Nissan Recalls Frontier, Pathfinder, Xterra Due to Airbag Glitch

Japanese carmaker Nissan is recalling a number of 242,720 Pathfinder, Frontier and Xterra models manufactured between 2005 and 2009 due to what seems to be a glitch regarding the front crash zone sensor. According to a Nissan notification sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), such a malfunction could stop the airbag from deploying in case of frontal impact, which could obviously lead to serious injury of both the driver and the front passenger.

However, the advisory only concerns models sold or registered in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the district of Columbia.

The problem is apparently caused by the salt used in these regions which, in contact with the front crash zone sensor may rust and interrupt the signal sent to the ECU in case of collision.

“If this happens, the red airbag warning light will illuminate to alert the vehicle operator. This issue could result in the non-deployment of the driver and passenger front airbags in a crash, increasing the risk of personal injury,” NHTSA explained in the notification.

Obviously, dealers will replace the faulty front crash sensor at no cost. “The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule for this campaign. Owners in the other states will receive extended warranty coverage for the sensor to 10 years. These owners will be notified of the warranty extension by mail and will receive a sticker to place in their warranty booklet explaining the extended warranty coverage,” the advisory reads.