Parked car at a coffee shop, turned off engine, exited and locked doors. Upon coming back to vehicle, the vehicle would not start. We tried jumping the vehicle battery, that did not work. We tried replacing the battery in the key fobs, that did not work. We inserted the fob into the a lot near the steering column and that did not work. We had the car towed to an auto repair shop who stated the key fobs needed to be reprogrammed, but they didn’t have the equipment to do so. We called a locksmith the reprogram the fobs, but the locksmith was not able to do so. He said the vehicle returned 6 BCM codes. He was able to remove all but 2 and recommended I take care to Nissan. Had car towed to Nissan and they stated the steering column module lock needed to be replaced (quoted $1425 + tax). I mentioned the service campaign from 2017, but I was told my car’s VIN was not eligible for the campaign and repair would be my responsibility. Why is a known issue not being covered by Nissan??
2009 Nissan Altima: won't start
564 of the 1,547 complaints about the 2009 Nissan Altima describe won't start.
- owner complaints
- 564
- of this car's complaints
- 36%
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 80,000
- recalls
- 0
Won't start by model year
What owners say
Column steering sensor is out and car will not start. Nissan was covering this repair due to a known defect yet never recalled the car. I never had the issue until now and people in previous years were granted 1 repair. Nissan said I would have to cover it
Car was working perfectly. Drove to school, nothing acting weird. Went to leave school and would not start. This is a push start ignition and it is stuck on lock with the key lights on. One orange/yellow stays on for a while and the other is the red flashing light. This is a steering lock module defect. I have read where this is a reocurring problem and nissan has still not performed a recall and this obviously should have been done years ago. Now I am going to be out over $500 for a piece that nissan should cover. This is unacceptable.
Steering column locks, causing key Fob to not be recognized. Hence, car will not start. This s/b recalled for a fix.
My daughter drove the car to a gas station, pumped gas, came back out and the car wouldnt start. She was left stranded by a car that had to be towed. Had she been out of town without resources nearby she would have been in a very difficult situation. The engine randomly fails to start using push-button No manual workaround, leaving drivers stranded Failure to jumpstart using cables or a jump box and new battery The new replacement part wiped out the memory of the body control system causing more costs. $1200 - just to make the car start
The air bag light went on. Had all previous codes cleared by mechanic. a week later, light is now blinking. In the past year, came out to a car that would not start. Battery may have a bad cell. I think there might be an electrical problem that causes the car to shut down spontaneously.
The steering column lock actuator went out & left me stranded at night away from my home. I got in the car & it wouldn't start.
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that upon pressing the start button to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start after several attempts. The contact stated that he was able to open the trunk and activate the alarm using the key fob, but the vehicle would not start. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The contact referenced the federal safety agency ID Number: 10119195 (Wheels, Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised that they could not assist because the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle and attempting to start the vehicle, the contact depressed the Push to Start button and depressed on brake pedal to start the vehicle however, the vehicle would not start. The contact stated she tried to start her vehicle manually and the vehicle still would not start. She then had an independent mechanic arrive to her residence to diagnose the vehicle. The contact was informed that similar vehicles had experienced the same failure. The contact stated that she contacted the dealer and was informed that her vehicle was not under an open recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle would not start up. The vehicle was inspected by a locksmith and diagnosed with needing the electronic steering column lockbox replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was not available.
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle and attempting to start the vehicle, the contact depressed the Push to Start button and depressed on brake pedal to start the vehicle however, the vehicle would not start. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who inspected the vehicle and replaced the battery and the key slot to attempt to fix the issue however, the battery replacement failed to fix the vehicle. The contact called a local dealer and was informed over the phone that the failure could be related to the electronic steering locking module and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Drove car to to store came back 20 minutes later car would not start. Red key appear on dash - Had to have car towed. Informed Steering wheel lockout. Nissian award of problem, but never issue recall. Base on my research found out they did a voluntary bring in your car to fix problem, but no recall. Who is going to know they have a problem until it happens< The bring in your cechile program ended May 2020 during the pandemic. Now it's going to cost $1300 to repair, not counting money spent for tow and car rental. I have bought 3 Nissian never will I buy another one.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Nissan; DTC P0456 caused by evap leak at vent control valve o-ring
- OBD II evap
- Reduced performance due to CVT fluid temperature protection logic
- Summary to be provided on a future date.
- Service information
- Service information
- Service information
- Nissan: engine control module (ECM) needs inspection, reprogrammed and/or possible replaced exhaust...
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2009 Nissan Altima won't start
Is won't start a common problem on the 2009 Nissan Altima?
564 of 1,547 owner complaints about the 2009 Nissan Altima (36%) mention won't start. The model year with the most reports is 2009.
How much does it cost to fix won't start on the 2009 Nissan Altima?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 218 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 2009 Nissan Altima?
There are 0 recalls and 13 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2009 Nissan Altima
Steering lock-up 610Key fob 136Airbag light 41Stalling 32CVT failure 27Engine failure 25Loss of power 23Transmission failure 22Headlights 19Check engine light 18Door locks 15Sudden acceleration 12Whining noise 12No deployment 11Jerking 9Overheating 9Fire or smoke 7ABS 6Brake failure 6Warning lights 6Hesitation 5
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