Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||||
| NTB12-009 | 02/03/2012 | 10043735 | Nissan: door lock/unlock inoperative with intelligent key. *kb | 04/24/2012 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 02/26/2013 | |||
| After i was finished working i got in my car to go home. i put my foot on the brake and pushed the start button. nothing happened. i saw an icon of a key in the upper left hand corner of the dash. i took out my owners manual to see what that meant. i read that the remote battery might need to be replaced. i went into the home depot where i work and bought new batteries. i replaced the battery but now i was getting a no key icon. i called the nissan dealer where i bought my car for some advice. they said maybe the remote lost its memory so i called my husband to bring me the extra key. he came.we tried again but it did not start. the no key came up again. after trying for two hours i called aaa for a tow to my mechanic. the next day i went to my nissan dealer.i told him what happened and he said it is the steering lock computer. it would cost about $850. he also said this is a problem with this car. this problem should be recalled by nissan. | |||
| 02/14/2013 | 75000 | ||
| Leaving work to go to lunch and my altima wont start. push button start not responding and will not move from lock position. changed the battery to my car along with battery for key. still nothing. after doing research on the internet i found that my problem is the steering lock control module, which seems to be a big problem for several other people as well. my brother was able to locate the steering control module and held in the start button, and the break and at the same time he tapped on the module and my car started. we were able to drive it home thankfully without calling a tow truck. 100% without a doubt that is the problem with my car and it will need replaced. i am scared to drive my car anywhere because i dont want to get stranded somewhere. i started my car the next morning and it did start, who knows how long it will last until the part fails again. i will need this replaced but really feel as through nissan should be doing something about this problem due to the hundreds of people with the very same problem. | |||
| 01/19/2013 | 41000 | ||
| After shopping my car would not start. i had to flatbed it to the dealer. the dealer replaced the steering lock (part 48700-9n00a). the car's mileage and time was slightly out of warranty (41000 & 41 months vs 36000 & 36 months). the new redesigned steering lock (part 48700-9n00b) has a warranty for only 1 year. per nissan forums this is a known issue with nissan: gt-r, 370z & altima. my understanding is there has been a recall on the gt-r only. i would expect a recall or extension to the warranty on this part in the altima. | |||
| 02/11/2013 | 60000 | ||
| My husband went out to start the cars in the morning before work. the nissan altima would not start. the brake was firmly pushed and the brake lights came on. we have replaced the key fob batteries and the fuse for the engine starter. the key fob locks and unlocks the vehicle, but the car will not start. the desk shows a small yellow key symbol in the top left corner. we have contacted a mechanic about having the car towed. it seems several others have had this issue and nissan is doing nothing about it. i will never, ever, ever purchase another nissan. | |||
| 02/06/2013 | 26000 | ||
| On a regular day, i drove my car to work in the morning. and it was parked at my workplace parking lot (luckily). in the evening, my keyless entry got me inside the car. but the brakes wouldn't engage and ofcourse, the push button wouldn't start the car. there is an amber light with a key sign inside it flashing on my dash screen. lights would turn on so i was convinced it must not be the battery. when i looked it up in the car manual, it's supposedly an intelligent key sign. since it was around 7:30pm, i couldn't get it towed immediately to the dealer workshop since they were closed. the next morning, i got it towed and the dealer workshop diagnosed it as steering wheel lock unit needs to be replaced and it would cost a whopping $850 (not including towing). not just that, the part is back-ordered! so my car is in the workshop indefinitely as of now! i bought this car from a certified pre-owned dealer just six months ago and i have the seven year limited warranty on it too. the workshop said that this is not something my warranty can cover! my current mileage is 26000. and nissan is supposed to be reliable? this problem is not something i have brought to my car and when i researched it on this very website, hundreds of other nissan altima users have the same problem. this is clearly a manufacturing defect and i truly hope nissan address this problem asap and reimburse our hard earned money. | |||
| 02/11/2013 | 60000 | ||
| My husband went out to start the cars in the morning before work. the nissan altima would not start. the brake was firmly pushed and the brake lights came on. we have replaced the key fob batteries and the fuse for the engine starter. the key fob locks and unlocks the vehicle, but the car will not start. the desk shows a small yellow key symbol in the top left corner. we have contacted a mechanic about having the car towed. it seems several others have had this issue and nissan is doing nothing about it. i will never, ever, ever purchase another nissan. | |||
| 02/06/2013 | 26000 | ||
| On a regular day, i drove my car to work in the morning. and it was parked at my workplace parking lot (luckily). in the evening, my keyless entry got me inside the car. but the brakes wouldn't engage and ofcourse, the push button wouldn't start the car. there is an amber light with a key sign inside it flashing on my dash screen. lights would turn on so i was convinced it must not be the battery. when i looked it up in the car manual, it's supposedly an intelligent key sign. since it was around 7:30pm, i couldn't get it towed immediately to the dealer workshop since they were closed. the next morning, i got it towed and the dealer workshop diagnosed it as steering wheel lock unit needs to be replaced and it would cost a whopping $850 (not including towing). not just that, the part is back-ordered! so my car is in the workshop indefinitely as of now! i bought this car from a certified pre-owned dealer just six months ago and i have the seven year limited warranty on it too. the workshop said that this is not something my warranty can cover! my current mileage is 26000. and nissan is supposed to be reliable? this problem is not something i have brought to my car and when i researched it on this very website, hundreds of other nissan altima users have the same problem. this is clearly a manufacturing defect and i truly hope nissan address this problem asap and reimburse our hard earned money. | |||
| 01/26/2013 | |||
| Car wouldn't recognize key in it, but could unlock doors and trunk, and would not start. car was towed to nissan and they found the steering lock control module not communicating with ikey reader. tech installed new ikey reader and cleared theft codes. | |||
| 01/23/2013 | 70000 | ||
| Trying to start vehicle, yellow key warning light came on and car would not start. this happened without warning and i was stranded at lunch 15 minutes from work with no way to get back. the steering lock unit failed to disengage. this part should be recalled since the same part (i've heard) was recalled on other nissan models and can leave anyone in a dangerous situation. | |||
| 03/12/2012 | 59186 | ||
| Vehicle would not start. key light on dash illuminated. had towed to dealer. informed problem was a faulty steering lock control unit. very common problem on this model, part not in stock. | |||
| 01/18/2013 | 64000 | ||
| Parked the vehicle , it was not parked straight, got right back in to park straight, car would not started, got towed to hall nissan chesapeake, told i needed a steering lock control and cost was 620.00 got on google and read all the complaints, there should be a default, a recall, we must stand together , please help | |||
| 03/12/2012 | 59186 | ||
| Vehicle would not start. key light on dash illuminated. had towed to dealer. informed problem was a faulty steering lock control unit. very common problem on this model, part not in stock. | |||
| 01/18/2013 | 64000 | ||
| Parked the vehicle , it was not parked straight, got right back in to park straight, car would not started, got towed to hall nissan chesapeake, told i needed a steering lock control and cost was 620.00 got on google and read all the complaints, there should be a default, a recall, we must stand together , please help | |||
| 01/07/2013 | 16501 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that all attempts to start the vehicle with the intelligent key failed. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was informed that the steering lock mechanism needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. the failure and current mileage was 16,501. mah | |||
| 01/02/2013 | 83000 | ||
| Parked car tunred it off then when i returned the car would no longer do anything. it is a push to start and is not controlled with a key. so therfor when i got out of the store and returned to the car it no longer worked. it is said that this happens frequently to '09 altima's yet they can not find the parts to my car. | |||
| 01/07/2013 | 16501 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2009 nissan altima. the contact stated that she attempted to start the vehicle but the intelligent key had locked her out. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnosis and was informed that the whole steering lock mechanism would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. the failure and current mileage was 16,501. dt | |||
| 01/02/2013 | 83000 | ||
| Parked car tunred it off then when i returned the car would no longer do anything. it is a push to start and is not controlled with a key. so therfor when i got out of the store and returned to the car it no longer worked. it is said that this happens frequently to '09 altima's yet they can not find the parts to my car. | |||
| 01/07/2013 | 75497 | ||
| Veh was driven for a period of time and then stopped to get gas. veh would not start again. a yellow key indicator came on the dash and vehicle still would not start. had it towed to dealer and diagnosed as the steering lock module. | |||
| 01/04/2013 | 27000 | ||
| Went to go start my car and the intelligent key indicator light came on. couldn't start in nuetral. had to get it towed to the dealer. dealer was able to start the car in the morning. they were able to replicate the issue by stopping and starting numerous times. it appears that the steering lock unit was failing. after researching online determined this is a common and costly problem, but there is no re recall for it. very dangerous. | |||
| 01/07/2013 | 75497 | ||
| Veh was driven for a period of time and then stopped to get gas. veh would not start again. a yellow key indicator came on the dash and vehicle still would not start. had it towed to dealer and diagnosed as the steering lock module. | |||
| 01/04/2013 | 27000 | ||
| Went to go start my car and the intelligent key indicator light came on. couldn't start in nuetral. had to get it towed to the dealer. dealer was able to start the car in the morning. they were able to replicate the issue by stopping and starting numerous times. it appears that the steering lock unit was failing. after researching online determined this is a common and costly problem, but there is no re recall for it. very dangerous. | |||
| 12/26/2012 | 60250 | ||
| While driving my nissan 2009 altima today the warning light (yellow key) came on after hitting a pot hole, when i had to press on my brakes to stop at a red light the car killed and the red car warning light started flashing , when the car came to a complete stop i put it in park and tried to depress the start button. nothing happened, the car was not recognizing the intelligent key. the yellow key warning light means the steering mechanism is failing so the intelligent key won't work. so here i was sitting in the middle of traffic with a car that won't start and i cannot get out of park to put in neutral to push out of the traffic. i had to have the car towed. after much research i am finding this is an issue known by nissan they no longer put this part in the 2010 have done recalls for this on other models and years but not this one. this is a safetyy issue and should be a recall are they waiting for someone to get hurt before they issue a recall? | |||
| 12/26/2012 | 21000 | ||
| Have had this car for 2+ years now, lived in arizona and florida. i now live in maryland. this morning was slightly colder than normal, with sleet coming in last night. my wife attempted to start the car this morning while i was away at work and could not get it to start. looking at the dash indicators, it showed the orange intelligent key light on, and when i tried to start the car, the ignition button would not switch out of lock. tried to get the car into neutral, but brakes appear to be firm in place and will not unlock the shifter out of park. looked online for a few solutions, but none have worked so far (unhooking battery, moving the steering column). called the nissan dealership near here and they want me to tow it in before they can even guess at the cause (which i would have no issue with if this was an uncommon thing, but there are numerous reports of this online, most pointing to the same thing: a shoddy part that i need to pay $500 plus labor to replace ). eventually this will have to get fixed, but what is most disheartening is the fact that this could have happened anywhere and left my wife stranded for some time. i just lucked out and it was sitting at home. mileage is ~21k. | |||
| 12/26/2012 | 60250 | ||
| While driving my nissan 2009 altima today the warning light (yellow key) came on after hitting a pot hole, when i had to press on my brakes to stop at a red light the car killed and the red car warning light started flashing , when the car came to a complete stop i put it in park and tried to depress the start button. nothing happened, the car was not recognizing the intelligent key. the yellow key warning light means the steering mechanism is failing so the intelligent key won't work. so here i was sitting in the middle of traffic with a car that won't start and i cannot get out of park to put in neutral to push out of the traffic. i had to have the car towed. after much research i am finding this is an issue known by nissan they no longer put this part in the 2010 have done recalls for this on other models and years but not this one. this is a safetyy issue and should be a recall are they waiting for someone to get hurt before they issue a recall? | |||
| 12/26/2012 | 21000 | ||
| Have had this car for 2+ years now, lived in arizona and florida. i now live in maryland. this morning was slightly colder than normal, with sleet coming in last night. my wife attempted to start the car this morning while i was away at work and could not get it to start. looking at the dash indicators, it showed the orange intelligent key light on, and when i tried to start the car, the ignition button would not switch out of lock. tried to get the car into neutral, but brakes appear to be firm in place and will not unlock the shifter out of park. looked online for a few solutions, but none have worked so far (unhooking battery, moving the steering column). called the nissan dealership near here and they want me to tow it in before they can even guess at the cause (which i would have no issue with if this was an uncommon thing, but there are numerous reports of this online, most pointing to the same thing: a shoddy part that i need to pay $500 plus labor to replace ). eventually this will have to get fixed, but what is most disheartening is the fact that this could have happened anywhere and left my wife stranded for some time. i just lucked out and it was sitting at home. mileage is ~21k. | |||
| 12/16/2012 | 103000 | ||
| Our altima has failed to recognize our intelligent keys and will not start. the doors will lock and unlock. the alarm will sound and the trunk will open but the car will not start. i'm being told this is due to a faulty steering lock mechanism that has been recalled in some nissan models but not the altima. the part itself is $500 and the labor will take it to almost $1000 or more. this is completely absurd. what would happen if this happened to my wife and infant daughter on the wrong side of town. what if this part had failed when we were in the mountains or off the beaten path. if a part is going to be recalled in one model, it needs to be recalled in all models. this is extremely unsafe and to know that nissan is aware of this issue is unacceptable. we also own a murano that uses an actual key to start --- i'm considering replacing both after learning about this. i hope someone will respond to this. | |||
| 12/10/2012 | 4449 | ||
| The steering lock assembly stop working, so because the car only start with the push button it was impossible to turn my car on. so i took my car to nissan and they said that i have to pay $1100 to change the steering lock assembly. and my car have only 48.449 miles. | |||
| 11/28/2012 | 90521 | 1 | |
| Upon attempting to start the car, ignition would not change from lock to acc or on. intelligent key warning lamp was lit steady on dash. steering wheel column was not locked. all power and other functions worked (lights, door locks, etc). battery is fine. independent testing found steering lock control module part 48700-9n00b faulty. similar/same part on nissan gtrs was recalled, part number 48700-jf00a or 48700-jf00b, being replaced by 48700-jf00c same part number is failing for nissan 370zs as well, same years and same part number 48700-jf00a or 48700-jf00b, yet they are not being recalled. this problem is also occurring in nissan maximas and nissan muranos however i could not find the part number. in all models of nissan this part was removed in mid 2010 due to consistent failure. the part costs approximately $500 from nissan, is usually out of stock and back ordered, and also costs another $400-$500 to be installed at a dealer. there should be a make-wide recall for all models for this part, not just the gtr because it's the most expensive of them. *tr | |||
| 11/28/2012 | 90521 | ||
| Upon attempting to start the car, ignition would not change from lock to acc or on. intelligent key warning lamp was lit steady on dash. steering wheel column was not locked. all power and other functions worked (lights, door locks, etc). battery is fine. independent testing found steering lock control module part 48700-9n00b faulty. similar/same part on nissan gtrs was recalled, part number 48700-jf00a or 48700-jf00b, being replaced by 48700-jf00c same part number is failing for nissan 370zs as well, same years and same part number 48700-jf00a or 48700-jf00b, yet they are not being recalled. this problem is also occurring in nissan maximas and nissan muranos however i could not find the part number. in all models of nissan this part was removed in mid 2010 due to consistent failure. the part costs approximately $500 from nissan, is usually out of stock and back ordered, and also costs another $400-$500 to be installed at a dealer. there should be a make-wide recall for all models for this part, not just the gtr because it's the most expensive of them. | |||
| 11/25/2012 | 28000 | 1 | |
| 2009 nissan altima coupe was in parking lot and would not start. the intelligent key warning light was on dash. had car towed to dealer. they advised steering lock control unit (part #48700-9n00b) was bad. this is a common problem on '09 altimas as well as 370z. dealer offered 10% discount and advised $600 total. i called nissan customer care and escalated to regional office. this is a real safety issue because who knows where and when you can be stranded. nissan has recalled this part on other models and discontinued this feature on subsequent models. this is a safety issue and something needs to be done! *tr | |||
| 11/25/2012 | 28000 | ||
| 2009 nissan altima coupe was in parking lot and would not start. the intelligent key warning light was on dash. had car towed to dealer. they advised steering lock control unit (part #48700-9n00b) was bad. this is a common problem on '09 altimas as well as 370z. dealer offered 10% discount and advised $600 total. i called nissan customer care and escalated to regional office. this is a real safety issue because who knows where and when you can be stranded. nissan has recalled this part on other models and discontinued this feature on subsequent models. this is a safety issue and something needs to be done! | |||
| 10/08/2012 | 44150 | ||
| 09 nissan altima just over 44k miles the steering wheel lock malfunctioned. no lights on dashboard, brake pedal very stiff, the vehicle will recognize that the key is inside and outside and is inserted at the location on the left side on driver and is able to lock and unlock but it will not start at all. towed to dealer and as i am over my 36k warranty but not over the 3 year warranty i had to pay over $800 to fix for a vehicle that is not even over 3 years old. i will not buy another nissan again. | |||
| 09/08/2012 | 53200 | ||
| My brake switch and harness shorted out. i did not know it happened until after i stopped for gas. if they both shorted out while i was driving, that means the brake lights were not responding to the brake pedal which made it very unsafe driving conditions without my knowledge. i could have been rear ended or caused an accident. i found so many other similar customer complaints, this is a big problem nissan is doing nothing about. there should be a recall. not to mention, its a very expensive $500 fix only they can do.please look into it before someone gets hurt. | |||
| 04/15/2011 | 12000 | ||
| Front windows rolling down on their own while not near vehicle. this has occurred while the vehicle is not operating (turned off) and while using each of our two key fobs as the primary fob, once while my wife was in her place of work. | |||
| 01/03/2011 | 17000 | ||
| Heat shield on exhaust center pipe overheated and broke. pipe and gaskets required replacement by dealer. | |||
| 08/15/2010 | |||
| Have a 2009 nissan altima. been having problems with it for a year now. car keeps on jerking and stalling and would stop working while waitng at a stop sign. last incident was aug 15,2010. i was waiting at a stop signal on a hill and the car completely shut off on me, the car started to roll back. i had to hurry and put the car in park and restart the car. everytime i go to the dealership they can't find what's wrong or they will tell me nothings wrong. this car is very dangerous and nissan needs to figure out the problem. | |||