Quick News About Nissan Sentra Problems

Certain Nissan vehicles are shutting themselves off while driving

thanks to busted ball springs in the ignition switch, with a hearty assist from heavy keychains.

In August 2017, the ignition switch supplier (Alpha Technology Corp.) told Nissan a problem occurred during manufacturing of the ignition switch ball springs. New tests were created for the ignition switches and how they would function on rough roads during vibrations of the vehicles.

Tests concluded that those ball springs are giving out way too early. And without springs to support the weight of heavy key chains bouncing around on bumpy roads, the ignition is slipping itself from the “on” to “accessory” position.

To make sure drivers don’t suddenly find themselves cruising down the highway with their radios on and their engines off, Nissan is recalling over 150,000 vehicles.

If this all sounds familiar you might be thinking of Chevrolet’s long nightmare with faulty ignition switches. In fact, maybe now is a good time to mention the Chevrolet City Express has found its way into an otherwise all Nissan lineup of recalled vehicles. Seems like more than a coincidence.

The one key difference is that Nissan’s airbag systems have an electrical capacity reserve, which means they should still stay on even with the ignition in the “accessory” position. Chevy owners weren’t so lucky.

Nissan is recalling 2016 Sentras that stall while driving.

Of course, that won't be a problem for some of you since many of the same Sentras can't start at all. Nissan says in April the automaker discovered a Sentra that wouldn't start during an inspection at the assembly plant. The automaker opened an investigation which showed a problem with a harness terminal pin.

The recalled Sentras were built between April 11, 2016 and April 26, 2016.

More than 1,500 Sentras have an engine harness that can lose its connection to the electronic control unit (ECU).

As any cable company tech representative would tell you on the phone _have you tried plugging it back in again?

"The engine room harness supplier, Yazaki, identified an oversized diameter continuity check pin had caused a permanent change of the shape of one of the harness terminal pins. The shape of the pin was too large to maintain a connection to the engine control unit, resulting in a poor connection."

The recalled Sentras were built between 4/11/2016 and 04/26/2016.

Anyone else getting the feeling there's a major issue with Nissan's Occupant Classification System (OCS)?

For roughly the 103rd time – ok, 4th – Nissan is recalling their defective OCS. And this one is a doozy at 3.8 million vehicles.

"Nissan says the occupant classification systems in the front passenger seats can turn off because the systems classify an adult as a child or classify a seat as empty even if an adult is in the seat."

That will disable the airbags for someone who really needs it.

"Nissan says in the case of a child classification, the system is designed to illuminate the airbag light indicating the airbag is turned off. However, if the initial classification is “empty seat,” the light will not illuminate and there is no indication that the airbag is suppressed."

Does any part of this thing work?

Nissan has been accused of covering up the OCS issue and issuing repairs that didn't work in a lawsuit.

Nissan's Occupant Classification System (OCS) has been the subject of two recalls in the past couple years, but a lawsuit says the fixes aren't working.

Plaintiff Matthew Senci filed the proposed class-action lawsuit that alleges the vehicles have occupant classification system software that can incorrectly classify a front passenger seat as empty when it's occupied by an adult passenger.

The error can cause the airbag to deactivate and fail to deploy in a crash and the lawsuit alleges Nissan has known about the problem since at least 2012 due to complaints and warranty claims.

The first "limited" recall was in February 2013, but the fix was ineffective. A second, larger recall was announced in March 2014, but once again the lawsuit says the fix didn't do diddly.

The lawsuit, Matthew Senci v. Nissan North America, Inc., accuses the automaker of unfair and deceptive acts and seeks damages for the decreased value of the cars.

Well, this is terrifying --- a 2006 Sentra owner suffered hearing loss and multiple cuts and burns from flying metal shrapnel

when the passenger airbag exploded during a minor accident. The issue is due to dangerous Takata airbag inflators. Early reports suggest that Nissan has expanded their earlier recalls to now include 45,000 Sentras from the 2004-2006 model years. But there's a catch...

Nissan has gone against the wishes of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) by regionally limiting the expansion. Takata claims their inflators will only deteriorate in areas of high heat and humidity. But this is the same company that was fined $14,000 a day for not cooperating with an investigation and possibly destroying evidence, so take that for what it's worth (i.e. not much).

For now, the recall is limited to vehicles sold or registered in:

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Additional areas include American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

There is no word on when the recall will begin, but owners should keep an eye out for an official notice in the mail. You can contact Nissan at 800-647-7261 with any questions.

Nissan is calling back 52,000 additional vehicles to repair the passenger-side Takata airbags that can explode and injure occupants.

About 1,800 Infiniti vehicles were recalled for the same issue just a couple days ago.

The newest air bag recall includes the 2003-2004 Nissan Pathfinder, 2004-2006 Nissan Sentra, 2003-2005 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2003-2004 Infiniti I35, and 2006 Infiniti M35 and M45.

The recalled vehicles are all in areas of high humidity.

Nissan is recalling 1 million vehicles because a defective Occupant Classification System (OCS) might stop the passenger-side frontal airbags from working.

If that sounds familiar, it's because they issued the same – albeit smaller – recall last year. But now Nissan admits the problem is more widespread than they anticipated and their previous fix didn't work.

The OCS is supposed to turn on the airbag when there's an adult in the front passenger seat. but it's malfunctioning.

"Nissan says a combination of factors could cause the problem, such as high engine vibration at idle when the seat is initially empty and then becomes occupied. Even the posture of the passenger could cause the air bag to deactivate."

The recalled cars include the 2013-2014 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, Sentra, the 2013 NV200, plus additional Infiniti vehicles. It is expected to begin in April 2014.

Nissan is part of a massive 3-million vehicle recall for explosive, unstable airbag inflators manufactured by Takata.

To be clear, when an airbag deploys there's always going to be a miniature explosion to make the inflation possible. But that explosion is controlled. In the case of Takata, the propellant used to make that explosion can deteriorate over time and cause dangerous –– possibly deadly –– issues when the airbag deploys:

"Takata said the propellant wafers produced at a plant in Moses Lake, Washington, between April 13, 2000 and September 11, 2002, may have been produced with an inadequate compaction force. The propellant could deteriorate over time and cause too much combustion, which could cause the body of the inflator to rupture during air bag deployment."

When that inflator canister ruptures, metal shards can shoot out into the cabin. Most of the recalls are expected to begin in May, 2013.

Nissan is recalling 82,000 vehicles for a faulty Occupant Classification System (OCS) that could cause the passenger-side frontal airbags to fail in a crash.

The automaker says sensors within the passenger occupant detection system may have been manufactured out of specification which could cause the air bag to be suppressed permanently.

The affected vehicles include the 2013 Altima, LEAF, Pathfinder, and Sentra. It also includes the Infiniti JX35.

The recall is expected to begin in April, 2013.