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Nissan Recalls More Than One Million Vehicles For Air Bags

Nissan is recalling just over one million cars, SUVs and vans because the front passenger air bags may not inflate in a crash. It's the company's second recall to fix the same problem. The recall affects the Altima midsize car, Leaf electric car, Pathfinder SUV and Sentra compact models from the 2013 and 2014 model years, as well as the NV200 Taxi van and Infiniti JX35 SUV from 2013. Also covered are the Infiniti QX60 and Q50 SUVs from 2014. In documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Nissan says the vehicles' computer software may not detect an adult in the passenger seat. If that happens, the air bags won't inflate. Nissan will notify owners and dealers will update the software for free. The recall is expected to start in mid-April. Most of the vehicles were recalled in February of last year for a similar problem. Dealers replaced seat sensors, but Nissan said it continued to get consumer complaints and warranty claims in vehicles that had been repaired. Front passenger seats have sensors that determine the passenger's weight and turn off air bags off if a child is on board. The malfunctioning sensors can turn the air bags off even if an adult is in the seat. Nissan received three reports of air bags failing to inflate in a crash. Spokesman Steve Yeager said in an e-mail that he is not sure if anyone was hurt in those incidents. There have been no deaths due to the problem, he said. The recall affects almost 990,000 vehicles in the U.S., another 60,000 in Canada and small numbers in other countries, Yeager said. Related Gallery Nissan Searches For Identity In America

2016 Nissan Sentra to get heavy restyle

Nissan is having a banner year when it comes to launching updated products in 2015. The latest Maxima is already on sale in showrooms, and the next-gen Titan joins it later. Refreshes for the Sentra (2014 model year pictured above) and Altima are also on the way, and the changes are likely to be significant to stay competitive in the compact sedan segment. "It will be an incredibly freshened Sentra," Fred Diaz, Nissan Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing in the US, said to Automotive News. The big changes reportedly include a thorough restyling and some new tech. Nissan North America Director of Product Communications Dan Bedore confirmed to Autoblog the company will launch refreshes to the Sentra and Altima "later this year" but wouldn't give a more precise timeline or other details about them. However, rumors about the restyling are already out there, and Sentra's overhaul reportedly takes inspiration from the Pulsar in Europe. That might mean a move to Nissan's pointed, V-shaped grille and more aggressive, angular headlights with better-integrated LED running lights than the current design. Meanwhile, the Altima's update potentially borrows cues from the Murano and Maxima and could see improved fuel economy. This comprehensive restyling comes despite Nissan already having a major success in the US with the current Sentra. Volume this year is up 15.5 percent through May with 88,701 sales. Also, the sedan had its best numbers in the past 25 years in 2014 with 183,268 of them sold, according to Automotive News. Related Video:

Nissan, Fisker in advanced talks on investment, partnership

Nissan is in advanced talks to invest in electric vehicle maker Fisker in a deal that could provide the Japanese automaker with access to an electric pickup truck while giving the struggling startup a financial lifeline, according to two people familiar with the negotiations. The deal could close this month, said the sources, who asked not to be identified because the talks are ongoing and have not been finalized. Terms being discussed include Nissan investing more than $400 million in Fisker's truck platform and building Fisker's planned Alaska pickup starting in 2026 at one of its U.S. assembly plants, one of the sources said. Nissan would build its own electric pickup on the same platform, the source said. Nissan has U.S. assembly plants in Mississippi and Tennessee. Fisker said on Thursday, when it announced it might not be able to continue as a going concern and would cut 15% of its workforce, that it was in talks with a large automaker for a potential investment and joint development partnership. It did not name the automaker. A Fisker spokesman said the company does not comment on speculation, while Nissan officials were not immediately available to comment. Fisker shares had been down about 45% before the Reuters report but pared those losses and were trading down about 25% with a market capitalization of more than $295 million. The term sheet is ready and the deal is going through due diligence, one of the sources said. Nissan was an EV pioneer with its fully battery powered Leaf hatchback in 2010 but has since struggled in the face of nimbler new entrants. A deal with Fisker would help it move into the growing U.S. electric pickup market. Nissan's talks with Fisker comes in the wake of the former's “rebalanced” relationship with its long-time alliance partner Renault. Last year, Nissan and Renault finalised terms of a restructured alliance after months of negotiations. They aim to have cross-shareholdings of 15% as part of the deal. The more limited alliance removes certain restrictions and has opened the door for Nissan to develop growth plans in areas such as EVs and software independent of Renault, said one of the sources, who is familiar with Nissan's thinking. The Yokohama-headquartered automaker is scouring “many, many opportunities,” the person said.