Quick News About Nissan Problems

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters.

We try to boil down it to the most important bits and pieces -- the recalls, service bulletins, and lawsuits that can help you solve you car problems. Interested in getting these quick story bits as an email? Signup over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. Nissan is part of a massive 3-million vehicle recall for explosive, unstable airbag inflators manufactured by Takata.

    To be clear, when an airbag deploys there's always going to be a miniature explosion to make the inflation possible. But that explosion is controlled. In the case of Takata, the propellant used to make that explosion can deteriorate over time and cause dangerous –– possibly deadly –– issues when the airbag deploys:

    "Takata said the propellant wafers produced at a plant in Moses Lake, Washington, between April 13, 2000 and September 11, 2002, may have been produced with an inadequate compaction force. The propellant could deteriorate over time and cause too much combustion, which could cause the body of the inflator to rupture during air bag deployment."

    When that inflator canister ruptures, metal shards can shoot out into the cabin. Most of the recalls are expected to begin in May, 2013.

    keep reading article "Millions of Vehicles Recalled Because of Dangerous, Explosive Airbags"

  2. Nissan is recalling 82,000 vehicles for a faulty Occupant Classification System (OCS) that could cause the passenger-side frontal airbags to fail in a crash.

    The automaker says sensors within the passenger occupant detection system may have been manufactured out of specification which could cause the air bag to be suppressed permanently.

    The affected vehicles include the 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra. It also includes the Infiniti JX35.

    The recall is expected to begin in April, 2013.

    keep reading article "Passenger Airbags Aren't Deploying Because of a Faulty OCS"

  3. Last October, Nissan extended their radiator warranty for what they called a “small percentage” of vehicles that may experience issues with coolant leaks.

    Namely, how those coolant leaks seep into the transmission and render it useless.

    While the automaker has offered an extended warranty for the radiators, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other safety organizations have received numerous complaints from owners alleging they have spent thousands of dollars for transmission repairs because the added radiator warranty coverage only applied to vehicles with fewer than 80,000 miles.

    That “small percentage” appears to be on the rise, as this problem regularly tops the CarComplaints.com trending problems list.

    Because it’s an extended warranty, and not a recall, Nissan isn’t obligated to tell owners about it. And, for those who know, it isn’t exactly clear if the radiator warranty extension covers damage done to the transmission by the leaking coolant.

    keep reading article "Radiators to Blame for Automatic Transmission Failures in Some of Nissan’s Most Popular Trucks and SUVs"

  5. Nissan is recalling about 501,000 trucks in the United States because corrosion in the lower steering column joint and shaft can cause a sudden steering failure.

    The lower steering column joint on the affected Frontier and Xterra vehicles can develop corrosion that limits the movement of the joint, although they're saying that's rare.

    If the vehicle continues to be driven in this condition it may, in an extreme case, lead to cracking of the steering shaft.

    The affected vehicles include any of the following manufactured between August 2003 and June 2006:

    • 2002–2004 Nissan Frontier vehicles manufactured from July 9, 2001 to October 20, 2004 in Smyrna, Tenn., for the North American markets
    • 2002–2004 Nissan Xterras manufactured from July 9, 2001 to January 6, 2005 in Smyrna, Tenn., for the North American markets

    Additionally:

    • 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

    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.

    keep reading article "Steering Shaft Failure Recall"

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