thanks, triples! :tup: i hope it brings awareness to other owners and be able to help them. :)

Just confirmed my steering lock module is JF00C...whew

Cool. Wat build date is your 2010? :)

Manufactured Date is 03/2010

thanks, tongman. :tup:

the Jan2010 build car that needed the steering lock replaced today unfortunately had no label on the unit... so couldn't tell which revision it was. very odd.

so it is confirmed Mar2010 build and after is using RevC.

Anyone with a factory installed RevC have an earlier build date than Mar2010?
Please post up your build date and full part number on your unit.

should look something like this: 48700-JF00C-A1-01 or 48700-JF00C-B1-01

chrisslicks, wstar, vaugnanabe - there's a member that posted this on another thread in the maintenance forum about his steering lock failure. wat strikes me is he could start the car with a faulty steering lock using his remote start.. just shuts off when the remote starter hands off controls back to the car when he steps on the brake.

do you think you can use a remote starter's signal to trick the BCM in this case??? that 'microprocessor' you guys were talking about earlier.. :confused:

:happydance: (Apr 2010 build date here)

Beats me, I don't even understand how or why a remote-start unit would cause the engine to shut back off when you tap the brakes in the first place. Maybe he means this is new buggy behavior with the malfunctioning steering lock + remote start?

This whole affair is annoying. Just yet another example of everything in modern society going so overboard on supposed security or safety issues. If car theft is such a huge problem take it out on the car thieves (e.g. shoot them), not on everyone else with all this ******** burden and complexity. Ditto for airbags and people who don't wear seatbelts.

Remote starts are hooked up to the brake as a safety. So if for some reason you need to kill the engine during the time it's running after being started with the remote starter you can just step on the brake to kill it. They should also have an over-rev, and also be hooked up to a neutral safety switch to make sure it doesn't start while in gear.

My guess is that the remote starter in his case is wired in post BCM and IPDM (as I described in a previous post about a racing style setup), and they are instead sending signals directly to the ignition and starter relays. The remote starter is also wired into the brake switch on auto's and clutch switch on manuals as an anti-theft mechanism to prevent the car from being driven while on remote start mode. You could remove these wires if you didn't care about that aspect. So there is no BCM or IPDM trickery, just a complete bypass. When the BCM is back in control of the starting operation it says no go as the steering lock is stuck.

Given the frequency that these lock issues are starting to occur it might be time to start putting pressure on Nissan for a recall. Obviously they aren't going to do it voluntarily given that it is an expensive part. We could set up a petition and send it to Nissan or everyone that has had a failure can submit a complaint to NHTSA. If successful they are usually back dated so anyone that has paid for a replacement outside of warranty has an opportunity to get reimbursed.

Attached is the recall for the same units in the GTR.

I see... thanks for the comments. Yah, I hope they do a recall as well.

Hey takjak- thanks for the GTR recall info. That's the one Davin was using on his DIY over there in the GTR forum. As we can see on that doc, JF00C is the part they used for the recall along with the 2 security bolts. :)

Just checked my 2010 Roadster and was relieved to find RevC. Build date on the car is actually Sept 2009; however, I just recently purchased the car used, so I can't confirm if it was factory installed, or replaced by original owner.

Full Part No: 48700-JF00C-B1-01

The latest failure was a Jan2010 build with the same exact pn (revC). I don't mean to scare you since this is the first time hearing about a RevC failing so it could have been an isolated incident but just letting you know.

The replacement in my car is that exact pn you got as well. :icon17: lol

I suggest keep an eye on the GTR forums to see whether there are repeat failures after recall work.

^ Oh no... not good. I have RevC, don't know the pn on it, but it had a date of Sept 09 on the label.

Since Nissan decided to eliminate the steering lock mechanism for the 2012 models (apparently), I wonder if they think/know that ALL of the revisions are affected?

/\ that was my first thought as well, followed by how can the rest of us upgrade to whatever system the '12s are using.

will be curious to see. I'd imagine there aren't many of the later revs that have hit anywhere near the mileage of the early revs that are failing

Good point. However I would think Nissan must know the newer models are fixed/better since they are using them as replacement units for the GTR recalls. Well we can hope...

I've only got 7500 miles, so mine should go out any day now i guess...

Also true.

Mine is an '09 with 6800 miles and in winter storage... still have warranty until January 2013... I'm hoping for a recall before mine fails. :icon14:

it's hard to say, it could be completely cost driven. if there are some new cheaper and reliable way to do the same thing, regardless of previous failures, manufacturers will implement the change.

i am sure part of nissan is completely aware of the problem though... :ugh2:

thought this was funny...these guys even used my picture (post#13 by KevT) :D

Car won't start - Steering Lock Failure - nissansportz

im over 20k im about to go to the dealer and cry lol

Mileage wouldn't have anything to do with it,it would be how much usage the steering lock sees.
A guy who drives his car 5 miles round trip everyday is using the lock as much as a guy who drives 100 miles rounds trip,so mileage doesn't come into play here.

But I'd be willing to wager that the car with more mileage has seen more on and offs than one with lower mileage. :p

Yeah, the sudden spike of solenoid sales might have helped highlight the situation.

I wouldn't bet on that my car bought in Aug 2010 on has 4000 miles on it all of my driving luckily has been short trips,and I have been in and out of my car a lot,just starting it moving it out in the driveway to wash it and put it back is a regular thing at my house.

Unfortunately, cars don't track starts, so mileage is all we have to go on.


Considering mileage and starts are correlated when you look at the big picture of car drivers, it's really not accurate to say it doesn't have anything to do with it.

Obviously there will be specific cases where it's not the case, but in general higher mileage cars will have more starts.

I think I may have to just get the newer part and replace my old one before I have this problem. I've contacted Nissan North America and added my two cents to the whole deal and will wait for my standard, "We appreciate your email but we recommend you take your Nissan to your local Nissan Service Department to address any issues". I also confirmed with the dealer I purchased my Z from that they have had one person come in with this problem. He confirmed no TSB is out on this. Great DIY Kenchan, I'll be using it to replace my part.

Cold weather may be a cause to the failures. Has anyone polled failed users what time of the season they failed?

IIRC: the failed Rev C member, had his fail on a day when the temps did not get higher than 40-49 degrees.

Both Z's are 2009 models and both have about 35k miles on them.

My Z: mfg date 01/09
Part # JF00B-B1-01
35k mi

The bros Z": mfg date 10/08
Part # JF00A-B1-01
35k mi

No failure yet, fingers crossed.

yep, until there is official word from nissan i think it is wise to replace at least the security screws to regular screws and keep a back up steeringlock in the car. :) at least that way you can easily replace it with a wrench you'd keep in the car. i have a socket and mini ratchet in the trunk with the factory RevB steering lock which has had no issue thus far (8k miles on the car). my droidx can serve as flashlight. i downloaded an app where it makes the camera flash a flashlight. :D

the angled nose pliers to remove the security bolts is pretty clumsy to do even in a controlled environment..and would be VERY clumsy to do if out in the field in bad weather. :ugh2:


zforce- i think battery charge level (and age of battery) might have an effect on this. and colder weather impacts cca. 3yrs is about the time when the stock battery starts to degrade under 'normal' use.

'normal' as in battery not hooked up to battery manager when car is not in use for more than a week. we know that this member was out vacationing a week prior... i wonder if his car was placed on a battery manager or one of his kids drove it around while he was out..? might be a good question to ask.

in my case my Z is hooked up to my battery manager when i know she will not be driven for more than a few days. i use the 'battery tender' sold at amazon. they're only like $25 shipped and worth every penny. im still running factory battery from 8yrs ago on my G. cold start at 3F is no issue. :p i plug in the G every Friday night since i dont use the car over the weekend. my 22 mile round trip commute is not enough to charge the battery to full.

also thechidz started a log of steering lock victims. if yours failed, please post on his thread to keep track.

http://www.the370z.com/nissan-370z-g...k-failure.html

thanks Kenchan, I also reverted people back here for information in the OP of my thread :tiphat:


the more I think about how Nissan is ignoring this problem by not recalling the more p1ssed off I'm getting. I have at least 2 long driving trips planned this year, to Atlanta and Chicago and I have to worry if my car is gonna start while I'm 1000 miles from home, it's complete Bullshyte. :mad:

I'm a little surprised some of you guys are just dropping $500 on an item that hasn't failed yet. While it's an easy swap if you have the part, buying expensive replacement parts that haven't failed yet is a little extreme. People have transmission problems fairly regularly. Are you going to put an extra transmission in your garage just in case your working transmission starts having problems?

While I don't want an issue with a stupid steering lock, I'm not buying another as a backup. If it fails, I'll deal with it. And in the mean time, Nissan may still start a recall. You'll feel pretty bummed when you buy a backup only to have them swapped under a recall for free.

It's insurance. What if you're 1000 miles from home and 100 miles from the nearest Nissan dealership.

Its highly likely that the Rev A and B units will fail so I can see why some would be willing to spend 500 bucks to replace it for peace of mind.

I get it for the extreme travelers, but most people don't fall into this category. I'm usually 10 miles from a dealership and commuting to/from work mainly.

everyone who has had the failure should report it to the NHTSA, this is one way to get a recall started.

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm