Photo: Nissan
GM and Toyota managed to start the year with some huge recalls involving millions of vehicles world wide, with problems ranging from unresponsive lights to software glitches and even steering racks coming apart. But that can’t even hold a candle to the boo-boo Nissan did with some of its Leaf electric vehicles.
If you got unlucky enough to get a faulty car from GM or Toyota, their issues can be dealt with pretty quick at any dealership that handles the recall procedure. However, the problem the Leaf has requires the car to be replaced.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that Nissan is recalling 211 Leaf EVs in the US and 65 more in Canada, all built this year between February 28 and March 12. The problem with them is that the automaker might have forgotten to weld some structural body elements up front, which can affect the vehicle’s performance in a crash.
In case you’re an owner with some mechanical knowledge, the missing welds should have been located on each side of the engine, just above the sway bar ends. If the series of six spot welds are there, your car is OK. If not, Nissan will replace it with a new, hopefully well-welded one.
However, the recall won’t start until the middle of June, so in the meantime, try not to have an accident. So far, no accidents or injuries have been reported. You can also contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261 or NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) for additional information.
The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) hasn’t fully rated the 2014 Nissan Leaf so far as it still needs to go through the notorious small-overlap crash test. The Leaf however is rated “Good” in all other tests.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that Nissan is recalling 211 Leaf EVs in the US and 65 more in Canada, all built this year between February 28 and March 12. The problem with them is that the automaker might have forgotten to weld some structural body elements up front, which can affect the vehicle’s performance in a crash.
In case you’re an owner with some mechanical knowledge, the missing welds should have been located on each side of the engine, just above the sway bar ends. If the series of six spot welds are there, your car is OK. If not, Nissan will replace it with a new, hopefully well-welded one.
However, the recall won’t start until the middle of June, so in the meantime, try not to have an accident. So far, no accidents or injuries have been reported. You can also contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261 or NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) for additional information.
The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) hasn’t fully rated the 2014 Nissan Leaf so far as it still needs to go through the notorious small-overlap crash test. The Leaf however is rated “Good” in all other tests.
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