vehicle but to no avail. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. the approximate failure mileage was 60,250.

It was the first chill in chicago and the car was parked in the street. when i tried to start the car it would only light up the intelligent key warning light in the dash indicating an issue with the intelligent key-less system. upon further research (a simple google search "nissan altima intelligent key warning light issues") indicated that is a very common issue with altimas and is related to the "steering lock" mechanism. i had to tow the car to the dealership and a quick call to the service department quickly confirmed that this was something they service frequently. the dealer himself indicated that the last part in their inventory was just fitted in another car. this is used certified nissan altima and the extended warranty did not cover the repair. the total cost of the repair was $1299.30. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that he engaged the automatic push-to-start button however, the engine failed to operate. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the contact was advised that the steering key lock would require replacement. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 84,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that the key-less entry system failed and the vehicle could not be started. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where a diagnostic was performed. the failure was located at the steering lock system and the contact was advised that the key-less computer needed to be reprogrammed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the consumer stated the vehicle would not start after multiple attempts, the dash read " no key". even though he tried the spare key and tried to jump start the battery, all attempts failed. the dealer informed the consumer it was not a wear and tear problem, and it was nothing that he did or didn't do to create the problem. updated 03/14/13 ...updated 04-03-13 *bf updated 04/12/2013 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that the vehicle would not start. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing but was not repaired. the contact did not know the cause of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 124,000.

Our altima has failed to recognize our intelligent keys and will not start. the doors will lock and unlock. the alarm will sound and the trunk will open but the car will not start. i'm being told this is due to a faulty steering lock mechanism that has been recalled in some nissan models but not the altima. the part itself is $500 and the labor will take it to almost $1000 or more. this is completely absurd. what would happen if this happened to my wife and infant daughter on the wrong side of town. what if this part had failed when we were in the mountains or off the beaten path. if a part is going to be recalled in one model, it needs to be recalled in all models. this is extremely unsafe and to know that nissan is aware of this issue is unacceptable. we also own a murano that uses an actual key to start --- i'm considering replacing both after learning about this. i hope someone will respond to this. *tr

On a recent cold morning i got into my 2009 nissan altima, at 7:00 am and drove son to school. came home and parked vehicle. got back in car at 3:00 pm and car would not start. the car had been fine that morning. push start would not get out of "lock" position. headlights, inside lights, brake lights all worked. steering wheel was not locked. would not get out of "park". battery was tested and not the problem. fuses were checked and brake switch checked and not the problem. looked on internet and found multiple incidents where steering lock mechanism was faulty on 2009 nissan altima, and was not engaging and therefore the car would not start and was locked by immobilizer. the only option is a $500.00 plus part from nissan and another $500-600.00 to install. car was towed to dealership at cost of $109.00 to me, and the estimate from the dealer to fix the now diagnosed steering lock malfunction was $1,100.00 making this a total cost of $1,209.00 on a vehicle that has less than $60,000 miles. i looked on the internet and found the following information by another dissatisfied customer : 1. nissan did a recall on their more expensive model nissan gtrs was recalled, part number 48700-jf00a or 48700-jf00b, being replaced by 48700-jf00c and called campaign id p0309. 2. same part number is failing for nissan 370zs as well, same years and same part number 48700-jf00a or 48700-jf00b, yet they are not being recalled. 3. this problem is also occurring in nissan maximas and nissan muranos however i could not find the part number. 4. in all models of nissan this part was removed in mid 2010 due to consistent failure. there should be a make-wide recall for all models for this part, not just the gtr because it's the most expensive of them. call 1-800-nissan 1 and complain, i am... *tr

After our first real freeze of the winter (low 20's), the car was locked up for no reason. pressing the push button ignition, inserting the fob into the key holder, nothing will start the car. the brake pedal is heavy, no lights comes up on the instrument panel and the steering wheel is totally locked out. had to get the altima towed into a local dealership and come to find out it's a steering wheel lock out control unit that needs to be replaced. car just came off the 36month warranty in september'12 and i am now turning in the 39month lease and now a $1k repair. thanks nissan... also, had the nissan original battery replaced twice! original battery only has an 18month prorated warranty! not sure if it all relates somehow. this steering wheel lock control should be a manufacturer's responsibility to keep it for the life of the car. *tr

When i entered my car i noticed that the push brake light wasn't on like it normally is for the intelligent key start. i pushed down on the brake and it felt very stiff. a yellow key light kept flashing and everytime i would try and start the car it would stay in lock and wouldn't even try to start. i didn't hear the ignition, nothing. i tried to check the battery, i used a different key, i put the key in the slot and nothing worked. i was stranded. the car was working fine and had no previous indicators that something could go wrong. as i searched online for a fix i found many people who had the same problem and had to pay a huge amount of money to get it fixed. nissan promotes how safe, reliable and economical their cars are, but the anti-theft system of the steering wheel lock can disable the vehicle leaving a driver stranded with only one option, which is, to be towed to a dealer. this a serious safety flaw in the 2009 nissan altima. nissan was supposed to be a reputable company. however, with these types of malfunctions, and no support for their customers, i feel very unsatisfied and unsafe with my purchase. nissan needs to provide a recall and fix these sensor issues. *tr

After work my wife's car would not start. the intelligent key warning light was on but the push button was non responsive even with the fob in the key fob slot. we had the vehicle towed to the dealer and was told it the steering lock control unit had gone bad and is preventing the ignition swith from working. this part should be recalled by nissan since it prevents starting the car leaving you stranded.

Without any warning my 2009 nissan altima would not start. i could not depress the brake in order to start the car. the car recognized the intelligent key was inside the car, i could lock/unlock the doors and trunk, dome lights worked. basically i was stranded. i contacted the dealer i purchased car from (whom are not familiar with nissan vehicles) and an extended warranty, they had me troubleshoot. i called lock & key company, not familiar working with this nissan problem. called nissan dealer while waiting, they advised me a typical problem with this yr/make and i was at the mercy of nissan to repair, he forgot to tell me that it wasn't covered under any warranty program and no recall. vehicle towed to dealership/service dept i purchased car from, they towed to local nissan dealer. now they want $750 for repairs on something that even nissan is aware of (i called nissan no. america) and they will investigate if perhaps something else triggered the sensor to not work properly. my car will stay at dealer until i get an answer and the $750. it could have happened at any time, no warning lights, car didn't act up in any way. this poses huge risks, people could be stranded at night or on the side of a road. *tr

Upon attempting to start the car, ignition would not change from "lock" to "acc" or "on". intelligent key warning lamp was lit steady on dash. steering wheel column was not locked. all power and other functions worked (lights, door locks, etc). battery is fine. independent testing found steering lock control module part 48700-9n00b faulty. similar/same part on nissan gtrs was recalled, part number 48700-jf00a or 48700-jf00b, being replaced by 48700-jf00c same part number is failing for nissan 370zs as well, same years and same part number 48700-jf00a or 48700-jf00b, yet they are not being recalled. this problem is also occurring in nissan maximas and nissan muranos however i could not find the part number. in all models of nissan this part was removed in mid 2010 due to consistent failure. the part costs approximately $500 from nissan, is usually out of stock and back ordered, and also costs another $400-$500 to be installed at a dealer. there should be a make-wide recall for all models for this part, not just the gtr because it's the most expensive of them. *tr

Car will not start,turn over,or do anything. im a girl and was 70 miles from home stranded in middle of no where had no cell service and was stuck there for 2 hours. thankfully i flagged someone down to get a ride into town where i was able to use a phone and get car towed home. *tr

Went out to start car in the am to leave for work and car wouldnt start. all electrics however still did,. steering wheel was locked i couldnt get it out of park. tried to jump it. that didnt work eitther. so we replaced the battery. that didnt work. still wouldnt start. dealer came and towed it to the dealership today. said its the steering lock assembly going bad. i need it replaced. its not covered under warrenty. 723.00 it will cost me. dealership stated they have had this issue with many many 2009 altimas.. why is this not a recalled part? *tr

2009 nissan altima coupe was in parking lot and would not start. the intelligent key warning light was on dash. had car towed to dealer. they advised steering lock control unit (part #48700-9n00b) was bad. this is a common problem on '09 altimas as well as 370z. dealer offered 10% discount and advised $600 total. i called nissan customer care and escalated to regional office. this is a real safety issue because who knows where and when you can be stranded. nissan has recalled this part on other models and discontinued this feature on subsequent models. this is a safety issue and something needs to be done! *tr

Steering lock unit malfunctioned. car would not start. *tr

Car will not start. the ikey light and the "red key" security light come on. the ikey opens the door locks, trunk. holding the unlock key down resulted in the windows rolling down. could not get the widows to go back up. disconnecting the battery for 10 minutes, replacing the battery in the key fob, using either key did not work. towed car to the dealer for diagnostics. *tr

This morning was very cold. i warmed my car up, went to vote. when i left the poll, i get to my car and it won't start, says that there is no fob in the car. the red security light is flashing. so i put the fob in the "doghouse" that is supposed to work as a back up method.. nothing.. still won't start.. disconnected the battery, reconnected and tried again.. nothing. did all my research to find many many page so complains about it.. it's the steering lock mechanism. seems they did away with that feature in late 2010 models.. guess they know why.. so now i'm stuck with a $700 bill for an issue hundreds of people are having. as a matter of fact, my car was the second 09 of the day with the same exact issue. coincidence?? i think not. *tr

My car it would not start. there was absolutely no activation of the ignition system. after following all trouble shooting advice in the car's manual, i towed the car to dealer where they stated an open circuit in steering control unit is not telling the control unit that the steering wheel is unlocked and ready to start. the steering lock control unit (part# 487009n00b) needed to be replaced. this is all part of the vehicle anti-theft immobilizer system. the cost to replace this unit was $1,062.90. i feel this is a serious safety flaw in the 2009 nissan altima. 1. this was a fully functioning car (except for anti-theft glitch) that left me and my daughter stranded in a very remote area. 2. nissan promotes how safe, reliable and economical their cars are, but the anti-theft system can disable the vehicle leaving driver stranded with only one option, which is, to be towed to a dealer because of ant-theft system glitches. 3. the car, being economical, should not require an over $1,000 repair because of an anti-theft device circuit malfunction. 4. there are several conditions that can occur that will result in the nissan altima becoming immobilized stranding drivers. i am stating only one. this is particularly dangerous especially to female drivers. 5. i feel that nissan should come up with an override code or device that will allow a driver to escape from potentially dangerous situations that were created by nissan's vehicle immobilizer system. especially when the car is fully functional except for an anti-theft immobilizing circuit falsely telling that the vehicle is not ready to start. i believe this is a serious safety flaw in their vehicle security system. *tr

09 nissan altima just over 44k miles the steering wheel lock malfunctioned. no lights on dashboard, brake pedal very stiff, the vehicle will recognize that the key is inside and outside and is inserted at the location on the left side on driver and is able to lock and unlock but it will not start at all. towed to dealer and as i am over my 36k warranty but not over the 3 year warranty i had to pay over $800 to fix for a vehicle that is not even over 3 years old. i will not buy another nissan again. *tr

Failure of car battery 18,730 miles i noted a strong smell of rotten eggs a few months ago and found that the positive post on the battery had considerable corrosion. i cleaned it off as best i could and hoped that would solve the problem. the smell of rotten eggs has continued and the corrosion returned and even more. it would appear that the positive post is no longer sealed into the battery. the battery is no longer a sealed maintenance free battery and thus is allowing sulfuric acid fumes to leak out around the post and corrode the terminal and all connecting cables. *tr

Brake lights not lighting & push to start not working at times. nissan said this is a known issue with the brake light switch & sub harness. after investigating the issue on the internet i found numerous reports of this problem. when the switch fails you are not aware of your brake lights not working. *tr

Entered vehicle, stepped on the brake pedal, yellow "step on brake pedal" lit up, pushed start button, the "acc" lit, and it went to "start" and nothing happened! all the dash lights turned on but no starter engagement or noise. i tried it several times and nothing happened. i called aaa for a tow. when tow truck driver came, i got into the car and it started! i went to the dealer and a cracked battery was found and replaced. in the last month the car has not started several times. my wife has gotten in an out of the car several times and it would finally started. today,i went to the dealer and explained the situation and asked if there was a service bulletin concerning this issue. the service writer stated that there wasn't. he did say that the brake light switch (p/n 25320-ax00c) has been a problem on some vehicles. i had them check it and it was bad. i had to pay $127.18! having this part failing in under 23,000 miles is very poor. i have had nissan vehicles with over 100,000 miles and not had a brake light switch failure! this has left my wife stuck several times and very upset. *tr

I drove my 09 altima to the mall parked it, an hour later i tried turning it on and it wouldn't start. no crank, and it wouldn't even go to acc. i tried jump starting it and even change out the battery but no luck. *tr

2009, nissan altima 2.5s. would not start, yellow illuminating key in left hand corner. towed to dealership said could be one of 3 things. i told him i looked online and it was the steering wheel lock mechanism. he called me the next day and confirmed the problem. cost would be 900 which included a freight fee of 50.67. first time ever for a shipping fee at a car dealership. mileage is 60,149. *tr

My 2009 nissan altima would not start. vehicle is equipped with factory intelligent key starting system ,and the intelligent key warning light would blink on the dash.had vehicle towed to nearest nissan dealer. a faulty steering lock control unit (part #48700-9n00b) needed to be replaced. this is becoming a common issue with 2008-2009 nissan altima's and other nissan vehicles produced in those years. a recall should be started! *tr

Tpms light blinks for a while and then stays on. the first incident happened at 33022 miles and again at 52033. it appears that the tpms sensor batteries are defective causing the system to be unreliable. *tr

2009 nissan altima 2.5s was backed into in a parking lot, low speed collision, minor damage to rear bumper. a few days after this incident, when trying to start car with keyless ignition system, it took nearly 30 minutes to start. it is required that the brakes be depressed to start car, but when pushing on brakes, the brake lights do not turn on, and when ignition button is pushed it only turns on the accessories, which is the normal action expected if brake pedal was not being pressed. it is not clear if this is because of the collision or just highly coincidental. i believe that this is a problem with the brake switch. this is now an intermittent problem, but has made the car unreliable with the possibility to leave a driver stranded. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that the vehicle would not start. a warning light illuminated on the instrument panel when the contact attempted to restart the vehicle. the dealer could not locate a failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 62,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start when activating the push-to-start button. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 95,000 and the current mileage was 125,000.

Intelligent key waning light would flash infrequently while driving and this warning warns of bcm failure and the end result is the vehicle will not start leaving the driver stranded at any place and time. repairs have not been completed yet, but i was told that bcm replacement would solve the problem. *tr

My 2009 nissan altima power windows that when you use the required buttons to raise the window or windows they raise themselves without the assistance of keeping your finger on the upside of the button. so they raise up automatically and if you have kids or dogs or someonewith their head,hands or fingers the window does not stop until it reaches the closed position. my dog was caught in one but i was fast enough to stop and lower the window. what if a child has any part of their body and one does not see them. these windows should not have the automatic up feature. *tr

Car will not start. the intelligent key warning light is on and preventing me from starting the car. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle began to jerk and exhibit trouble moving forward. also, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed of a failure within the electrical system. the system was repaired. approximately five months later, the vehicle would not start and was towed to an authorized dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed (contact could not recall the diagnosis); an unknown repair was performed. approximately four months later, the vehicle experienced the same failure and the vehicle would not start. the during the failure, the anti-theft light began illuminated and after repeated attempts, the contact was able to get the vehicle started. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the ipdm failed; the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage is approximately 21,000. updated 03/02/11 *bf updated 03/08/11*jb

My 2009 nissan altima coupe passenger side air bag will go off and on when an adult is sitting in the seat. this has been an intermittent problem. i have had it in to the nissan dealer to fix the problem on two different occasions and both times they tell me there is nothing wrong. (it has always done this - every time a passenger is in my vehicle) my research indicates the 2007/2008 coupes were recalled for what appears to be same issue (08v521000). i can't get the dealer to fix the problem. i don't want to die in the crash or someone else to die in a crash because the airbag didn't inflate. help! *tr updated ivoq 05/25/11

Purchased new 2009 nissan altima on july 31st 2009, car died on august 13th 2009. dealer stated fusible link failure, to date (aug 19 09) no response from dealer per status on the vehicle. is there a problem associated with this as it relates to this vehicle ??. please let me know. *tr updated 08/27/09 *bf the consumer received a call and was told the vehicle had a cracked engine from the manufacturing. updated 08/31/09.*jb

The 2009 nissan altima has an electrical discharge design flaw. the headlights turn off automatically after 5 minutes, apparently the battery rapidly drains even after the auto-headlight shutoff with the car turned off. i purchased a 2009 nissan altima 2500s december 7th, 2008, the car died january 23rd, 2009. i drove the car from home to work in the rain. the car was parked for around 10 hours, after returning to drive home, the car was dead - the keyless entry didn't work, using the mechanical key to enter the car, the start button didn't work. aaa couldn't tow the car due to a height beam blocking the tow truck - the car couldn't be moved because the car was frozen in park due to the dead electrical system - the trunk couldn't be opened with the switch on the trunk or by the switch on the dash. aaa jumped the battery and the car has run for 3 days now without any problems. the battery was so fully drained that the radio needed to be reprogrammed with the time and stations. this raises questions of how many safety systems relying on the battery will fail - for example the car can roll away if shutoff in neutral - if the battery discharges, is the shift gear then frozen in neutral? the rapid discharge of the battery with the car off is a design flaw which leaves the consumer stranded, potentially in a dangerous situation. *tr