(VitalNews.org) – Nissan has been forced to recall over 236,000 cars in the U.S over concerns with the vehicles’ steering. 236,238 Nissan Sentra cars built between 2020 and 2022 are now subject to recall owing to a weakness within the car’s tie rods, an important part of the car’s steering mechanism that generally connect the steering knuckle to the steering gear.
Nissan’s own investigation found that the tie rods used in the 2020 – 2022 Nissan Sentra vehicles, as supplied by Bosch, may have been made from a weaker material than otherwise expected.
In a normal situation, the tie rods would suffer from wear and tear in a similar manner to other car parts. In the recalled vehicles, the rods are liable to become deformed much more easily, for example after the car has hit a curb. Becoming deformed under pressure or even breaking means that the driver will not be able to steer the car and risks crashing the vehicle.
Although Nissan have made the recall notice public, they will only began mailing letters to affected owners from October 5. Nissan have, however, released a statement asking Nissan Sentra drivers to be alert to any issues with their steering and to report any problems to their nearest Nissan dealership, where they can have any affected tie rods replaced for free. Any replacement provided currently would be an interim fix with appropriate parts until Nissan have produced an updated tie rod design for the Sentra, at which point owners would be able to have their interim tie rods replaced with the updated version, also free of charge. Nissan estimate that the updated version will be available by the winter of 2023-2024.
Sentra drivers have been warned to watch out for any vibrations emanating from their steering wheel, as well as any signs that the car does not steer correctly. For further information, customers may contact Nissan’s customer service line by telephone on 1-800-867-7669, quoting recall number R23B3.
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