Nissan Issues Recall for Defective Airbags
Nissan has announced a recall of approximately 1 million vehicles because of issues with front passenger side airbags not inflating in crashes. According to the company, both 2013 and 2014 Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are affected by what appears to be a defect in the software that controls the airbags.
The models being recalled include:
- 2013-2014 Nissan Altima;
- 2013-2014 Nissan Leaf;
- 2013 Nissan NV200;
- 2013-2014 Nissan Pathfinder;
- 2013-2014 Nissan Sentra;
- 2013 Infiniti JX35;
- 2014 Infiniti Q50; and
- 2014 Infiniti QX60 .
Nissan reports that the issue may be the occupant classification system in the cars are not detecting a passenger in the seat. Therefore, when a crash occurs, the airbag doesn’t deploy. The manufacturer says the problem occurs when “a combination of factors such as high engine vibration at idle when the seat is initially empty and then becomes occupied” and also says it can happen if someone sits in the seat with “unusual” posture.
The company reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that there have been three reports of accidents where the bags didn’t deploy even though there was someone sitting in the passenger seat at the time of the crash occurring. Nissan says it is unaware of any injuries or fatalities that may have occurred because of airbags not inflating.
This is the second time that Nissan has issued a recall for this defect. In February of 2013, many of these same models were recalled because of reports of airbags not inflating. The sensors in the seats were replaced, but the company continued to receive complaints from customers and claims on warranties, even for vehicles that had already been repaired.
There have been several major vehicle recalls in the past month. If you have been in an accident that was caused by a defective vehicle, contact an experienced New Braunfels personal injury lawyer to find out what compensation you may be entitled to for pain and loss.
