2009 Nissan Altima Steering Problems
- 807
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 807 stored complaint records:
- 4 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- steering lock · 45 records
- steering wheel · 43 records
- steering column · 19 records
- wheel lock · 19 records
- electronic steering · 14 records
- column lock · 14 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 309 |
| 100–150k mi | 164 |
| 30–60k mi | 149 |
| 1–30k mi | 29 |
| 150–400k mi | 24 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Steering
Steering wheel lock is malfunctioning and preventing the car from starting
ODI 10846239
Electrical System · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. The contact stated that while in park, the steering wheel seized. In addition, the vehicle failed to start. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, who diagnosed that the steering wheel lock needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,120.
ODI 10845901
Steering
Steering lock would not disengage preventing vehicle from starting. Key fob was not recognized. Car was disabled and had to be towed. I was stranded in a city parking lot for 6 hours awaiting assistance and feared for my safety. Towed vehicle to nissan dealer for repair.
ODI 10849756
Steering
UNABLE TO START MY CAR DUE TO THE STEERING LOCK
ODI 10845747
Steering
Could not start the car. Luckily i was in someone's driveway and not on the highway. I was on my way to florida from ny and had stopped a number of time along the way. I had the car towed to a nissan dealer where they replaced the steering lock assembly which kept the car from starting. I found out this was an on going problem nissan was aware of. The extended warranty had expired and i was responsible for the total…
ODI 10853320
Electrical System · Steering · Unknown Or Other
Yesterday morning, the car no longer recognized my key fob and i was unable to start the engine. Upon contacting nissan, i was informed that this is related to the electronic steering control lock assembly. The vehicle was stationary at the time of the incident and located in my home garage. Even after this assembly is replaced, i will continue to be concerned about the safety of my family. If the car were to no…
ODI 10840298
Steering
My 2009 nissan altima would not start on sunday so i had to get it towed. I soon learned from a nissan mechanic that the [electronic steering lock] is malfunctioned, which meant my car would not recognize my smart key, even when inserting it into it's respective slot (plan b). How is the nhtsa letting consumers drive a car that won't start at any moment and even plan b that the manufacture installed doesn't even…
ODI 10839570
Steering
Turned car off in parking lot. Would not start due to steering lock, towed to dealer . Awaiting results as per nissan
ODI 10838859
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. While attempting to start the vehicle, the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering column lock (escl) needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.
ODI 10838486
Electronic Stability Control · Steering
Vehicle will not start due to faulty steering lock mechanism. I was in a parking lot with my two young children when my car would not start. Apparently, this issue has caused a lot of people to be stranded. Nissan is well aware of the problem and that their mechanism during '09 and '10 was faulty. How could any malfunction that leaves people stranded not be considered a safety issue! The part is very expensive and…
ODI 10836906
Steering
Just stop the car in front of my garage door and never start again the light with the key inside the car is on and off i stop by the dealer change the battery on the key they told me if does not work then it is gone to be the steering lock a common problem on the nissan just 850.00 plus tax was the estimate of course i have to tow 45 miles to the dealer
ODI 10852588
Electrical System · Steering
Car would not start, locked up on me. Vehicle towed to nissan, told it will cost me close to $1000 to repair, noticed other costumers had this same problem. Nissan extended the warranty for 6 years which expired 4-25-2015. My vehicle was parked in plaza parking lot
ODI 10954084
Steering
On 2/11/2016, i went shopping. I left the store to return home and the car wouldn't start. The key fob didn't work. Steering was locked. Gear shift was locked. Lights and locks worked. I had a feeling i knew what it was because my cousin, who owns the exact same car and year, had this problem. After 2 towing charges, one to our local mechanic and one 50 miles to a nissan dealer, it was verified to be the same…
ODI 10825965
Steering · Unknown Or Other
I have a 2009 nissan altima with push-start ignition and respective 'smart key'. While 2 hours away from home and alone, the electronic steering column lock mechanism malfunctioned and therefore did not recognize my smart key was in the vehicle and would not allow me to start the car. I was stranded alone, at night, 2 hours from home with a vehicle that would not start due to malfunctioning part. I had to have the…
ODI 10836860
Steering
After work tried to start the car in the parking lot after, but it wont start. We towed it to the nissan dealer who said it was an 'electronic steering lock column ' -escl failure . Just google it there are thousands of customer complains about this problem. It cost us about $1000 to fix it. Nissan corporate refused to pay for the repair. I need to be refunded because this is strictly the fault of nissan.
ODI 10876682
Steering
The car won't start. Called the dealer, they said it is steering column module problem. I have to have it towed to the dealer to fix. Fortunately, i was in home. I wonder what happens if i am out in the dark in the middle of nowhere!
ODI 10825041
Electrical System · Steering
My 2009 nissan altima stop working after i started and was getting ready for work. When i got ready to leave i notice it stopped and when i try again it would not start at all. Come to find out after having to tow it to the dealer it was an internal failure of steering lock assembly. Repair cost me over $1000. Supposedly nissan had offer an extra warranty on the issue but it expired last year which leave me with…
ODI 10837371
Steering
Steering wheel lock failed. Yellow key symbol on dash. Steering wheel freely moves while car powered off. Now unable to power on vehicle at all. I have been the only owner of the vehicle. Called up nissan to get a warranty claim since the extension ended for me in jan. 2015. When asked for assistance, was told that they have done so in the form of the warranty extension. Took the car to dealer for diagnosis per…
ODI 10824099
Steering
Electronic steering control lock escl. When it fails, you instantaneously, with no warning cannot start your vehicle. The only remedy is to tow car to a dealer, which will charge you a large amount ($1000 or more) to replace it. This should be the subject of an immediate recall as this has long been a problem. Mine failed soon after the warranty extension expired. Why allow unlimited mileage, yet not unlimited time?…
ODI 10885708
Power Train · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. While driving home at approximately 30 mph, the vehicle stalled and shut down. The check engine light illuminated. The vehicle restarted and was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering column lock fractured. The component was recalled and repaired previously; therefore, the manufacturer was not responsible for the repairs. The dealer also diagnosed…
ODI 10861354
Steering
Electronic steering wheel lock is defective. Nissan know about it....extended the warranty, but it expired in 2015. Now i'm stuck with a $960 repair bill for a problem that the company knows is a widespread defect. Thousands of complaints online. Consumer affairs told me: "we won't provide assistance" since it is outside the warranty extension. Yet the problem still exists, and thousands of people nationwide are…
ODI 10824046
Steering
The electronic steering control lock failed after 62,000 miles. The dealership charged me $1,100 to replace it. This is a know problem that nissan addressed with a secret warranty extension that was not communicated to owners. At one point i believe nissan extended the warranty to 72 months/unlimited miles, but then changed its mind and ended the extension. I parked the car on 1/1/16 and it would not start after…
ODI 10823854
Steering
I've had to repair my 2009 nissan altima due to escl that disabled my car on my way to work!! I had to have my vehicle towed in, after doing research online i noticed i wasn't the only having the issue. I called nissan consumers affair which told me i missed the extended warranty by a couple of months. This is a defect on nissan and they should be held liable for the 1,000 repair i had to pay. This is my second…
ODI 10823604
Electrical System · Steering
The steering lock malfunctions on this car, and other years and models. This causes the driver to be stranded when the car will not turn on due to the car being in an anti theft mode. Nissan is well aware that this is an issue and is profiting from it. The customer will have to tow the car to nissan (since they are the only ones that can fix it), and it will cost $1000 to fix. Nissan states that due to it not being…
ODI 10823526
Steering
My 2009 nissan altima would not start and stranded my wife in a parking lot. After much research and a tow to the dealership, the problem was diagnosed. The steering lock failed. Nissan is aware that this part is defective so they increased the warranty. Now that the warranty is up, i am stuck with a $1000 repair of a part that should have been recalled!
ODI 10823042