DETROIT, M.I. – Car recalls have been announced again for automakers still reeling from the Japan Crisis. Nissan recalled the LEAF less than 10 days ago and is now recalling the Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4. Toyota hasn't had any recalls for almost two months, but an airbag issue may be causing problems for passengers in certain Toyota models.
Nissan is recalling 195,991 of:
Infiniti QX, model years 1997-2003Nissan Pathfinder, model years 1996-2004The recall mainly affects those living in states that use heavy concentrations of road salt to handle messy winter weather. The constant abrasion of the snow, water and salt may possibly enter an assembly hole in the upper strut housing. This can cause water to pool at the mating surface of the strut housing panel and the inner hood ledge assembly. This may lead to corrosion of the strut tower housing.
The ultimate result can be the strut housing cracking and pulling away from the inner hood ledge assembly. There could be grinding sounds, increased steering efforts, and even the possibility of the steering column breaking, causing a crash.
Letters will be mailed out to owners by May 16, 2011. Owners involved in these car recalls may visit a dealership and have a Nissan technician inspect the strut housing and repair any damage as needed. If there are any questions, owners may contact Nissan at 800-647-7261.
Toyota is recalling 307,848 of:
Toyota Highlander, model year 2008Toyota Highlander Hybrid, model year 2008Toyota RAV4, model years 2007-2008The problem that may be occurring with these vehicles is connected to two side airbag sensors.
There are two sensors in the curtain shelf airbag system. If one of the two sensors fail or malfunctions, the airbag warning light will turn on and in the event of a roll, the airbags will not deploy. Although they will not deploy if the vehicle begins to roll, they will still activate in the event of a side impact collision.
If both sensors fail nearly simultaneously after initial airbag system check, the seat belt pretensioner and the curtain shield airbag could be inadvertently activated. This unintended activation could cause injury to the occupants.
Owners who are affected by these car recalls may take their vehicles to their local dealerships where the airbag sensor assembly will be replaced with an improved roll sensor. Notifications will be released mid-May when there are parts available to correct the problem. For more information, owners may contact Toyota at 800-331-4331.
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