Drove to work in the morning, parked my Nissan Altima in the parking lot. When I went to leave for lunch the car would not start. The brake was extremely stiff and pushing the start button did nothing. I called the local Nissan dealer - they immediately thought it could be the steering lock module if that was it I would have to have it towed. Once towed to the dealership they confirmed it was the steering wheel lock module had malfunctioned. They admitted they have seen 4 others in just this month for the same issue. The part was ordered and should have arrived in 3 business days. After a week I was notified the part is on back order and they do not know when they will have it in to fix my car. I contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs to ask for help, they declined stating it is all a case by case basis they won't help to pay for the part, repair or a rental car. It has now been 23 days and they still don't know when or if they will get a part to fix my car. I am stranded without a means to get to and from work. Nissan needs to recall this part or help cover the costs for those affected. After extensive research there are tons of people going through the same issue. The same part was recalled for the Nissan gtr why not own up to your crappy part and take care of the customers.

- Idaho Falls, ID, USA

I just wanted to let the people know that there is no guarantee that the new steering lock mechanism that is placed in your car will not malfunction. I picked my car up from the dealership after having the part repaired at the cost of $1055 not including towing and wasn't even home 40 minutes before the same thing occurred again and the car had to be towed back to the dealership to be repaired again. I'm now finding out that the replacement part is not a newly manufactured part without the defect making the probability of having to deal with situation again very high and of course the Nissan Corp. Is still acting like there is no problem at all. Please people call your attorney general news stations and whoever you think will listen because the more waves we make forces Nissan to recall this part.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the vehicle stalled and the brakes also became stiff. The key symbol on the dashboard also illuminated. The contact replaced the battery but the vehicle did not start. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the steering lock assembly would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified and stated that they may assist in the cost of repair. The contact was awaiting a final decision. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 44,000.

- Modena, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where the contact was informed that the steering lock assembly would need to be replaced. The contact was also advised that the part needed to complete the repair was on a national back order. The manufacturer was notified but no assistance was offered. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 44,000.

- Pine Meadow, CT, USA

On Saturday morning, my wife took my son to the library, the car started with no issues, when they left the library she could not start the car. She called me to come help her, we changed the batteries in the key fob, I tried to jump-start the car, I checked the fuses, but it would not start. I made sure the fob was still communicating with the car by pressing the buttons and everything seemed to be working fine. Finally, after trying everything I could, we called the Nissan dealership, and they had us tow the car to them, and said they would not get to it until Monday. Well Monday morning comes and they called my wife to tell her the steering lock unit failed, and it would cost ~$1000 to replace. Of course I am ticked so I decide to research this issue and realize it is very common in the 2009 Altima?S, which makes me even more ticked, because Nissan doesn't seem to care if they leave my wife and son stranded because they built their car using garbage parts. And yes they know because, more times than not, this part is out of stock and the newer cars don't use it. So this sounds like a very nasty scam by Nissan. I have sent letters to my state's attorney general, Nissan motor company, and this database...we need a recall. Stand behind your product!

- Arnold, MD, USA

Wife's 2009 Altima would not start. As others have stated, the little key light on the dash lit up. We had the car towed to our dealer, and they told us the steering lock control had failed. Having no choice, we then ordered the part, only then to find out that it was on back order and they could not estimate when the part would be available. The estimated repair bill was going to be about $750. When I got home that evening, I searched the internet and was amazed at how many cases exactly like ours are occurring. The next morning, I filed a formal complaint with Nissan of North America. They have put all owners of 2009's in jeopardy and obviously knew there was a problem as the part was changed out in late year 2010 cars built. Our final results are better than most of the others we have read about. Between Nissan and our dealer, they covered the repair which was done as the part did arrive, as well as our car rental while the dealer had the vehicle. My advise is to file a formal complaint like we did and to be persistent. An attorney I know said we should contact the state attorney general and/or the local tv stations trouble shooters, because publicity and legal action are exactly what Nissan doesn't want.

- Novelty, OH, USA

The vehicle had no problems driving into work in the morning. End of work day, return to the car to find out that it wouldn't start. The amber light with "intelligent key" logo had turned on and the vehicle was immobilized. Checked the battery of the intelligent key and it was perfectly operational. Check batter of the car, and it was working fine as well. Since the car wouldn't start, no other option but to call for towing service. Spent hours in the cold waiting for the truck. The following day Nissan service ran a diagnostic and determined there was electrical problem that triggered the vehicle immobilizer and needed steering lock unit replacement. Parts and labor and tow cost over $900. The Nissan mechanic hinted at the problem being a manufacturing defect, but refused to say it directly as it puts Nissan liable. Part is strategically not covered under warranty. Found out from the Nissan folks that numerous cars came in with the same problem. Got onto the internet and found so many more Nissan Altima owners with the same problem. Clearly a manufacturing defect and Nissan needs to recall the part and fix it for all affected users of the car. I am happy that this happened while my vehicle was stationary. I think this is very dangerous if it were to happening while driving. I request NHTSA to investigate this problem asap and help to issue a recall for several hundreds (maybe thousands) of user affected. Nobody wants to lose their hard earned money for no fault of theirs.

- Warminster, PA, USA

On a regular day, I drove my car to work in the morning. And it was parked at my workplace parking lot (luckily). In the evening, my keyless entry got me inside the car. But the brakes wouldn't engage and ofcourse, the push button wouldn't start the car. There is an amber light with a key sign inside it flashing on my dash screen. Lights would turn on so I was convinced it must not be the battery. When I looked it up in the car manual, it's supposedly an intelligent key sign. Since it was around 7:30pm, I couldn't get it towed immediately to the dealer workshop since they were closed. The next morning, I got it towed and the dealer workshop diagnosed it as "steering wheel lock unit needs to be replaced" and it would cost a whopping $850 (not including towing). Not just that, the part is back-ordered! so my car is in the workshop indefinitely as of now! I bought this car from a certified pre-owned dealer just six months ago and I have the seven year limited warranty on it too. The workshop said that this is not something my warranty can cover! my current mileage is 26000. And Nissan is supposed to be reliable? this problem is not something I have brought to my car and when I researched it on this very website, hundreds of other Nissan Altima users have the same problem. This is clearly a manufacturing defect and I truly hope Nissan address this problem asap and reimburse our hard earned money.

- White Plains, NY, USA

I parked the car and locked it with intelligent key. Came back, was able to enter the car without any problems, used the key to unlock the doors. While inside, the dashboard had two warning lights on: Key light(yellow) to the far left corner and flashing security light(red) to the far right. The car would not start. Ignition button is on lock and the steering is stiff unable to turn. Engine seems to be locked, no other lights are on. I have tried everything by the owner's manual and nothing works. I called the dealers and they told me that I would have to get it towed to the dealer and quoted me $600 to fix the problem, parts will take a couple of days, no guarantee problem will not happen again. For a recent bought vehicle, there are many issues with the car's intelligent key and in this case I have been left stranded in the middle of nowhere. Towing charges and everything will make amount close to $1000.

- West Des Moines, IA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that when he attempted start the vehicle, the engine failed to start. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic was performed. The failure was located at the steering assembly. The dealer replaced the steering assembly. The failure mileage was 50,126 and the current mileage was 50,400. Updated 03/04/13

- Bellmore , NY, USA

I drove to work, and parked my car. 8 hours later, I got in my car to go home. Tried starting it, but the key indicator light was on, the brake wouldn't push in, and the car wouldn't start. I had to have the car towed to the Nissan dealership. They determined that the steering lock unit needed to be replaced. The part was on back order which seemed fishy to me, so I did some research. It seems that 100's of other Nissan Altima owners have had the same problem in the past year. Nissan North America, Inc informed me that there is no recall, and I should contact the national highway adminstration to have a recall put into affect. This could be a serious safety issue, and needs to be addressed. Thankfully I was at work when this happened, but what if I was in the middle of nowhere, in the freezing cold, and my car wouldn't start. The steering lock unit should be recalled! I had to pay over $1,000 to have this part fixed, and since the part was on backorder, I didn't have a vehicle for an extended amount of time. Please help the 100's of people affected by this faulty part!!!

- Pocomoke, MD, USA

I had driven the car from home to the gas station approx. 5 miles from home. I turned the car off, filled the car with gas and upon starting the car to leave the car wouldn't start. A red key light came on in dash.car used to be towed to dealership. It was there that it was found to be a steering lock malfunction. That cost me a total of $1000.61. $402.50 in labor and $538.81 in parts plus tax and misc. The pats was on back order. I just got my car back after a week because the part was overnighted. Otherwise they estimated me getting my car back after the 8th of Feb. When asked about a recall I was told it was unknown but also that this part was unusual for backorder.

- Park Forest, IL, USA

I was left stranded in the freezing rain/sleet this past Saturday. After a couple of hours of trying everything, my car was placed on a roll back and took to a local garage. I was told it was the steering lock control unit and would be between $600-$800 dollars to get it fixed. I was also told the part was not in stock, so my mechanic will have to call daily to check on it. I'm furious at Nissan. This is actually my 5th Nissan to own. I will not purchase another one.

- Fort Payne, AL, USA

Car was found to not start. Battery had power, no other obvious issues. Car was inoperable for the weekend. Towed vehicle to Nissan dealership. Battery tested low and was later replaced. However, the steering lock was found to be defective and needed to be replaced. Battery replacement is understandable being that the car is more than 3 years old. Lock steering mechanism however resulted in the car being inoperable. Parts for the lock steering mechanism totaled $534.19 plus labor which totaled $282.88. Total bill with new battery was $1,037.64. Considering all failures listed on this page of this same part, a recall should be considered. Nissan apparently has recalled other steering locks similar to this on gtr models.

- Norwood, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the key warning light illuminated and the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician stated that the failure was located at the steering lock control unit. The steering lock control unit was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 71,996 and the approximate current mileage was 72,000.

- Lynchburg, VA, USA

Last Sunday my vehicle was unable to start with the fob key. Had car towed to Nissan and was told that it was the steering lock system. Was told the part is on back order and will received in approx 3 wks. Also, the cost would be $930 before tax. My car is 38,000 miles and no longer under warranty. Because my windows were accidentally lowered due to someone holding down unlock button on fob and they were unable to close my windows since my car failed to start, they are also saying I have to pay a daily storage fee since they are unable to leave my car outside due to all the windows being down.

- Farmingdale, NY, USA

I woke up for work and went to start my car and it would not start, I noticed there was a red key light on so I went to change the battery for the key and the car still would not start. I looked through my owners manual to see if there was anything I was missing and no luck! I had to have my car towed to the local Nissan dealer and was advised they would run a diagnostic test to see what it was. I was then told that my steering lock module had failed and would need to be replaced in order for the car to work. I was told that with tax the bill would be $834. I was in utter shock and was given no explanation except for I've seen this happen with other Nissan and its to be expected! I don't understand how my cars works 1 day then not the next. It seems to be a pattern with this car and I am absolutely shocked to see how many people are experiencing this same problem! a recall is needed!

- Lake In The Hills, IL, USA

Drove to work in the morning without any problems. Tried to start my car at the end of the day. Car would not start. The intelligent key warning light was on. Called the dealership. They suggested trying my other key fob. I had someone bring that to me, but the car still wouldn't start. With no other options, I had the car towed to the dealership (for $165, which included an extra $75 fee to have the car removed from a parking garage). They diagnosed the problem as a faulty steering lock assembly and replaced it for $624.91. I filed a complaint with Nissan and was offered a $250 service credit for a future repair, which would need to be used in only 6 months. When I indicated that this was unacceptable, the manufacturer would not offer any other compensation, nor acknowledge that others were having the same problem. Given that there is no warning for this problem which renders a less than 4 year car completely inoperable, nor is there any way to prevent this problem from happening, this part needs to be recalled! keyless entry is one of the reasons why I bought this car..... now it's my biggest complaint.

- St. Clair Shores, MI, USA

Car was driving fine earlier in the day, and came home to park the car in the driveway. Got back in the car to head to my night job, and car would not start. It would not even switch to accessories position. Called the Nissan dealership and they gave me some tips on how to start the car, but none worked. Had to get he car towed to Nissan. It took 2 days before they could look at it on a Saturday. I was told my steering lock unit had malfunctioned and would cost me $747 before taxes to get it fixed. Also, the part was on back order (1100 other people need the same part) and there is no eta on the part. I still do not have my car back and have been having to find ways to and from work.

- Cheyenne, WY, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that the steering column lock mechanism caused the vehicle to become inoperable. The contact also stated that the key fob warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to personally remedy the failure by replacing the battery in the keyless entry remote but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the steering column needed to be replaced but the part was not readily available. The manufacturer was notified who offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

- Chicago, IL, USA