Steering lock module failure. Same issue as in 2016 (the federal safety agency tracking number 10929922). Car would not start. In city park and waited 4 hours for tow truck. By myself - 74 year old female. Getting dark and dealership closed. Had the exact part malfunction in 2016 and had to have it towed. Cost $1000 to fix back then. Nissan has had issues with this but has refused to recall it except for one model. This repair cost me $1400. Not just the money or inconvenience - it's dangerous. There is no way to start this car - it has to be towed!
2011 Nissan 370Z: steering wheel locks up
22 of the 40 complaints about the 2011 Nissan 370Z describe steering wheel locks up.
- owner complaints
- 22
- of this car's complaints
- 55%
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,200
- typical mileage
- 38,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 3 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Steering wheel locks up by model year
What owners say
Tl* the consumer owns a 2011 nissan 370z. The consumer stated that while attempting the start the vehicle, the engine would not turn on. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer coggins nissan(10600 atlantic blvd, jacksonville fl) who diagnosed that the steering lock was faulty and needed to be replaced. The steering lock was replaced and the failure was remedied. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 36,700. *dt
For years, there have been widespread defects in the electronic steering column lock (escl) that disabled the push-button ignition in a wide range of nissan and infiniti vehicles. The escl's primary job is to keep the steering wheel locked until you bring your key fob in range of the vehicle. It's meant to prevent theft. However, when the escl malfunctions (even with the fob present and working) the escl won't detect it and, therefore, won't release the wheel. When you press the start/stop button to start the car, nothing happens. However, the "intelligent key warning light" symbol comes on, indicating you have a problem. Nissan has been aware of this issue fo years and has issued a voluntary service campaign for various models. However, they have not done so for the 370z, even though this model is experiencing the exact problem as the models included in the voluntary service campaign. This malfunction has nothing to do with general "wear & tear". This malfunction is due to a defective part and poor engineering. I am asking the federal safety agency to encourage nissan to conduct a voluntary or mandatory recall to address and correct this issue at no cost to vehicle owners.
When my car had 22,000 miles it wouldn't start because my steering wheel locked up. I was home when this happened. Had to tow it to nissan dealership. It just happened to me again at 55,000 miles. I was about to leave work. Had to tow it back again. Not fair to pay 1,200!!
The car would not start. I was stranded and had to have it towed to the dealership. They had to replace the steering lock unit stating that it was "bad". The same thing is noted on a recall issued for 2009 and 2010 nissan 370 z, but no recall for the 2011 even though t is the same part.
Steering wheel lock sensor broke, failed in lock position, happens to most every nissan fob key system at 1 time or another. The dealer charged me $1100.00 to fix and it took them less than 2 hours. This is a scam by nissan and the internet is full of people compalining about this issue. It left me stranded and I had to be towed. Please make nissan start a recall for this problem. When the steering lock fails it will not allow the car to start.
Parked car in morning. Car would not start at night. Yellow indicator on dash. Problem was known issue with the steering lock anti-theft device. Prior model years recalled, only 2011 was not covered under recall. Car had to be towed. Over $1200 repair at dealership. Part was $775.
I was left stranded in a parking lot after my security steering lock mechanism locked the car and would not allow it to turn on or even to acc mode. Since the car locked up, I have two lights on my dash that will not turn off. I was stranded for hours and could not get an available tow truck to pick my car up. After several hours, I was able to get a family member to drive a long ways to come get me. My car is still in the parking lot and waiting to get a tow truck to pick it up! Only issue with the tow, my car won't even allow the shifter to move into neutral! The tow company said they can't promise the car can even be towed if they can't safely steer it onto the flat bad truck!
Steering lock failure from what I understand nissan recalled this part for model years 2009-2010 however I have a 2011 model and it has failed at just under 28k miles. I cant start my car, the steering lock acts as a security feature (anti theft) and it has failed on my car and numerous other vehicles. I simply parked my car and when I returned I was unable to start it. I had to have it towed to a nissan dealership which has quoted me 1060.00 to replace that part with what I'm afraid is just going to fail again. How I'm not protected under the pervious recall or any other warranty is beyond me. What can I do to protect myself. Why was I sold a car with a part they know is bad. Prior to purchasing my vehicle I was under the impression I was buying a model year that did not suffer these symptoms (notably because I researched this issue prior). Please advise. Thanks, dane
Car would not start. Faulty steering lock assembly. Had to be towed.
Had to go get emergency cough medication for spouse at 2:30am. After leaving walgreen, was unable to start my car. The key fob has enough battery power but the engine ignition stayed on "lock" and could not detect key fob. After trying to an hour to "google" and "youtube" and tried everything I could find to fix the issue but with no luck. Had to contact spouse to pick me up at 3:00am. Towed to a mechanic because after contacting 3 different nissan dealers and calling the nissan consumer affairs, learned that there was no recall on this case. However, been reading plenty of forum on the same thing for other nissan 370zs on this very same incident. The mechanic diagnosed the steering module was malfunctioning and replaced the unit after $1,431.46. + $28 towing fee. I was fortunate that I was in a safe neighborhood although it was in the middle of the night. But I feel that this steering lock malfunction is too common to nissan dealers and their consumer affairs to not look in to. Mileage on vehicle is 33,387.
Steering lock control module - vehicle started in the morning and was fine driving to work, after I got off my vehicle was unable to start and did not recognize my key. Towed it to nissan and was informed my steering lock control module failed. There is a recall for this issue but my vehicle does not fall under it. Nissan needs to have some type of extension for this issue. This is a safety concern. Mileage is at 33,548.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2011 Nissan 370Z steering lock-up
Is steering wheel locks up a common problem on the 2011 Nissan 370Z?
22 of 40 owner complaints about the 2011 Nissan 370Z (55%) mention steering wheel locks up. The model year with the most reports is 2009.
How much does it cost to fix steering wheel locks up on the 2011 Nissan 370Z?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,200 (median of 8 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2011 Nissan 370Z?
There are 0 recalls and 3 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2011 Nissan 370Z
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2011 Nissan 370Z?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history