Nissan to recall 405k cars for “projectile” airbag emblem

Nissan has issued a recall for 404,690 vehicles spanning a range of models for an issue where the airbag emblem can be turned into a “projectile” if deployed.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the US stated that the emblem could cause injury in the event of the airbag being set off.

The recall primarily affects models in North America including the 2008 to 2011 Titan, Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, and Armada, as well as the 2008 to 2009 Quest.

It was discovered that cracks in the emblem’s resin posts can form over time, causing the mounting points to weaken and thus detach from the airbag in the middle of the steering wheel.

Nissan reports that it has received four instances where the issue has caused injury.

A remedy for the recall has yet to be developed yet but the carmaker plans to notify customers of a fix by April 10, 2023.

It isn’t clear whether the recall extends to models sold in New Zealand considering only two were sold locally including the Pathfinder and Navara (Frontier).

As of writing, there’s no recall notice on Nissan New Zealand’s website or Waka Kotahi’s safety recalls database.