Nissan recalls 17,000 cars in Canada over airbag emblems detaching

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Nissan is recalling 17,214 older trucks and SUVs in Canada over a concern the emblem on their driver’s-side airbag cover, in the middle of the steering wheel, may crack and fly off towards occupants when the airbag is deployed in a collision. The recall is part of a broader campaign that affects an estimated 463,472 vehicles globally; the models covered by the campaign include the 2008- and 2009-model-year Nissan Quest minivan; and the 2008- through 2011-model-year Nissan Frontier and Titan trucks, and Armada, Pathfinder, and Xterra SUVs.

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On these affected vehicles, the driver’s-side airbag cover’s resin emblem might crack apart over time, and/or detach during airbag deployment, which poses an increased risk of injury to occupants. Nissan is in fact aware of four such incidents where injury is alleged to have resulted due to this defect. The airbag assemblies are manufactured by Sweden’s Autoliv, one of the world’s largest for such safety systems.

“Owners with a loose, cracked or missing emblem should contact their local authorized Nissan dealer for diagnosis. If inspection deems remedy is needed, a limited number of parts or alternative transportation may be available,” a Nissan spokesperson told Automotive News.

The company is still working on a method of repair. Affected owners will be contacted by mail twice: once to let them know their vehicle is covered by the campaign; and then again once a fix has been realized and is ready to be implemented.