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Nissan recall hits UAE

Japanese auto maker Nissan said that more than 14,400 vehicles across its four popular models in the UAE would be recalled to fix a defective ignition relay system.

The ignition problem that could either cause the engine to stall or fail to start has potentially affected a total of 35,950 vehicles in the GCC and 2.14 million across the globe.

Range of effect Models affected: Tiida, Infiniti, QX56, Armada and Pathfinder GCC recall: 35,950 vehicles Worldwide recall: 2.14 million vehicles For contact: Local dealers or ME call centre in Dubai on Tel N0. 600546666

Nissan’s Tiida, Infiniti QX56, Armada and Pathfinder model vehicles — with production dates starting from 2006 March — are the target of the voluntary recall, which is part of the auto giant’s third worldwide recall. In Dubai, there are 9,844, and in Abu Dhabi 4,576 Nissan vehicles with defective ignition relay system.

The UAE is the most affected Nissan market in the GCC, followed by Saudi Arabia, which has 10,716 units falling in this category. Kuwait has 3,341 affected units, Oman 3088, Qatar 3,181 and Bahrain 1,204.

Nissan Middle East, in a statement mailed to Khaleej Times, said no accidents or injuries have been reported due to what it calls “intelligent power distribution module relay” problem. “By issuing this voluntary recall, Nissan Middle East is ensuring that the drivers and passengers of its vehicles continue to be safe.”

This is the third recall for Nissan Middle East this year. In July, more than a thousand Nissan Patrols were recalled for electronic problems that could affect the fuel supply and stall the engine.

In March, a worldwide recall of 540,000 Nissans could have affected approximately 26,000 car owners in the region. “Nissan is committed to customer safety and resolving problems quickly and effectively. To proactively support that commitment, Nissan Middle East is issuing a voluntary recall campaign to check the “intelligent power distribution module relay”, the Jebel Ali based regional office of the car maker said.

The symptom that would indicate that a vehicle is potentially affected by this issue would be a stalling or non-starting engine condition, Nissan said.

“The rectification process should take approximately 30-40 minutes and customers are requested to contact their local dealer or alternatively contact Nissan Middle East’s call centre in Dubai on 600546666.

“The rectification process will be completed at no cost to the consumer,” the Japanese car maker said.

The global recall involves nine Nissan models. Other models facing recall outside the GCC include Cube, March, Mycra and Note small cars, Titan pickup, all built in Japan, the US, Britain, Spain, China and Taiwan between August 2003 and July 2006.

Nissan is not the only carmaker to recall a large number of faulty vehicles. Other Japanese and US carmakers had also recalled thousands of vehicles due to faulty parts recently. Recalls exceeding one million vehicles have become more common at big automakers as they use common components across multiple models to save design and production costs.

Last week, Toyota Motor Corp announced a recall of 1.66 million vehicles globally for defects involving the brake master cylinder and fuel pump wiring. That brought the total number of vehicles recalled worldwide at Toyota in the past year to about 14 million.

issacjohn@khaleejtimess.com