DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗2009 Nissan Altima steering problems
moderate 858 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $700 · see steering across all vehicles →
Failure mileage
Complaints
858
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$700
4crashes
1fire
When does it fail?
Of the 858 steering complaints filed for the 2009 Nissan Altima, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 75,000-100,000 mi.
0-25k
25-50k
50-75k
75-100k
100-125k
125-150k
150k+
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
How fast does it fail?
Cumulative share of the 12 mileage-bearing steering complaints filed against the 2009 Nissan Altima by each odometer reading. Median failure: 80,000 mi.
10% have failed by70,000 mi
Half the fleet by80,000 mi
90% have failed by125,000 mi
Curve based on owner-reported odometer mileage at the time of complaint. Reflects when owners filed, not when symptoms first appeared. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve.
What stands out
Of the 18 model years of Nissan Altima we track for steering problems, this one carries the most owner complaints on file — 858.
Steering accounts for 55% of every owner complaint on file for this vehicle — the dominant problem area across 12 categories tracked.
Is there a fix? Manufacturer service bulletins
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering steering on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN 2009 â 2010 MAXIMA AND ALTIMA ELECTRONIC STEERING COLUMN LOCK Voluntary Service Campaign ID # PC516 is No Longer Active. ï· Repair orders opened after May 28, 2020 are no longer eligible for reimbursement under Campaign ID # PC516. ï· Discard previous versions of NTB17-018.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Expiration Notification â Electronic Steering Column Lock (ESCL) Voluntary Service Campaign UPDATE May 14, 2020 Please discard earlier versions of this bulletin. The original announcement from February 21, 2017 has been revised to include: ï· Service Comm will deactivate PC516 on any unremedied VINs on May 29, 2020. ï· Dealers may continue to schedule and repair vehicles eligible for this service campaign up to and including May 28, 2020. ï· Vehicles presented for repair after May 28, 2020 will not be covered by this service campaign and any repair will be performed at customer expense if no service contract exists. o Either of the following parts may be used for service repairs at cust
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Electronic Steering Column Lock (ESCL) Voluntary Service Campaign UPDATE March 6, 2020 Please discard earlier versions of this bulletin. The original announcement from February 21, 2017 has been revised to include: ï· - Service Comm will deactivate PC516 on any unremedied VINs on May 29, 2020. ï· - Dealers may continue to schedule and repair vehicles eligible for this service campaign up to and including May 29, 2020. ï· - Vehicles presented for repair after May 29, 2020 will not be covered by this service campaign and any repair will be performed at customer expense if no service contract exists.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
The failure pattern owners describe
The 2009 Nissan Altima's electronic steering column lock (ESCL) fails without warning, locking the steering wheel and preventing engine start while the car is parked. Owners describe turning off their engines at work or gas stations, then finding the vehicle completely unresponsive—key fob unlocks the doors, but the push button ignition goes dead. The steering wheel stays locked, the brake pedal stiffens, and a yellow "intelligent key" warning light appears on the dash.
Failures happen across the board: vehicles with 26,000 to 75,000+ miles, low mileage used purchases, regularly serviced cars. Cold weather seems to trigger it more often. Preliminary warning signs—flashing "no key" lights or slow starts—sometimes precede total failure by weeks or months, but many cars fail without any hint.
Nissan knows this is a chronic problem. They removed the ESCL from 2010+ Altimas, Maximas, and Muranos. They recalled it on GTR and 370Z models. For the 2009 Altima, they issued a 6-year warranty extension instead. But owners say they never got the notice, or it arrived to a previous owner's address. Repair costs hit $700–$1,300 parts and labor, with dealers quoting $900–$1,100 total. Many parts sit on backorder because so many cars need them. Nissan denies coverage once the warranty expires—even if it expires 9 days before your failure, even if the failure occurs shortly after you've had the car serviced there. Owners report dealers sometimes tied warranty approval to unrelated repairs.
Same Nissan Altima steering reports on nearby years: 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2010 · 2011
Failure modes owners describe
Electronic Steering Column Lock (ESCL) Malfunction
The ESCL unit fails to detect the key fob presence or properly unlock the steering wheel, preventing engine start. The part fails without warning while the vehicle is parked, rendering it completely immobilized. Owners report the steering wheel locks up and the push-button ignition becomes unresponsive. In some cases, owners describe preliminary warning signs such as flashing 'no key' lights or intermittent key-recognition errors before total failure.
When: Failures occur across a wide mileage range (26,000 to 75,000+ miles documented). Several owners report failures occurring 6–10 weeks after the extended warranty expired (6 years from manufacture). Cold weather appears to correlate with some failures. Most failures occur while vehicle is parked; one owner reports failure during highway travel 300+ miles from home.
Symptoms owners cite: Push-button ignition will not respond; engine will not turn over or attempt to start; Steering wheel locked in place; cannot be turned; Brake pedal stiff and difficult or impossible to press; Key fob still unlocks/locks doors but car will not start; Yellow or amber 'intelligent key' warning light on dashboard; Flashing 'no key present' indicator light despite key present in vehicle; No dashboard illumination except warning lights; Car cannot be shifted out of 'Park' mode; Preliminary warning signs: intermittent 'no key' warnings, delayed start response, funny sounds when starting (weeks to months before total failure in some cases)
Codes mentioned: 48700-9N00B (steering lock mechanism part number cited by owners), 48700-JF00A (GTR/370Z equivalent part, also failing), 48700-JF00B (GTR/370Z equivalent part, also failing), 48700-JF00C (replacement part for GTR recall), Electronic Steering Column Lock (ESCL) control unit malfunction
Repairs/costs cited: Dealers quote repair costs between $662 and $1,344 including labor (part alone typically $500–$700, labor $400–$600). One owner reports part available on Amazon for $360 while dealer quoted $650. Parts frequently on backorder due to high failure volume. Replacement requires Nissan-specific scan tool and reprogramming, typically only available at Nissan dealerships. Some owners report temporary workarounds: tapping the module with a hammer to release the lock pin, pulling the ESCL fuse (disables anti-theft function), or inserting a zip tie or bolt to hold the column open—all unsafe long-term solutions. One dealer cited tow cost of $110–$327; most towing quoted separately at $50–$110.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Nissan issued an extended warranty covering ESCL unit from 3 years/36,000 miles to 6 years/unlimited miles (effective approximately 2013, expiring 2015–2020 depending on vehicle purchase date). Nissan did not issue a recall, classifying it as a 'known issue' requiring warranty extension instead. Owners report Nissan stated this is not a safety issue and therefore no recall necessary. Nissan removed the ESCL part entirely from 2010+ Altima models, Maximas, Muranos, and performed recalls on GTR and 370Z models with the same part (part numbers 48700-JF00A/JF00B replaced by 48700-JF00C under campaign P0309). One owner reports a later voluntary service campaign to replace ESCL with Electronic Steering Column Box (ESCB). Nissan sent Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) to service shops. Owners report Nissan refuses assistance after warranty expiration and directs them to dealers. Many owners state they never received notification of extended warranty despite being regular service customers. One owner reports dealer attempted to condition warranty coverage on unrelated repairs. No compensation offered to owners outside warranty window.
Synthesized from 858 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 15 most recent
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Nissan altima. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start and the steering wheel would not unlock. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering lock assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
Was out shopping at costco, came out of store and car would not start. Intelligent key indicator light was displaying on the dash. The brake pedal would not depress and push button would not start the car. Tried to manually override by inserting the key fob in the slot - still would not start. As I was stranded had to call husband to come get me. Had him bring other key fob, still would not…
My car was running fine and received a warning light that the battery needed to be replaced in my intelligent key fob. Went to start car and it would not start and the warning light still appeared. We replaced battery in fob and still the car would not start. After talking with dealer we find that the steering lock mechanism going out was a very common problem and they had 5 incidents of it…
On 12/28/2012 my 2009 Nissan altima displayed a yellow key warning indicator on my dash board. Thinking that it was my key battery, I had it changed and the light went away for 2 days. On sunday, 12/30/2012 it reappeared as I was driving to a christmas gathering. Afterwards I went to my car and tried to start it up. The yellow key warning still appeared on my dashboard but no other response…
I went to start 2009 Nissan altima car would not start. It was not something simple as a battery or starter and there was no way to start the car. It completely locked up. We ended up having to have the car towed and discovered that the steering lock unit was broken. The repair shop did research and testing and found out that this is a known issue from Nissan with no recall. Nissan indicated…
Power steering lock, has broke again after being fixed just 50,000 miles before. It is time for a recall. This happened in situation where I could do nothing to fix it. Getting a tow and a bill of over 1000 is not my version of a good day. Recall!!
Parked car at a planet fitness because my 6 year old autistic daughter was having a meltdown. When that was all and done with we come back to the car and it will not turn on. The no key icon comes on the left top side the lock sign is blinking, and no key in the middle red sign. . My children and I are stranded. *tr
Nissan altima 2009 has a defective steering lock system. Suddenly this evening after work when I get back to the car, it just did not start. This is a dangerous situation if it would have happened any remote place and I would have been stranded. I see there have been several people complained about this on the internet but Nissan has not recalled this car. Please investigate and take appropriate…
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Nissan altima. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact mentioned that the dealer was contact and informed her that the warning light was regarding that the steering wheel seized. The contact stated the steering wheel was stiff, the brakes and the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was not diagnosed or…
Recently my 2009 Nissan altima experience a steering column lock failure that left my car incompacitated (unable to start) and left me in freezing cold temperatures.
Had steering trouble with your 2009 Nissan Altima?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the steering problem on the 2009 Nissan Altima?
It's a documented issue but not catastrophic. 858 complaints have been filed. Repairs average $700 and most owners catch it before it causes a breakdown.
At what mileage does the steering typically fail?
Across the 696 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most steering failures cluster between 60,070 and 106,000 miles, with the median around 80,000. A quarter of owners report trouble before 60,070; a quarter make it past 106,000. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $700 for steering repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to steering?
No active recalls currently cover steering issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2009/Nissan/Altima.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.