Nissan Announces Two Recalls, Totaling 768,000 Vehicles Globally

2014 wasn’t such a great year for the auto industry in terms of recalls, and unfortunately, not even a month has passed in 2015 before the recall announcements began again.

In the latest recall situation, Nissan Motor Co. has been forced to issue a recall on over 768,000 vehicles worldwide, in two separate but concurrent recall announcements, one regarding a fire risk and the other regarding a faulty hood latch.

According to Bloomberg Business, Nissan has announced that it is recalling 552,135 Rogue SUVs globally, ranging from 2008 to 2014 models, because a mixture of snow/water and salt could seep into the carpet on the driver’s side of the floor and lead to electrical problems. The Wall Street Journal states that Nissan has reported instances of electrical shorts, but no actual fires.

Additionally, it is also recalling 215,789 vehicles globally, including the 2013-2014 Pathfinder, 2013 Infiniti JX35, and 2014 Infiniti QX60, because of a faulty clasp that could cause the hood to open while the car is in motion. Although several hoods have reportedly been damaged, the WSJ cites Nissan as stating that no crashes or injuries have been reported because of the hoods.

The recalls, as noted by the Detroit News, affect an estimated 640,000 vehicles owned by American consumers. Nissan has already announced that it will provide inspections and new parts for all of the affected cars.

A date has not yet been set for the recalls, Edmunds states, and consumers will have to wait until a date has been set in order to get the faulty parts fixed — but if any drivers with these models suspect that there is an “immediate concern” related to the recall issue, they are encouraged to contact their local Nissan dealerships as soon as possible.

“You will be notified by mail if there is a recall on your vehicle,” said Robbie Thomas, service director at Hudiburg Nissan in Oklahoma. “At that time simply call or stop-in your local service department and they will have the issue fixed quickly.”

Although it’s certainly not a great way for Nissan to start the new year, there are perhaps a few silver linings present: not only have these recalls been identified before any serious injuries have occurred, but compared to 2014 auto part recalls (e.g., the Takata airbag recall), but both of Nissan’s current recalls appear to be minor and can be easily fixed.

Joining Nissan in the first recalls of 2015 are Ford and General Motors Co., which have recently issued recalls for faulty door latches and seat belt fasteners.