2009 Nissan Altima

I WAS LEAVING WORK AS I APPROACH MY VEHICLE WHICH WAS PARKED IN THE SECURED LOT; I USED MY SMART KEY TO UNLOCK THE DOOR IN WHICH IT DID. AND WHEN I ENTERED MY VEHICLE IT DID NOT START. THE INDICATOR ON THE DASH WAS SHOWING REPRESENTATION OF NO KEY IN THE VEHICLE BUT MY KEY COULD STILL LOCK & UNLOCK THE DOORS. I PROCEEDED TO CHANGE THE BATTERY TO MY SMART KEY 3X AND TO NO AVAIL DID THAT FIX MY SITUATION.

WE UNFORTUNATELY ARE JOINING THE GROWING RANKS OF 2009-10 NISSAN ALTIMA OWNERS WHO EXPERIENCED FAILURE IN THE STEERING CONTROL UNIT. WE WERE FORTUNATE IT HAPPENED IN OUR OWN ALLEY. I'D STOPPED THE CAR TO UNLOAD GROCERIES AND WHEN I TRIED TO START IT AGAIN, IT ONLY LET ME OPEN AND LOCK THE DOORS. OTHERWISE, IT WAS FROZEN AND BLOCKING THE ALLEY TO ALL OUR NEIGHBORS. WE'D BEEN ON A TRIP IN JANUARY 2015 THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS IF IT HAPPENED THEN. (LESS THAN 36 HOURS AFTER THE LONG ROAD TRIP MY HUSBAND HAD A HEART ATTACK. IF THIS FAILURE HAPPENED DURING THAT DRIVE, HE WOULDN'T BE ALIVE TODAY.) WE HAD NO IDEA THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH OUR 2009 NISSAN UNTIL IT HAPPENED. THIS CAR (AND TWO OTHER NISSAN VEHICLES) HAD BEEN TOTALLY RELIABLE. NISSAN RESPONDED SAYING OUR WARRANTY EXPIRED IN FEB 2015 AND DIDN'T COVER THE ALMOST $1200 COST IN ANY WAY. WE FEEL ROBBED AND ABANDONED BY NISSAN. ONCE WE RESEARCHED THIS, WE'RE VERY CONCERNED THIS ISSUE HAS HAPPENED TO SO MANY 2009-10 OWNERS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE A RECALL! WE WERE LOOKING AT ANOTHER NISSAN AND ARE DOING BETTER RESEARCH INTO COMPETITORS BEFORE WE TAKE THAT STEP.

CAR WAS WORKING JUST FINE. DROVE IT TO AN APPOINTMENT. WHEN DONE WITH THE APPOINTMENT, CAME OUT TO CAR AND IT WOULDN'T START. THE KEY FOB WORKED, AS IT WOULD LOCK AND UNLOCK THE DOORS, THE CAR JUST WOULDN'T START. WHEN I TRIED TO PUSH THE START BUTTON, A LITTLE ORANGE KEY LIGHT CAME ON. GOOGLED THE LIGHT... FOUND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS THAT THE 2009/2010 ALTIMAS HAD ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK ISSUES, THAT NISSAN REFUSED TO COVER THE COST, AND THAT REPLACEMENT WAS VERY EXPENSIVE. HAD TO GET MY CAR TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO CONFIRMED I NEEDED ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK REPLACEMENT. THE COST WAS $1,033, NOT CHEAP AT ALL. SO DISGUSTED THERE IS SO MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THIS BEING AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM IN THIS CAR, AND THERE NOT BEING A RECALL TO FIX IT OR AT LEAST COVER IT.

DEC 7, 2015 CLIMBED IN CAR AT 8 AM, WOULD NOT START. THE KEY LIGHT WAS ON BUT THE DASH DID NOT LIGHT UP AS NORMAL WHEN YOU PUT YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND PUSH THE START BUTTON. COULD NOT GET IT OUT OF THE "LOCKED" POSITION. CALLED LOCAL DEALER AND HE OFFERED NO HELP, NOR IDEAS OF WHAT COULD BE WRONG. TOLD ME TO "BRING IT IN". DIDN'T EVEN TELL NE HOW TO UNLOCK THE GEAR SO I COULD PUSH CAR OUT OF GARAGE. TOOK 2 CALLS TO GET THIS INFO. CHECKED ONLINE FOR ISSUES, FOUND ESCL PROBLEM, CALLED DEALER BACK. ONLY THEN DID HE REMEMBER SOMETHING ABOUT THAT ISSUE. MY CAR IS 7 WEEKS OUT OF WARRANTY, GREAT SHAPE, 68164 MILES. CALLED NISSAN AND SPOKE WITH CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FILED COMPLAINT. RECEIVED A CALL THE NEXT DAY THAT THEY WERE "CONSIDERING" MY ISSUE/CONCERN/COMPLAINT. TOLD ME THEY WOULD HAVE AN ANSWER IN 3 DAYS. WHY NOT GIVE ME AN ANSWER WHEN THEY CALLED?

STEERING LOCK CONTROL UNIT FAILURE. THOUGH VEHICLE IS IN GOOD CONDITION THIS IS DEFAULT FROM NISSAN SIDE WHERE THE SYSTEM IS UNABLE TO RECOGNIZE ITS OWN KEY. DUE TO THE SOFTWARE FAILURE AND LOCK DOWN OF STEERING, CAR CANNOT START AND WE ARE FORCED TO GO TO DEALER WHO WILL JUST RIP OFF CUSTOMER $1000 JUST TO RECTIFY THERE MISTAKE DURING MANUFACTURING.

MY CAR WOULD NOT START AND THE INTELLIGENT KEY WARNING LIGHT WAS ON. THIS HAPPENED WITH NO WARNING (THE CAR DROVE FINE 1 HOUR BEFORE). I WAS STRANDED AND HAD TO GET THE CAR TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP. THE PROBLEM WAS THE INFAMOUS ESCL UNIT (ELECTRONIC STEERING CONTROL LOCK). I WAS INFORMED THAT THE WARRANTY HAD BEEN EXTENDED TO UNLIMITED MILES AND 5 YEARS...AND EXPIRED 6 MONTHS AGO. $1028 WORTH OF REPAIRS LATER THE CAR WILL START AGAIN. NO HELP FROM NISSAN.

MY FAMILY AND I WERE STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT LAST WEEK FOR SEVERAL HOURS FOR MY CAR TO BE TOWED CAUSE THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START AND JUMP START THE BATTERY DID NOT WORK. AFTER TOWED IT HOME AND RESEARCH / DIAGNOSTIC, FOUND OUT THAT IT IS A WELL KNOW THAT THE STEERING LOCK BOX IS DEFECTIVE. HOWEVER, CALLING NISSAN DEALER ABOUT IT AND WILL NOT MAKE THE RECALL ON THE PART. MY CAR JUST DIE AFTER 5 YEARS. 3 MONTHS AFTER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. MY DEALER WILL NOT FIX IT AND NISSAN WILL NOT ASSIST TO GET IT FIX EITHER. THEY KEEP WANTING ME TO BRING IT TO THE DEAL FOR DIAGNOSTIC, WHEN IN-FACT IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE STEERING LOCK BOCK IS DISABLED THE CAR FROM STARTING. I BROUGHT IT IN, AND THEY KEPT TELLING ME NO RECALL AND WANT ME TO PAY FOR IT (ALMOST $1,000), YET RECOMMENDING ME TO FIX OTHER ISSUES SAYING IT COULD HAVE BEEN TUNE UP NEEDED THAT WHY MY CAR WOULD NOT START.. UGH!!!

HE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA HAS A DEFECTIVE "STEERING LOCK" WHICH CAUSES OWNERS TO BE UNABLE TO START THEIR VEHICLES. THIS DEFECT CAN AFFECT OWNERS OF THE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA WITHOUT WARNING AND WITHOUT CAUSE. WHEN THIS ISSUE OCCURS THE ONLY WAY TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE IS TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO A NISSAN DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE FAULTY STEERING LOCK REPLACED. THE CAR CANNOT BE STARTED AT ALL. THUS, OWNERS OF THE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA CONTINUOUSLY FIND THEMSELVES STUCK IN VERY INCONVENIANT CIRCUMSTANCES WITH NO ABILITY TO DRIVE THEIR CAR. THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS FOR DRIVERS WHO ARE IN REMOTE OR DANGEROUS AREAS. NISSAN IS VERY AWARE OF THIS ISSUE. THEY HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY OF THE 2009 NISSAN ALTIMA STEERING LOCK TO 6 YEARS WITH INFINITE MILES. THAT WARRANTY EXPIRED MAY 2015. NISSAN SAYS THEY MAILED NOTICES, BUT CANNOT PRODUCE A COPY FOR ME TO SEE, NOR CAN THEY PROVIDE THE DATE IT TO ME OR PROOF THAT THEY INDEED DID MAIL IT. DUE TO THIS KNOWN ISSUE AND DEFECT, I WAS STRANDED, HAD TO HAVE CAR TOWED TO DEALER, PAID $1167 FOR THE REPAIR, AND NISSAN WONT REIMBURSE ME.

WIFE WENT TO DRIVE TO WORK IN MORNING CAR WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING. TURN OVER OR SENSE THE KEY. SHE TRIED OTHER KEY AND SAME THING NOTHING. GOOGLED ISSUE AND NISSAN ADMITTED THERE IS A ISSUE WITH ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCK COLUMN. INSTEAD OF FIXING ISSUE THEY JUST EXTENDED WARRANTY IN HOPES THAT WHEN NOT IF IT WENT OUT WARRANTY WOULD BE UP. CALLED NISSAN NORTH AMERICA THEY TOLD ME CAR IS OVER WARRANTY BUT IF I TAKE IT AND GET IT DIAGNOSED AND THERE ARE NO OTHER PROBLEMS THEY MAY HELP COVER REPAIR COST. DID JUST WHAT THEY SAID LOCAL DEALER CONFIRMED IT WAS MY ELECTRONIC STEERING LOCKING UNIT. CALLED NISSAN BACK THEY CALLED DEALERSHIP AND CONFIRMED. THEY THEN CALLED ME BACK AND SAID WE CANT DO ANYTHING ITS OUT OF WARRANTY. WHY MAKE ME PAY MORE THEN SAY OH NO WE CANT HELP YOU. SO I HAD TO WAIT FOR NISASAN TO TELL ME EITHER YES OR NO THEY WOULD HELP AFTER THEY SAID NO I CALLED DEALERSHIP TO GO AHEAD WITH WORK THEY NO LONGER HAD PART ANOTHER 2009 CAME IN WITH SAME PROBLEM. MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP IS COAST NISSAN OF SAN LUIS OBISPO. CAR GAVE NO WARNING ESCL WAS GOING OUT AND ONCE IT GOES OUT YOUR STRANDED THIS IS A ISSUE NISSAN SHOULD HAVE ADDRESSED BUT WOULD RATHER SAVE MONEY AND NOT FIX DEFECTIVE ISSUES.