Luckily my wife was only a few miles away from the house when the car failed to start. Thinking it was only a battery in the keyfob because of the blinkey key icon, I replaced it but no such luck. I ended up having the car towed to Nissan dealer. This was on a weekend so 2 days later I found out what the problem was at the grand amount of $933.57. I also was informed that a extended warranty, that I new nothing about would not cover it because it had ran out. I was not even warned about it possibly needing replaced at my regular oil changes with the 21 point auto inspections. They don't mind reminding you of all the other things that need replaced at regular intervals, but then that would be a real convenience to the customer and maybe a admission that there is a real problem here and a recall is in order!

My car has only 70280 miles but is more than 72 months old, just past the extended warranty. The new lock steering assy. I was told was only warranted for 12months/12000miles. What a bargain. Kind of sounds like a racket of some sort. If the Nissan makers make this screwup right with this Nissan owner I'll continue driving one but if they do not I be driving a Chevy real soon!

Update from Dec 29, 2015: After registering my car issue with Nissan concerning the steering lock the morning of 12/21/15, the Nissan rep said she would contact me on 12/29/15 with their answer whether they would assist me in helping with the cost of the repairs. The answer was no, the car was out of the warranty period so no assistance. Before hanging up the Nissan rep ask if there was anything else Nissan could help me with! I said no offered a few comments and hung up! I felt like I had been slapped in the face! The only satisfaction I received was the rep did call back when she said she would and didn't keep me waiting. The problem still remains the same after the part warranty runs out in 12 months from now. Maybe, Maybe not. All I know for sure for now is that I will at least own this car for the next 12 months or the next 12000 miles which ever comes first. Then it will be only a memory, unless I receive notice that restitution has been reached! I just wonder if Nissan is still installing the same irregularity in all its new Altimas. After what all I have learned about my car from CarComplaints.com in the last 9 days I feel like I bought a car with a LATENT DEFECT//???????

I parked my car and used my clicker as normal and returned to my car after 2 hours. I clicked my key to open the door, got in my car and all the electronics was off and I was unable to turn the steering wheel. I had AAA check the battery and other areas of the car. After 3 hours they suggested I get to tow it to my home to see if my other clicker worked and it didn't. AAA then towed my car to my mechanic who got to my car later the next day. They changed my battery in the key and it still didn't work. They also checked many other electronic things. They found that only the dealer mechanic can fix the car. So I had it towed for the 3rd time to the dealer mechanic the next day. The mechanic told me that they had to replace the steering lock. This cost me over $986 but at least they gave me 10% discount after I whined and almost cried. It's almost Christmas, for goodness sake! My car was disabled from Saturday to Tuesday. This is my only car and I didn't rent a car because I anticipated the car to be fixed upon each service time spent. Is there a recall on this type of problem?

In the dead of winter I got into my car drove about an hour to an appointment, turned it off and went inside. When I returned the car would not start. The key light was blinking, so naturally I thought I needed a key for the battery so I walked in the cold down to the auto parts store and had the battery replaced in the key, still nothing. I was less than a mile from home. Is was Christmas Eve, everything had closed and would be closed the next which was Christmas most likely everything would also be closed the holiday weekend. I couldn't get my Christmas finished and I had to have my car pushed out of a grocery store parking lot to my home around the corner. I started to look on the Internet for solutions and found that this is a widespread issue with the car and it was going to be expensive to fix. I was happy until now with my car, but after this I will never buy another Nissan. If the manufacturer knows of this issue and won't do a recall, shame on them.

This is my third Nissan - It will be my last. Because Nissan has a well know faulty steering wheel lock system I cannot start my car. Replacing the part will cost more than $700.

Update from Dec 26, 2015: I have 48,000 miles on my 2009 Altima. In March of 2015 the steering wheel lock malfunctioned and caused my Altima to need a tow truck. The tow truck driver "wiggled" the steering wheel causing the lock to function normally. Talked to dealer (Valley Nissan in Longmont Colorado) and was told there was nothing that could be done because the lock "was OK" at that time.

In Dec 2015 it happened again. Tow truck took my Altima to same Nissan dealer. I was told that there was an extended warranty on this part but it expired in August 2015. Repairs cost me $768. Bad dealership!! This is my third Nissan but it will be my last if dealer doesn't step up and take responsibility for their mistake. They had the means and the opportunity to discover the extended Nissan warranty provision in March.

Car was fine day before then all of a sudden the next morning car would not start or even turn over, totally dead. Found out they extended warranty(which they changed several times) on the steering lock unit but I am 6 months past the extension, which seems like a common occurrence(how convenient) . Called Nissan and to make a long story short they told me to get it to a dealer so they could have technician test part, then i could file a complaint and they might try to cover part but no guarantee that they would. So another words they want me to pay for tow to get it to Nissan so I have no vehicle,wait a few days to see what happens and then pay for it because they know people need their cars. I will never buy another Nissan product in my life.

The vehicle in question belongs to my husband. As with numerous other 2009 Nissan Altima owners I read about having the same issue, his car wouldn't start. There was nor had there been any lit up warning sign on the dashboard. So, key battery was replaced. Still wouldn't turn on. My husband checked the car manual which indicated the issue was the anti theft lock device. We had car towed, just like everyone else had to do, to the dealership. Yes, warranty recently expired, so we now have to pay $1,200 (this is after 'discounts' per dealership) plus towing cost to get the vehicle functioning again. What makes me furious about all of this is Nissan's blatant disregard for the issue; knowing well this has been an issue for a while, yet not taking responsibility for a faulty mechanism that they created.

Thank you,

OK.. I own 2 - 2009 Altimas. Mine and my wife's. My car was DOA in my work parking lot last week. Did the search and saw this mess about the steering lock unit being defective. Had it towed to the dealer, got my 919.00 estimate and had to make the decision to dump the car and trade it in, or cough up the 919.00. I left the car and slept on it. I figured if I made some noise I could get Nissan to cover it. After all, I've owned Altimas since 2002 and now owned 2. I must be a preferred customer.. right? wrong! That's when I saw all this on carcomplaints.com. WOW. I saw Nissan takes the hardline and wont work with their customers. absolutely stunning. My extended warranty expired in August. Theres no way Im trading for another Nissan. No WAY. Ill pay the Grand to NOT buy another Nissan. Also, now I have to worry about my wifes car and that could leave her stranded at ANY TIME. Beyond a doubt the most atrocious type of support Ive ever seen for anything Ive ever owned. They admit it was a manufacturing defect, but wont do the right thing for their customers. People are being left stranded, Husbands have to worry about their wives getting stranded. Its unimaginable that Nissan doesn't care about this. Well, these 2009 extended warranties are all expiring, and people are going to start really going absolutely nuts as these failures escalate. Ive got no choice but to sit tight, watch and wait for Nissan to crack. But even then, this gives you insight into the true company Nissan is. Never again.

On october 29th, I was in a parking lot attempting to go home after a nice little shopping spree. All of a sudden, my car wouldnt start!!! I had no idea why and I literally stated freaking out being as it was 9pm and pitch black. I had it towed to my local Nissan dealer, where they told me it was a steering wheel lock column malfunction (an anti-theft mechanism that clearly works even when youre not the thief!). After learning about it I asked about the extended warranty WHICH EXPIRED THREE MONTHS PRIOR. So i had to shovel out 850$ just for the part, PLUS LABOR totaling to 1100$. That day when it was finished at the shop I was driving home, when all of a sudden IT WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE. I couldnt go anywhere. I was stuck in the middle of traffic. So once again I had to have it towed. Monday morning come to find out the dealership had told me that I WAS MISSING THE TRANSMISSION FUSE??? HOW CAN THAT HAPPEN EXACTLY? i dont know. they dont know. no one knows. such bull. anyway, so ive been trying to file through nissan consumer affairs for reimbursement of their faulty anti theft mechanism, and while fishing around i found the extended warranty letter which says:

NISSAN BELIEVES MAJORITY OF ITS OWNERS WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE THIS UNIQUE CONDITION.

A little contradictory if you ask me.

all in all, nissan is graciously giving me a 250$ check because "they don't normally do this but you're an exception." wow. you covered the labor. thank you. so much. really appreciate it. >:(

Went to the vet. Car worked fine driving there. Finish my appointment, load my cat up to go home... and the car won't start. Key fob works, will lock and unlock doors, etc. Put the key fob in that hidden compartment to the left of the steering wheel- that wont' work either. Notice this new orange light came on when I tried to start the car that I had never seen before... googled it and saw the hundreds and hundreds of complaints that come up on this subject. Wow. Same exact problem. From reading the reviews, I knew the fix would be pricey, and even though I had done nothing wrong, that I would be on the hook for the fix. $1,033 + a small tow fee (AAA covered most of the tow). Nothing like having your cat in the car and being stranded for no reason!

CAR BARELY HIT 100,000. I JUST BOUGHT IT LAST YEAR FROM A NEW CAR DEALER, WORKED FINE FOR ABOUT A YEAR THEN HIT 100,000 MILES. WENT TO WORK, CAME OUT, WON'T START, LIGHTS WORK, ALARM WORKS.

ANYWAYS HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TWICE. FIRST TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC, HE DID NOT WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT, TOLD ME TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE NISSAN DEALER. SPENT FIVE HOURS AT DEALER, THEY TOLD ME IT WAS $1,400 TO FIX, $700.00 IN PARTS $700.00 IN LABOR. HAD TO GET A SHUTTLE TO A FINANCE COMPANY, THEY SENT ME TO GET A LOAN TO BE ABLE TO GET THE CAR FIXED. WTF, THEY SAID IT HAD BEEN A PROBLEM PART BUT NOT RECALLED.

THIS CAR IS A PAIN IN THE ASS ! CAN'T ROLL DOWN THE WINDOWS WITHOUT THE CAR ON,OR UP FOR THAT MATTER. I WILL NEVER GET A KEYLESS CAR AGAIN. FEELING RAPED!!!!!