Nissan recalling more than 400,000 vehicles due to air bag safety issue

Automaker Nissan is recalling 404,690 vehicles because of an air bag safety issue involving the emblem on the steering wheel.

The emblems in affected vehicles were subject to variations in production by Nissan’s suppliers and have been found to break and detach from steering wheels, according to a recall report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The emblem can become a projectile in a crash, posing an injury risk to the vehicle’s occupants. Nissan indicated it has received reports of four such injuries.

As noted in a Nissan letter and report to the NHTSA, the affected vehicles are:

• 75,530 Titan truck 2008-11 models.

• 113,313 Frontier truck 2008-11 models.

• 72,601 Xterra SUV 2008-11 models.

• 70,693 Pathfinder SUV 2008-11 models.

• 43,616 Armada SUV 2008-11 models.

• 28,937 Quest van 2008-2009 models.

An additional 17,214 vehicles in Canada and 6,471 in Mexico were affected, according to Automotive News.

Nissan estimates that 0.03% of the recalled models are affected by the emblem defect. The company found that most of the defects come from an eight-month period in 2007 and 2008, when the supplier used nonoptimized resin and made the emblems more brittle.

Dealers were notified of the recall Friday, and drivers of the affected cars will receive recall notices by April 10. 

“Owners with a loose, cracked or missing emblem should contact their local authorized Nissan dealer for diagnosis. If inspection deems remedy is needed, a limited number of parts or alternative transportation may be available,” Nissan spokesman Stephen O’Neil told Automotive News.