Nissan North America (NNA) has 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 America. Recalls were also announced in South America and Africa. No accidents or injuries have been reported with either issue.
Nissan recently discovered that in certain rare instances, the lower steering column joint on 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 reports of this issue in the U.S. or other affected markets, Nissan said. 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.
Nissan plans to begin owner notification in early December once replacement parts are available. Owners will be asked to bring their vehicles to the dealership 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.
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, TN., 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. 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.
“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.
