Feds’ Seven-Year Nissan Investigation Ends Without A Recall

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has just closed a seven-year investigation into certain Nissan Altima and Maxima models, yet despite that drawn-out process, the feds won’t be mandating a recall. NHTSA closed its investigation into 2 million Nissan sedans today, saying that declining numbers of reports contributed to its decision not to mandate a recall. The investigation was intended to decide if the lower rear control arms on those vehicles were faulty, given they had a tendency to crack and separate from the chassis due to corrosion from road grime and salt.

Corrosion May Have Led To Rear Suspension Failure

Per Reuters, in 2018 NHTSA opened an investigation into the 2013–2018 Nissan Altima and 2016–2018 Maxima, elevating the probe to an engineering analysis in 2019. The agency reviewed 1,300 reports by owners who said their cars had faulty lower rear control arms. No injuries were reported, and just one of the complaints involved a collision, with the car in question “bumping into a trailer hitch” at slow speed.

Most of these reports occured in “salt belt” states, with the cars having an average age of 113,000 miles. According to NHTSA, Nissan acknowledged that in areas where road salt is used to melt snow, corrosion could potentially accelerate normal wear on the control arm. The automaker changed the design of the suspension part for the 2019 model year, which eliminated the problem. Furthermore, Nissan took some pretty drastic action to keep its owners happy – even without the federal government’s interference.

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Nissan Preemptively Issued A Repair Campaign

Despite a recall not officially being called for, Nissan began a “customer service campaign” in 2019 that allowed customers in states with high road salt usage to bring their cars into the dealer for an inspection. If the rear lower control arms were in poor condition or showing signs of wear, they were replaced with the updated part found in 2019-model Altimas and Maximas. Nissan repaired 47,000 vehicles under the customer service order, and the automaker extended warranties for the cars in question up to 10 years in case further problems developed with the control arms down the road.

NHTSA cited Nissan’s voluntary campaign as a further reason to close the probe without mandating a recall – reports of the failure have also slowed, indicating that the manufacturer’s actions successfully solved the issue. It’s good news for the beleaguered automaker, which has been facing a number of obstacles on the road to success as of late. Nissan announced it would cut headcount globally by 15 percent, amounting to 20,000 employees worldwide. The automaker is even considering selling its world headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, then leasing the space back from its new owner.

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Source: Reuters