Steering Column problems of the 2009 Nissan 370Z

I purchased my first Nissan, a 2009 370z, in 2018. I went to start my car and it would not start, after reading various forums on the internet I found the issue with the 370z is well documented to the escl (electronic steering column lock) issue. There is no warning to this occurring; I drove my car to the store and then home, an hour later went to start to the car and it would not start. The only lead I had was the intelligent key warning light, that when referenced in the owner's manual states this will lock the steering column and prevent the car from starting. This is usually triggered from an unregistered key but my keys were registered and had worked with the car from the time I bought it. The car has had this module changed out for parts are dated, and the current module is dated from 2012, after the car was released in 2009. I am not faced with replacing this part to get my 370z to start, I have to have the car towed to the Nissan shop and was told it will be about $1100 to fix. It is well documented that the escl that Nissan uses is malfunctioning. The internet is full of stories of people stranded. Nissan claims to have fixed this issue but clearly they have not. Currently Nissan is recalling the 2009 altima due to a defective escl and repair them for free. However, if you had bought a 2009 370z, the same year as the altima, you must pay for the defect. The escl that has to be installed is part # 48700-9n00b, which is the sixth (6) part number for the escl.

My vehicle is equipped with an electronic steering column lock (escl) that locks the steering wheel when the vehicle is parked and turned off to help prevent theft. On some vehicles, due to a manufacturing irregularity,the escl may malfunction after the vehicle has been locked and could prevent the engine from starting. This condition, should it occur, will only occur when attempting to start the vehicle, which happened with my Nissan 370z yesterday. Thank god I wasn;t stranded in the middle of nowhere. And luckily this did not happen in the middle of an intersection or other busy road. I have read that Nissan has already recalled this part for their 2009-10 Nissan altima, altima coupe, altima hybrid, and maxima vehicles but have not read about including their 2009-10 Nissan 370z models. Multiple 370z forums confirm that the 2009-10 370z models have the same issues as the recalled Nissan models. This needs to be corrected. 2009-10 Nissan 370z customers shouldn't have to pay for the new part and labor just like Nissan altima, altima coupe, altima hybrid, and maxima customers don't have to.

Drove to the grocery store and parked. Upon return to car it would not start. Windows and locks worked but that was it. The yellow key light stayed on and the car was dead in the water. Called Nissan and they said to check the battery and if that was not it the car would need to be towed. Seriously who would design something that you could not override to at least get to the dealership. Got the car towed and later the dealership phoned to say it was the steering wheel column lock and it would cost $1000 to fix. The dealer said they had another car in their service for the same thing on that same day!!! I did some research and it appears that this is a common problem on 2009 Nissan vehicles not just the 370z. I also read that Nissan no longer uses this part in 2012 vehicles because of all the problems that have occurred. I think Nissan needs to step up and take responsibility for this part that is defectively manufactured. What if someone had injured themselves and needed to get medical attention but the car would not start. What if you were in a dangerous situation and could not start your car to get away. Nissan claims it is not a safety issue but I beg to differ. Please, please, please, help us get Nissan to take responsibility for this and pay for repairs and reimburse those who already paid for this nonsense.

I drove my car to work and everything was running fine, as I stopped at a store to grab something and came back out my car no longer worked. The system would no longer recognize the intelligent key, and the push start button was in the "lock" mode. After researching this I found out that this is a common issue in the 2009-2010 z models. The same issue found in Nissan gt-r models, the steering wheel lock malfunctions and is therefore enable to recognize the intelligent key due to the steering column being locked. Nissan should definitely take responsibility for the faulty equipment as this leaves cars and owners stranded. For a relatively new car this should not be happening esp. Under 36,000 miles. The majority of the complaints have not even surpassed the powertrain warranty. The government should show concern for consumers as well as Nissan!.

The steering lock mechanism part #48700-jf00a on 09 and 10 models fails after a while due to poor quality. This results in the steering column being unable to unlock and therefore disabling the car from being started. This can leave anyone stranded and needing the car towed. In my case the car is stuck in my garage because I am unable to start it due to this faulty part. This needs to be recalled because the part will fail its just a matter of when.

The contact owns a 2009 Nissan 370z. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the dealer discovered that the steering column lock unit needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 60,000.