CarComplaints.com Notes: You don't want to get 2009 and 2010 Altima owners started about their cars. That is, unless, you know how to start their cars.
These vehicles can suddenly become impossible to start thanks to a faulty electronic steering column lock (ESCL). Nissan dealers will gladly replace it, but that will run you $1000.
More info & videos about the Nissan ESCL defect are available over at NissanProblems.com.
It's one of the many reasons this car was named CarTalk's Turd of the Week and given our Beware of this Clunker badge. Two dubious honors.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
70,282 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The steering lock module needs replaced and the car will not start. The car was driven to location without any issue and parked. Once I returned to the car it would not start, was unable to jump start the car. Car was towed.
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized with no warning and the vehicle was unable to be driven due to the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for further inspection and diagnosis. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
My car was stationary at a gas pump when it failed to start. I had to get it towed to dealer to replace the electronic steering column lock (escl) unit which had failed and prevented the engine to start. Nissan had issued an extended warranty, 72 months/unlimited mileage due to known manufacturing irregularities of the escl. Unfortunately for me, the malfunction occurred after the warranty time had expired but I feel the issue is one that needs to be addressed for all owners of vehicles with possible faulty escl units.
My Nissan Altima would not start due to the steering lock. I was in the middle of nowhere with no cell service. It was the middle of the night so I waited in my car until morning. I then walked 5 miles to the nearest convenience store to call aaa. Once I got my car towed home, I called Nissan & despite all of the same complaints as mine, Nissan would not cover the part even though I could have died that night. The part is over 500 dollars & I cannot afford that. Please help me!
- Bourne, MA, USA
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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 Nissan 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.
Vehicle failed to start and vehicle was in a very risky area. We were afraid for our safety and afraid that our vehicle might be damaged by vandals in that area.
The steering lock failed without warning, leaving me stranded.the only way to fix it was to have the car toed to a dealer. The price of the part was very high and the labor was very high also.Nissan is aware of the problem and did not send a notification to me about the problem. This left me stranded and also left me with the bill. Nissan replaced the part for free for awhile but stopped before my car broke. I worry if there are other problems they did not notify me about.
My steering interlock in my 2009 Nissan Altima went out on me. I got stranded for 3 hours in 20 degrees weather with my 4 year old son until my tow truck finally got there. Car would start so I couldn't even turn heat on to keep my son warm. Nissan is still have an issue with these and won't cover the exspenses it should be a recal it's a safety hazzard I
When leaving work car would not start using the push start. After contacting Nissan they informed me that it was the steering lock and it was only covered for an extended 6 years after original purchase. I feel that if they knew that this part was faulty they should have offered a recall. A $1000 dollars is a lot of money to pay or repairs especially when they know this part will leave you stranded.
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.
Steering lock unit failure, car wouldn't start and left me stranded and had to be towed. I understand this part has had thousands of failures from online research for this vehicle but hasn't been recalled
Vehicle would not start and I was stranded. My cell phone battery was dying and could not recharge because the steering lock part malfunctioned and would not allow car to start. This is a well known problem that Nissan is aware of and they will not recall or replace. The vehicle was completely disabled.
Nissan Altima steering lock mechanism. This is a very common problem in 2009 Nissan Altima. The car will not start. Nissan extended the warranty on this part for some of its vehicles. The part is defective and the recall should be continued.
Came out to get in the car which was parked, used the fob to unlock the door got into the car and nothing. The brake was hard to press, the steering was locked, could not go into any gear, the car could not be jumped with cables. I had 2 indicator lights on. I needed to have the car towed to a Nissan dealer. The diagnosis is the steering actuator. I am being charged roughly $1100. I don't yet have my documentation as the car is with the dealership. This sounds like it has been an issue recently with several 2009 Nissan Altima. Nissan may want to rethink making this a recall. I was lucky to be in a public place in the daytime.
My daughter drove the car to her hospital in NJ and when she returned a few hours later to drive back to her home on li the car would not start. The remote opened the doors but the brake pedal was hard and car would not start when she pushed the start button. I was told the problem is a faulty escl. Apparently this is a common problem with the 2009 Altima's. I called Nissan and was assigned a case number. Don't know if it will help. Dealer quoted almost $700 just for the part, said the problem is so common he keeps the part in stock.
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.
I was ready to left another labor day after 10hrs work, really bad day I mean raining all day. By the time I was ready to leave and start my altima09 I get this terrific notice that my car won't start, immediately in media contact dealer on las vegas Nevada were I live and they told me my vehicle need to get repair immediately.
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 Nissan 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.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- St. Louis, MO, USA