Nissan is recalling more than 238,000 Altima sedans from model year 2013 because of problems with the secondary hood latch that may cause the hood to accidentally open while the car is being driven.
In a document posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) website, Nissan says it was calling back more than 219,000 2013 Altima vehicles in the United States, 10,000 in Canada, 5,000 in Mexico, 1,000 in Puerto Rico and 2,000 in South Korea because. The cars were manufactured in Nissan's facilities in Tennessee, Canton and Smyrna, Mississippi.
The Japanese automaker says it is announcing the first recall for the Altima, its best-selling car in the U.S. which accounted for 26 percent of its total sales in September, but it is also conducting an investigation into other models that could also exhibit the problem.
Nissan spokesperson Steve Yaeger tells the Seattle Times that rust and debris combined with interference can cause the primary and secondary hood latches to bind. If the first latched is released inadvertently, the secondary latch may not hold, causing the hood to pop open while the car is in motion.
"Nissan is continuing to investigate the issue," says (pdf) the company. "However, preliminarily, Nissan has determined that, on affected vehicles, if the primary hood latch is released (for example because of inadvertent actuation of the hood lever) and the vehicle is driven with only the secondary latch engaged, the secondary hood latch may not hold the hood closed as designed while the vehicle is in motion."
Nissan has not yet finalized a schedule to notify customers but says that owners of the affected vehicle can bring their cars to authorized dealers for modifying the levers and cleaning and lubricating the latch joint.
Meanwhile, another Japanese car maker is also making a callback for nearly 166,000 vehicles. In a separate document posted by the U.S. car safety regulator, Mitsubishi says it is recalling its Lancer sedans and Lancer Evolution sports cars from model years 2008 to 2011, as well as the Lancer Sportback from 2009 to 2011, Outlander from 2008 to 2011 and the 2011 Outlander Sport.
The company says the recall is due to the drive belt suffering from extreme damage due to "inappropriate build material," which could result in battery depletion and engine overheating. This, Mitsubishi says, could cause the moving vehicle to crash. The company also says that vehicles equipped with a hydraulic power steering system can have the power steering disabled.
"Owners of all affected vehicles will be notified and encouraged to bring in their vehicles for repair," says (pdf) Mitsubishi. "The drive belt will be replaced with a countermeasure belt (rubber belt) and the pulley will be replaced if worn beyond a certain level at no charge to the customer."
Mitsubishi is also offering reimbursements for expenses incurred by customers relating to the recall.
