2009 Nissan Altima

HAD STOPPED TO GET BREAKFAST. LOCKED MY CAR AND UPON RETURNING UNLOCKED THE CAR AND TRIED TO START VEHICLE WITH NO SUCCESS. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE FROM MY CAR. WHEN THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED I THEN LEARNED THAT THE BRAKES WERE STIFF AND STEERING WHEEL DID NOT WANT TO TURN. WE HAD IT TOWED TO NISSAN DEALER. AFTER LEAVING IT THERE I DID SOME INVESTIGATING ONLINE ABOUT POTENTIAL PROBLEMS. WAS SHOCKED TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS ME PRESENTLY AND PAST. APPARENTLY, SEVERAL PEOPLE FOUND THEMSELVES IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS WITH GETTING NO HELP FROM NISSAN OF NORTH AMERICA WITH REPLACEMENT OF THE STEERING LOCK MECHANISM. I HAD YET TO HEAR IF THIS WAS MY PROBLEM BUT WAS GIVEN THE SAD/EXPENSIVE NEWS A DAY LATER THAT INDEED I WOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE GROWING NUMBER OF NISSAN OWNERS WHO WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THIS FAULTY PART REPLACED. BUT THE FUN DIDN'T STOP THERE. THE PART IS ON BACKORDER (BECAUSE SO MANY ARE NEEDED) UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE AND THERE ARE RECALLS ON MY CAR THAT NO ONE BOTHERED TO TELL ME ABOUT. I CALLED NISSAN AND LEFT A MESSAGE WITH A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP WHO WAS GOING TO FORWARD MY CONCERN ONTO A REGIONAL CONCERN SPECIALIST. WHEN SHE CALLED ME BACK TWO DAYS LATER SHE INFORMED ME THAT IT IS NOT NISSANS JOB TO LET THEIR OWNERS/DRIVERS KNOW ABOUT RECALLS BUT THE DEALERS JOB. IN ADDITION, SHE'S PRETTY SURE THAT NO HELP WILL BE GIVEN TO REPLACE THE PART THAT WILL COST ME 700 DOLLARS. BUT SHE WOULD ASK AND CALL ME BACK THREE DAYS LATER. SHE IS SUPPOSED TO CALL ME TOMORROW WITH THE ANSWER. SHOCKED IS THE ONLY WORD THAT COMES TO MIND ABOUT MY SITUATION. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THIS PART HAS CAUSED SO MANY PEOPLE SO MANY PROBLEMS BUT IT IS NOT ON A RECALL LIST SOMEWHERE. IS THERE NOTHING TO BE DONE FOR IT? EVEN THE SERVICE TECH AT THE DEALER HAS TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE REPLACED SEVERAL. MY CAR WAS PARKED WHEN IT QUIT RESPONDING BUT SOMEONE COULD BE DRIVING. HELP! *TR

AFTER I WAS FINISHED WORKING I GOT IN MY CAR TO GO HOME. I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND PUSHED THE START BUTTON. NOTHING HAPPENED. I SAW AN ICON OF A KEY IN THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER OF THE DASH. I TOOK OUT MY OWNERS MANUAL TO SEE WHAT THAT MEANT. I READ THAT THE REMOTE BATTERY MIGHT NEED TO BE REPLACED. I WENT INTO THE HOME DEPOT WHERE I WORK AND BOUGHT NEW BATTERIES. I REPLACED THE BATTERY BUT NOW I WAS GETTING A NO KEY ICON. I CALLED THE NISSAN DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT MY CAR FOR SOME ADVICE. THEY SAID MAYBE THE REMOTE LOST ITS MEMORY SO I CALLED MY HUSBAND TO BRING ME THE EXTRA KEY. HE CAME.WE TRIED AGAIN BUT IT DID NOT START. THE NO KEY CAME UP AGAIN. AFTER TRYING FOR TWO HOURS I CALLED AAA FOR A TOW TO MY MECHANIC. THE NEXT DAY I WENT TO MY NISSAN DEALER.I TOLD HIM WHAT HAPPENED AND HE SAID IT IS THE STEERING LOCK COMPUTER. IT WOULD COST ABOUT $850. HE ALSO SAID THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE RECALLED BY NISSAN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START AND THE IGNITION WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

PARKED CAN IN FRONT OF STORE AND ATTMPTED TO START IT BUT IT WOULD NOT START. YELLOW "KEY MISSING" LIGHT COMES ON BUT IT WON'T START. KEY BATTERY IS NEW, CAR BATTERY IS NEW, WON'T JUMP START. CAR IS DEAD. TURNS OUT TO BE THE STEERING LOCK MECHANISM. ONLY 57, 000 MILES AND THIS IS ONLY ONE OF MANY ISSUES WE HAVE HAD WITH THIS CAR. NEW BATTERY (2) NEW BRAKE SWITCH NEW ALTERNATOR NEW A/C PUMP NEW FRONT ROTOR. *TR

ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK CONTROL BOARD - CAR WILL NOT START AND IS ILLUMINATING THE YELLOW KEY SYMBOL. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS A FAILING ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK CONTROL BOARD. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE PART IS AROUND $500 AND WITH LABOR THE TOTAL IS $779. WAS TOLD IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING A LOT WITH THIS MODEL AND MILEAGE. MY CAR IS LESS THAN 4 YEARS OLD SO I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO SPEND THIS MUCH MONEY TO DRIVE IT. PLEASE INSIST ON THEM RECALLING THIS ISSUE AND REIMBURSING THE FULL AMOUNT TO ME. IF NOT, THIS WILL BE MY LAST NISSAN. *TR

WHEN MY DAUGHTER WENT OUT TO START THE VEHICLE,THE SECURITY SYSTEM FOR THE STEERING COLUMN LOCK/UNLOCK WOULD NOT ALLOW THE CAR TO BE STARTED DUE TO IT SAYING THAT THE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOCKED WHEN IT ACTUALLY WASN'T.THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN ALL OF THE 2008-2009 NISSAN ALTIMAS.IT HAS BEEN AT THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP FOR 5 DAYS NOW,AND THEY ARE TELLING ME IT WILL BE ANOTHER 5 DAYS BEFORE THEY CAN GET THE PART NEEDED DUE TO IT BEING ON BACKORDER.THESE CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED BY NISSAN BEFORE SOMEONE GETS STRANDED.THE ONLY THING THAT CAN BE DONE WHEN THIS RELAY QUITS IS TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO THE CLOSET DEALERSHIP.THIS REPAIR COSTS AROUND 1000.00 (LABOR,PARTS,TOWING),AND THAT IS IF AND WHEN THEY CAN GET THE PART. *TR

CAR WILL NOT START AND IS ILLUMINATING THE YELLOW KEY SYMBOL. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS A FAILING ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK CONTROL BOARD. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE PART IS AROUND $500 AND WITH LABOR THE TOTAL IS $950. FURTHERMORE, THE PART IS ON BACK ORDER AND THEY DO NOT KNOW WHEN THE PART WILL BE AVAILABLE. THEY INDICATED POSSIBLY TWO WEEKS. WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS PART AND THAT I SHOULD CALL NISSAN TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE CONSUMER AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT AT 800-NISSAN1. IT LOOKS LIKE THERE ARE TONS OF PEOPLE HAVING THIS ISSUE, SO IF YOU ARE AS WELL, PLEASE LOG YOUR INCIDENT/COMPLAINT WITH NISSAN AT THE NUMBER ABOVE AS WELL ENTERING IT ON THIS WEBSITE. *TR

I PURCHASED THIS USED 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA FROM A DEALER IN MY LOCAL TOWN. WHEN I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IT HAD AROUND 36-38,000 MILES ON IT (CAN'T REMEMBER AT THIS TIME). HAD THE VEHICLE FOR A LITTLE OVER A YEAR, I DO REGULAR MAINTENANCE ON IT AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS. I DRIVE THIS VEHICLE APPROX 100 MILES A WEEK, AND WHEN I WENT TO LEAVE WORK THE OTHER DAY THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T TURN ON. THE INTELLIGENCE KEY BATTERY WAS CHARGED, THE BATTERY FOR THE CAR WAS CHARGE, I UNHOOKED THE BATTERY AND RESET IT, STILL NOTHING. THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK AND I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING TO GET IT TO TURN ON. I TOWED IT TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHO RAN A DIAGNOSTIC AND SAID IT WAS THE, "STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT" WHICH WOULD COST $717 FOR PART AND LABOR ALONG WITH A $70 DIAGNOSTIC FEE. I WAS LUCKY I WASN'T STRANDED IN A BAD AREA OR WITHOUT A WAY TO REACH SOMEONE. THEY NEED TO RECALL THIS PART, TOO MANY INCIDENTS WITH THIS PART IN NISSAN VEHICLES. *TR

WALKED OUT OF WORK AND THE KEY INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED ON MY DASHBOARD AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. AFTER REPLACING THE KEY FOB BATTERY, CHECKING THE ACTUAL CAR BATTERY, AND TRYING MY SPARE KEY FOB, I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND MANUFACTURING DEFECT FOR THIS MODEL (CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE, WEAR AND TEAR ETC) AND A CASUAL GOOGLE SEARCH RETURNS COUNTLESS ISSUES OF THE VERY SAME THING. IF NISSAN CARES ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS, A RECALL SHOULD BE IN ORDER. *TR

LEAVING WORK TO GO TO LUNCH AND MY ALTIMA WONT START. PUSH BUTTON START NOT RESPONDING AND WILL NOT MOVE FROM LOCK POSITION. CHANGED THE BATTERY TO MY CAR ALONG WITH BATTERY FOR KEY. STILL NOTHING. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET I FOUND THAT MY PROBLEM IS THE STEERING LOCK CONTROL MODULE, WHICH SEEMS TO BE A BIG PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE AS WELL. MY BROTHER WAS ABLE TO LOCATE THE STEERING CONTROL MODULE AND HELD IN THE START BUTTON, AND THE BREAK AND AT THE SAME TIME HE TAPPED ON THE MODULE AND MY CAR STARTED. WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE IT HOME THANKFULLY WITHOUT CALLING A TOW TRUCK. 100% WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH MY CAR AND IT WILL NEED REPLACED. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR ANYWHERE BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO GET STRANDED SOMEWHERE. I STARTED MY CAR THE NEXT MORNING AND IT DID START, WHO KNOWS HOW LONG IT WILL LAST UNTIL THE PART FAILS AGAIN. I WILL NEED THIS REPLACED BUT REALLY FEEL AS THROUGH NISSAN SHOULD BE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM DUE TO THE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE VERY SAME PROBLEM. *TR