My 2009 Nissan Altima is currently having issues with the defects in the Electronic Steering Column Lock (ESCL). The car just cut off on me as I was parking in a parking spot. Luckily I was able to force the gear in park. It disabled the push-button ignition on my car and locked my steering column. So, I was stranded! This is a big safety issue because my car could've just continued to roll into another car if I couldn't force it into the parked gear! It's unfair that as a customer of Nissan, I have to experience this issue after the NIssan warranty on the ESCL expired in March 2015 and be posed with paying over $1000 in repair costs. Per Nissan, there was no specific mileage number that this defect could occur; so why in the world would they place an end date on the warranty...I'll tell you why...to cover their behinds and save them money in the end. Better yet it will make them money if the affected consumers pay for the repairs or buy/lease a new Nissan! They should recall the ESCL systems in all affected cars instead of covering their own behinds and giving a warranty with unlimited miles and AN END DATE OF MARCH 2015. Clearly Nissan is not concerned with its consumers safety. It's not fair to consumers that bought Nissan vehicles that experience the dangerous defect after March 2015. I am a very unhappy consumer at this time.

This failure was extremely surprising to me as I had NO issue with my car one moment then the next it wouldn't start. Then I had to have it towed, then my mechanic had to order the very expensive part and now I'm without a car for a couple of days. Who would have thought that this module that is required for your car to operate would fail after 7 years. On top of that it appears to be an issue with this year's make and model and yet no recall. I bet if someone on the recall team had this happen, it would have gotten recalled. Please look at the history of complaints and do the right thing.

I left out the house to got to work, and the car wouldn't start. looked it up on YouTube, called the dealership had it towed there around 9:30. they tell me its not a common problem that happens a lot. a couple hrs go bye I get a call around 12 noon. they say they find out the problem and tell me the part alone is gonna COST! ME! $1000 plus the labor that will take a few hrs. but they have to order the part maybe can get it tomorrow and can start on the car on Monday. I call back 42 mins later to get the name of the part. They can't find my paper work and the person who helped me is busy helping someone right. I get a call back around 2pm, they tell me they found the part for a few hundred dollars less and can get started on it and be finished by the end of the day, OK. I get a call back right at 3:20 '' your car is ready for pick up do you need a ride". To me this is a scam Nissan knows about this problem and is doing nothing about it. how can you extend the warranty on a problem for this year, make, model but don't notify owners. this needs to be RECALLED AND REFUNDED. $1200 with Christmas three weeks away. this will be the last Nissan I will Own if this is how Nissan is going to do Owners.

I'm very distressed that Nissan failed to do a recall in regards to steering lock failure which appears to be a problem in 2009 Altima. Fortunately I was in a parking lot area, but I could easily have been stranded alone at night. Thus, a big safety concern. I had the added inconvenience of taking three hours to tow my car to the dealership. They had to order the part. Therefore, I had no car until the next day. All car manufacturers have recalls.

Right now I am interested in Nissan since I have an Altima. It would have cost Nissan a lot less to replace my steering lock than it will cost Nissan $20,000 plus since I will not buy another one. Nissan will have to decide whether or not they made the right decision not to do a recall. There are a lot of other good cars out there and due to the concern for safety plus the cost you passed on to me, I feel no loyalty in purchasing another Altima, and won't.

I think it' ridiculous just how many failures there have been with the steering wheel lock controller unit. in the 2009 Altima. Obviously, Nissan knows about this problem but is unwilling to own up to the problem by issuing a recall. I knew it was a common problem when my local dealer diagnosed the issue over the phone. It's bad enough for Nissan to know about the problem but to never notify owners of the potential threat of failure is completely irresponsible. Fortunately I know many Nissan owners and will go out of my way to discuss the way Nissan has responded to this problem. Nice job Nissan, save a few hundred thousand dollars and cost the company millions in future sales.

I just got my Nissan Altima and I haven't had it a month and I went to the store and I come out to start the car and it won't start! The steering wheel was locked and the key symbol was light up and I put my foot on the brake to push button start and nothing. So I call the car lot and they give me a number of someone who can help. They called me and tried to walk me through some things but nothing. So I had to wait an hour at the store. The guy starts banging on something under the steering wheel and tells me it's the escl and it's going to cost anywhere from $600 to 1,000 to fix it. I have to get it fixed because it could happen again. I went to my car lot and big help they were, they didn't want to change the car for something else and they didn't want to fix it either. I left the car there and they say they are going to fix it. This is a big pain in the ass that a car I'm buying and haven't had it a month does this and on top of the car payment, I have to make now this!! I'm really upset I wanted an Altima for a while but this is making me regret my choice in cars

My car wouldn't start and of course it was cold as crap and I wasn't home. Any who turns out it's because the steering lock control unit needs to be replaced. I didn't know this last month, I just found out this morning when the dealer called me. I had the same issue this week and turns out that unit needs to be replaced. In Dec I had my car towed but it started right up the next morning so it didn't cost me anything but it's going to cost me almost $1000 this time. The part is $800+ and after reading the multiple compliments online I'm pissed Nissan has made this a recall. They know obviously there's an issue and instead of handling it they've put the cost off to their customers. Me and my checking account are steaming right now!

My car wouldn't start in Dec 2016, I had it towed to my mechanic and it started right up the next morning. He couldn't find anything wrong. Then this week I went to leave work and my car wouldn't start so I had it towed to a Nissan Dealer. Dealer called this morning to say the steering lock control unit needs to be replaced, the cost will be $976+tax. The part cost $800+ and of course my car is out of warranty. I wouldn't have a problem if it was the basic wear and tear however I'm highly irritated after searching online to see others have had the same issue and Nissan refuses to do a recall.

My car is an 09 so I'm out of the warranty Nissan issued for the part in 2013. Now I'll have to spend approximately a $1000 for a part that Nissan knows there's an issue with and I'm pissed. I've always been a Nissan fan even as a little girl which is why I'm so disappointed that they aren't accepting responsibility by having a recall and/or extending the time of the warranty. Thankfully I have roadside through my insurance company so I don't have to add the cost of a tow to an already unexpected expense. I'm so over companies being greedy and getting over on everyday people.

Overall I'm satisfied with my car, it drives well, it looks good and mechanically it's treated me well however it still chaps my hide to the fullest that I have to come out of pocket for a defective part and it's obvious by the complements online that I'm not the only to have experienced this issue and sad to say I'm sure I won't be the last.

Wife used the car earlier to do some errands. It was cold but car started with no problems. Later in the evening, she tried to leave the house to pick me up from the airport. Car wouldn't start. After doing some googling, found out that this was a common issue (dead steering lock mechanism) and covered by an extended warranty. Unfortunately, we were out of warranty as most of us will be. Luckily, I work from home and did not need to use our other vehicle and since the kids were on Christmas break, we didn't need 2 vehicles so she was able to go to work for the week .

I resolved the issue for $275 by Youtubing how to replace this part and it was actually very easy to do. Found it on Ebay (the actual replacement part used by Nissan) and replaced it with no problems. Please note that I'm not a mechanic but I am a bit of a tinkerer so I wasn't too worried about screwing something up.

If you have this problem and are no longer under warranty, check out Ebay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-2009-NISSAN-ALTIMA-GENUINE-STEERING-LOCK-KIT-D8700-JF00D-48700-9N00B-/172180205652?hash=item2816bd7054:g:76QAAOSwiYFXHl87&vxp=mtr) and try to replace yourself.

Forget giving the Nissan dealer money for an issue that is obviously their problem (as they have also acknowledged) but will no longer reimburse since most of us bought these vehicles in 2009.

Update from Feb 1, 2017: Part on Ebay is now $385 with many sold already (1000+). Other sellers selling part for more. I am not associated with this seller...just want to help out and stick it to Nissan.

Part can be found at http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-2009-ALTIMA-STEERING-LOCK-KIT-D8700-JF00D-48700-9N00B-NO-PROGRAMMING-NEEDED-/172180205652?hash=item2816bd7054:g:76QAAOSwiYFXHl87&vxp=mtr .

As stated in my original post, it is actually an easy fix. If you know someone that's confident enough to remove panels, unplug battery/parts then reinstall back, this issue can be resolved for $385 and a six pack. The added screws actually make it easier to install.

Update from Mar 2, 2017: Received an Owner Notification today stating that NISSAN has issued a voluntary service campaign to replace the ESCL (Electronic Steering Column Lock) free of charge. All of us who have already paid to have this repair done will have the opportunity to request reimbursement.

I've tried jumping, no go. Recognizes the FOB for keyless entry. Interior and exterior lights are working. Brake seems hard to push when trying to push start. Ignition switch does not light up. My steering wheel was not locked intentionally but since being towed, steering wheel is locked. Have a friend with an 09 Altima and had a similar problem. He took the lower dash off and banged on the wheel lock box with a hammer until his car started. He then pulled a fuse (not sure which one...anti theft maybe?) and his car hasn't locked since. He suggested doing this to my car as well. Is this a good option?

Update from Jan 2, 2017: I've tried jumping, no go. Recognizes the FOB for keyless enters. Both interior and exterior lights are working. Brake is hard to push when attempting push start. Ignition switched does not light up. Steering wheel was not locked initially but now is locked since being towed. A friend had a similar problem with his 09 Altima. He took the lower dash off and banged the steering lock box with a hammer until his car started. He pulled a fuse (anti theft maybe?) and his car hasn't locked him out since. Help please.

I could not start my car because the Steering Lock control Unit shorted out. The car had been running fine up until that point. I asked the dealership what would cause this malfunction and the Service Manger said your car is more prone to it once you get high mileage on your car.

When I did more research, I found out that Nissan knew that the ESCL on the 09' Altima's was a faulty product and issued a warranty extension that ended on March 31st 2015 with unlimited mileage use. However, I was never made aware of this warranty extension and was stuck with a $1,050 bill to fix it.