Nissan Recalls 2.55 Mln Cars Over Engines

Thursday October 30, 5:09 AM EST
TOKYO (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co (7201), Japan's third-largest auto maker, said on Thursday it would recall 2.55 million cars worldwide at an estimated cost of 15 to 16 billion yen ($138-148 million) due to an engine defect.
The recall applies to 1.02 million cars in Japan spanning 25 models, making it the second-biggest ever by an auto maker in Japan, a Transport Ministry official said.
The biggest was also by Nissan, involving about 1.05 million cars in May 1996.
A Nissan spokeswoman said the cost of the recall had been factored into profit forecasts for the business year to next March. Some of the cost will be shared by parts makers, she said.
Earlier this month, Nissan said it would keep its full-year operating profit forecast unchanged at 820 billion yen ($7.58 billion), up 11 percent from last year.
Shares of Nissan, owned 44.4 percent by France's Renault (RENA), fell on the recall news. The stock closed down 0.73 percent to 1,221 yen after touching a high of 1,273 yen.
Some analysts had expressed concern about possible quality issues at Nissan, which has been expanding its product line-up and output volumes at break-neck speed over the past few years.
The defect was found inside a sensor in the engine that could lead to a short-circuit and stop the engine from working. There have been no reports of accidents caused by the problem.
The recall affects many popular cars manufactured between 1998 and May 2003, including the Sunny, March, Cube, Primera, Presage, X-Trail, Skyline and Fairlady Z, as well as two cars built for Subaru-maker Fuji Heavy Industries (7270) and Mazda Motor Corp (7261) on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis.
Of the 1.53 million units to be recalled overseas, 700,000 are in North America and 460,000 in Europe.

©2003 Reuters Limited.

Ouch. See what happens when a french company takes over something japanese?

One wonders which Mazda vehicles are affected? Not the RX-8 of course as the dates are wrong and the Renesis is purely Mazda built.

haha, i told u guys that the new nissan cars were 100% made out of garbage, GO Toyota and Mazda!!!

and Honda!

Wonder if this effects my other final candidate for a new car... the Infiniti G35 coupe?

I guess it's not specific to the VQ, it doesn't sound like. (I don't think the Cube has a VQ). Just sensor-based...

wonder which sensor and in which cars?

Originally posted by blizz81
I guess it's not specific to the VQ, it doesn't sound like. (I don't think the Cube has a VQ). Just sensor-based...

wonder which sensor and in which cars?

I agree. It sounds like it's in the four cylinder package (therefore doesn't affect the G35) and the only thing that I could see it affecting here is the Sentra. However, it sounds like they got wrecked by a parts supplier. I drove a Maxima for a decade, and it was the most reliable car that I ever owned. Then I test drove the new Maxima . . . worste car that I have ever driven; worse than an escort. The condition of the japanese economy has hurt everyone, but it tore Nissan up.

Which sensor is an interesting question. I doubt if it's anything too tough to replace since the cost per replacement is estimated at $58.04 a car for the whole program. This is what happens when good engineering goes bad and for a while.

Originally posted by Haze
I agree. It sounds like it's in the four cylinder package (therefore doesn't affect the G35) and the only thing that I could see it affecting here is the Sentra.

Well, the original post did mention the Fairlady Z and the Skyline, which are the 350Z and the G35. Both of them has V6's...

Originally posted by downshift
Well, the original post did mention the Fairlady Z and the Skyline, which are the 350Z and the G35. Both of them has V6's...

Yup, that's what I noticed too.

"Nissan will recall 23 models, including the Sunny (sold overseas as the Sentra), the Skyline (sold overseas as the Infinity G35) and the Fairlady Z ( sold overseas as the 350Z). "

23 models... isnt that basically their whole line of cars?

Originally posted by Omicron
Wonder if this effects my other final candidate for a new car... the Infiniti G35 coupe? The recall does not effect cars built after March 2003, so a 2004 model would be unaffected. It effects the Sentra, G35, Q45 and other vehicles.

The sensor in question is built by Hitachi and was being used by Nissan before Renault/Ghosn took over with cost cutting etc. Hitach will be paying for the bulk of the recall and the sensor can be replaced in under an hour. So far 20 (twenty) cars have had an issue in Japan, where they stalled repeatedly.

The pre-Ghosn (Brazilian), pre-Renault (French) all-Japanese Nissan was slipping reliably down the tubes. Their dull cars didn't sell, so they lost money. I don't know if the new approach breaks too many eggs, but it makes an attractive and very salable omellette.

I can't speak for Nissan Japan, but the recall actually doesn't affect the Infiniti G35C so much, and definitly does not involve any new Nissan/Infiniti produced after July 2002. Here is te break down:

Affected by Recall:

Infiniti G35C: 18 vehicles (eighteen)
Nissan 350Z: 171 vehicles
Infiniti G35 sedan: 21,053

Apparently it's Hitachi's screw up so they'll be responsible for most of the cost and recall. Nissan announced no change in their fiscal plan and all is good~

btw: The recall involves in the crank sensor. Car that are affected will stall and not start properly.

wow thats a pretty big fuck up.

not unlike the one mazda had...