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2009 Nissan Altima electrical complaints

Page 10 of 17: complaints 251 to 280 of 466, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2009 Nissan Altima electrical problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Jun 9, 2015 · Electrical · 98,000 miles · MS

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. The contact stated that while in park, the vehicle failed to start. In addition, the security indicator warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,000.

Filed Jun 4, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 62,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. A warning light illuminated on the instrument panel when the contact attempted to restart the vehicle. The dealer could not locate a failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 62,000.

Filed May 26, 2015 · Electrical · 18,250 miles · MN

Engine with push button start would not turn over after 3hr stop and a long drive previous to stop. Battery was totally dead, but after repeated attempts to jump start it did turn over. There was no unusual draw on battery during stop either. Stopped at nissan dealer to check the starting system and everything checked out normal. Service tech recalled this problem with my particular year and model, and said a brake switch and sub harness assembly should be replaced, but at $800+ cost I declined offer. Purchased a new battery later and as of this date I have not had a problem, but every time I start it I cross my fingers.

Filed May 18, 2015 · Electrical · 76,237 miles · CA

Car will not start and battery is fine. Appears to be a known defect with 2009-2010 altima related to the steering lock sensor and happens just out of warranty. Apparently because it is not deemed a "safety issue" the federal safety agency is not mandating a recall. However, this is a safety issue as my dog and niece were locked in the car and we could not open it because this defect shut down the entire electronic system. Make nissan replace this defective part before someone is injured or killed.

Filed May 14, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 128,000 miles · TX

Steering column locked and has to be replaced. Car will not turn on at all. Had to get it towed to dealership where they are trying to slam me with a $1100 repair bill. Car was bought in feb 2009, and extended warranty for said specific part ended feb 2015.

Filed May 13, 2015 · Electrical · 94,000 miles · TX

Electronic steering column lock failure. Engine would not turn over and electronic key warning light (yellow) lit. Car would not start and left stranded. Resorted to rapping on the escl box mounted under the steering column which works with varying degrees of success. Nissan is aware of the issue and extended the warranty of the part but, to the best of my knowledge, never attempted to contact or notify owners of the need to replace this part. My warranty for this part expired in october 2014, but it was unknown to me since my first issue was may 2015. Nissan dealer estimates $1016 to repair.

Filed May 11, 2015 · Electrical · 99,000 miles · MS

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and the key light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,000.

Filed May 8, 2015 · Electrical · 125,000 miles · AL

Got out of vehicle to run in to the store, got back in the vehicle and it would not start.

Filed May 6, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 87,000 miles · TX

After stopping at the store my car no longer would start. I live in texas where it is hot, this is a danger to be stuck and no way to fix it. The key light popped on. Apparently after research it is noted nissan is aware of the electronic steering lock problem. If there are so many issues why not recall the part instead of leaving motorist stranded. If the part malfunctions there is no way to move the car. I'm not sure where it is ok to charge 1200 dollars knowing your part is defective. This problem has left me stranded 3 different times.

Filed May 4, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · FL

On may 1, 2015 my vehicle would not start. I had to have the car towed to a nissan dealer. My 2009 nissan altima's electronic steering column lock (escl) system failed 4 months after the warranty extension expired.this is a known issue that according to nissan "happening to only a small number of vehicles". If the number is so miniscule then why not issue a recall?? I cannot imagine what I would be dealing with if I experienced this failure away from home or traveling. I thank god that my family and I were at home.

Filed Apr 30, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 90,000 miles · GA

I have a 2009 nissan altima. Apparently nissan is fully aware of the issues that the electric steering column lock is having. Nissan chose to extend the warranty instead of recall the part. Knowing that the majority of the effected altima owners would fall outside that warranty. Of course now my steering column has malfunctioned even though nissan states that this would not be an issue for majority of car owners. They know this is a huge problem. I have found thousands of write ups on the internet. It is unfair to the altima car owners. Nissan is not taking responsibility for using defective parts. They have since discontinued using these parts, and left nissan altima car owners holding their dirty little secret. The one car we have can not function, and they are asking for over$1000 to repair it. Issue: the car will not drive because of this malfunction and defective part. Please help us the 2009 nissan altima car owners g *tret this part fully recalled by nissan. Thank you!

Filed Apr 29, 2015 · Electrical · 100,000 miles · MO

There is a plug under the dash board close to the steering column that comes lose. The car will not start when this happens. This is a common problem with other altima owners.

Filed Apr 25, 2015 · Electrical · 145,309 miles · NJ

Driver side door lock stop functioning with the remote keyless entry fob. This is the only door that stopped working all the other doors function as intended. I believe it is a malfunction of the lock regulator.

Filed Apr 25, 2015 · Electrical, Locks · 41,500 miles · NH

In the september of 2014, the power door locks stopped working (would not open/close with the use of either the remote or the button on the driver door). At first it was the front and rear passenger doors, but then over the next 1-2 weeks both driver side door locks stopped working as well. The vehicle was not in any accident nor exposed to excessive water/fire/etc around this time. When I had it evaluated at the nissan dealership, I was told the door actuators had broken, but given no explanation as to how/why this would happen for all 4 doors at the same time. Due to the high cost of repair (quoted $250 per door), I have not had these fixed. Now, nearly 9-10 months later, the locks remain completely unresponsive to the keyless entry remote and the power lock button on the driver's door, and must be manually locked/unlocked.

Filed Apr 24, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 57,514 miles · NH

I went to start my car and an amber light with a key came on my dashboard. My car would not start. The car had to be towed to a nissan dealership where it was determined it was a malfunction of the escl(electronic steering column lock). The repair cost me 893.90. There was an extended warranty on this so nissan new it was a problem. The warranty ended 3 months ago. Nissan will not pay for the repair. This is my 4th nissan.

Filed Apr 17, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 55,000 miles · CT

My car wouldn't start after work and couldn't figure out what was wrong, until I searched the internet for some help, and found that this is a known problem with altima's from 2009 2010. I contacted corporate nissan, who informed me that the warranty expired two months ago, exactly, and I would have to have it diagnosed by a nissan before they consider covering faulty parts. My car was towed to the nissan repair, who confirmed that the power steering lock was faulty and needed to be replaced for $1020.00. Nissan mechanic said that it is a known problem with 2009 and 2010 altima's. I reported back to corporate, who said they would "investigate" my claim, and assured I would be contacted two days ago. Never received a call, despite several attempts to reach them, and convenient for nissan that the department I need doesn't have an available telephone number.

Filed Apr 17, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 55,000 miles · CT

My car wouldn't start after leaving work, couldn't figure out what was wrong, until I did a google search. I contacted corporate nissan, who informed me that the warranty expired two months ago, exactly, and I would have to have it diagnosed by a nissan repair before they consider covering faulty parts. I had my car towed to the nissan repair, who confirmed that the power steering lock was faulty and needed to be replaced for $1020.00. Nissan mechanic said that it is a known problem with 2009 and 2010 altima's. I reported back to corporate, who said they would "investigate" my claim, and assured I would be contacted two days ago. Never received a call, despite several attempts to reach them, and convenient for nissan that the department I need doesn't have an available telephone number.

Filed Apr 16, 2015 · Electrical · 94,444 miles · HI

Airbags light for both passenger and drivers side came on indicating that they will not deploy.

Filed Apr 16, 2015 · Electrical · 94,444 miles · HI

Steering lock - not able to start vehicle.

Filed Apr 12, 2015 · Electrical · 95,524 miles · AL

I was at the storage unit cleaning it out when I came out and the car would lock and unlock, but the brake was hard to push down, and with you pushed the start button it will not come out of the lock position. The car will not crank up at all.

Filed Apr 10, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 83,902 miles · MA

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact attempted to use the spare key to start the vehicle; however, it failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the steering lock module would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 83,902.

Filed Apr 1, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 53,456 miles · PA

I went to start my car to go to work and the ignition locked and the car would not start. Needless to say I was late for work because of this incident and had to rely on someone else for a ride. I called the dealer ship and they explained to me that the steering lock probably failed on the car. I had to have the car towed to bowser. I got a called today confirming it was steering lock failure and that it would cost almost a thousand dollars to fix. I did some research and found that this is a common problem with the car. I asked the dealer ship if they have had many other cars with this problem and they explained that they have. As I continued to do more research, I found that this is an engineering flaw on nissan's behalf. I do not believe I should have to pay for an engineering flaw that should have been a recall in the first place.

Filed Mar 25, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 121,036 miles · PA

I had no electrical service in the vehicle at all, the ignition would not turn on the steering wheel was locked.

Filed Mar 22, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 153,637 miles · MI

I drove to pick up my daughter from the babysitter and I parked my car alongside the curb. It was less than 10 min and we went to the car and it would not start. I performed my usual routine when starting it...insert key in slot...press foot down on brake...then press the ignition start button and it still would not start. I tried the same routine a second time only to no avail. Finally on the third time...my instrument panel displayed a yellow key and a red key and it the ignition button stayed in the lock position. I eventually called a tow truck and when he arrived he knew exactly what it was. I was informed by the tow driver that it was a steering wheel lock issue and the only reason he knew was because I was his 6th nissan in over a three day span. Apparently...nissan is aware of this issue but refuses to acknowledge this issue as a recall.

Filed Mar 12, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 101,000 miles · UT

Just finished a 13 hour shift at work when I went out to my car to head home. The key fob opened the doors but would not allow the ignition to start. I had the car towed to the dealership and they told me it was a steering wheel lock failure, which nissan is well aware of. I spoke with two dealerships which told me this is indeed a chronic issue. I submitted a claim to nissan consumer affairs which they denied since my warranty had expired 8 weeks prior. When I returned to the dealership they again advised me to complain to consumer affairs as they had 5 cars come in for the same problem in the 4 days that my car was there. I again called consumer affairs who told me again that my claim was denied on the grounds that the warranty was expired, they would not budge on this. I had to argue with the representative for 15 minutes before he would have his supervisor call me back, still waiting for that call. Nissan is very aware that this part is defective and expect the consumer to eat the costs when the part inevitably fails. They say that this is not a safety concern, but do not take into account the possibility of being stranded. Nissan does not stand by its product or its consumers.

Filed Mar 7, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 26,466 miles · IN

Electronic steering column lock (escl) failed while car was parked. This could certainly be a safety issue if it occurred late at night or in a dangerous area. The dealer said there was a short in this. Could this have caused a fire? Could they have fixed the short without charging me $993.65 because it was 3 months past the 6 year extended warranty? Car has only 26466 miles on it. The starting mechanism which senses the brake being depressed had failed previously, and fixed under warranty, when I was far from home at a lakeside. Two electrical starting failures on the same vehicle. From their web site: your nissan vehicle is equipped with an electronic steering column lock (escl) unit that locks the steering wheel when the vehicle is parked and the ignition is turned off to help prevent theft. On some vehicles, due to a manufacturing irregularity that has since been corrected, the escl may malfunction after the vehicle is locked and could prevent the engine from starting. This condition, should it occur, will only occur when attempting to start the vehicle, and not while driving. Although nissan believes the majority of owners will never experience this unique condition, to assure your continued satisfaction and confidence in your vehicle, nissan has decided to extend the nissan new vehicle limited warranty, as it applies to the escl unit, from 3 years / 36,000 miles to 6 years / unlimited miles, whichever comes first. Access to complete information and instructions including a reimbursement claim form will be available at www.nissanassist.com on april 1, 2013.

Filed Mar 4, 2015 · Electrical · 100,000 miles · TN

My daughter, age 24, stopped by a local walgreens after working as a personal trainer. It was late evening and the temperature was 15 degrees. She went to start her car (push button start) and it wouldn't start. She waited for 2 hours before someone could come help. This is an issue nissan is well aware of and has admitted is due to a "manufacturing irregularity". It's not a matter of if the part will fail but when the part will fail. While the car may be stationary, it none the less puts the driver at risk.

Filed Feb 27, 2015 · Electrical · 58,690 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. While parking the vehicle, the theft system locked without warning and prevented the vehicle from starting. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the theft system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,690.

Filed Feb 21, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 51,300 miles · WI

On a very cold day (o degrees f), the steering lock control unit failed and car could not be started. Car needed to be towed to dealership and the steering lock control unit replaced at a total cost of $1106.98.

Filed Feb 19, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 83,000 miles · MD

My vehicle begin to not start properly around november 2014. It has since got to the point that it will not start, due to a malfunction of the electronic steering control lock. I found this out after some trouble shooting and research. I also found that this is a known issue with this vehicle and yet a full recall was never made, due to it being labeled as not a safety issue. My wife and 18 month old son were stranded in 14 degree weather for over 3 hours today and the wind chill was below zero. I do not understand how a company like nissan can get away with saying this malfunction is not a safety issue. Nissan has acknowledged the issue, but claims it will not be covered as our car is out of warranty. We never received anything stating that there was possibly a defective part on our car. There are numerous complaints about this online and I'm sure several have already filed complaints here as well. Nissan now wants us to pay out of pocket for an authorized dealership to diagnose the problem that we have already diagnosed, I find this to be an unacceptable business practice, which indicates they are more concerned with money then the welfare of their customers. I have had several vehicles that had recalls and never once was I required to pay to have it checked out.

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