CarComplaints.com Notes: You don't want to get 2009 and 2010 Altima owners started about their cars. That is, unless, you know how to start their cars.

These vehicles can suddenly become impossible to start thanks to a faulty electronic steering column lock (ESCL). Nissan dealers will gladly replace it, but that will run you $1000.

More info & videos about the Nissan ESCL defect are available over at NissanProblems.com.

It's one of the many reasons this car was named CarTalk's Turd of the Week and given our Beware of this Clunker badge. Two dubious honors.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
61,672 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2009 Nissan Altima miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2009 Nissan Altima:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2009 Nissan Altima Owner Comments (Page 3 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #103

Dec 202017

Altima

  • 115,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recall my steering lock just went out on my 2009 Nissan Altima I just purchased this car last year however I did not know it had an extended warranty up until 2015 for the steering lock if this car is still being sold through dealerships it should be told to the buyer of any recall issues that have went on prior however I'm still making payments on this car and I have a $1,200 problem that needs to be fixed and because I bought the car one year after the extended warranty is up ifile to have to pay all these expenses out of my pocket which is nowhere right

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #102

Dec 222017

Altima

  • 100,000 miles
Car caught on fire completely totaled. It was driven less than 2 miles parked and shut off. Within 15 minutes the car was completely engulfed in flames.

- Franklinville, NJ, USA

problem #101

Dec 052017

Altima

  • 65,000 miles
I love my Altima. But recently it's an expensive pain in the neck. Recently my airbag lights came on. Took it to the mechanic and he said my airbag sensors are not working. Since the sensors is in the seat, I have to pay $3,100 to replace the bottom cuahion in the passenger side of my car. My has wasn't in an accident, there was no moisture in my car to cause this problem. I've looked online and airbag sensor on the passenger side of Altima has gotten a lot of complaints. This is not a cheap fix and there's too many Nissan owners complaining about their 2009 nisaan Altima passenger airbag sensor failure. Nissan need to fix this before someone gets hurt.

- Portsmouth, VA, USA

problem #100

May 012014

Altima

  • 22,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My entire dashboard is melting and it's very sticky.. the glare is a major concern that could possibly cause an accident. It doesn't matter if it's day or night it's difficult to see out of the windshield.

- Galveston, TX, USA

problem #99

Oct 082017

Altima

  • 142,956 miles
Car will not start and key lock is on as well as the red light with the car flashing inside of the car. I looked the problem up and it stated something about it being a steering mechanism. I was parked in a restaurant got out to get my food and came back to the car and car wouldn't start.

- Tunica, MS, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #98

Sep 152015

Altima

  • 75,000 miles
I have 2009 Nissan Altima and it has a very sticky, shiny dashboard. Some part of the dashboard is so shiny that it creates a glare on windshield during daytime when it is sunny outside and makes it very difficult to see the other cars, pedestrians etc.during driving. This a huge safety concern and should be take care of by Nissan asap.

- Missouri City, TX, USA

problem #97

Aug 122017

Altima

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Key locking mechanism stalled engine

- Abbeville, SC, USA

problem #96

Aug 022017

Altima

  • 125,000 miles
I purchased a Nissan Altima 09 and haven't had any issues until 8/03/17. As I went to turn the car on a light came up on the dash board indicating that there was an issue with the steering lock. I figured it was a quick fix so I called my local dealership and they told me it's a faulty steering lock and asked for me to bring my car in. I had to call out of work to try and resolve this ongoing issue. I looked on online for possible solutions and couldn't find any but I did find that many Nissan Altima 09 owners were dealing with the same problem. I have no warranty on my car but there has to be a way to fix my car so I won't be stranded and won't have to pay 600$ for a small part...

- Bridgeport, CT, USA

problem #95

Jul 172016

Altima

  • miles
Catalytic converter not working causing the car to drive ineffectively, car speed declines and sometimes the car rpms stay at 3000 and won't accelerate.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #94

Apr 302017

Altima

  • miles
Cpsc:my 2009 Nissan Altima caught fire while driving down the highway. The car was engulfed in flames in little over 2 minutes. Whole car burned. Updated 05/10/2017

- Danielson, CT, USA

problem #93

Apr 262017

Altima

  • 0 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I bought the car at roughly 54K miles. Approximately around 62K, the air conditioner stopped blowing cold air. I work on residential ac units. My pressures are equalized. I bypassed the pressure switch temporarily during diagnostics to see if the pressure switch was the issue. The problem continued when bypassed.the issue is either the clutch specifically or the compressor is bad. Here recently, I have noticed a "jerking" motion when attempting to accelerate. Obviously, this will be the shift solenoid or the cvt. Cvt fluid is good. These issues have been going on with 2009 Altima for over 8 years now. Why hasn't there been a recall" what is required to get a recall in effect" there have been multiple complaints regarding cvts, start/stop procedures, and ac problems, but not one recall concerning this has happened. Nissan refuses to help.

- Sanford, FL, USA

problem #92

Jan 012013

Altima

  • miles
This is a known issue with this vehicle which the manufacturer will not remedy. Toyota will replace on they're vehicles, but not Nissan.the dash from the intense heat in South Florida, has become sticky and is cracking. In some areas, it can become shiny causing a glare in the windshield. The windows were tinted and a heatshield is always in the inside windshield. Armorall or similar products, were never used when maintained. Only soap and water on a cloth. I have contacted Nissan but they will not address as it is out of warranty. It is costly to replace with the same issue reocurring.

- Clarksburg, MD, USA

problem #91

Dec 062016

Altima

  • miles
Takada recall- the car was stationay and would not start.

- Jackson, MS, USA

problem #90

Feb 012017

Altima

  • miles
Issues with steering wheel which leads to the car not turning on at all.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #89

Feb 012017

Altima

  • miles
Issue with steering wheel that causes the car not to turn

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #88

Feb 022017

Altima

  • 135,000 miles
On Thursday February 2, 2017 approximately 5:45 pm, I was driving in the middle of on kirkwood highway in newark, de which is 3 lanes. The car began to shake and hesitate to take off. While in the middle of heavy traffic the car finally stopped accelerating and would not move. I had my 3 year old son in the back seat at the time. An passerby finally pulled up behind me and helped me push my car out of the middle of the highway to the left turn lane so that I wasn't blocking the flow of traffic. After about 2 hours, a tow truck finally came and towed the car to benchmark transmission in newark, de. The mechanic named dante advised that the transmission had died. He also notified me that this was a known recall issued by Nissan several years back which my transmission was now out of recall due to the mileage. My car was in the Nissan service department in November 2012 to fix the electronic steering column lock that also turned into a recall. At that time Nissan had my updated address as well as it has been continuously updated with the Delaware dmv and I was never notified of any recall. There was also no indication that any issue was occurring with the transmission (no check engine light) prior to the incident. I want Nissan to be held accountable for this incident. The cost of repair will be in upwards of $4,000

- Newark, DE, USA

problem #87

Jan 292017

Altima

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. While driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle stalled and did not start again. The contact thought the battery died and went to get jumper cables. When he returned, the vehicle was on fire. The fire and police departments were present and a report was filed. The vehicle was not destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was invalid. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

- Potts Town, PA, USA

problem #86

Jan 272017

Altima

  • miles
While visiting a local park I came back to my car to find it unable to be started. It is an automatic start and the key fob battery had been replaced but it was a faulty part within the car, the electronic steering column lock, that prevented me from being able to start my car. I was left stranded in this park while it was getting dark and I was by myself for 4 hours before a truck could get to me.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #85

Jan 182017

Altima

  • 149,900 miles
Came out of the store couldn't start vehicle all of a sudden, wheel wouldn't turn, brakes were hard to step on, "key" light on! doors able to unlock and lock and trunk. Towed 3X nobody could fix it said needs to go back to Nissan nobody could even get a diagnostic output on it..sitting at Nissan now waiting for them to tell me cost which I can't afford a dime, missed work single M w disabled very sick son..luckily he wasn't with me! I even changed battery in key fob made no difference.I googled my car and seen all the same exact complaints as mine!,very sad and upset

- Montgomery, IL, USA

problem #84

Jan 122017

Altima

  • 73,965 miles
After my 4.5 hr. Shift at the hospital, I went out to start my car & it wouldn't start. It showed "no key". I had battery power but the owner's manual showed that the fob was not connecting to the car. I was stranded and it was below zero temperatures. The next day after changing the batteries in the fob, my son brought me to the car. Still no starting it. We had to tow the car to a dealer who proceeded to charge me $1301 dollars to fix. It was the "defective steering lock module" (exact words on the bill) and I needed a new battery even though it was only 2 years old. The dealer didn't know why my battery was affected but it would no longer hold a charge. When I looked on ebay for the steering part, it was $350. Nissan charged me double. I asked the dealer why the double charge, they said "who knows, call Nissan." When I asked why this "defective part" was not recalled, the reply was "Nissan offered an extension on the warranty. You should have been notified." This is a safety issue as there was no warning of it's going out and Nissan knows about it.

- Andover, MN, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

Not what you are looking for?