09 Altima Wouldnt Start, Had To Tow

[CTM Nismo]

Went out tonight, and my 09 Altima, 35k miles, wouldnt start.

The keys worked for locking/unlocking, by the key and the button on the door. Its been saying for a few weeks that the battery in the key I used needed to be changed, but I had another key thats never been used. Tried both tonight, and neither would work. Tried them in the key holder to the left of the wheel as well.

Pressing the on button did nothing. Wouldnt go to ACC or ON. The dash did not show the foot on the brake thing either. The key light was on though. Tried it a few times, tried leaving the car and coming back to it, nothing worked.

Had it towed to a Nissan dealer. They are closed tomorrow though. Any ideas what it could be? The brake lights worked, so I dont think its the brake switch. Im thinking its the actual switch behind the start button or something related to it.

Dont think it was the battery, all the lights work, and the car was just driven 30 minutes before hand. No lights were left on or anything.

[nissangirl74]

You can have enough juice in the battery for the lights to work and it not be enough to crank the car. How old is the battery? Is it extremely cold or hot where you live? Did you change the battery in your keys? Just because the one had not been used doesn't mean it doesn't lose charge.

[downedzephyr]

The OEM battery on the Altimas have always had issues, they're just plain crappy batteries. Replace that battery with something non-Nissan ASAP and you should be good to go; I haven't had problems since my battery died on me (around 26k miles) and I'm now using some cheapo Walmart battery.

[CTM Nismo]

It was really cold, but I couldnt even get the car to go to ACC or ON, and the dash wouldnt display the foot on the brake thing. If it was that the battery had enough charge for lights, but not to crank, it would have at least went to ACC or showed the foot on the brake, right?

[CTM Nismo]

Drove over to the dealer and tried to jump it, still did the same thing. Not the battery.

[CTM Nismo]

It was the steering wheel lock. $400+ in parts + 3 hours labor. Luckily warranty is covering it. Just got to pay the $50 deductable.

[Centraldave]

I've been reading the posts about the Altima not starting.
I have a good car battery, bright lights, but tried adding a boost just in case. Nothing.
There is power in the FOB to open the door & trunk, but when I get into the car, the dash reads a yellow colored - "key" sign.
I have brake lights. Checked it for switching.
The car acts as though it does not read I have the key with me.
I got the other key FOB with me also, in case one battery was low. - I changed the batts in both FOBs at the same time, a couple of years back.
Still reading nothing, other than yellow colored "key"
I am going to replace the battery in the FOB just in case the batts both died at the same time.
If that doesn't fix it, what is up?

[sstroudwku]

I've been reading the posts about the Altima not starting.
I have a good car battery, bright lights, but tried adding a boost just in case. Nothing.
There is power in the FOB to open the door & trunk, but when I get into the car, the dash reads a yellow colored - "key" sign.
I have brake lights. Checked it for switching.
The car acts as though it does not read I have the key with me.
I got the other key FOB with me also, in case one battery was low. - I changed the batts in both FOBs at the same time, a couple of years back.
Still reading nothing, other than yellow colored "key"
I am going to replace the battery in the FOB just in case the batts both died at the same time.
If that doesn't fix it, what is up?

Steering lock is bad, we're having an epidemic of them right now. We keep 4 in stock and have had as many as 7 cars in one week.

[QR25DE]

Yep, same thing happened with mine, here's the fix to save $400....

1. Take the plastic off under the steering wheel so you can see the module. It's a gray aluminum box held on by 2 bolts.
2. Unplug the harness from the box.
3. Open the box, put the lever in the up position and hold it in place on the column.
4. Reconnect the harness.
5. Start the car.
6. Pull the ignition fuse.

Problem solved. The steering wheel will never lock but the car will ALWAYS start. The lights for the start button wont light up but who cares. Nissan wouldn't cover it as I am out of warranty, even though 370z, murano etc have the issue and the part was recalled for the GTR.

BTW, after a few months I got this letter from Nissan last week:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 1457_o.jpg

Since I modified my box (opened it) they may not cover it. Going to fight it because if I knew they were going to cover it I wouldnt have had to open it up. It's NOT worth $400. It's a small crap mother and an arm. POS.

[klimberg2000]

Nissan has extended the warranty for electronic steering lock device. Car towed into dealer this morning and repairs being done at no charge. Was told the warranty extension is through 2016 or one million miles. I do not think a deductible is going to be charged.