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Nissan Recall: What You Need To Know About The Recall Affecting Nearly Four Million Vehicles

By Tara West
Published on: 08:11 PST, May 1, 2016

Nissan has announced a massive recall of nearly 4 million cars over issues involving the vehicles’ airbags. The company disclosed that 3.2 million vehicles sold in the United States were recalled due to a sensor issue that fails to accurately detect if an adult is sitting in the front-passenger seat. The sensor issues can prevent an airbag from deploying on the front-passenger side during a crash, leading to potential injury. Another 620,000 cars were recalled for having the opposite problem, the sensor failing to shut off the airbag when a child is present or when the seat is empty. So, exactly which Nissan models are affected by the latest recall?

According to The New York Times, nearly 4 million vehicles were affected by the latest Nissan recall with the manufacturer worrying about potential problems with the vehicles’ airbag sensors located in the front-passenger seat. In 3.2 million of the vehicles, the sensor is inaccurately detecting an adult passenger as a child or empty seat, thus turning off the airbag system. This means that the airbag will not deploy in the event of a collision.

The Auto Blog notes that the recall came after Nissan admitted to knowing of “at least three crashes” where airbags did not function correctly. “Moderate injuries” were reported by the passengers in the malfunctioning vehicles, and the company says that owners of vehicles on the recall list should go to their nearest Nissan dealership to arrange for repairs. The New York Times claims that the recall has been years in the making as the company has battled with federal auto regulators for at least two years regarding the seat sensors.

“The action ends a two-year effort by federal regulators to get the automaker to fix widespread problems with the occupant sensing system.”

The first recall was made in 2014 and included 990,000 vehicles. However, the problem was discovered in numerous other Nissan models and expanded to include 3.2 million vehicles in the United States alone. The numbers jump to 3.5 million if you include Nissan vehicles sold internationally. The models affected by the recall includes vehicles made between 2013 and 2016. The following is a list of affected Nissan models: 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2013-2016 Nissan Altima, NV200, LEAF and Sentra, 2013-2017 Nissan Pathfinder, 2014-2016 Nissan NV200 Taxi, Infiniti QX60 and Q50, 2014-2017 Nissan Rogue, 2015-2016 Nissan Murano, Chevrolet City Express, and 2013 Infiniti JX35 vehicles.

The second recall dealing with a faulty sensor resulting in airbag deployment in unoccupied or child-occupied seats is a problem specific to the 2013-16 Nissan Sentras. If you own any of the vehicles stated above, Nissan is encouraging you to avoid putting child restraint devices in the front seat until the manufacturer can provide a fix for the sensor problems. Currently, Nissan says they do not know how to fix the issue but are working on a solution. In the meantime, owners can expect a letter from Nissan if their vehicle is part of the recall and a second letter when a workable fix is determined. Owners not wanting to wait on a letter can also search for their specific VIN number to see if their vehicle was included in the massive recall on their own via the Nissan website.

Though no solution is reported, Nissan says on their official website for drivers of the affected vehicles to “immediately contact your nearest Nissan dealership to arrange for repairs.”

“Nissan is conducting an urgent recall campaigns on the following vehicles in the following States and Territories. If you own one of these vehicles, we urge you to immediately contact your nearest Nissan dealership to arrange for repairs.”

The Nissan recall is just one of a slew of recent auto recalls that include airbag issues. Other manufacturers include Acura, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Lexus, Mazda, and Toyota, which have all had recalls involving airbag systems in the last year.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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