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.
Electronic Stability Control · Steering
Steering was locked and key indicator was coming on dashboard. It was a mechanical failure related to escl (emission steering control lock). *tr
ODI 10572599
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. The contact stated that the steering wheel lock control failed and prevented the steering wheel from being maneuvered. The vehicle was not taken t the dealer for repairs or inspection of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 66,000.
ODI 10550925
Steering
TL
ODI 10548285
Engine · Steering
2009 nissan altima coupe, se. While making turns (without stopping), the car stalls in the middle of the turn and the steering locks up. The most recent time was october 14, 2013, and while making a right hand turn from a busy street and onto a busy street, the vehicle stalled which almost caused an accident due to another car making a left hand turn. Nissan has a current recall on several models regarding this…
ODI 10547987
Steering
Faulty steering wheel lock system causes car to not start up and locks up car's abs and brakes. You cannot start the car without taking to dealership to get it repaired. I've heard many cases online about the nissan altima ranging from 2009-2011 models locking up having the same issues. And they have not recalled this. Affected parts is selected in unknown factor due to only knowing a few issues that branches from…
ODI 10546109
Steering
I left my house for work, made a stop at the local panera when i went to start my car i noticed the yellow highlighted key on the dashboard and my car would not start, not even make any noise. I called triple a they came out and told me i had to tow it to the dealership. I just found out it was the steering lock control unit that needs to be replaced at a cost of $789 plus a $32 towing fee. My warranty actually…
ODI 10544420
Steering
I attempted to start my 2009 nissan altima on sunday night but it would not start. It has a push button start; i pushed the button, with my foot on the brake. The vehicle did not start, so i checked the directions in the owner's manual to start the car but still was not able to start the car. Finally, i had the car towed to a local nissan dealer. They said the steering lock unit had gone bad and charged $775.00 to…
ODI 10544507
Steering
My boyfriend was leaving a friend's house to come home and the car would not crank. We had to call roadside assistance to tow the car. The next day i was told that it was the steering unit and that it would cost about 1200.00 to fix. Looking on the internet i see that this is a big problem with the 2009 altimas. Think that nissan needs to be held responsible. This is not negligence of the owner of the car this is…
ODI 10542386
Electrical System · Service Brakes · Steering
The car failed to start; i see lots of complains where the steering wheel locks in place and so does the brake and the car fails to start. I had the same problem twice already and the dealer told me to replace the key less switch however, the problem continues and i see that the problem was not the key. As i can see others are having similar issues of the car locking in place and the problem is more than just the…
ODI 10541991
Steering
Over the weekend i stopped at a shell gas station when i returned to my vehicle, it would not start and just had a key in the dashboard. I check to make sure it wasn't the battery, etc... And had the vehicle towed to a locale nissan dealership. I was told that my electronic steering column lock had to be replaced and that i needed to reprogram the key which was a total of $995.00. This vehicle was just in for…
ODI 10521925
Electrical System · Steering
Nissan north america has sent me a letter informing me that our vehicle is equipped with a electronic steering column lock (escl) unit that locks the steering wheel when the vehicle is parked and the ignition is turned off to help prevent theft. On some vehicles, due to a (manufacturing irregularity) that has since been corrected, the escl may malfunction after the vehicle is locked and could prevent the engine from…
ODI 10512572
Steering
I just wanted to let everyone know that nissan is finally excepting responsibility for the steering lock malfunction and is sending out letters extending the warranty on that part and reimbursing consumers for the repair of the part. If you have not yet gotten a letter you can go to www.nissanassist.com to fill out a reimbursement form or find out how to have your warranty for that part extended. *tr
ODI 10510126
Steering
One day at the gas station car wouldn't start. I replaced remote battery thinking that may be the problem. It didn't start right away, but eventually it did. The next day it did the same thing, so i had to get it towed to the nissan dealer. This is a disaster for me because i purchased the car in april of 2012. The service technician told me that it was the steering lock control unit and the price for only the part…
ODI 10509778
Steering
Hi, i'm [xxx] from the united arab emirates living in abu dhabi and i have a 2009 nissan altima which i never had any issues except this one. It started when i woke up in the morning as usual going to work and trying to start the car but it did not start, i opened the hood trying to figure out if it was from the battery but i could not find anything unusual as i already had my battery changed before 3 months ago,…
ODI 10509361
Steering
The steering lock sensor burned out as described by the service center at west covina nissan in california. As i was researching to verify that in fact it was the steering lock sensor, i found that there were many nissan owners that had the same problem as i, the sensor burned out at about 70k miles on the vehicle. It occurred to me that if this sensor had burned out while i was driving it could have been a…
ODI 10509192
Steering
Steering lock failure.. Had three kids in the car away from home, went to start car, nothing happened. Had to have car towed and was told steering lock needed replacement at about $1,000!!!! Come-on nissan - recall this part... *tr
ODI 10505946
Steering
In the early morning of march 6, 2013, i attempted to start my 2009 nissan altima (mileage 46027), but the car was completely dead (no crank or other sound). I noted an illuminated key symbol in the dash. I proceeded to check (1) the car battery - it was fully charged, (2) insert the key in manual slot - it would not crank/start, (3) release gear shift and manually shift to neutral - it would not crank/start, (4)…
ODI 10505538
Steering
Drove vehicle this morning, got out the car for 5 minutes, vehicle would not start, key light were on, towed to dealer, steering lock unit needs to be replaced. I have viewed online that there are many complaints to this same vehicle. *tr
ODI 10504577
Electrical System · Steering
Include my 2009 altima 2.5sl to the growing list of steering column electrical short problems. I too had just turned off the car and 20 minutes later returned to find it would not start. Brake felt depressed when i first put my foot on it. Pushed the button and nothing happened. Tried the key in the dash slot, and nothing. Called dealer, he told me to try and jump start with cables and that didn't work. Had to have…
ODI 10504585
Steering
I drove my car this morning without a problem. I turned it off. When i went to restart the car would not recognize my key.i tried over and over i even changed the batteries in the remote to no avail. I had to have the car towed. I read several complaints from other nissan owners that its a steering lock. I am also being told that this is a very expensive item this does not appear to be a wear and tear item. It…
ODI 10503697
Steering
My husband called me to let me know the car would not turn on when he got out of work. I was currently training across the state so was unable to assist i told him to call the car insurance if getting a jump or changing the key fob batteries didn't work. $85 later and a tow i was told the steering wheel control lock unit needed to be replaced and the part is on national back order and when it did come back in stock…
ODI 10503394
Electrical System · Steering
Drove my car to location, turned car off, returned to car 5 minutes later would not start. Thought it was battery, fuse, or dead key fob battery. Called dealership service manager stated other people have had same issue. He instructed me to turn steering wheel and push ignition button...didn't work. On my dash panel i noticed the key light symbol was lit up, when i tried to start car with the keyfob that didn't work…
ODI 10503212
Electrical System · Engine · Steering
On 3/13/2013 i drove my vehicle to work at approximately 8:55am and parked everything in car was fully operational and functioned properly. At 6:30pm i approached my vehicle unlocked the door using my key fob, entered the vehicle and proceeded to press the ignition button and nothing happens. After switching on the headlights and noticing no power issues i noticed a flashing indicator light in the dash that said no…
ODI 10503065
Steering
Our push button start immediately stopped working as we were at a gas station. The back-up method as described in the owner's manual would not work. We had vehicle towed to dealership. "lock steering" piece malfunctioned and cost $981 to fix. There are hundreds of identical complaints but nissan has yet to issue a recall (http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2009/nissan/altima/steering/problem.aspx…
ODI 10504315
Electrical System · Steering
Drove car to work. After work went out to vehicle and it would not start. After extensive research learned this has happen to many nissan altima owners. There is no warning. Once the car is turned off the steering lock control unit has been failing leaving people stranded - i am one of them. The part can only be purchased at a nissan dealer. The cost is $1000.00. No warning. The safety issue is i live in mn. We have…
ODI 10502575