After receiving a report of an accident which involves injury, the Nissan Motor Co. is recalling nearly 300,000 of the brand's Versa and Versa Note to adjust their console panels that could possibly catch the shoe of the driver and delay the transition from the gas pedal towards the brake pedal.
Nissan announced Friday, Sept. 4, that the recall would affect model years 2012-2015 Nissan Versa sedans - built from June 9, 2011 to March 11, 2015 and 2014-2015 Nissan Versa Notes - made on April 23, 2013 to March 11, 2015.
"We had an accident with injury related to this issue," Steve Yaeger, Nissan North America's spokesperson confirmed.
The recall is slated to start by mid-October, according to the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shared over its website.
The company initially told the safety agency that it was not a safety issue. It said there were no warranty claims in the U.S. It also claimed that the consumer complaint rate was low.
Nissan said owners of the affected cars have already been informed. Those who haven't had the issue addressed, according to the company, will get a recall letter. What dealers will do is to fix the console panel of the said cars so that the leading edge is farther from the foot of the driver. It added the car owners will not be charged with the repair.
In February, the car manufacturer announced it was making an improvement on the design of their vehicles. It planned to have a shorter console panel which will allow for a greater distance from the foot of the driver to the leading edge. However, as announced last Friday, it will alter the console trim panel of the cars.
To date, no deaths have been connected to the problem, the company confirmed.
Alongside with the recall are 28,000 vehicles in Canada, in which adjustments to the cars' console are to be made.
Owners of these cars may contact the customer service of Nissan: 1-800-647-7261.
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