This is the second time I have been stranded, Get in car Key light comes on dash, Hit the start button and nothing. I went on line just as several thousand other Nissan Maxima, Altima, and Infinity owners have and watched videos of owners getting under the dash with a hammer and hitting the steering lock box on a $30,000 vehicle, If you hit it a few times it will free up and you can get the car started. After getting lucky and the car starting I took it to the dealer and explained...The Dealer " Oh I have never heard of this problem"

YEA Right. The dealer " I can't fix it unless the car is in the broken position" This turned into a joke.

I left this was in July 2015.

Now yesterday it happened again February 11, 2016. Parked on the top floor of a downtown Cincinnati garage, Freezing cold and at night. I wonder if the dealer would like this to happen to his wife or daughter, thank goodness it didn't happen to my wife. I had to have someone pick me up.

Went back this morning with tools and flashlight to start the process again. No luck with the hammer. Decided to go with removal of the lock box. Oh boy , another adventure...2 bolts you have to remove with a needle nose pliers ,,,but after an hour got the darn thing off..pushed the latch down with a screw driver. Heard the click hit the start button and the car started. While running I went out under the hood and pulled the fuse in the big fuse box on drivers side marked "Steering Lock" its a red 10 amp fuse.

Car is starting fine ..No steering lock..but I'm $1,000 dollars richer. Nissan knows this problem exists, but they look the other way. Well I'll look the other way next time from their car lot towards Toyota..I had a Camry for 21years and never got stranded once..Shame on you Nissan for not recalling this item.

This whole steering lock situation is an absolute outrage. Apparently Nissan does not feel they are responsible for paying or replacing this defect. I know they've lost my business. I feel as well as many others this should be a recall. I am not the only person who has complained or had this problem. It is hundreds of dollars to fix and after reading there are tons of cases identical to mine. I was looking forward to getting a brand new Nissan Maxima but all of this mess has really changed my mind.

I was stranded at work last night. Car would not start and steering wheel was in lock position. Had it towed to the dealership. I was advised that I had a faulty steering wheel locking device. This repair cost $906.00. There was not a recall on this safety issue even though a lot of people are having the same problems. Instead Nissan decided to give an extended warranty but you were only aware of this if you were the original owner of the car. I am not the original owner so I was not aware. I was told that the warranty expired June 2015 so my repair is not covered. I take my car to the same dealership for every oil change and not one time was it mentioned to me. I am very disgusted with Nissan and their unconcern for their customers safety.

The car locked down would not acknowledge the key. My day was horrible was in a wedding which I miss due to my car problems. Tow truck took almost 2 hours too come get my car. Very bad day. Now I'm having too deal with the warranty which they're saying it is not covered. Repairs going to be $1000 and I don't have the money. This is crazy nissan has all these complaint and they are not trying to fix this issue. It is obvious that there is a problem with the cars. I love my Nissan but I will never but another one.

I was at the store and when I came out to start the car it wouldn't start. The FOB unlocked the doors and when I inserted it into the key slot on the left of the console it didn't work. I called the dealership and they said that it is the steering lock mechanism. He said that I can have the car towed to them and they would let me know in a week what the problem is. He also checked on my extended warranty and he said it had expired July of this year.

It is funny how the problem happens weeks after the warranty expires. And we have to come out of pocket with money that we really don't have for the unexpected repair. If Nissan knows about this problem in the Maxima, they should have a recall on it.

On 6/21/15 my car wouldn't start! After numerous attempts and trying a jump start the battery I was told by AAA once they came to tow it that the issue was with the steering lock and that they had seen the problem before with others. I called Nissan to tell them and they said it would cost me around $1100 to fix because its not under my power train warranty.

EXCUSE ME! First off, its a manufacturing issue that's their issue and should be fixed and paid for by Nissan! Now unless I pay $1100 I can not even turn my car on...that's some BS! Nissan needs to pay for this issue to be rectified ASAP! I don't have $1100 to pay for a problem that I had no part in causing! I was stuck yesterday in 90 degree heat while 7 months pregnant because they are too stubborn to issue a recall for this problem that apparently they know about and have had complaints about!

Malfunctioning Electronic Steering Column Lock on my 2009 Nissan Maxima. Nissan won't cover cost of repairs.

On December 30 2014 at approximately 8:00 pm my 2009 Nissan Maxima would not start. I had to get the car towed to a Nissan Dealer. The car was towed and dropped off at the night drop of Downey Nissan in Downey CA. The next day December 31 2014 I received a call from the dealership informing me of the problem with my vehicle stating its a Malfunction in the Electronic Steering Column Lock and the cost of repair will be approximately $1,100.

Nissan knowing of this problem in the 2009 Maxima and Altima has a 6 year warranty unlimited miles. Come to find out the warranty on my 2009 Maxima expired on December 16 2014. That is 14 days before this malfunction took place on my vehicle. This is a manufactures irregularity which on NissanAssist.com websites states this is a unique condition. There is no way of knowing when this malfunction irregularity will occur nor any warning signals. As Stated on NissanAssist.com "If you are not currently experiencing this condition, you should do nothing. No repair needs to be performed on your vehicle if you are not currently experiencing this condition. However, if you are experiencing this condition, simply contact your local Nissan dealer and schedule an appointment. The warranty extension assures that should the condition occur during this extended period, the replacement will be covered by Nissan at no cost to you for parts and labor.

Again, if you are not experiencing this condition, no action is required." As Stated there is no way of knowing when this manufacturer malfunction will occur. There were no warning signs to take the car into the dealer to have it checked out. It was just a matter of waiting and luck to have this malfunction occur in the 6 year warranty period and if it happens after the 6 year warranty period I'm out of luck and stuck with these repair costs from Nissans manufacturing mistakes. On my 2009 Nissan Maxima it just happened to occur 14 days from Nissan's so called warranty period. I contacted Nissan to see what can be done about this known malfunction in this model vehicle and the Representative from Nissan that was handling my case Named Quintin said Nissan is not in a financial situation to help with this malfunction and just denied my request for Nissan to take responsibility on correcting this known malfunction in my 2009 Nissan Maxima. He stated since the warranty has expired it doesn't matter if its 1 day or 14 days over the warranty period Nissan will not take responsibility to compensate this correction. I originally purchased my 2009 Nissan Maxima in November 2011 from Glendale Nissan. It was sold as a 2009 model Nissan Maxima. I would assume if its a model year 2009 the 6 year warranty period would take that into 2015. However I was informed my vehicle was originally purchased on December 16 2008. The original purchase date should be irrelevant with respect to this manufacturer malfunction known to Nissan. Obviously this malfunction can happen 6 years plus 1 day later or 14 days later.

Your Desired Resolution:

Im asking for Nissan to accept responsibility and correct this problem on my vehicle at no out of pocket cost to me. This is a manufacturers malfunction in which Nissan is well aware of on the 2009 Nissan Maxima. I should not have to pay for these repairs with the misfortune of this malfunction not occurring 14 days earlier.