Nissan Recall - Information & Updates

Nissan is recalling 40,400 (out of as many as 90,000 4x4 models it sold in the time period) of its Navara D40 series, manufactured in Spain between July 2005 and January 2010, for an inspection.A redesigned Nissan replacement towbar (with additional mounting points) and welded repairs to any chassis cracks - some as wide as 2.5mm according to owners - will be completed for those with faulty genuine Nissan towbars.But Navara owners who opted for an aftermarket set-up with cracks in the chassis rails could face repair bills of $1000 or more.The company said the problem relates to faulty towbar designs specific to the Spanish-built D40 ST-X and RX model Navara and while 40,400 vehicles were being recalled for inspection under this campaign, around 9800 were fitted with the affected Nissan genuine towbars.The D40 Navara starts from around $35,000 and was launched here in late 2005 - all bar one 4x2 model is listed with a towing capacity of 3000kg when towing a trailer fitted with its own brakes, which has made the vehicle popular with tradesman and drivers towing heavy recreational vehicles.The Pathfinder SUV - also built on a ladder-frame chassis and rated to a braked towing capacity of three tonnes - was not impacted by the recall, according to Nissan.Spokesman Peter Fadeyev said the attachment points on the Navara's genuine towbars could cause excessive stress upon the chassis frame rails over time.``As a result, cracks can occur at the ends of the chassis rails,'' he said.``In extreme cases, sections of the chassis rails around the towbar may bend when a heavy tow load is applied,'' he said.Mr Fadeyev said the vehicle's towing capacity was not being altered.``The vehicle can still tow exactly what was identified in the owner's manual - that's the specification of the repair, the vehicle can still tow exactly what is identified as its capability in its manual from the start,'' he said.The company has agreed to inspect customer vehicles fitted with a non-genuine towbar at no charge to the customer, but any chassis repair or replacement to a new revised-design genuine Nissan towbar will be at cost to the customer, Mr Fadeyev said.The company said the inspection takes under 20 minutes to complete or the worst-case-scenario of inspection, repair and towbar replacement would be completed in under two hours.Navara owners looking for more information are being asked to contact their local Nissan dealer or call the Nissan Customer Assistance Centre on 1800 035 035.Nissan said it began recall proceedings following legislated procedures earlier this month, but the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) product recalls website as yet has no mention of the safety campaign.Nissan Navara 4WD utility annual sales:2005 -    9,6272006 - 14,3622007 - 18,2452008 - 16,1922009 - 16,4552010 - 19,424Total - 94,305 

And the car industry is not immune from being saddled with these potentially damaging problems.Apart from Ford's recent problems with brake hoses and brake booster valves on E-Gas Falcons the other ‘big two’ carmakers have had their fair share of recalls.Holden has had five recalls for its VE Commodore and Statesman range since its introduction in 2006, involving things like fuel vapor lines, fuel lines and defective valves on LPG cars.ToyotaToyota had a range of recalls for its Camry, HiLux, RAV4, Yaris and LandCruiser over the past three years. Most, like a headlight dimmer switch on a Camry, have been minor. Others, like the potential fire hazard stemming from a poorly installed insulator pad on a Yaris, raised alarm bells among some customers.NissanLast week Nissan was forced to recall 11,743 Maximas and 4972 Muranos because of a vibrating air intake in the engine bay.AudiEven the luxury German brands are not immune. Last year Audi had to recall its TT for a piece of rear side trim in its cars that unless fixed, could potentially injure passengers.Mercedes-Benz This year Mercedes-Benz has recalled its M-Class off-roader for a possible glitch in its electric rear hatch. It was also forced to recall S-Class sedans fitted with active body control because of problems with the front lower ball joints on its suspension. On some high-mileage vehicles, the front suspension could fracture on rough roads. Faulty left and right windows in the Viano van also required the replacement.BMWOf the German carmakers, BMW has fared better. It has not had a official government recall since 2006.Volvo Volvo has had three recalls this year of its S80, XC70, V70 and new XC60 for engine cooling fan problems and windscreen wiper problems with the S80 and XC70.JaguarJaguar, once widely ridiculed for its poor quality cars, has come a long way over the past few years. Jaguars these days have no less, or no more, problems with recalls than some of the other luxury brands. Last year it experienced some minor problems with the XF range involving wiring and rear seatbelts.In all cases, recalls by carmakers are handled quickly and responsibly. If you want to check out whether your vehicle has had a recall, go to www.recalls.gov.au

The recall is to fix a defect in the powered driver’s seat that could contribute to an accident.The notification applies to 2643 of the Nissan Pathfinder R51 sold since 2005 -- VIN range: VSKJLWR51A0007646 to VSKJVWR51A0364879.Incorrect installation of the power sat harness in the drivers’ seat in those vehicles may lead to the harness being damaged. This risks the seat ceasing to operate, or unexpected self-operation that could contribute to an accident, the notice says. Nissan is notifying owners of affected Pathfinders by mail, and advises them to contact a Nissan dealer for inspection and rectification of the defect. 

The safety recall is part of the global recall of 909,900 vehicles announced yesterday, for a defect that coulld cause them to stall while running.The fault is with defective accelerator sensors that may become unstable and stop responding to the driver's foot, slowing and even stopping even if the accelerator pedal is pushed to the floor.Nissan Australia says the recall is on 24,700 of Y61 Nissan Patrols with the ZD 3.0-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder engine built between June 2006 and July 2013. "However, there have not been any incidents reported in Australia," Nissan spokesman Peter Fadayev says.The fix will involve replacing the accelerator pedal and changing the engine control programming. "We estimate it will be less than an hour's work," Fadayev says.In addition to the Nissan Patrol, the global recall affects the X-Trail and Infiniti M sedan in overseas markets but not in Australia.  

More than 1.1 million cars have been called back to dealers for rectification work that varies from serious (a brake failure) to silly (windscreen wipers).And although 2014 is likely to be the first big sales dip since the Global Financial Crisis, the number of new car sold is also likely to top 1.1 million.The last time more cars were recalled than sold in a year was 2001.It's been a bad year for recalls globally too.General Motors has recalled 2.59 million cars because of an ignition fault so far linked to at least 30 deaths, as part of a recall of 13.8 million cars this year for other ignition problems or keys slipping out of position.But the biggest of all is the Takata airbag recall which has so far been linked to six deaths after shrapnel fired from the airbags.It's a big problem because Takata supplies 20 per cent of the world's airbags and it has taken in cars made by Honda, Toyota, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.More than 18 million cars around the world have been recalled for the Takata airbag problem including 110,000 in Australia.Meantime the dubious honour of most recalls this year is a dead heat between Holden and Jeep with a record 14 each. Never before has any brand recalled so many cars in one year.Market leader Toyota was next with nine recalls ahead of Mitsubishi 8, Nissan 6, Ford 4, Volkswagen 4, Hyundai 3, Mazda 3, Land Rover 3 and Peugeot with 2.Then again the year isn't quite over yet. There may be more.

More than 8000 Nissan X-Trails and 2700 Nissan Dualis and Dualis 2+ models are being reeled in to fix, respectively, potential fire risk from a loose engine-bay insulation and possible steering breakage.Nissan Australia says no incidents have been reported by Australian owners. "In the case of the Dualis, it's only an inspection of the steering wheel boss,'' says Nissan Australia spokesman Peter Fadeyev. "Of the 48,000 Dualis (also called Qashqai) recalls around the world, only 600 had to be repaired, so in terms of the numbers, it's relatively minor. But it's still important,'' he says.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions (ACCC) published an official recall notice stating that the 2712 J10 Nissan Dualis models built between February 27, 2012 and May 16, 2012, "are at risk of losing their steering as a result of having the steering wheel boss - which connects to the steering column - separate from the steering column because of not having the appropriate strength.''Mr Fadeyev says owners are being contacted to arrange inspection of the steering wheel boss. "The batch number on the casting will be inspected to confirm if replacement is required,'' he says.The X-Trail recall, also spelled out by the ACCC, involves potential warping of the engine bay's firewall insulator in 8136 T31 X-Trails built between December 21, 2006 and April 27, 2012. The insulator could warp and come into contact with the engine's turbocharger and potentially lead to a fire. It affects only the diesel version of the X-Trail."This recall means all the affected vehicles will need a modification,'' Mr Fadeyev says. "It will mean having a bracket fixed to the firewall to hold the insulation in place and prevent it from warping and touching the turbocharger.''Nissan Australia says X-Trail owners are being contacted and Dualis owners are recommended to contact their nearest Nissan dealer to arrange an inspection of the steering wheel boss, where a batch number located on the casting will confirm if replacement is required. 

The two Nissan safety recalls are for defects in the satellite sensor for the side curtain airbag on Pulsar and Almera, and for the stop light switch on the Pulsar hatch. The recall affects a total of 15,900 cars: 14,300 Pulsars and 1600 Almeras.The first of the recalls, for the Nissan Almera and Pulsar sedan and hatch, is to rectify faulty installation of sensor for the side curtain airbag in the B-Pillar, which can result in the airbag not deploying properly in a crash. The second recall is due to an incorrect stop light switch being installed in some Nissan Pulsar hatches fitted with CVT automatic transmissions. This could lead to the switch failing, preventing the stop light from working -- although braking is not affected. "There have been no incidents reported related to the safety recalls, with the fault being picked up internally by our engineers," Nissan Australia spokesperson Chris Jordan says. "Each of the fixes will take just an estimated 30 minutes to inspect the car and rectify the problem.Letters are being sent to affected owners, who can contact a local Nissan dealer to arrange for inspection and, where necessary, rectification of the front passenger airbag inflator and replacement of the stop light switch.  

Japanese company Takata, which manufactures 20 per cent of the car industry’s airbags, has finally admitted to a US hearing overnight that the number of faulty airbags is much greater than it originally forecast.The number of affected vehicles has now climbed to a staggering 53 million worldwide, including 34 million in the US alone.The car brands that are affected include Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.So far, at least 556,000 cars have been recalled in Australia to have their Takata airbags replaced, but that figure is set to rise following the developments in the US which has dramatically expanded the number of affected vehicles.At least six overseas deaths have so far been linked to the faulty airbags which can spray metal shards if the airbag detonator has been exposed to moisture due to a fault in the manufacturing process.Until now Takata had claimed there was no fault, or that the problems had been fixed in its manufacturing process.But as recently as November 2014, Takata was accused of destroying evidence of internal testing of potentially faulty airbags.The recall is so massive not all car companies have been able to calculate which models are affectedThe Takata turnaround comes as authorities in the US are now trying to remove airbags from cars in junkyards so that the potentially faulty airbags don't end up being fitted to another, roadworthy car.Despite the horrific consequences, US and Australian authorities have so far refused to ground the potentially affected cars.The recall is so massive not all car companies have been able to calculate which models are affected, and some have admitted the replacement airbags won't be fitted until next year, because they can't be built fast enough."Replacement parts are presently being prepared and, due to the number of vehicles impacted globally, it is anticipated that sufficient parts will be available to commence recall repairs by early next year," said Toyota's media statement.Toyota, the world's largest car maker, last week recalled a further 5 million cars globally, including 181,000 in Australia, bringing the number of locally-affected Takata airbag-equipped Toyotas to 207,000.Honda Australia has also expanded its recall to include 109,000 cars with potentially faulty passenger airbags and 22,000 cars with potentially faulty driver airbags. It brings the total number of Hondas recalled in Australia with Takata airbags to 188,000.Honda Australia says it has not been advised from Japan if the latest Takata developments will lead to a further increase in the number of vehicles recalled.Nissan Australia has now recalled a total of 156,000 cars equipped with Takata airbags, and also says it is yet to receive information on further recalls.US company Chrysler has recalled 4500 examples of its 300C sedan made in 2006 and 2007.The car industry will struggle to contact owners of the affected vehicles because most cars are no longer with the original buyersThe Takata airbag recalls are due to the potential that, depending on the vehicle, either the driver's or passenger's airbag inflators may be susceptible to moisture intrusion over time."If this happens, this could potentially make the inflator assembly prone to rupture during an accident, increasing the risk of injury to the occupant," said the Toyota media statement.To date, all of the car brands involved in the international recalls so there have been no incidents, injuries or deaths reported in Australia.However, adding to the recall drama, the car industry will struggle to contact owners of the affected vehicles because most cars are no longer with the original buyers, given that they are typically made between 2003 and 2007 and now on the used-car market.Motorists concerned they may be driving an affected car have been advised to search the recalls.gov.au website and check if their particular make and model is being recalled.However, since this article was published the recalls.gov.au website has been overwhelmed by web traffic and numerous users have reported that the site was unable to be opened. The full list of cars we know are affected are listed below. Even though it is part of General Motors, Holden says its Australian-delivered vehicles are not affected.Ford says it is yet to be notified of any recall action following the new, broader scope of the overseas Takata recall campaign.News Corp Australia was waiting on feedback from Mazda, BMW and Mercedes-Benz as this article was published, to find out how many -- if any -- cars are affected locally.Chrysler 300C sedan 2006 to 2007Honda Jazz 2004 to 2009Honda Accord Euro 2004 to 2007Honda CR-V 2002 to 2008Honda Civic 2004 to 2005Nissan N16 PulsarNissan D22 NavaraNissan Y61 PatrolNissan T30 X-TRAILNissan A33 MaximaToyota Echo 2003 to 2005Toyota RAV4 2003 to 2005Toyota Corolla 2003 to 2007Toyota Yaris 2005 to 2007Toyota Avensis 2003 to 2007