Anti-theft Devices Problems of Nissan Altima

Model 09 Altima has a known defect where the steering wheel column locks because it is unable to identify its own key. The car was stationary in a parking lot but this could have happend anywhere if this part had failed on the side of the road for example. The vehicle operates using push start and there is no physical key to start the engine outside of inserting the fob, which also didnt work. On 10/21/2020 the anti theft system failed to recognize the key/fob and there is no other way to turn on the car and it has to be towed. This is the second time this part failed randomly and rendered the car inoperable, the first time was in 2014. Nissan covered replacing this part the first time after a service campaign but is now refusing to do so for this non wear and tear problem. This is an extremely concerning and frustrating safety problem as this part can fail at any time and prevent the car from starting or moving, outside of towing and this was the second time this issue have happened. I have contacted Nissan and they refuse to financially help, warranty or reimburse us for a safety manufacturer defect that prevents the car from recognizing its own key/fob with no alternative way to start the car. The cost of repair at a Nissan dealership was $800+ to be able to get into our own car after Nissan refused to help us for their own manufacturer failure. This issue is a safety problem for many drivers on the road who own this make and model car and maybe suspect to their car getting completely disabled at any time from this part's failure with no alternative but to tow it out of the way. Thank you for your review.

See all problems of the 2009 Nissan Altima 🔎.

Without warning our Nissan Altima 2009 would not start. Upon my research I figured out the steering wheel lock mechanism which is part of the anti-theft system is faulty. The temporary fix is to bang on the mechanism with a wrench until the car starts.

I tried to crank my car this morning (push start) my anti-theft light on my dashboard came on and it would not crank. The lights came on in my car but the car would not crank at all. Tried everything I could do and made calls but it will not crank.

I left work on February 6th and went to drive home, but my car would not start. My car is push button start and it did detect my key as I was able to unlock my car. When I pushed down on the brake to start my car it was very hard to push. My car would not start and a key warning light came on. The local Nissan dealership came to my work and had to disengage the steering wheel lock control unit in order to drive it back to their shop. They said that the car was unsafe to drive, except back to the dealership. They determined that it was a failed steering lock. This is an anti theft component of the car. My estimate was $662. 00. The part was on back order at that time and they did not know when it would be in. Nissan did not offer me a rental car and I was without a car for a week. The part came in a week later and the car was fixed that day. My bill was $662. 03. This steering wheel lock defect is a safety hazard as it could have happened while driving the car. There is no guarantee that it will not happen again either. After doing some research I found that Nissan changed this part of the Altima when making the 2010 models. I noticed a lot of people with the same issue after researching. This malfunction should be looked into further by Nissan and in my opinion it needs to be a recall. It's understandable when normal wear and tear issues happen to your car, but an issue like this is a defect and needs to be paid for by Nissan. My car is of course out of warranty at this time. . Read more...

While driving, the four way flashers started blinking, the horn started blowing and the headlights went from light to dim. The consumer felt this may be the result of a faulty alarm system. This happened a number of times before the accident.

See all problems of the 2000 Nissan Altima 🔎.