2009 Nissan Altima

THIS APPEARS TO BE A COLD-WEATHER RELATED ISSUE WITH THE STEERING LOCK MODULE. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THEY HAVE SEEN MORE AND MORE OF THESE PROBLEMS NOW THAT IT HAS BECOME COLD. THE COST TO REPLACE THIS DEFECTIVE PART, FROM THE DEALERSHIP, IS APPROXIMATELY $1,000. HTTP://WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM/NISSAN/ALTIMA/2009/STEERING-FAILED-PROBLEMS.PHP. *TR

9:30AM - STARTED CAR. PROCEEDED TO DRIVE 35 MINUTES. STOPPED CAR, WENT IN THE HOUSE FOR 20 MINUTES. CAME OUT, GOT IN CAR. WILL NOT START. THE FOLLOWING WAS OBSERVED: 1. INTELLIGENT KEY WILL UNLOCK AND LOCK THE DOORS, TRUNK, SOUND ALARM. 2. SMALL "KEY", YELLOW IN COLOR SYMBOL ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH. 3. START BUTTON DOES NOTHING, WILL NOT MOVE FROM THE "LOCK" POSITION. FAILURE: STEERING LOCK CONTROL MODULE (342.99 + TAX CND). TOOK IT APART, RESET THE GEARS, BACK IN ACTION (FOR NOW). CANADIAN CUSTOMER. *TR

TRIED TO START MY CAR BEFORE WORK AND IT WOULD NOT START. KEYLESS ENTRY STILL WORKED AND LIGHTS WOULD TURN ON. TRIED JUMPER CABLES, BUT THAT DID NOT WORK EITHER. CAR HAS KEYLESS IGNITION AND WHEN I WOULD TRY TO START IT, A LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD INDICATED THE KEY WAS NOT REGISTERING. CALLED DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD TO TRY NEW KEY BATTERIES; BOUGHT NEW KEY BATTERIES ($8), INSTALLED THEM, NO CHANGE. CALLED DEALERSHIP BACK AND WAS TOLD TO HAVE CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP ($88). AFTER INSPECTION, WAS TOLD "DIAGNOSIS FOUND STORED CODES FOR STEERING LOCK FAILURE. REPLACEMENT NEEDED" ($740). FORTUNATELY, MY CAR DID NOT JUST TURN OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING, BUT WHEN I FOUND THESE OTHER REPORTS (HTTP://CAR-AND-SAFETY.COM/NISSAN-370Z-SAFETY/NISSAN-370Z-2009.HTM#STEERING) I DECIDED I BETTER ALSO REPORT MINE; SOUNDS LIKE AN ON-GOING ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN/COULD BE DANGEROUS FOR OTHERS. *TR

IT WAS THE FIRST CHILL IN CHICAGO AND THE CAR WAS PARKED IN THE STREET. WHEN I TRIED TO START THE CAR IT WOULD ONLY LIGHT UP THE INTELLIGENT KEY WARNING LIGHT IN THE DASH INDICATING AN ISSUE WITH THE INTELLIGENT KEY-LESS SYSTEM. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH (A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH "NISSAN ALTIMA INTELLIGENT KEY WARNING LIGHT ISSUES") INDICATED THAT IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH ALTIMAS AND IS RELATED TO THE "STEERING LOCK" MECHANISM. I HAD TO TOW THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND A QUICK CALL TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT QUICKLY CONFIRMED THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING THEY SERVICE FREQUENTLY. THE DEALER HIMSELF INDICATED THAT THE LAST PART IN THEIR INVENTORY WAS JUST FITTED IN ANOTHER CAR. THIS IS USED CERTIFIED NISSAN ALTIMA AND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY DID NOT COVER THE REPAIR. THE TOTAL COST OF THE REPAIR WAS $1299.30. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO JUMP START THE VEHICLE AND HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE CONTACT SEARCHED THE INTERNET FOR REASONS WHY THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND SETTLED ON THE FACT THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY A STEERING LOCK MECHANISM FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 64,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START AND WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT THE STEERING LOCK MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 101,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

WENT TO GO START MY CAR AND THE INTELLIGENT KEY INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. COULDN'T EVEN USE THE BACK UP METHOD TO START THE CAR. HAD TO GET IT TOWED TO THE DEALER. COULDN'T DO ANYTHING WITH THE CAR AND WAS LEFT IN AN ABANDONED LOT. NOT A VERY SAFE PLACE TO BE STUCK. ALSO, THERE WASN'T A WARNING PRIOR TO THIS. FROM THE SOUNDS OF IT THERE ARE MANY OTHERS THAT HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE AT RIGHT AROUND THE SAME MILEAGE MARK. I THINK IT'S TIME FOR NISSAN TO CONSIDER A RECALL. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. I HAVE MY CAR AT THE DEALER NOW AND FROM THE SOUNDS OF IT WILL BE IN FOR A REPAIR OF AROUND 1,000 OR MORE. WILL NOT BE BUYING A NISSAN AGAIN UNLESS THE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. *TR

THE NIGHT BEFORE EVERYTHING WAS WORKING FINE. I WAS 1300 MILES FROM HOME VISITING RELATIVES. I GOT OUT OF MY CAR TURNED MY CAR OFF AND LOCKED IT UP AS USUAL. IN THE MORNING, I GOT BACK INTO MY CAR TO GO SOME WHERE AND MY CAR WOULD NOT START THE YELLOW KEY INDICATOR LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED IN THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CAR I COULD NOT PRESS THE BRAKE IT WAS VERY STIFF AND THE START BUTTON WOULD NOT COME OUT OF THE LOCK POSITION. AFTER RESEARCHING VIA THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH ALL 2009 MAKES OF NISSAN AND THE STEERING LOCK MECHANISM MALFUNCTIONING AFTER HAVING THE CAR FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 YEARS AND THE CAR BEING UNDER 50,000 MILES THIS PART HAS BEEN RECALLED IN OTHER MODELS OF NISSAN BUT NOT IN THE 2009 MODELS. ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND THIS REPAIR AT A DEALER CAN RUN UPPERWARDS OF $1,000.00, I WAS LUCKY MY DAD'S MECH DID IT FOR AROUND $600,00.THERE DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE A FORMAL RECALL ON THIS PART BECAUSE IT HAS AFFECTED TOO MANY PEOPLE AND IT COULD EASILY RESULT IN DEATH IF THE LOCK OUT TAKES PLACE IN TRAFFIC, NOT A NICE FEELING TO BE 1300 MILES FROM HOME AND HAVING A MAJOR PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START AFTER ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE USING THE PUSH-TO-START BUTTON. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED HER THAT THE STEERING LOCKING SYSTEM FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 75,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

I WENT TO START 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA CAR WOULD NOT START. IT WAS NOT SOMETHING SIMPLE AS A BATTERY OR STARTER AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO START THE CAR. IT COMPLETELY LOCKED UP. WE ENDED UP HAVING TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED AND DISCOVERED THAT THE STEERING LOCK UNIT WAS BROKEN. THE REPAIR SHOP DID RESEARCH AND TESTING AND FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE FROM NISSAN WITH NO RECALL. NISSAN INDICATED THAT THIS WAS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE AND THEREFORE NO RECALL WAS NECESSARY. OUR CONCERN IS THAT NISSAN KNOWING THAT THEY HAVE A DEFECTIVE PART, WHERE THEY KNOW THEIR CARS WILL NOT START AT ANY GIVEN TIME WITHOUT WARNING AND IN FACT MAY POTENTIALLY PLACE THEIR CONSUMERS IN AN UNSAFE SITUATION. NOT TO MENTION THE COST OF THE REPAIR IS STEEP AND IT IS A REPAIR THAT THE CONSUMER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AT NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN. ALSO ANOTHER CONCERN IS IF THE REPLACEMENT PART IS TRULY AN "UPDATED VERSION" OR STILL HAS THE DEFECT? IS THIS BOUND TO HAPPEN AGAIN AT ANY GIVEN TIME NOT KNOWING WHEN OR WHERE, AND ALSO RACK UP ANOTHER COSTLY REPAIR? I HAVE RESEARCHED AND CAME ACROSS MULTIPLE WEBSITES OF HUNDREDS OF OTHER ALTIMA OWNERS THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN. *TR