Photo: Nissan
With the all-new Leaf just around the corner, the first-generation Leaf is preparing to exit the EV stage with its head up high. The problem, however, is that certain 2015 to 2017 Leaf vehicles sold in the USA first need to pay a visit to the dealer to correct a potential issue.
According to the NHTSA's description of campaign number 17V253000, the 2014 to 2015 and 2017 Sentra is affected by the same defect as the electric vehicle. More to the point, a manufacturing error within the front passenger airbag inflators is the culprit. If left unfixed, the airbag may not deploy as intended in the event of a crash.
The issue is unique to vehicles that have been fitted with airbag inflators produced by Daicel, a Japanese corporation that gave birth to photographic film manufacturer Fujifilm in 1934. And in stark comparison to Takata’s mess-up, the tier 3 supplier is the outfit that identified the potential defect that affects its inflators.
Neither Nissan nor Daicel are aware of any incidents related to the problem, though both companies agreed to recall out of an abundance of caution. The repair is straightforward: replace the old airbag, fit a redesigned unit, and that’d be everything. In terms of notification, owners will receive mail from Nissan in due time, with the safety recall expected to begin on June 11, 2017.
Including Canada, Mexico, and federalized territories, Nissan estimates the grand total of affected vehicles to be in 28,606: 2,055 Leal models (1,921 sold in the U.S.) and 26,551 units of the Sentra (22,556 sold Stateside). In detail, however, what’s the particular that makes all those airbag inflators defective?
Here’s what Nissan has to say on the subject: “The coolant within these inflators may have been affected by two potential conditions. First, rust may have formed on the rod as a result of long-term storage. Second, the rod may have been formed with tooling affected by excessive wear. If both of these conditions are present, insufficient compression strength of the coolant within the inflator housing may result and may lead to an improper airbag deployment in a crash.”
The issue is unique to vehicles that have been fitted with airbag inflators produced by Daicel, a Japanese corporation that gave birth to photographic film manufacturer Fujifilm in 1934. And in stark comparison to Takata’s mess-up, the tier 3 supplier is the outfit that identified the potential defect that affects its inflators.
Neither Nissan nor Daicel are aware of any incidents related to the problem, though both companies agreed to recall out of an abundance of caution. The repair is straightforward: replace the old airbag, fit a redesigned unit, and that’d be everything. In terms of notification, owners will receive mail from Nissan in due time, with the safety recall expected to begin on June 11, 2017.
Including Canada, Mexico, and federalized territories, Nissan estimates the grand total of affected vehicles to be in 28,606: 2,055 Leal models (1,921 sold in the U.S.) and 26,551 units of the Sentra (22,556 sold Stateside). In detail, however, what’s the particular that makes all those airbag inflators defective?
Here’s what Nissan has to say on the subject: “The coolant within these inflators may have been affected by two potential conditions. First, rust may have formed on the rod as a result of long-term storage. Second, the rod may have been formed with tooling affected by excessive wear. If both of these conditions are present, insufficient compression strength of the coolant within the inflator housing may result and may lead to an improper airbag deployment in a crash.”
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