ATTENTION!! 2009-2010 owners with steering lock/wont start issues
 

What is it with Nissan? Doing everything they can to not accept blame.
Isn't it interesting that 2012+ don't have the lock? Hmm. Must be a coincidence.
So sick of companies lying to save themselves a handful of dollars.

My 2011 370z which came with newer rev d model failed over the weekend could not do a thing to get it working to apply the fix. In my case the lock was not stuck engaged but one of the electrical switches in it was broke and with it stuck in a Walmart parcking lot and freezing rain coming down I took it to Nissan and paid and boy did I pay to get it fixed $1100. I asked about faulty units and they said nope it's not a defect but they just happen to have a few in the shop for a 6 year old car and an uncommon part which "is not defective" and which they removed from the car 4 years ago. And now I know you might say well it's 6 years old u got lucky it lasting that long well I bought the car with only 8000 miles on it last April and only put 4000 miles on it. So in short the stupid lock which has no defects in should only last 12000 or 6 years which ever comes first like in a bad worrenty. I think my next step is the attorney general and see what they have to say I know it might be useless because this issue is so rear, not like there are dedicated threads about it or diy fixes people have.

Wish I read up on all the issues a little more and saw this effected all models with the locking mechanism.:icon14:

PS. I,m done ranting and I pulled the fuse.

Yep. The Rev D replacement is the one that failed on mine. Piss-poor engineering pure and simple.

Ive got a year and a half Left oh the extended warranty so mine was covered including a rental car for 4 days. I am concerned that D version is unreliable.
Dave

Ive got a year and a half Left oh the extended warranty so mine was covered including a rental car for 4 days. I am concerned that D version is unreliable.

Where is this fuse? By pulling it what happens?

Thanks,

Dave

Follow link in my sig for more info on steering locks.

So just an update on this. I figured I would call Nissan and see if they would make this right before calling the attorney general or bbb. They escalated the issue to a senior rep and today they just got back with me. I was told that the part is not covered under warranty but since there is so low miles (13000) they will reimburse me for the cost of the part, so I'm getting back about $700 so not the worst outcome and not the best but I'm okay with it. :shakes head:

Can I just say that user SouthArk370Z deserves our deepest gratitude?

He's been acitve in this thread for YEARS and provides links to all we need to save cash and frustration.

Thanks a lot. I think I might actually pull that fuse this spring ;) Already had my lock replaced, but you folks have adequately scared me into believing it's going to happen again at some point.

You are welcome. I'm glad I've been able to help.

Mine was fixed under warranty in 2015. I will pull the fuse now that I see replacements are failing.
We could gather all the failed parts,put them in a box and send them to Nissan with, " not another Nissan until you own up to this ****"
Facebook and get local news to pick it up.

Look how long it took to get the Takata airbag resolution going. Cars going back to 2001. Obviously a less serious part, but look at the time frame!

Here's my situation. My battery seems like it's been dying for several weeks. I had it tested about a week ago and Autozone said it was bad. Last night, it was 25 degrees and it wouldn't start. The yellow key signal on the left side of the steering wheel is on. I tried to jump start it with my Tundra after charging for about 15 minutes and get nothing. No sound of turnover or anything. The steering wheel isn't locked as I had to move it our of the driveway so I could get another car out of the garage. I can turn the wheel manually in both directions. The windows will not roll up or down, the lights DO work, the radio does NOT work, the lights above the review mirror do work. When I push the start button, nothing happens.

My first thought is to change the battery. I took the FOB to a battery place today who tested the FOB battery and said it was about dead and they put in a new battery. I certainly hope my only issue is the car battery and not the steering lock issue talked about on this thread.

At this point, what should I do? I definitely don't want to take it to the dealer and shell out $1,400. Does the car need to be running to remove the fuse mentioned in this thread? Also, it doesn't look real easy to replace the battery. Does anyone have any advice on how do do it? Or have a YouTube video or something? I'm all about saving money to get the Z running again. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

after thoroughly testing all of your fuses; Try smacking the steering lock with a rubber mallet,etc...while simultaneously pressing start button w/brake pressed.
sounds like your ignition is not powering up & could be the internal's in the steering lock not letting it power up.
Does your fob lock & unlock doors?
have you removed key from fob & tried inserting it in slot on left side of steering column?

Yes, my fob will lock and unlock the doors. I did put the entire fob in the key slot but didn't remove the key from the fob. Will that make a difference? Also, where exactly is the steering lock I need to smack?

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Update: I put a brand new battery in the car today, but I still have the yellow key icon showing up on the left side of the steering wheel. I can't get the car to ACC. Do I have to get to ACC in order to remove the fuse? Or can I pull the fuse and bypass this BS? Also, now the windows are falling about 1 inch everytime I open and close the door. And I can't roll them back up. This is a MAJOR pain in the Arsenal. Please help!!!

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Ignition has to be turned on before removing fuse, windows will work up & down,radio will work,dash light icons will illuminate.
As JARBlue put it (beat that steering lock like it owes you money).
Be sure key fob is near & you are pressing start button while simultaneously beating on steering lock.
Hopefully it will power up & then remove fuse.
Then you'll have to retime your windows.

Well, I ended up having to shell out about $1,200 to get this fixed. I have a whopping 1 year warranty on the new piece too which makes me feel real comfortable (lol). How can I tell if I have a newer unit which will not give me issues in the future? And does anyone have tue contact information for Nissan? I'm going after them to get my money back.

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IIRC, Rev D is the latest version of the ESCL. The revision letter is printed on the label on the ESCL - stick your head under the dash and have a look. But it is also prone to failure, so pull the fuse.

It doesn't matter what revision you have; they are all prone to issues. That's why Nissan removed it entirely in 2011. There were instances of the Rev D units failing even before Nissan issued a recall for A, B, and C revisions.

If you had a new unit installed, then it was a Rev D. Pull the fuse immediately :twocents:

Small Claims Case
 

Guys, I just sent a demand letter to Nissan about my steering wheel control lock unit, which just died. They have 10 days to settle the matter, before I take the case to small claims. Wish me luck.

My 370z according to Nissan Canada falls outside of the range of cars affected. That said it happened to me last winter and left me stranded in -11f weather. After waiting for the better part of 2 hours a tow truck took me and the car to the dealer. It took close to a week to get the parts and have me on my way. I called Nissan Canada and was told my car was not one of those affected. I suggested politely that they were wrong as my car was in getting fixed for this issue. They came back and said again my car was not one of those affected....they would not acknowledge what I said as to my car being in the garage.

Either the person was sampling our prime ministers favorite new product or I was speaking with the janitor.

I am still pissed about this. In this part of the world should it fail in winter it could lead to fatal consequences should there not be appropriate survival gear in the car....and the majority of people do not carry this. My understanding is that the latest iteration of this steering lock did not fix the problem.

Is there a Nissan North America?If so, go yell at them.

Correct. The best solution is to disconnect the ESCL entirely regardless of what version is in your car. Even the cars that are on the recall list get the shitty Rev D module (probably the exact same revision that failed on you).

As a thank you to Nissan, you might consider hurling the failed lock through one of your dealer's showroom windows ala that Discount Tire commercial from the 70s.

What's the intended purpose of the ESCL? Security? Theft deterrent? What are we losing if we disconnect it?

It's a theft deterrent.

Other than locking the steering column, absolutely nothing (say it again, huh).

My husband ran into this with the 2010 370z he just bought. He couldn't get it out of lock mode and he made a video of his fix for this:

Take it to a dealer . They will fix it, replace unit, for free.

Several months ago, I had been to my dealership and got it fixed with my payment.

Then did I lose any chance to get it covered for free by Nissan ??

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I would call Nissan North America.

If your VIN was eligible for the recall, then they should reimburse you without any hassles - and I would bitch about the dealer not recognizing the repair was under recall. If your VIN was not eligible, then they will likely deny your request initially. However, I would argue that the Rev D you had fail should have been included in the recall and they should reimburse you anyway. If it wasn't an issue, then there was no reason for them to dump the ESCL entirely the following model year. I know of a bunch of people who had Rev D fail on them. But I only know of one person that successfully lobbied for reimbursement for it from NNA.

I just had this issue come up. I got stranded for a couple hours.

My dealer is quoting me 1k. The guy said he checked for recalls but there was none. I just saw this post but without some sort of official document, I doubt they will fix it for free. It is also possible I got the recall done years ago but I don't remember right now (I do remember getting something done).

I e-mailed nissan so I will see what they say.

Not sure what else my options are. Might give them a call on friday when I am off.

Steering lock failure?
 

So Sunday morning i got a wash went out with the girl shopping and came back no problem. Later that day we went to the shopping mall and still no problem drivibg there. The car showed no problems at all. After we were done with shopping i got yo the car and tried starting it but it just went into ACC and it wouldnt turn over. I noticed the inteligent light key on so i figured it might have a low battery. Luckly i had a spare and replaced it. Didnt help at all. My radio was playing but the car didnt start. The steering didnt lock at all. I tried to unhook the battery and that made everything worse. The car wouldnt even go into ACC just stayed in locked position. Windows wouldnt roll up and i got stranded on the 5th floor of a parking lot that a towing with a flat bed cant go up to. It was awesome 3 hours pushing the car down so i can get it towed. Got to the dealer the next day and they said it probably is the steering lock. DO YOU GUYS THINK ITS REALLY THE LOCK CONSIDERING THE WHEEL WAS FREE?

It's very possible. The locking pin can retract far enough to unlock wheel but still not hit the internal switches.

Dealer should replace ESCL under TSB/recall.

Because you disconnected the battery, you will need to do a window reset (several threads on this site), reenter radio presets, and the engine will run rough for a few minutes while it relearns the engine.

glad they did away with that bs.hope all that have it ,have it sorted out by now .thought mine was broken but after reading this thread i understand they did away with the lock. this site is a great resource for us new z owners thanks

Anyone gotten their money refunded for having the new revision steering wheel lock gone bad?

I verified I had this recall done years ago. Essentially if I had never done it then, this may have never happened to me (and if it did...a free repair).

But I never got into contact with Nissan and going to do that now. When I get a chance..I am going to pull the plug so it doesn't happen again but for now, I am under warranty for the repair.

You mean the Rev D ESCL? Doubt it. It's not under the recall.

My 2009 Z wouldn't start yesterday & I had to have it towed to the Nissan dealership. I had the recall work done on this car back in 2013. They replaced the P3208 steering lock. But now, it appears the problem is this new part. As the car would do nothing when trying to start it. The new part they put in back in 2013 is: D8700-JF00D.
Anyone have any information about this?

Mine failed just the other day. Wasn't part of the recall. I bought the harness years ago just in case and I'm glad I did. Beat on it to free it up, crawled under the dash and in less than 5 minutes I was back in business.

You have a revision D ESCL. All revisions of the ESCL are prone to failure. There are several DIYs on a possible fix to your problem (in a nutshell: beat the crap out of it until it unlocks and then pull the fuse). Search this site for "ESCL", "steering lock", "pull the fuse", etc. I prefer to go to DuckDuckGo (or any other major search engine) and add "site:the370z.com" to my search string (eg, "ESCL site:the370z.com").

The vehicle was towed to the Nissan Dealership late in the afternoon yesterday. If in fact, the ESCL has failed (I am almost 100% sure this is the problem) do I have any chance at all of having part, or all of the repair covered? My car is at the same dealership that replaced the first ESCL.

I doubt it but you need to ask the dealer. If you don't like the dealer's answer, contact Nissan USA.

My steering wheel lock unit that was replaced under the recall failed on me too. Luckily with the help of a google search I was able to get the car started to get it home. I replaced it with a unit from a 2012+ Model that deletes the unit.