Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Nissan Cube owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The electronic steering control lock malfunctioned causing me to be unable to start my vehicle. The vehicle was stationary in my driveway at the time. There were no movements or sounds coming from the car when I tried to start it. Only the security indicator light and the key light were on in the dash. No response from the car when we attempted to jumpstart it. This essentially left me completely stranded and with living out in the country was very difficult and expensive to get the vehicle towed into the Nissan dealership. I did research and found that lots of other 2009 Cube owners have had this problem and just like me many have previously had theirs "fixed" only to have the part malfunction again and have to pay for it out of pocket. This is no cheap fix and I had no choice but to spend money I can't afford to spend in order to have a working vehicle. …
Vehicle was parked in a downtown parking garage while my wife was at work. She came out of work after dark, with no access back into a banking building, and the car would not start. After calling me and trying a couple things, we called our roadside assistance and I got in my car to drive 45 minutes there. My wife had to wait in the locked car, alone, until myself and the tow truck arrived. This was an unsafe situation. We had it towed to a dealer and found out the next day that the escl (electronic steering control lock) had failed, which prevents the car from starting. After spending $650 to have it repaired, I did some investigation and found that this is a very common problem not just on the Nissan Cube, but with altimas, maximas, 370z and Infiniti vehicles. After our repair, Nissan had extended the warranty on the part, but we were past the mileage and they would not reimburse us. …
On two separate occasions, within a 7 day period, after a short drive in cold weather, and then parked for 1/2 hour period, the ignition would not respond (I.e. Start) when key would be turned to start position. The car had to be towed to service facility, where no common problem could be found, and ignition operated as expected. This is the same situation as reported on NHTSA reference #10040035, Nissan TSB #ntb-11-057 for this make, model, year, with the sole exception this car has a intelligent key ignition, as opposed to push button ignition for the cars covered under the Nissan TSB. In call to Nissan concerning the problem, the local dealership acknowledged the TSB, but stated that it only concerned models with the push button start.
Car failed in a remote area would not restart after stopping, towed to local Nissan dealership and they stated that it was the electronic steering control lock complete failure and stops vehicle from starting. Wife suffered from heat exposure directly related to situation, this part was recalled and I had the recall repaired. If a basic search on this you will find that this is a common and expensive problem that Nissan ended up discontinuing this part on later cars. But this failure is a serious problem.
Started my car at 9. Went to start my car at 10. Wouldn't start. The escl has failed.
I bought my Nissan Cube in 2010 (used with about 23,000 miles). I have been having trouble with the air condition making a fan noise, slowing down, going faster then cutting off. The dealer said it was normal bor the A/C to do that, but now I believe it is really going to die out. I have also been having trouble with my Cube where you press on the gas and the car is going anywhere, then in a couple of seconds the tires kind of stutter along and I'm on my way. This happens alot. I bought new tires because I thought that this was what was wrong with it, but it still does it.I also have that stupid tire light coming on a lot and then my new tires are deflating for no reason. Took it back to the tire shop where the checked all the pressures in my tires, 1 was very low and turned off light on my dash. …
The transmission range switch (commonly referred to as a neutral safety switch) will sometimes fail to make proper electrical contact. This condition results in two of three conditions. One condition is a failure of the PRNDL indicator on the dashboard (as opposed to the PRNDL indicator at the shifter control) to illuminate. The next two conditions are much less benign; they can be much more frustrating or dangerous. The very frustrating condition is: because the switch fails to indicate the shifter is in park or neutral, the engine cannot be started. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Nissan Cube. The contact stated that the vehicle had difficulty starting. The contact had to lock the steering wheel in order for the engine to start. In addition, the key fob had to be visible to start the vehicle properly. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle remained parked at the contact's home. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and refused to assist the contact. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl contact owns a 2009 Nissan Cube. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact activated the windshield wipers and the instrument panel went completely black. Suddenly, the instrument panel lights illuminated again. When the wipers were deactivated, the lights would dim again. The dealer did not diagnose the vehicle, but stated that they would call the manufacturer for guidance. The contact filed a complaint with the manufacturer. The current mileage was approximately 330 and failure mileage was approximately 280.
The electronic steering wheel lock failed car wont start . The part was replaced in July 2011 on a recall the new part failed in June 2014 Nissan would not replace a 2ed time under recall, with much begging they paid for part I paid for labor. This left my wife stranded in a less than ideal spot Nissan extended the warranty on this same part on 2009 Nissan altima but not on Cube.
Electrical complaints in other Cube years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2009 Nissan Cube?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the electrical system of the 2009 Nissan Cube, 22% of the model year's 101 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2009 Nissan Cube electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2009 Nissan Cube, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2009 Nissan Cube electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 86,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.