Unable to start my car due to the steering lock

- Coral Springs, FL, USA

Dear sir/mam, my 09 Altima broke down on christmas eve night in front of a friend's house, blocking friend's cars in garage, and cannot start no matter what. After 6hrs trying and contacting, finally found a towing company can come onsite at that hour on a holiday night, snowy and rainy. The dealership concurred my research that this is caused by a defective part - the electric steering lock failure, on all 2009 Altima. However, Nissan extended the warranty on that to 5 years instead of a recall, and they refused to cover any of my loss in this case simply because the extended warranty expired 4 months ago, for a defective part... a lot of victims like me formed a website and more being reported every week as we speak. We are trying to start a class action case against, meanwhile, we are encouraged to tell our stories here too. Best regards,

- Tacoma, WA, USA

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 longer recognize my key fob again, but we are no longer in the safety of our home, we would be open to the elements. It's also possible that our means of transportation for emergencies could be unavailable when needed.

- Ashburn, VA, USA

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 work" I could have been stranded in the middle of nowhere which is a huge safety concern. Worse, I could have been driving and then loose control of the vehicle. Above that, I was told that Nissan did not need to proactively let their customers know about the issue because it fell under a 'warranty issue'. I don't get it. I didn't cause this issue, nor does it fall under the normal circumstances of typical wear, tear, or replacement like battery, tires, etc. How is it fair to make me, Nissan's consumer, pay $1000+ dollars for something I did not cause? for a malfunctioned piece that was installed on my Nissan Altima that was ultimately put in a warranty? with having a warranty, Nissan has admitted their equipment was sold malfunctioned, so how is there not a recall about it" to put the cherry on top of the cake, the rep (which I asked for permission to post), said that "vehicles are man made - they aren't made perfect". so meaning, their own reps are acknowledging they don't have high-quality products.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

Turned car off in parking lot. Would not start due to steering lock, towed to dealer. Awaiting results as per Nissan

- Staunton, IL, USA

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.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that on several occasions, the push button start failed to operate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering lock assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 18,000. Updated 04/20/16 updated 6/6/18

- Berlin, NJ, USA

Takata recall service bulletins. I have a 2009 Nissan Altima that is very dangerous on the road with my children we have had it a year amd already spent alot. Call this dept and Nissan several times with no result I have 13 of the service bulletins wrong with this car amd many lives at stake I may have to get am attorney before we loose a life. I paid $9000 for this one year ago amd no one can help the strut, the cvt the engine cooler leaks, push start, cruise control vehicle speed sensor ABS ect please help is figure out what T9 do so I can sleep at night with all my babies safe

- Greenville, MS, USA

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 expense. I try calling Nissan to find out if they will cover the cost but did not get any assistance. I don't think it's fair that they will cover the cost since it is a known issue that they are aware of and they choose to offer a warranty that expire. They don't know at what point in time the failure will occur.

- West Haven, CT, USA

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 only carried through Nissan... that in itself should be suspicious.

- Destrehan, LA, USA

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 car towed to my local Nissan dealership where the diagnosis was made that the steering column lock malfunctioned and needs to be replaced. Upon calling Nissan corporate, I was informed that this was a known issue, however my car was no longer under warranty and it would not be covered. I purchased this car as certified pre-owned with the expectation that any safety related known issues would be addressed. I was never made aware of the issue or the possibility that I could be put in a dangerous situation. Nissan told me that while they were aware the part was mis-manufactured, the part was not a 'recall' (as determined by NHTSA) criteria) and as such would not have been proactively fixed if not broken. They did however extend the warranty on the part, but only for 6 years, assuming is a driver had this problem it would have occurred in the first 6 years of ownership.my occurrence was when the vehicle was 8 years old. I feel like this a major safety concern especially if there was potential for the steering column lock to malfunction while driving and Nissan should have issued a voluntary recall or indefinitely extended the warranty.

- Mantua, NJ, USA

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 steering lock mechanism problem. We live in a rural area. This had the potential of being a huge safety issue. I am upset with the $920.06 cost of repair (without the towing charges) for a 6-1/2 year-old car with 69,000 miles. Nissan knows of this problem and sets a limit on warranty repair.. of course ours is 6 months and 13 days passed the warranty extension. Not all of us choose or can afford to turn cars in every year or two. There is a known failure of this part. Why must there be a warranty extension limit?

- Sturgeon Bay, WI, USA

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!

- Edwards, IL, USA

My 2009 Nissan Altima had its steering column lock malfunction and left my wife stranded in a blizzard. She went to work, was going to head home for the day and the car wouldn't start. So I started the process, check the batteries in both the car and the key fob. As it turns out from researching the problem that it's a steering column lock failure. This is a very common problem with 2009 and 2010 Altima. Nissan has full knowledge of this issue, but fails to recall these cars. They did extended warranty on this part, but of course, this occurred after the extended warranty had expired. Its a $1000 plus repair minimum and the part that they want to replace it with is faulty as well. In efforts to contact Nissan Consumer Affairs I was treated like crap. They cant do anything for me until I have it towed(at my expense) to a certified Nissan dealer(45 miles away) and have them diagnose the problem. After watching numerous videos on this issue. I'm sure that this is the issue and I have many hesitations on having the part replaced because again the new part is also faulty, and comes with no warranty. So Nissan has left me with two choices. Option a: have car towed, pay the labor, and replace with another faulty part($1100 at least). Or option B: try to fix myself by bi-passing the part all together. Unfortunately this option is going to be a temp fix and the part is riveted so access to it is difficult. Not to mention affects my resale value. Its almost like this was Nissan's plan with designing this steering lock mechanism. Its a safety hazard as my wife and countless others have been stranded alone. After watching numerous diy videos I was able to get the car home by tapping the part numerous times with a hammer. We were able to get the car home, but there it sits in the driveway useless. Ive tried to start it since and guess what...nothing. The vehicle is useless.

- Sleepy Eye, MN, USA

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 corporate's procedure even though I knew the issue, now out $158 and was quoted $1,600 for their repair. Cant do anything with the car, its unusable and non-sellable all due to a defective part. Nissan should issue a recall and take care of their defective part.

- Bayonne, NJ, USA

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 left stranded when their cars wont start!

- Dumont, NJ, USA

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 that.

- Winston-Salem, NC, USA

On January 19th at 6:00pm I attempted to leave work and my car would not start. I called a tow truck and jump would not help. I had to call a tow truck to tow my car home. The next day on January 20th, I had the car towed to my local Nissan dealership, Nissan of union city. I had the diagnostic test run and it was determined that the steering lock no longer worked. My Nissan rep advised that this issue with the steering lock appears to happen in these model cars. I researched the issue online and found that this is a major issue with many people online speaking about their frustration with Nissan. Nissan North America is aware that this is a major issue and extended the warranty on this part. They did not mail me any information on the warranty extension which expired on 8-15-15. The warranty extension was specifically for the steering lock since Nissan knew this was a huge issue. The total cost to resolve this issue and fix my car is $1000. I had to take out an icare plan where the total cost was broken down into payments for 6 months. I called Nissan corporate to find out if they would help with the cost of this major issue and they advised me they would not. They stated they looked into this issue and the warranty was extended. Since I did not bring before the warranty extension expired, in there words, nothing could be done. I contact clark howard, and they advised I file a complaint with NHTSA. Thousands and thousands are having this major issue and Nissan is putting all the responsibility on the consumer vs. Themselves. This is an obstruction and Nissan needs to be held responsible.

- Fairburn, GA, USA

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 Nissan but will also be my last!! I am very disappointed in the poor customer service and I guess it will take a fatality for them to do a recall on the steering column lock

- Bainbridge, GA, USA

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 a safety concern, they do not have to recall this. This has affected countless customers however and it is unethical. This is not even something the person themselves or another mechanic can fix since it is electrical. I do not feel that Nissan should be profiting from a part that they know is defective

- Old Bethpagr, NY, USA