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2009 Nissan Cube problems

The most common problem on the 2009 Nissan Cube is steering, typically around 79,000 miles. It has 3.3 times the complaints of a typical Cube model year.

Year to avoid3.3x the typical complaints
Year score
31/100
Owner complaints
101
Recalls
3
Service bulletins
88
Worst area
Steering
Fuel economy
26-29mpg

The worst 2009 Nissan Cube problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 2009 Nissan Cube

Steering lock-up 13Won't start 12Transmission failure 7CVT failure 6

Recalls 3

Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator moduleReported April 9, 2026 · 47,928 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2009-2010 Cube vehicles. The driver’s air bag inflator may rupture or detach from the steering wheel during air bag deployment.
Risk
A driver's air bag that ruptures or detaches can strike the driver or other occupants, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the front air bag inflator serial number, and replace the inflator as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2026. Owners may contact Nissan's customer service at 800‑647‑7261. Nissan's number for this recall is R26A1. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on beginning April 14, 2026.

Recall number 26V230000 · Recall details

Fuel system, gasoline: storageReported July 22, 2010 · 46,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Nissan is recalling model year 2009-2010 nissan cube vehicles manufactured from january 30, 2009 through july 30, 2010. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 301, "fuel system integrity." when the vehicle was rotated following a rear moving barrier crash test as required, the amount of fuel leakage exceeded the allowable limits.
Risk
Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will develop a special protector and attach it to the gasoline recirculation tube at the location of the filler neck connector. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on september 13, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.

Recall number 10V330000 · Recall details

Tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systemsReported October 5, 2009 · 143,223 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, massachusetts, maine, maryland, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, washington d.c., west virginia and wisconsin. The material in the nut used to secure the sensor-transmitter of the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) may corrode and potentially crack in areas with heavy concentrations of road salt. If this occurs, the nut may come out of the sensor-transmitter and the TPMS lamp will illuminate.
Risk
If the TPMS lamp is disregarded and the vehicle continues to be driven in this condition, the tire will quickly lose air pressure at a consistent rate resulting in a flat tire increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
The dealer will replace the TPMS nut with a new, more robust nut. This service will be performed free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before november 9, 2009. Owners may contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261 and infiniti at 1‑800‑662‑6200.

Recall number 09V393000 · Recall details

See all 3 recalls for the 2009 Nissan Cube

Defect investigations

Driver Airbag Inflator RuptureOpened June 13, 2025, closed September 3, 2026

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE25005 on June 13, 2025, to assess the scope, root cause, and potential defect in 2009 Model Year (MY) Nissan Cube vehicles equipped with Takata PSDI-X air bag inflators.At the time the investigation was opened, analysis by Nissan and Takata (now New Leaf LLC) indicated that a rupture occurred at a weld point between the inflator cap and housing in a 2009 MY Nissan Cube.Nissan ruled out the propellant degradation root cause characteristic of the larger, well known, Takata recall, and instead identified a welding root cause. On April 9, 2026, Nissan North America, Inc. submitted a Part 573 Safety Recall Report to address the weld defect.Recall 26V230 includes the 28,388 2009 MY vehicles identified in the opening resume for this investigation and expands the population to include 2010 MY Nissan Cube vehicles for a total population of 47,928 vehicles produced between October 10, 2008, and September 25, 2010.Nissan identified the driver’s front air bag inflator (Takata PSDI-X, Part Number 98560-7991C) produced by TK Services Inc. within a specific lot may contain an improper body weld seal to the inflator base. This improper weld can cause the air bag module to detach from the steering wheel during deployment, increasing the risk of injury to the occupant in the event of a crash. Dealers will inspect the serial number on the driver’s air bag inflator in recalled vehicles to identify the air bag inflator lot. If the inflator is part of the affected lot, the dealer will remove and replace it with a new inflator manufactured by a different supplier. This repair will be performed free of charge. See the federal safety agency Recall No. 26V230 for further details. Based on Nissan's recall action, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed.

PE25005

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpened September 17, 2021, still open

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

EA21002

Technical service bulletins for the 2009 Nissan Cube 88

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 88 bulletins for the 2009 Nissan Cube

2009 Nissan Cube fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
1.8L 4‑cylFWD24-2829-3026-29

What 2009 Nissan Cube owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jul 27, 2026 · Airbags · MA

Recall issued. Kelly Nissan of 275 Broadway, Lynnfield MA 01940 told me to check back in a month to see if the parts were then available then a month later told me the parts were no longer being manufactured and were unavailable.

Filed Jul 6, 2026 · Airbags · TX

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Cube. The contact received notification of NTHSA Campaign Number: 26V230000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the dealer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Filed Jun 22, 2026 · Airbags · FL

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Cube. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 26V230000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that parts were on back order. The contact was later informed that the parts were not available and were no longer manufactured. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Filed Jun 16, 2025 · Brakes, Wheels · CA

The TPMS light keeps flashing off and on and all my tires are the pressure they're supposed to be

Filed May 3, 2025 · Steering · CA

2009 Cube would not start. Steering wheel locked prevented me from starting the car. Called AAA and they tried to jump start and still would not start. AAA towed my car to Capital Nissan in San Jose and they confirmed it was the Steering Lock Unit. Replaced and charged me 1363.46. After researching online there was a recall (not my Cube and I don't know why) back in 2011. I also found that "recalls never expired". I feel because this incident happened at a later time the Steering Lock Unit became defective. I've noticed the warning light on my dashboard for awhile but it was off and on and have been taking my car for maintenance over the years at Premier Nissan (now called Capitol Nissan in San Jose) and thought maybe the tech would find the problem. I feel because it was defective and recalled I shouldn't have to pay for parts and labor. Also on my Invoice they wrote down the mileage as 140000 and that is not true. My Cube has 138000.

Filed Jan 5, 2024 · Engine · NJ

Many complaints about the nissian cube... the battery are good and even put new batteries in the key fob.. the car isn't registering it and steering wheel is locked bc is a security feature.. many complaints online for these.. is this a recall yet?

Filed Jan 21, 2023 · Electrical · VA

Started my car at 9. Went to start my car at 10. Wouldn’t start. The escl has failed.

Filed Jan 1, 2022 · Fuel system · TX · fire

Unknown

Filed Nov 10, 2021 · Airbags · 142,000 miles · MD

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Cube. The contact stated that the horn failed to operate as needed while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where he was informed that the clockspring was defective and needed to be replaced. The contact was also informed that if the clockspring was not replaced, the air bags may not deploy in the event of a crash. The manufacturer informed him that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.

Filed Aug 7, 2020 · 141,500 miles · TX

The back door latch/lock doesn't work. It permanently locked and can't be unlocked with key or electronic key fob. The vehicle was parked and locked in my apartment designated space. When I tried to open the trunk, it wouldn't unlock. My research on the cube owner's blog indicated several others had the same problem. They had estimates from dealers of several hundred dollars to repair the lock. Nissan dealers are aware of the problem. It requires replacing the entire locking mechanism. There are a few instructional videos on line of how to repair the lock. It requires removing back door inside of vehicle.

Used buying checklistWhat to check on a 2009 Nissan Cube before you buy

Compare the 2009 Nissan Cube

Other model years

200920102011201220132014

Questions about the 2009 Nissan Cube

Is the 2009 Nissan Cube reliable?

Owners have filed 101 complaints about the 2009 Nissan Cube, 3.3 times a typical Cube model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.

What is the 2009 Nissan Cube year score?

The 2009 Nissan Cube scores 31 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the Nissan Cube: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2009 Nissan Cube?

Steering, with 23 complaints, typically around 79,000 miles. Next is electrical (22).

How many recalls does the 2009 Nissan Cube have?

3 recalls, covering air bags, fuel system, gasoline and tires.

What year does the Nissan Cube have bad steering?

The Nissan Cube model years with the most steering complaints are 2009 (23 complaints) and 2010 (17 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2009 Nissan Cube get?

Official estimates for the 2009 Nissan Cube range from 26 to 29 mpg combined. The most efficient version (1.8L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 24-28 city and 29-30 highway.

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