Nissan Altima Hybrid steering lock-up problems

Filed Mar 28, 2017 · Steering · 92,278 miles · NJ

In 2013, I was stranded at work late at night due to a faulty steering wheel lock. I got into my car and went to start it and the key light was lit on the dash and my car wouldn't start. The car had to be towed to the nearest dealership the next day to replace the steering wheel lock. Thankfully, I was stranded in a safe place especially since I'm a single female. It's now 2017, and I find myself in the same situation. Thankfully, I noticed the issue early while it's still daytime. I'm now waiting for my car to be towed to a dealership to address a faulty steering wheel lock. I'm concerned that the steering wheel lock only has a life span of 4 years since this is the second time I have to address this issue. Is it normal for a part to just malfunction after only 4 years? Will I have to worry about being stranded again 4 years from now for the third time? My car is serviced regularly and taken care of so I won't be stranded. It's troubling that regardless of the fact that my car is serviced and taken care of, I can be stranded anywhere.

Filed Feb 5, 2017 · Steering · 99,000 miles · CA

Car was parked on busy city road and would not start. Steering wheel lock did not work.

Filed Dec 29, 2016 · Steering · 83,909 miles · MA

My daughter stopped at a local coffee shop before going to work one morning. When she returned to her 2009 nissan altima hybrid she opened the door remotely with the key fob and tried to start the car and the engine did not respond. The steering column had locked and a yellow key lock light had come on the display. Reading the owners manual, she thought the problem might be with the key fob battery. Luckily, I was still at home and was able to bring a spare fob to her. Using the spare,though,had the same result: no ignition. We called aaa and had the car towed to the dealer. The dealership "confirmed, checked and found the steering lock is faulty, removed and replaced. Cleared all codes and reprogrammed both keys". Parts replaced were 1 48700-jf00d lock steering and 2 48703-06f0a screw-steering lock, lightening my wallet by $948.33. Three days later we were able to pick up a drivable vehicle with a functioning steering column. During the time we were without this car we were able to do some internet research on this issue and found out that it is a known problem with 2007-2011 altimas with average mileage around 80,000, ( this one had 83,909) that nissan acknowledges does exist,and yet they will not issue a recall. From our searches of many web sites (including we were able to determine that this problem has been frequently reported, yet still there have been no steps taken toward rectifying the problem. As an altima owner I am left wondering what needs to happen in order for nissan to finally acknowledge that this is a legitimate safety issue that could happen at any time and any place.

Filed May 2, 2016 · Steering · CA

I was not notified about a recall on my vehicle. Now I am getting told that my steering lock control unit needs to be repaired and it is going to cost me $1300.

Filed Apr 11, 2016 · Electrical · 101,000 miles · OR

The nissan altimas and maximas have a faulty electronic steering lock (factory part #48700-9n00b & 48700-9n00a). Which will fail and your car will not start. This should been recalled because it is a very common issue which renders the car non-drivable. Also this part was only on the 07-11 altimas and 09-10 maximas. All this part is a little lock actuator that moves up and down and unlocks the steering wheel, then informs to vehicle to start the car. So if this fails when you push the start button on the vehicle the car will not start. Nissan knows that it is an common issue, even their service techs informed me it is a issue. Unfortunately they would rather charge the customer $680 for the part another couple hundred dollars in labor. This roughly a $1000 repair and instead of nissan taking responsibility for a faulty part, they are passing the cost over to their consumers.

Filed Apr 6, 2016 · Steering · 55,000 miles · NY

2009 altimas appeared to have a known issue regarding the steering lock column. Nissan did not issue a recall, but instead offered to replace the steering lock only once the vehicle broke down, with this offer expiring jan 1st 2016 apparently. My car has only 55,000 miles on it, and in march 2016 started experiencing this issue. Car would just be unable to start at all. I have spent money having to get the car towed to the dealership, and now it will cost me $1325.00 to replace the steering lock. Since this was a known issue that nissan knew about, the replacement coverage period should be extended indefinitely, or a recall needs to be issued.

Filed Jan 22, 2016 · 92,000 miles · SC

Car wouldn't start due to a faulty steering wheel lock switch. This has been a continuing problem on altimas and other models. Nissan failed to report problem to its customers.

Filed Nov 30, 2015 · Engine, Steering · 55,000 miles · IL

The steering lock assembly seized up while the car was parked, so the engine starter was prevented from turning on and the steering and transmission remained locked. This happened in the dead of winter and at near-zero temperatures, requiring a tow to a dealer and a $1200 repair, which nissan later reduced to $450. I accepted this on condition it would not constitute a settlement. This is a defect that turns up in all altimas built during several months in 2008, which they have acknowledged. They offered a 72-month warranty after manufacture (not a recall, though customers clamored for it) just for this item, but unfortunately the defect tends to surface after this period. My car missed the window by 22 days. Many similar cases have been reported since, and none have been covered. Had the unit failed while the car was running, it is likely that the steering wheel and the transmission would have failed to lock upon turning off the ignition, leading to a hazardous situation. Being in the cold for hours was hazardous on its own, anyway, but I survived it.

Filed Oct 9, 2015 · Steering · 111,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering lock control module failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,000.

Filed Mar 6, 2015 · Electrical, Fuel system · 60,984 miles · IL

My 2009 nissan altima hybrid refused to recognize the wireless key, leaving me stranded. It was seven degrees in chicago and the windchill was below zero, but I was able to return home taking public transportation. Who knows what might have happened if this had occurred in the middle of the road. I towed the car to a dealer, who told me that the "steering lock assembly" had failed, but they could fix it for $1170 plus tax. I found that there used to be a special warranty if this part failed, but nissan had put a time limit on it so that cars where the defect showed up were being denied coverage as early as october of 2014. Nissan insists that: (1) this defect affects few cars, so they issued a special warranty rather than a recall, (2) the defect does not have safety implications, and (3) customers are adequately covered by the warranty. I believe all three statements are knowingly false. (1) the dealer where my car was repaired told me that they are seeing similar cases more than once a week. Multiply by the number of shops in the country and pretty soon you have thousands of vehicles affected. The federal safety agency website alone has hundreds of cases reported. (2) aside from the danger stemming from being stranded in bad weather or location, if this part fails while the car is running the likely result is a failure of the steering and transmission locks. A transmission that does not lock can easily lead to a car moving by itself in an incline, causing an accident. (3) almost all affected cars manufactured after october 2008 are being denied coverage. The owners were told in writing to wait until the defect occurred, and then the problem would be taken care of by nissan. This does not look like taking care of the problem. The solution: ask nissan to issue an outright recall of this defective part. The safety of thousands is at stake.