Today Nissan announced that they will be recalling almost 750,000 vehicles for an electrical problem that could lead to stalling engines. According to the auto manufacturer, the electrical relay that supplies voltage to the Engine Control Module may develop silicon vapor inside which could lead to the development of oxidation on the electrical contacts. The result could be engine performance issues such as stalling. The vehicles being recalled are:

  • 2004-6 Nissan Armadas
  • 2004-6 Titans
  • 2004-6 Infiniti QX56s
  • 2005-6 Nissan Frontiers
  • 2005-6 Pathfinders
  • 2005-6 Xterras

There have been no reported accidents related to the problem. The company says it will notifying owners in early December. Customers with questions should contact the Nissan’s consumer affairs department at 1-800-647-7261 for Nissan vehicles, or 1-800-662-6200 for Infiniti vehicles.

It is no secret that Toyota and Tesla have joined forces to develop an all electric Rav4 that they hope will shake up the electric vehicle market. Tesla has already delivered a working RAV4 EV to Toyota earlier this summer and will debut it to the public at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The vehicle is likely to be one of the stars of the Auto Show, which traditionally hosts “green” vehicle debuts. GM’s Chevy Volt and Nissans Leaf will also be there, but Toyota’s Rav4 hopes to attract the consumer who wants an electric vehicle, but wants something bigger than a compact car.

Below are some of the automobile recalls for August 2010

  • Honda is recalling some 2010 Elements with automatic transmission manufactured between April 01, 2010 through June 25, 2010. The cable that connects the shift lever to the transmission was not set correctly during assembly which could result in the key getting stuck in the ignition or the inability to shift into or out of park or reverse. While some Element owners have been contacted by phone about the problem, most owners will be notified through mail. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
  • Honda is recalling some 2003 Accord and 2003-2004 Element vehicles for ignition interlock levers which could deform allowing the key to be removed from the ignition when the vehicle is not in park. Dealers will replace the levers with a new design free of charge. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
  • Mazda is recalling some 2007-2009 Mazda3 and Mazda5 vehicles manufactured form April 02, 2007 to November 30, 2008. These vehicle may experience sudden loss of power steering assist while driving. Due to a shortage of parts, the recall will be carried out in two phases. Owners may contact Mazda Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-222-5500.
  • Nissan is recalling some 2010 Armada vehicles manufactured between June 07, 2010 to June 11, 2010 for second row center seat hinge assemblies that were manufactured out of specification. The seat may not lock in the upright position which could lead to injuries during an accident. Dealers will inspect and replace defective assemblies. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
  • Nissan is recalling some 2010 Frontier king cab vehicles manufactured between June 10, 2010 and June 26, 2010. The weld between the tether anchor and the seat bracket is out of specification which could result in the tether anchor separating from the seat. The seat gusset will be replaced with a new one free of charge. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

As both GM and Nissan get ready to release their electric cars later this year, the electric car wars are starting to heat up already, resulting in benefits for the consumer.

GM announced the Chevrolet Volt would start at about $41,000, $8,000 more than the Nissan Leaf, but GM will also match the $349 per month lease deal that Nissan is offering on their car. Nissan fought back by announcing they would match GM’s battery warranty of eight years, 1000,000 miles.

Both vehicles will cost more than a comparable gas engine car, but the lease deals make them quite competitive. If you take into consideration the savings at the pump, the federal tax credit, and the additional tax breaks offered in some states, the new electric vehicles are in the budget of mainstream buyers.

Both Nissan and GM say the base models of their cars will come nicely equipped. Both have navigation, multiple air bags and premium audio systems standard. Options for both include backup monitoring cameras, leather seats in the Volt, and a solar-panel spoiler that generates electricity on the Leaf.

Nissan has issued a recall for certain 2010 Frontier, Pathfinder, and Xterra vehicles manufactured between February 22, 2010 to March 13, 2010. There is a potential for two problems affecting these vehicles.

  • The fasteners securing the passenger front air bag module may not be torqued to the proper specifications which could affect the deployment of the passenger front air bag.
  • The fasteners securing the steering shaft positioning bracket may not be torqued to the proper specifications which could result in the fasteners coming out of the steering column positioning bracket, resulting in poor handling of the vehicle.

Dealers will inspect the steering column and the passenger front air bag fasteners and any missing fasteners will be replaced and all loose fasteners will be re-tightened to the proper torque specifications free of charge.

Nissan will be recalling as many as 140,000 Infiniti G35 sedans built between 2005-2006 and G35 coupes from 2005-2007 because of faulty airbags. Though there have been no reports of accidents or injuries related to this problem, Nissan found that the wire harness for the airbags may become warn, preventing the bags from deploying during an accident. The automaker says Infiniti owners who see the red air bag light come on should get to a dealer right away. Recall notices will be mailed out next month to Infinity car owners.

Below are some of the automobile recalls for March 2010:

  • Chrysler is recalling model year 2010 Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee vehicles. They may have been built with an improperly manufactured rear track bar reducing the vehicles stability. Dealers will inspect the rear track bar bushing retaining hoop and replace the rear track bar if any are found to be mis-positioned. The safety recall is expected to begin during April 2010. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
  • General Motors is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt and model year 2007-2010 Pontiac G5 vehicles equipped with electric power steering. The driver may experience a sudden loss of power steering assist. The safety recall began on March 29, 2010. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
  • General Motors is recalling certain model year 2009-2010 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vehicles for failing to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 103, “Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems.” These vehicles were built with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control knobs that may fracture and spin on the control shaft. The driver may no longer be able to control the heating, cooling, and ventilation for the vehicle. If this condition affects the defrost system when it is required, it may decrease the driver’s visibility. Dealers will replace all HVAC control knobs free of charge. The safety recall began on March 11, 2010. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and GMC at 1-866-996-9463 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
  • Hyundai-Kia will recall certain model year 2011 Sonata vehicles manufactured from December 11, 2009 through February 15, 2010. The front inside door lock switch can remain in the unlatched position, and may open while the vehicle is in motion. Hyundai-Kia will notify owners and dealers will replace latches affected by this recall. The safety recall began on March 12, 2010. Owners may contact Hyundai Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-633-5151.
  • Nissan is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Titan, armada, and Infiniti QX56, and model year 2008-2009 Nissan Quest vehicles. The brake pedal pivot pin end was not spin-formed to specification which could cause the pinto slide and cause the brake pedal to partially disengage from the brake pedal bracket. The driver will experience looseness in the pedal and a reduction in braking force. Dealers will inspect to see if the pivot pin had been formed properly and will replace the brake pedal assembly if necessary. The safety recall began on March 22, 2010. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
  • Nissan is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Titan, Armada, and Infiniti QX56 vehicles. The instrument panel fuel gauge may inaccurately display that the vehicle still has some fuel. Dealers will replace the fuel sender unit inside the fuel tank with a new improved sender card. The safety recall began on March 22, 2010. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
  • Nissan is recalling certain model year 2006 and model year 2008 Frontier, Xterra and Pathfinder vehicles. The molded fuel tank shells can deform, causing the fuel sender float arm to contact the tank shell causing the instrument panel fuel gauge to show that the vehicle has approximately one quarter tank when the fuel tank is empty. Dealers will replace the fuel level sending unit inside the fuel tank with a new one that has a modified float arm. The safety recall began on March 22, 2010. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
  • Porsche will recall certain model year 2011 Boxster Spyder 2 door convertible passenger vehicles. It is possible that the locking hook on the soft top may not engage correctly into the lock catch. If the soft top is not fully locked, it can open when traveling at higher speeds. Dealers will replace both the locking hook and lock catch with redesigned components. The safety recall is expected to begin during April 2010.
  • Toyota is recalling certain model year 2010 Tundra vehicles with four wheel drive. There is a possibility that an improper weld exists at the union of the propeller shaft and yoke. This joint may separate and the shaft may come into contact with the road surface. The safety recall is expected to begin during April 2010. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced 2009 as the highest for auto recalls since 2005. Although the number of campaigns was the lowest in five years, the number of automobiles recalled in each campaign was high. 2008 brought about 10.5 million vehicles recalled in 684 campaigns while there were 16.4 million vehicles recalled in 2009 in 492 campaigns. Only Honda reported a decline in recalled vehicles in 2009.

Below is a list of how the recalls were distributed amongst auto makers in 2009:

  • The leader with nine campaigns adding up to 4.26 million vehicles recalled was the automaker Toyota and their unintended acceleration problems. This is the first time a Japanese automaker has led the industry total.
  • Ford recalled 4.5 million vehicles in eight campaigns. The largest being a defective cruise control switch which was linked to vehicle fires.
  • General Motors had 2.2 million vehicles recalled in 16 campaigns. The possibility of engine fires in passenger sedans accounted for 1.5 million vehicles recalled.
  • Chrysler had 15 campaigns, recalling almost 600,000 vehicles. Chrysler’s popular minivans the Town & Country and the Dodge Grand Caravan accounted for over 350,000 of these recalls for defective crash sensors.
  • Honda had four campaigns recalling 454,000 vehicles. Almost all these vehicles were recalled due to an airbag defect.
  • Nissan Motor Co. had six campaigns, recalling 706,000 vehicles in 2009. Almost 550,000 of these recalls were due to a brake pedal pin becoming partially disengaged causing a loss of normal braking power.
  • Hyundai Motor Co. and its Kia unit recalled 1.3 million vehicles in eight campaigns. Over 530,000 recalls were due to a malfunctioning stop lamp switch that could prevent the brake lights from illuminating or cause them to stay lit after the brakes were released.
  • Volkswagen had eights campaigns and 100,000 vehicles recalled. Almost 17,000 sport-utility vehicles were recalled to fix a software program that could lead to passenger air bag failure.