2009 Nissan Altima Steering Problems

NHTSA component category: STEERING · data through 07/14/2026

855Steering complaints

55.3%Of all 1,547 complaints

#1Most-reported category

Source: U.S. NHTSA complaint data. Complaints are unverified reports from vehicle owners — a complaint is not a confirmed defect.

How steering ranks on this vehicle

STEERING855 · 55.3%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM461 · 29.8%

Unspecified / other146 · 9.4%

ENGINE107 · 6.9%

POWER TRAIN91 · 5.9%

Share of the 1,547 complaints citing each category; one complaint can cite several. Full breakdown on the 2009 Nissan Altima overview page.

What owners report

“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…”NHTSA complaint 10487937 — filed 12/11/2012

“WHEN I ENTERED MY CAR I NOTICED THAT THE PUSH BRAKE LIGHT WASN'T ON LIKE IT NORMALLY IS FOR THE INTELLIGENT KEY START. I PUSHED…”NHTSA complaint 10487771 — filed 12/09/2012

“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…”NHTSA complaint 10487396 — filed 12/05/2012

Excerpts are shortened and scrubbed of personal details; they are individual, unverified reports.

Steering complaints by year filed

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2009 Nissan Altima have steering problems?

Steering is the most-reported problem area on the 2009 Nissan Altima: 855 of 1,547 complaints on file (55.3%). Complaints are unverified owner reports, not confirmed defects.

How many complaints does the 2009 Nissan Altima have in total?

1,547 complaints were on file with NHTSA as of 07/14/2026. Across all categories, 36 involved a crash, 8 involved a fire, 21 reported injuries, and 2 reported deaths.

What does NHTSA's steering category include?

NHTSA assigns each complaint to standard component categories; this page reports the STEERING category exactly as NHTSA defines and records it.

About this data — Complaint figures on this page are consumer reports submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a U.S. government agency. NHTSA does not verify individual complaints; a complaint is not proof that a defect exists, and counts reflect what owners chose to report, not confirmed failure rates. Recall information comes from official NHTSA safety recall campaigns; recall repairs are free at authorized dealers. Always check your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. CarModelProblems.com is an independent site and is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. Data through 07/14/2026.