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Nissan Initiates big recalls of Frontier, Xterra and Sentra

John Suit — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:00:27 +0000

2004 Nissan Frontier

In a recent press release by Nissan, two recalls have been initiated. The first is for the Frontier truck and Xterra SUV, for faulty steering linkages. The second recall is for the Sentra, and involves the battery cables. All told, around 513,000 vehicles in the US will be recalled, starting this month. Click past the jump for details, press release, and model years affected.

2004 Nissan Xterra

For the Frontier and Xterra, model years 2002-2004 are affected, totaling over 500,000 vehicles in the US. The lower steering column joint can develop corrosion, which leads to limited movement of the joint, the final result being that the steering shaft breaks. This then leads to a loss of steering control, increasing the likelihood of a crash. Nissan will be replacing the steering joints and shafts free of charge on the recalled vehicles.

2010 Nissan Sentra

For the Sentra, it’s model years 2010 and 2011, and involves a misshapen bolt or washer on the positive battery terminal. The misshapen bolt or washer can cause a gap which can lead to a loss of power either entering or leaving the battery, which can cause stalling and hard-to-start vehicles. If a vehicle stalls while in motion, the risk of a crash is increased, hence the safety issue and the recall.

Nissan’s press release cites 3 complaints in Canada and 6 in Brazil, quite low numbers to initiate such a big recall, but again, in this post-unintended acceleration world, automakers are skittish about any customer complaints that have anything to do with safety and accidents. It’s good to see the recall go on though. Nissan also says that no accidents or injuries have been reported for either issue, so it’s good that they have a solution in place before anything bad could happen to one of their customers.

Show Press Release

11.11.2010 , FRANKLIN, Tenn.

NISSAN ISSUES VOLUNTARY SAFETY RECALL ON FRONTIER, XTERRA AND SENTRA MODELS

Nissan North America (NNA) today announced a voluntary safety recall campaign to replace the lower steering column joint and shaft on Frontier and Xterra vehicles and the positive battery cable terminal on Sentra vehicles in several markets in North and South America and Africa. No accidents or injuries have been reported with either issue.

“At Nissan, we’re committed to the safety and satisfaction of our customers. We regret any inconveniences that our customers may experience as we address these issues,” said Kevin Martin, vice president of Total Customer Satisfaction for NNA.

The lower steering column joint and shaft will be replaced on approximately 303,000 Frontier and 283,000 Xterra vehicles in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and a number of other Latin American countries. The potentially affected Frontier and Xterra vehicles were manufactured at the Smyrna, Tenn., plant between July 2001 and January 2005 and at the Curitiba, Brazil plant between November 2001 and June 2008.

The positive battery cable terminal will be replaced on approximately 18,500 Sentra vehicles in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and a number of Latin American and African countries. The potentially affected Sentra vehicles were manufactured at the Aguascalientes, Mexico plant between May 22, 2010 and July 8, 2010.

REASON FOR THE RECALL
Nissan recently discovered that in certain rare instances, the lower steering column joint on the affected Frontier and Xterra vehicles can develop corrosion that limits the movement of the joint. If the vehicle continues to be driven in this condition it may, in an extreme case, lead to cracking of the steering shaft.

This issue was discovered through three field reports from Canada, and six from Brazil. There are no field reports of this issue in the United States or other affected markets.

On some of the affected Sentra vehicles an issue with the connector on the positive battery cable terminal could lead to difficulty starting the vehicle, and in rare cases, a possibility of stalling at low speeds.

No accidents or injuries have been associated with either of these issues.

VEHICLES INVOLVED

Model Year 2002 through 2004 Nissan Frontier vehicles manufactured from July 9, 2001 to October 20, 2004 in Smyrna, Tenn., for the North American markets
Model Year 2002 through 2004 Nissan Xterras manufactured from July 9, 2001 to January 6, 2005 in Smyrna, Tenn., for the North American markets
Nissan Frontier vehicles manufactured from November 30, 2001 to June 26, 2008 in Curitiba, Brazil for South and Central American markets
Nissan Xterra vehicles manufactured from February 17, 2003 to June 13, 2008 in Curitiba, Brazil for South and Central American markets
Nissan Sentra vehicles manufactured from May 15, 2010 to July 8, 2010 in Aguascalientes, Mexico for global markets

In the U.S. approximately 240,000 Frontier, 261,000 Xterra and 14,000 Sentra vehicles are included in this campaign. In Canada approximately 4,500 Frontier, 9,900 Xterra and 1,900 Sentra vehicles are included in the campaign.

WHAT OWNERS OF POTENTIALLY AFFECTED VEHICLES SHOULD DO
Nissan plans to begin owner notification in early December once replacement parts are available. Owners will be asked to bring their vehicles to the dealer to have the new parts installed free of charge.

Customers in the U.S. with questions may contact Nissan Consumer Affairs at 1-800-NISSAN1 (1-800-647-7261). Customers in Canada may contact Nissan Canada Consumer Affairs at 1-800-387-0122. Customers may also contact their respective authorized Nissan dealers.

by John Suit

Source: Nissan

UPDATE: And the Hits keep on Coming: Nissan Recalls 2.1 million vehicles worldwide

John Suit — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:00:54 +0000

2005 Nissan Titan

It seems every automaker is getting caught by the recall bug these days, and Nissan isn’t immune. According to reports, the automaker is recalling 2.1 million vehicles worldwide, with around 762,000 of them in North America. The recall involves a wide range of vehicles, from the Cube to the Titan, and centers around a faulty ignition switch, which can cause the engine to stall and/or not restart. Click past the jump for more details and a list of affected models.

Update 11/1/2010: We now have a list of the affected models and their model years, as well as the NHTSA’s press release. Continue reading for the updates.

2005 Nissan Pathfinder

According to Automotive News, “the breakdown of the recalled U.S. models is: Titan 227,313 units, Pathfinder 143,471 units, Frontier 123,037 units, Armada 106,003 units, Xterra 101,483 units, Infiniti QX56 36,969 units.”

The recall affects models built between 2003 and 2006, and owners should expect to be notified in the coming weeks.

UPDATE: Affected models and model years are listed below:

Affected Model	Model Years	# of Vehicles
INFINITI / QX56	2004-2006	36,969
NISSAN / ARMADA	2004-2006	106,003
NISSAN / FRONTIER	2005-2006	123,037
NISSAN / PATHFINDER	2005-2006	143,471
NISSAN / TITAN	2004-2006	227,313
NISSAN / XTERRA	2005-2006	101,483

Show Press Release

by John Suit

Source: Automotive News, NHTSA

Garmin Recalls Nav Units, Affects Automotive Market

John Suit — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:00:07 +0000

Garmin Nuvi 785T

Remember the laptop battery recalls which came and went a couple years ago? Yeah, me too. It seems that an unknown number of Garmin satellite navigation units can spark a fire if their faulty batteries get too hot. The affected units are available both as built-in navigation units sold with a car and through the aftermarket.

There’s a long list of recalled units after the jump, including specific recalls from Nissan and Suzuki. As more manufacturers figure out specifics, we’ll be sure and keep you informed.

Nissan’s recall:

Vehicle Make / Model:	Model Year(s):
Nissan Altima	2008-2010
Nissan Frontier	2008-2010
Nissan Pathfinder	2008-2010
Nissan Rogue	2008-2010
Nissan Sentra	2008-2010
Nissan Versa	2008-2010
Nissan Xterra	2008-2010

Suzuki’s Recall:

Vehicle Make / Model:	Model Year(s):
Suzuki Equator	2009-2010
Suzuki Grand Vitara	2010
Suzuki SX4	2008-2010

The Big List:

GARMIN / AVIS NUVI 760	GARMIN / AVIS/BUDGET NUVI 780
GARMIN / EUROPCAR NUVI 760	GARMIN / HERTZ NUVI 765
GARMIN / HONDA NUVI 760	GARMIN / LANDROVER NUVI 750
GARMIN / MAZDA NUVI 760	GARMIN / MERCEDES NUVI 760
GARMIN / MOPAR NUVI 250	GARMIN / NISSAN NUVI 750
GARMIN / NISSAN NUVI 760	GARMIN / NUVI 200W
GARMIN / NUVI 250W	GARMIN / NUVI 260W
GARMIN / NUVI 710	GARMIN / NUVI 715
GARMIN / NUVI 750	GARMIN / NUVI 755
GARMIN / NUVI 755T	GARMIN / NUVI 760
GARMIN / NUVI 765	GARMIN / NUVI 765T
GARMIN / NUVI 770	GARMIN / NUVI 775
GARMIN / NUVI 775T	GARMIN / NUVI 780
GARMIN / NUVI 785T	GARMIN / SMART NUVI 760
GARMIN / SUZUKI NUVI 750	GARMIN / SUZUKI NUVI 760
GARMIN / SUZUKI NUVI 765	GARMIN / VOLKSWAGON NUVI 765
GARMIN / VOLKSWAGON NUVI 765T	GARMIN / VOLVO NUVI 760
GARMIN / VOLVO NUVI 765

Nissan to recall 539,864 vehicles for brake pins, fuel gauges

John Suit — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:00:27 +0000

2008 Infiniti QX56

What is it with braking systems on vehicles these days? Have automakers lost their minds? I believe it to be a combination of trying to save money and the mainstream application of “drive by wire” systems, where computers and sensors replace traditional hydraulics and cables. Nissan is the latest automaker to initiate a recall for its brakes, as well as faulty fuel gauges.

2010 Nissan Titan

In the case of the brakes, a pin that presumably holds the pedal assembly together can become partially dislodged, causing a “loss of normal braking ability.” Nissan blames the supplier of the part, and reiterates that none of its vehicles which are currently on sale have the issue. Nissan also says that there have been no accidents or injuries related to this recall, but its customers’ satisfaction is the big motivator. Looks like another automaker learned from Toyota.

On the fuel gauge side, certain high mileage vehicles have a tendency to display an incorrect amount of fuel in the gas tank. The gauge may have a tendency to read high, which could leave drivers stranded.

VEHICLES INVOLVED
Models and numbers of vehicles with potentially affected brake pedal pins are:

2008 through 2010 model year Nissan Titan, Armada, Quest and Infiniti QX56
178,916 in the U.S., 25,869 outside the U.S.

Models and numbers of vehicles with potential fuel gauges inaccuracies are:

2005 through 2008 model year Nissan Titan, Armada and Infiniti QX56
Nissan Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra produced between January and March 2006 and between October 2007 and January 2008
418,865 in the U.S., 53,253 outside the U.S.

by John Suit

Source: Nissan

VEHICLES INVOLVED
Models and numbers of vehicles with potentially affected brake pedal pins are:

2008 through 2010 model year Nissan Titan, Armada, Quest and Infiniti QX56
178,916 in the U.S., 25,869 outside the U.S. (see box for locations)

Models and numbers of vehicles with potential fuel gauges inaccuracies are:

2005 through 2008 model year Nissan Titan, Armada and Infiniti QX56
Nissan Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra produced between January and March 2006 and between October 2007 and January 2008
418,865 in the U.S., 53,253 outside the U.S. (see box for locations)

Is Nissan having problem with its driveshafts?

John Suit — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:00:10 +0000

2010 Nissan Titan

According to TheDetroitBureau.com, Nissan is reportedly investigating the driveshafts sourced for its trucks and SUVs from Dana Corporation. This affects both Nissan and Infiniti, but since SUV and truck sales are down for the automaker, it limits the amount of damage any recall could do. Dana Corporation is known in the off-roading world for their rugged axles, so this is an odd one if you ask me.

Nissan had this to say to the Bureau:

“Nissan/Infiniti vehicles built with one of these yokes will not experience a loss of control or present a safety risk even in the unlikely event the part should fail.”

The only risk I could see is that if the driveshaft disconnects at one or both ends, your vehicle may lose parts, which could hit other vehicles. If a driveshaft drops, you’ll certainly notice it, as it will make a lot of noise scraping against the ground.

2010 Nissan Frontier

In a bit of an interesting twist, an unnamed source told the Bureau that only the Nissan Titan and Frontier pickup trucks are involved in the investigation. Given the current recall frenzy started by Toyota, I’d expect Nissan to recall the vehicles, and they have until the middle of this week to do so, so expect an update later in the week here on Road Reality.

This recall might be related to the Toyota Tacoma recall announced last week, in that Dana Corporation is the supplier for the drive shafts on affected Tacoma pickup trucks.

by John Suit

Source: TheDetroitBureau.com