2009 Nissan Altima

I GOT INTO MY CAR AFTER WORK(12-27-12) AND NOTICED THE YELLOW KEY LIGHT ON THE DASH. THE CAR STARTED AND DROVE JUST FINE. THEN THE NEXT TIME I WENT TO START MY CAR (12-30-12) THE CAR WOULDN'T START. I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING. GOT THE CAR PLACED ON A TRAILER AND HAULED TO THE NEAREST NISSAN REPAIR SHOP AND MY STEERING COLUMN LOCK MECHANISM NEEDS TO BE REPLACED WHICH IS AN AWFULLY EXPENSIVE FIX. TO TOP THINGS OFF, THIS PART IS ON BACK ORDER SO I KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH ISSUES. *TR

I STARTED MY CAR TO LEAVE FOR WORK AROUND 6:30AM AND LEFT TO GET GAS BEFORE CONTINUING TO WORK. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR TO THE GAS PUMP AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE WITHOUT INCIDENT. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO START THE ENGINE AFTER PUMPING GAS THE CAR FAILED TO START. I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS AN INDICATOR IN MY DASH THAT I HAD NEVER SEEN. IT WAS A RED INDICATOR THAT I WOULD LATER FIND OUT SHOWED A PROBLEM WITH MY STEERING LOCK MECHANISM. THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE PAST THE "LOCK" STAGE AND I HAD TO PROMPTLY HAVE IT TOWED TO THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP. I LATER FOUND OUT THAT THIS REPAIR WOULD COST ALMOST $800.00 BEFORE TAXES. AFTER RESEARCHING, I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MANY SIMILAR CLAIMS IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS. I WOULD JUST LIKE FOR MY CASE TO BE KNOWN WITH OTHERS THAT HAVE HAD A SIMILAR POSITION. *TR

DROVE THE CAR INTO WORK JUST FINE. SEVEN HOURS LATER WHEN I WAS LEAVING TO GO HOME CAR WOULD NOT START. KEY LIGHT WAS ON IN DASHBOARD BUT NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN. JUMPED THE BATTERY, RESET THE BATTER, EVEN TOOK OUT THE BATTERY TO GET IT TESTED. STILL NOTHING. FINALLY PAID $70 TO GET IT TOWED TO NISSAN DEALERSHIP (LESS THAN 3 MILES) AND IT IS THE STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT, WHICH COST $978 TO REPLACE. APPARENTLY THIS HAPPENS WHEN IT IS COLD OUT. NISSAN NEEDS TO RECALL THESE VEHICLES AND REIMBURSE EVERYONE WHO HAVE HAD SIMILAR ISSUES. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER NISSAN AND YOU BET I'M GOING TO TELL EVERYONE I KNOW!! *TR

STEERING LOCK UNIT ON JAN 2, 2012, I DROVE MY CAR TO WORK. I DID NOT NOTICE AT THAT TIME ANY LIGHTS ON HOWEVER 5 HOURS LATER I GO TO START MY CAR AND IT WOULD NOT START. IT WAS AT THAT TIME I NOTICED THE YELLOW KEY LIGHT. I HAD NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE. I TRIED JUMPING THE BATTERY AND WHEN THAT DIDN'T WORK I WENT AND BOUGHT A BRAND NEW BATTERY. STILL, I GOT NO RESULTS. I TOWED THE CAR TO NISSAN TO FIND OUT THAT MY STEERING LOCK UNIT WENT OUT ON THE CAR. I TOO AM BAFFLED BY THE FACT THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL ON THIS PART AS IT HAS BEEN A COMMON ISSUE WITH A LOT OF CUSTOMERS. THIS IS MY FIRST NISSAN AND I AM EXTREMELY UNHAPPY KNOWING THERE HAS BEEN SO MANY DOCUMENTED ISSUES YET NISSAN HAS DONE NOTHING TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION. *TR

THE YELLOW KEY LIGHT CAME ON AS I WAS DRIVING TO MY DESTINATION. WHEN I WENT TO LEAVE, I WAS ABLE TO UNLOCK MY DOORS BUT COULD NOT START THE CAR. LIGHTS WERE WORKING BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO ENGAGE BRAKE PEDAL OR PUSH THE BUTTON TO START THE CAR. TRIED TO JUMP THE CAR OFF THINKING IT WAS THE BATTERY, BUT DID NOT WORK. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND FOUND OUT TODAY THAT THE STEERING LOCK ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE REPLACED. THERE WERE NO OTHER WARNING SIGNS ONLY THE YELLOW KEY LIGHT. THIS IS A VERY COSTLY REPAIR. I HAVE SEEN MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THIS SAME PROBLEM AND DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL. I FOUND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS VERY PROBLEM ON THE 2009 NISSAN 370 Z. *TR

ON A COLD JAN DAY(BELOW FREEZING) A NOTORIOUSLY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA OCCURRED. THE STEERING WHEEL ACTUATOR FAILED ADDING TO THE 1000S OF OTHER REPORTED STEERING WHEEL ACTUATORS ALREADY POSTED ON THIS WEB SITE. SEEMS THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS 1-3 YEAR OLD CARS IN COLDER WEATHER. THE CAR WILL NOT START NOR CAN THE STEERING COLUMN BE UNLOCKED WHICH COMPLICATES THE TOWING. THE "PUSH TO START" KEY FOB THAT NISSAN HAS ENGINEERED IS NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS. THERE IS NOT A MECHANICAL STEERING LOCK AS YOU WOULD HAVE IN A NORMAL KEY OPERATED CAR AND THE LOCKING OF THE STEERING WHEEL OCCURS AS A THEFT SECURITY DEVICE. IF THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING THE IMPACT COULD BE DEADLY. THE COMPANY HAS NOT RECALLED THE CAR FOR THIS AND IT WILL TAKE A SERIOUS INJURY LAWSUIT FOR NISSAN TO UNDERSTAND THE PRODUCT THEY PUT ON THE HIGHWAY PUTS ALL AT RISK. DON'T BUY A CAR WITH THIS TYPE KEY START MECHANISM FROM NISSAN. THE COST TO REPAIR IS 1100 DOLLARS............ *TR

COLD DAY 2009 ALTIMA STARTED FINE. WENT TO WORK, BUT AT LUNCH TIME TRIED TO START CAR AND IT WOULD NOT START. FOB KEY WOULD STILL OPEN LOCKS AND WAS ACKNOWLEDGED BUY CAR AND LIGHTS STILL WORKED SO IT WAS NOT BATTERY OR KEY. BRAKE LIGHTS ALSO WORKED. YELLOW KEY LIGHT ON DASH WAS LIT AND STEERING WHEEL AND GEARS WERE LOCKED. CAR WAS TOWED ON FLATBED TO DEALER. DEALER INITIALLY SAID IT MAY BE JUST FOB KEY REPROGRAMMING. HOWEVER AFTER 4 HOURS THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM TO BE THE STEERING LOCK SWITCH. COST $700 DOLLARS TO REPAIR!! NISSAN RECALL THIS PART NOW AND REIMBURSE CUSTOMERS! *TR

VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALER. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL ACTUATOR HAD FAILED. THE COST TO REPLACE THE ACTUATOR IS APPX: $800. IN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM USING A GOOGLE SEARCH, IT APPEARS TO BE A WIDE SPREAD RECENT ISSUE WITH THE NISSAN ALTIMA. THIS PROBLEM CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME, HOWEVER, IT SEEMS TO BE A COLD WEATHER ISSUE. THE ACTUATOR IS DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD NOT BE FAILING IN A 3 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. *TR

WENT TO GO START MY CAR AND THE INTELLIGENT KEY INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. COULDN'T START IN NEUTRAL. HAD TO GET IT TOWED TO THE DEALER. DEALER WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR IN THE MORNING. THEY WERE ABLE TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE BY STOPPING AND STARTING NUMEROUS TIMES. IT APPEARS THAT THE STEERING LOCK UNIT WAS FAILING. AFTER RESEARCHING ONLINE DETERMINED THIS IS A COMMON AND COSTLY PROBLEM, BUT THERE IS NO RE RECALL FOR IT. VERY DANGEROUS. *TR