Don't Bother With the Garage Tonight: Nissan Recalls Over 215,000 Vehicles in U.S. Over Fire Concern
Nissan North America is recalling 215,124 vehicles in the United States and another 19,761 units in Canada due to an anti-lock brake pump defect that could pose a fire hazard. Affected models include the 2015-2017 Nissan Murano, 2016-2017 Nissan Maxima, 2017-2018 Nissan Pathfinder and 2017 Infiniti QX60.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s report on the recall says a seal on the ABS actuator pump may leak brake fluid onto the control electronic circuit board, resulting in a malfunction. In such an instance, the ABS warning lamp should come on to warn the driver. If this notification goes unheeded, the fluid leak could eventually cause “an electrical short in the actuator circuit, which in rare instances, may lead to a fire.”
While Nissan estimates only a small percentage of the vehicles actually suffer from the defect, it’s still advising customers to keep the affected models parked outside and away from anything else you might not want to catch fire. It may seem like overkill, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea if your ABS light recently illuminated.
Nissan spokesman Steve Yaeger wrote in an email to Automotive News that no deaths or injuries linked to the recall have been reported to the automaker.
Dealers were notified of the issue on Wednesday and owners of the suspect vehicles will be notified beginning October 15th, 2018. From there, dealer service centers will start inspecting the serial number of the ABS actuator on affected vehicles. If it’s within the affected range, the dealer will replace the ABS actuator with a new part at no cost to the customer.
[Image: Nissan]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
More by Matt Posky
Comments
Join the conversation
Scary stuff, your Nissan could potentially go up like a Ford. Park that baby at least 15 feet from any structure.
If I got a letter saying it was this risky to just have one sitting around, then that item would be immediately delivered back to where I got it.
Nisan Maxima? No harm no foul, most of those are on rental lots anyway.
At least they extended the recall into Canuckistan. When Hyundai USA recalled fire-prone trailer wiring harnesses, no defect was acknowledged in Canada even though Canadian models used the same part. Not even a photo of a burned-out Veracruz from my (Ottawa-area) neighbourhood was enough to get any action from the dealer.