CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2009-2010 Maxima has an expensive problem where the steering lock prevents the car from starting, & costs upwards of $1,000 to fix!
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 anti theft steering wheel lock switch failed. The car will not start. Car was towed to a Nissan dealer for repair. Nissan has extended the warranty for the same defect in model year 2009 Maximas and Altima. But they say the problem does not exist in 2010 models. Obviously it does.
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the key failed to turn over into the on position preventing the vehicle from starting. The contact made multiple attempts and was not able to start the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer. The technician diagnosed that the steering lock needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.
The electronic steering wheel lock on the vehicle has malfunctioned and will not allow the steering wheel to lock. This ultimately prevents the car from starting do to the push to start feature. Nissan released a warranty extension for the 2009 model Maxima which is identical to 2010 model that I have, but the replacement part for my vehicle is not covered under the warranty. The new part will cost me $965 out of pocket. Apparently this is a known problem with Nissan Maxima vehicles. Please investigate this issue because there are almost 100 similar complaints listed on NHTSA website.
The electronic steering wheel lock on the vehicle has malfunctioned and will not allow the steering wheel to lock. This ultimately prevents the car from starting do to the push to start feature. Nissan released a warranty extension for the 2009 model Maxima which is identical to 2010 model that I have, but the replacement part for my vehicle is not covered under the warranty. The new part will cost me $965 out of pocket. Apparently this is a known problem with Nissan Maxima vehicles. Please investigate this issue because there are almost 100 similar complaints listed on NHTSA website.
Steering wheel lock has occurred on my 2010 Nissan Maxima; causing the engine to not start. My vehicle had to be towed to the dealership. The dealership informed me that it was the steering lock control unit that needed to be replaced. The cost of replacement is $1000+. my vehicle only has 50,000 miles.
- Temple Hills, MD, USA
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I drove my 2010 Nissan max to church...the vehicle was working perfectly and we had just recently had it serviced. When I got in vehicle to leave church the vehicle would not start. The key fob would lock and unlock the door but nothing else would come on. There was a light on the dash showing a key but nothing else worked. I had the vehicle towed to the Nissan dealership the next day and was informed the electrical steering column lock switch was not working and needed to be replaced. Repair would cost $1100. I was informed no recalls for 2010 but 2009 Altima and Maxima had same issues and recall was done for that year only. I am so upset and disappointed with Nissan especially after reading all the other complaints as well. We have always owned Nissan but I am totally reconsidering my next vehicle purchase.
The car after being driven to work and parked in garage stopped working. After leaving the car for a few hours, while at work, I realized the car wouldn't start and like others the car lock sign was on. Reading further about it, it is a very common problem with Nissan's electrical steering control lock and has been reported by many others. After towing the car, the mechanic mentioned the same but Nissan doesn't cover this model. It covers 2009 Maxima and Altima, even some other models but not this one. It is costing me over 1200 dollars for the repair, that include 650 dollars for the part, 400 dollars for labor as this is extensive, and then taxes and change. Nissan needs to reimburse its customers for such faulty parts.
Came to work and couldn't get car started. Had to call tow truck and get delivered to mossy Nissan dealership. With only $30,705 miles on my car thought this was very unusual for such a major part to go out.
My car wouldn't start, so I called aaa and they tested the battery and determined the battery was not the issue. No sound, no power and the key indicator light was on, clearly not recognizing my key fob. I got a ride home 30 miles away and returned with my alternate key fob thinking it could be a key fob battery issue. The alternate key fob also did not work. I had the car towed to the local Nissan dealer and they said it was a problem with the steering wheel lock, not releasing, and the replacement part is $895 and not in stock. Many of the Nissan forums I looked up on line also experience this problem, too. Hello is anyone listening or taking note" shouldn't this many complaints equate to a parts recall?"
I went to the store to buy some groceries before work. When I returned to car my intelligent key wouldn't work. I was stranded in the parking lot. I had my 2010 Nissan Maxima towed to the nearest Nissan dealership. They told me that the electrical steering wheel column lock failed. It cost me $876 to get it replaced. I contacted Nissan customer service. I told them that my car was built in Sept 09 and it should have been under the recall of the 2009 Altima. The recall was for the same problem. Faulty electrical steering wheel column lock. They research my vehicle and couldn't find any open recalls for my model year.
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that the steering control lock needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 67,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic steering control lock needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000...updated 09/30/14 updated 2/26/2015
The contact owns a 2010 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who stated that the ignition switch would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 62,285. Updated 5/27/14
My steering column went out with the car having 62,000 miles there is a recall on the 2009 but not the 2010. To fix this issue it was $900 and Nissan refused to provide any assistance and its a known issue with their cars. I was very disappointed the car just stopped working out of no where and was completely locked up.
The steering wheel lock became faulty and vehicle will not start. The same part number of steering wheel lock was put into the Nissan Maxima, Nissan GT-R, and Nissan 370Z. The part was recalled in the GT-R, however it hasn't been recalled in the Maxima or 370Z. The total work for the repair is $1300. Nissan should be responsible for the costs of the repair due to a faulty steering wheel lock. Nissan recently came out with a revision to the steering wheel lock because the part was faulty.
Steering lock mechanism failure. Unable to start vehicle, not covered under warranty for 2010 model year, same part failed in 2009 model year, warranty extended for 2009 only.
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 flagged an issue with the steering lock control unit (part# 487009N00B) and it needed to be replaced. This is all part of the vehicle anti-theft immobilizer system. The cost to replace this unit was $703.43. I feel this is a serious safety flaw in the 2010 Nissan Maxima. 1. this was a fully functioning car (except for anti-theft circuit glitch) that left my pregnant wife stranded in freezing temps in an empty school parking lot late in the evening. 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 such an expensive repair because of an anti-theft device circuit malfunction. 4. there are several conditions that can occur that will result in the Nissan Maxima 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 when it is. I believe this is a serious safety flaw in their vehicle security system.
Arrived at work on 9 Feb 2014, car was working perfectly fine. When it was time to go home, car would not start and a red blinking light with a keylock appeared on dashboard, an attempt was also made with additional key to no success. After researching problem online, it is a well known problem with the automatic steering wheel lock mechanism where it just stops working for no apparent reason. It was recalled on all 2009 Nissan Maxima and Altima, mine is a 2010 manufactured in Sept 2009 and the part number is the same as the 2009 Nissan Maxima model. Car was towed to nearby Nissan dealer where they stated my VIN number did not show up as a potential candidate for the 2009 issue extended warranty. I paid $1272 for the repair bill where it is clearly a factory defect and have had zero luck with Nissan customer affairs. They simply denied my request stating that there is no known problem with 2010 and needed more people to come forward. I continued my quest online to search other drivers who had similar issues and have found an entire forum dedicated to this same problem with everyone having the same outcome and having to pay out of pocket expenses for a well documented issue with this model. When car was at Nissan, the option was pay $1200 to fix the issue or leave the car there, there was no other option given or provided as an alternative.
I have a 2010 Nissan Maxima sv and all was well until one morning I dropped off my son at school on a frigid 5 degree morning and tried to restart the car. The push start wouldn't work and I was forced to call a tow truck to take the car to the dealer. After evaluation, the part is the steering column lock which was defective. The same part that in the 2009 Maxima and early 2010 was defective and provided extended repair warranty by Nissan. It only got worse, Nissan's replacement part for this has been on a national backorder since last month. After having to rent a car, pay for a tow, and now I wait endlessly for a part to fix a car that cant even be started, I was told by Nissan that the part will not be covered for my car under the extended warranty. I was called each to update me on the potential ship date of the part, only the next week to be called again to tell me it maybe another few weeks. This is shame on Nissan, at least Toyota and Honda will recall and fix a known problem. How could this not be a safety issue when the your car can leave you stranded in dangerous temperatures without any prior notice.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- West Harrison , NY, USA