Back in January, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that, during an investigation of rust issues on 1996-04 Nissan Pathfinder and 1997-03 Infiniti QX4 SUVs, it discovered that serious rusting could cause steering problems resulting in accidents.
In fact, no fewer than 35 cases of severe rusting were reported and of those, 18 vehicles were suffering from steering problems as a result. At the time, the agency was merely conducting an investigation, but now, it’s evolved into a full-blown recall.
Nissan recently announced that it will be recalling a total of 195,991 Pathfinders and QX4s originally sold or currently registered in the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin, plus the District of Columbia.
Notice a pattern here? All the states mentioned suffer periodically from heavy snow fall, with salt and brine often used to clear the roads.
The actual problem concerns a location hole in the front upper strut housing, which can cause salt and slush to seep in, causing moisture to sit at the mating surface of the strut housing and inner hood ledge. Since salt and water like nothing more than a warm, damp environment to feast, over time, the strut housing will literally rot away causing it to collapse in extreme cases and the steering column to break.
Nissan has said that owners of those vehicles in those states affected will be receiving notification and are advised to take their Pathfinders and QX4s to authorized dealers who will inspect the housings and perform any necessary repairs.
For more information owners are advised to contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261. Alternatively, click on the link below.
