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?

- Snellville, GA, USA

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.

- San Jose, CA, USA

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.

- Charlottesville, VA, USA

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!!!

- San Ramon, CA, USA

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.

- Rowlett, TX, USA

Our 2009 Nissan Altima hybrid died without warning. We were unable to turn the car on, nothing on the dashboard lit up except a yellow key symbol. The lights, locks, and key fob continued to work, however. I researched the issue we were having and discovered a number of consumers had similar problems with their Nissan. It is a manufacturer's defect with the steering lock which renders the car inoperable, apparently. This is not normal wear and tear. Our car gave no indication of something being wrong. It has only about 64,000 miles on it and we have had no major issues previously, and no indication that anything was wrong prior to it dying. When I contacted Nissan of marlboro, MA, the individual I spoke with diagnosed the problem over the phone. He said he was 99% certain it was the steering lock. This was confirmed once we brought the vehicle in for repair. For him to diagnose the problem accurately over the phone, they must see this issue often enough. Only further solidifying that Nissan is aware that there is a manufacturer's defect. I was told however, that despite Nissan being aware of the problem, we had missed the deadline for the extended warranty which ended in June 2015. Again, this is not due to normal wear and tear. Our car was in perfectly good condition until the moment it simply stopped working. When I contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs to report the problem, I was also made aware that the reason we never heard of the problem was that they had the previous owner, michael something, listed rather than us. So the mailing may have gone to him, not us. We purchased the car from Nissan of woburn as a certified pre-owned vehicle. By the time I spoke with the second individual from Nissan, our information was updated and she claimed Nissan can not guarantee that recall information is mailed to the correct owner.

- Acton, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic steering column lock failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

- Harvest, AL, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed. The steering wheel locked and prevented the keyless ignition from starting the engine. The failure was experienced several times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 122,000.

- Kansas City, KS, USA

Steering lock unit failed. Car will not start or even turn over. Nissan extended warranty on the unit, but I and alot of others feel it should be a recall. They didn't notify me of this problem and I had car in for recall for a different issue when they found the problem with these units and warranty on this was still in effect. Luckily I was at home and not stranded somewhere. By tapping on unit with a hammer it started to work I just hope it doesnt fail during driving and lock the steering while driving

- Providence, RI, USA

Takata reca my car is not that old and not that many miles on it to brake down. Got stop late at night at a parking lot and car was totally dead. Aaa couldn't fix it so had to get it towed to the dealership because they are the only ones who could fix the problem of a electronic steering lock.

- Renton, WA, USA

"steer lock" my car had the steer lock failure. Car was parked and would not recognize key. Car would not start. Nissan created an extended warranty for the one specific item for 6 years unlimited mileage. This failure occurred 161 days after the warranty expiration. Nissan or dealer would not provide any assistance.

- Plymouth, MN, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the keyless ignition failed to operate. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the steering wheel lock was replaced. After the vehicle was serviced, the intelligent key failed to start the ignition. The vehicle was not repaired for the second time but the details were not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 81,000. Updated 02/19/16 updated 5/20/18

- Lawton, OK, USA

I purchased my brand new 2009 Nissan Altima 2.5S on April 14, 2009. On November 30, 2015 I was stranded after dining in at a restaurant to find that my car would no longer start. I read the manual and it stated that the electronical steering column was locked and it would need to be serviced at a Nissan dealership. I contacted a local dealership in pine bluff, ar and was given an estimate of $961.01. I contacted Nissan corporate about the problem to see if they could assist me with the issue and was told that my warranty expired in April 14, 2015. The warranty was originally 3 yrs/36,000 miles then was extended to 6yrs/unlimited miles. The representative told me there was never a recall on it. The issue I have with that is, Altima owners were never notified of this problem when in fact Nissan knew there was a problem because they extended the warranty from 3 to 6 years. How would an owner know there was ever an issue with the electronic steering lock until they've experienced it? something should be done, Nissan should be held accountable.

- White Hall, AR, USA

The electronic steering wheel lock system didn't engage on my 2009 Altima. This would not allow the car to be started. Nissan extended the warranty on this part but mine expired in August of 2015. I feel this is a safety issue as you could be stranded at anytime anwhere with this issue and should have been a recall. There was a bad snow storm in denver on Sunday when this occurred and if it had happened up in the mountains cross country skiing I would have been stuck in a very unsafe situation. I contacted Nissan and they said they will not do anything for me as the extended warranty has expired. However they never contacted me stating it would be covered and had I know I would have taken the vehicle in before it left me stranded without a car for 4 days. I had to get the car towed to the dealership to get it worked on. This issue is so bad they had to order the part and won't get it in until 2 days after I had brought it in to get fixed. Someone needs to look into this before people start getting hurt or worse stranded and die somewhere.

- Lakewood, CO, USA

I parked my car went into the store everything worked just fine before I got out, but when I came out my car wouldn't do anything! I was stranded, after reading the owners manual I found it was the steering lock unit! if I had been on the (wrong side of town) it could've been even more dangerous than it already was! I called the this simple part is $764 plus labor! after reading many complaints online this part should have been recalled as it was on the 350Z

- Ward, SC, USA

The steering lock failed, and I could not start my car. I had to have my car towed to the topeka Nissan dealer to have it fixed. It cost $973

- Topeka, KS, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked and would not start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electric steering column lock was damaged and needed replacement. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 57,000.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

I will never buy a Nissan again. I really liked my car until the steering wheel locking system went bad. My son and I were stuck in a parking lot with no help, in a not so good area. I then had to get a tow truck and get to a shop. Where then at the shop I was told they couldn't do anything because is had to be done by Nissan. We then had to find a way to get the car to a Nissan dealer. Then when I started looking this issue up on my 2009 Altima I see that is has happened to lots of others and Nissan won't help or make a recall for it. Then come to find out, surprise, surprise, the warranty ran out on June of this year. Nissan never even gave a second glance at helping cover it when they know that this is an issue. $1000 later I have a list of thousands of dollars of things that they said need to be done. Funny, had them checked, not at all issues like they said.

- Wellman, IA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. A warning light illuminated and displayed a message. The contact was stranded for over an hour. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering lock control unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 74,000.

- Racine, WI, USA

Vehicle was parked, stationary when I went to start it. Nothing happened when start button was pressed. The car was recognizing the key fob, due to the fact that when I didn't have it, it was saying no key. However would not start even when fob was present. Contacted Nissan service department, they said it was a common problem, after googling the issue I was surprised at how many sheer numbers of the same exact thing was happening. $1200 later, my car is fixed just because of a faulty steering column lock, which even the private mechanic stated was a big problem, adding that Nissan responded by changing the lock on the 2010 and up models, however not compensating any current owners. Mechanic also advised that the part is so faulty that it will go out again in time.

- Lakewood, CA, USA