On 12/26/15 I received a phone call from my mother stating that my 2009 Nissan Altima would not start and the intelligent key icon appeared on the dashboard. After she replaced the battery in the key fob to still only find out that the car still wont start. I contacted my local Nissan dealership for them to tow my car to their location. Once my car was towed and they inspected my vehicle I was told that the problem was the steering unit control lock. After doing some research I found that this was a common problem for all 2009 Nissan Altima and this particular part was replaced in all 2010 Altima. Furthermore, there was an extended warranty issued for 8 years unlimited mileage which expired on 9/25/15 for 2009 Nissan Altima for the same problem. So, when I asked the dealer about this they told me that I was out of the parameters and it will cost me $951 + tax. So, immediately I became upset I asked the dealer why I wasn't informed of this information when my car is regularly serviced at Nissan. They told me that sometimes the consumer is not informed. As a customer who is at Nissan several times a year and every 2-3 months for routine oil changes I think I should have been informed of the extended warranty. I followed up with Nissan Consumer Affairs and filed a claimed and was told it takes three days for them to make a decision regarding paying for my vehicle to be fixed. It has only been 24 hours since I spoke with Nissan and I am waiting for a decision to be made. I believe that this unfair to the consumer if the information was never given to the consumer via the dealer and you have service records to prove it. What I also found out from Nissan Consumer Affairs is if you aren't the original owner of the vehicle you will not receive notification unless the dealer tells you about it.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

My wife and I purchased a 2009 Nissan Altima in October 2009 and did not encounter any major issues until a few days ago. On 12/17/2015, my wife was left stranded in a parking lot outside a grocery store at night due to unable to start the car. We tried using a key fob with a good battery and jump starting the Altima, but it would change the car from 'lock' mode to 'on' mode (where the car can be started). We did extensive research, and found there were a tremendous number of 2009 Nissan Altima owners that had encountered the same issue, some stranded on the highway, and some in snow with kids. Many people post on blogs and youtube about this issue. We ended up having the car towed to a Nissan dealership for examination for $110, and their diagnosis result confirmed that the steering lock mechanism (part # 48700-9N00B) needed to be replaced ' they quoted us $1152 for part ($650) and labor. The part is for sales for $360 on amazon.com. Nissan usa was well aware of this issue, and they extended the warranty on the steering lock mechanism part for 3 years. However, we have not received any notice from them about this. As our car is 10 weeks out of the extended warranty window, Nissan usa won't cover the repair expenses. As a Nissan Altima owner for 13 years, we felt betrayed by Nissan ' they were supposed to keep the owners informed on this issue and should have issued a recall, or worked with the oem provider and dealers for a cost effective solution. Instead, they have kept the 2009 Nissan Altima owners in the dark, until many of them got stranded in danger. We sincerely urge you to investigate this issue, and help us and other fellow 2009 Nissan Altima owners. As of 12/2/2015, a google search of '2009 Nissan Altima steering lock failure' yielded 46,600 results. Sample online posts about the issue: goo.gl/nmyzji https://goo.gl/xul95H

- Dublin, OH, USA

Merry christmas Nissan! thanks for making it a memorable one. I drove to a relatives home the day after christmas. The car was parked on a city street. When I went to leave, the car would not start or do anything. A yellow key symbol appeared. The car would not start, nothing was happening. The brake was very stiff. No ability to shift. No radio or dash lights would work. I had to have the vehicle towed to a local Nissan dealership. Electronic steering lock failure at a cost of $900. I was then told by Nissan dealership that Nissan was well aware of the issue and they had added an extended warranty to fix the bad part but it had expired earlier in 2015. I only went to dealership 3 times with sterring lock issues previously only to be told that it was my fob not the steering lock. I have 2 fobs and questioned how 2 would be having issues. Never a good answer or option. Never was I told there was bad part that was covered under warranty! shady business, the part should be recalled for safety and negligence. What if it stopped working and locked while I was actually driving" I travel for work and what if it stopped in a bad area leaving me stranded? what if it was extreme cold or heat" the issue is that Nissan knows about a bad part but have left customers to pay $900 to fix their bad part leaving people in danger. There are countless stories online about this same issue. Nissan changed the part in approx 2010. They need to own their mistake and stop leaving people stranded in harms way. I don't understand why Nissan is allowed to make a bad part, know that the bad part will disable the car and leave people stranded without any notice. The consumer gets insult to injury and has to pay for Nissan's mistake at a $900 cost. Again, merry christmas Nissan.

- Tumwater, WA, USA

12-13-2015 failed electronic steering lock which stranded us on the side of the road with the windows down exposing personal items and our personal safety for a part the manufacture has recognized as faulty and extended the warranty until 120 days before the part fails. 715 times" does someone have to die in a snow storm or get hit on the interstate before action will be taken on this" the part by itself was $715 from the dealer. Make this problem right before someone dies if they haven't already.

- Buda, TX, USA

Steering lock assy. Became defective while away from home and had to be towed to Nissan dealer, was told the new assy. Had warranty good for 12month/12000miles after repairs were made. This may be a safety feature for the car itself but becomes a safety hazard for the occupants if it breaks down in a hazards area away from home or in a area of bad weather itself. The dealer informed me that there was an extended warranty of 72mons.or unlimited mileage added to the original 36mon./ 36000miles for this part. I was not notified or aware of this add-on. So it seems there was reason for concern by the car maker by adding the additional warranty. It was a out of pocket expense for me and no guarantee the car would not brake down again since I do not know if the new replacement part is any better than the one that broke! my car was beyond the additional warranty. I do not trust the car, it could break down at a really unsafe location next time if there is a next time. I need security for me and my family! thank you P.S. the car had been turn off luckily in a post office parking lot, but would not re start under any circumstance when we were ready to go on.

- Van Buren, AR, USA

Was stuck at work over the weekend. Car did not work. Intelligent car key remote changed new battery and still did not work had to tow to dealer Nissan, was told to run a diagnostic test on the car, and found out the electronic steering lock is not working. Ive checked online and found out alot people have the same promble that I had. The cost to replace cost about $1200. Since too many people have the same problem. Nissan should have recall all the 09 model. I want Nissan reimburse the cost of replacing new lock.

- Lino Lakes, MN, USA

When driving my car to work, I stopped for a drink; after coming out of the store, my car would not start, either with the remote fob or by placing the fob in the key port. I had aaa tow my car home so I could try jumping the car, replacing the battery in the key fob, then replacing the battery in the car with a brand new one. At that point, I saw the "key ignition" light on the dashboard. Pressing the ignition button does nothing, but the door locks respond to the key fob and the lights work fine. I searched the internet and found myriad complaints about this same issue, that it was related to the steering wheel lock mechanism. It should be noted that my steering wheel has never locked in place when the care is turned off. Concerned about the status of my car, my neighbor told us that a friend had had the same situation, with the same error message, and he was able to get the part and labor serviced at no cost to him.

- West Valley City, UT, USA

The steering lock has failed. I wasn't sure what was wrong at first but then after researching, I found this to be a known problem. I was stuck in a car that would not start in below freezing temps. After watching a couple of youtube videos, I was able to get my car started and able to get it home where it is still sitting. Please advise if my car is under the warranty on this part.

- Oregon, OH, USA

Car left me sit due to steering wheel lock needing replaced. It affects the push start ignition and the brake pedal too. Upon researching, I found that this was a common problem and that Nissan fixed some at no charge but others had to spend $1000 and up to repair it. There are copious amounts of complaints regarding this same issue and I suspect that Nissan are fixing some to appease those who are pushing for a recall. My vehicle was stopped at a rest area on the pa turnpike to use the restroom and when I returned the car would not start when I pushed the button. The brake was also very hard to push. The key fob battery light came on and the key fob holder in the dash also was flashing. I started looking for ideas to help us on the internet and right away the steering wheel lock information came up with pages and pages of complaints regarding this same repair. We had car towed to closest dealership to have them diagnose it as the steering wheel lock. I cannot believe with all the complaints online that this has not been recalled. What if that would start a fire?

- Camp Hill, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan Altima. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, it failed to start without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering lock assembly failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

- Memphis, TN, USA

My daughter went to start her 2009 Altima upon exiting a walmart and car would not start or respond. Car uses a smart key to start and instrument panel displayed key problem. Raining and cold she tried many options without any success. I told her to call aaa and have it towed to premier Nissan. The next day they determined it was the steering column control unit and it would have to be replaced. They said Nissan is aware of the problem and extended the warranty to Feb. 2015 and this date has passed therefore I would have to pay $1,093 for the repair. Nissan should have had a recall to correct this. This is a safety hazard depending on where you get stranded with no prior warning. A company like aaa can not even help you except to tow you. There needs to be a recall! I would think this could happen while you were driving and cause the steering to lock.

- Destrehan, LA, USA

I left church today to get in my car only to find that my car would not start. I had to incur towing expenses for a defect that Nissan is aware of that stops working with no warning, leaving Nissan customers stranded. I was informed that the steering lock column is the problem. The steering lock column has been shown to be a defective part which is causing thousands of Nissan customers to be stranded and expensive out of pocket cost. The part needs to be recalled but instead was extended to six years only, which did not allow for the part to be replaced unless it was showing signs of being broken. This part costs $650 and labor runs about $350. Nissan needs to recall this part for 09 Nissan Altima. This continues to be an issue for 2009 and 2010 Nissan owners.

- Macon, GA, USA

Steering lock failure.

- Carrollton, TX, USA

I went out to start my 2009 Nissan Altima. It has a push to start button. It wouldn't start. To much avail we had to have it towed to the dealership. They confirmed our thoughts, it was the steering wheel lock that went bad. Nissan apparently has known about this issue as they extended the warranty on this part to 6 years unlimited miles. Mine went out 6 months after the extended warranty. This could be a serious issue if you were stranded somewhere without being able to get your car started. This part needs to be recalled.

- Eagle Mountain, UT, USA

We unfortunately are joining the growing ranks of 2009-10 Nissan Altima owners who experienced failure in the steering control unit. We were fortunate it happened in our own alley. I'd stopped the car to unload groceries and when I tried to start it again, it only let me open and lock the doors. Otherwise, it was frozen and blocking the alley to all our neighbors. We'd been on a trip in January 2015 that would have been disastrous if it happened then. (less than 36 hours after the long road trip my husband had a heart attack. If this failure happened during that drive, he wouldn't be alive today.) we had no idea there was an issue with our 2009 Nissan until it happened. This car (and two other Nissan vehicles) had been totally reliable. Nissan responded saying our warranty expired in Feb 2015 and didn't cover the almost $1200 cost in any way. We feel robbed and abandoned by Nissan. Once we researched this, we're very concerned this issue has happened to so many 2009-10 owners. This is a safety issue and should be a recall! we were looking at another Nissan and are doing better research into competitors before we take that step.

- Dallas, TX, USA

Dec 7, 2015 climbed in car at 8 am, would not start. The key light was on but the dash did not light up as normal when you put your foot on the brake and push the start button. Could not get it out of the "locked" position. Called local dealer and he offered no help, nor ideas of what could be wrong. Told me to "bring it in". didn't even tell ne how to unlock the gear so I could push car out of garage. Took 2 calls to get this info. Checked online for issues, found escl problem, called dealer back. Only then did he remember something about that issue. My car is 7 weeks out of warranty, great shape, 68164 miles. Called Nissan and spoke with Consumer Affairs, filed complaint. Received a call the next day that they were "considering" my issue/concern/complaint. Told me they would have an answer in 3 days. Why not give me an answer when they called?

- Snellville, GA, USA

Steering lock control unit failure. Though vehicle is in good condition this is default from Nissan side where the system is unable to recognize its own key. Due to the software failure and lock down of steering, car cannot start and we are forced to go to dealer who will just rip off customer $1000 just to rectify there mistake during manufacturing.

- San Jose, CA, USA

My car would not start and the intelligent key warning light was on. This happened with no warning (the car drove fine 1 hour before). I was stranded and had to get the car towed to the nearest dealership. The problem was the infamous escl unit (electronic steering control lock). I was informed that the warranty had been extended to unlimited miles and 5 years...and expired 6 months ago. $1028 worth of repairs later the car will start again. No help from Nissan.

- Charlottesville, VA, USA

My family and I were stranded in the middle of the night last week for several hours for my car to be towed cause the engine would not start and jump start the battery did not work. After towed it home and research / diagnostic, found out that it is a well know that the steering lock box is defective. However, calling Nissan dealer about it and will not make the recall on the part. My car just die after 5 years. 3 months after the extended warranty. My dealer will not fix it and Nissan will not assist to get it fix either. They keep wanting me to bring it to the deal for diagnostic, when in-fact it is obvious that the steering lock bock is disabled the car from starting. I brought it in, and they kept telling me no recall and want me to pay for it (almost $1,000), yet recommending me to fix other issues saying it could have been tune up needed that why my car would not start.. ugh!!!

- San Ramon, CA, USA

He 2009 Nissan Altima has a defective "steering lock" which causes owners to be unable to start their vehicles. This defect can affect owners of the 2009 Nissan Altima without warning and without cause. When this issue occurs the only way to resolve the issue is to have the car towed to a Nissan dealership to have the faulty steering lock replaced. The car cannot be started at all. Thus, owners of the 2009 Nissan Altima continuously find themselves stuck in very inconveniant circumstances with no ability to drive their car. This can be very dangerous for drivers who are in remote or dangerous areas. Nissan is very aware of this issue. They have extended the warranty of the 2009 Nissan Altima steering lock to 6 years with infinite miles. That warranty expired May 2015. Nissan says they mailed notices, but cannot produce a copy for me to see, nor can they provide the date it to me or proof that they indeed did mail it. Due to this known issue and defect, I was stranded, had to have car towed to dealer, paid $1167 for the repair, and Nissan wont reimburse me.

- Rowlett, TX, USA