2012-2013 Nissan Altima recalled for loose bolts
The 2012 Nissan Altima. Image: lotprocars/Flickr/CC BY-SA
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced the recall of some Nissan Altima sedans from the model years 2012 and 2013. The recall is over suspension bolts in the power steering system that may rattle loose.
Nissan Altima has loose bolts
The affected vehicles were built between May 10, 2012 and July 26, 2012 at the Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi. Some transverse link bolts and power steering rack bolts may not have been properly secured in the vehicles.
Nissan wrote to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
“Some of the subject vehicles may have been manufactured with four transverse link bolts and two power steering rack bolts that were not torqued to the proper specification.”
As a result, they may come loose in time. If the bolts should come fall out completely, a driver could loose control of the vehicle and possibly get into an accident.
Nissan wrote:
“Based on engineering judgment, it was determined that if a loose bolt falls out completely, the driver may experience difficulty in controlling the direction of the vehicle.”
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According to the recall notice, the first indication of the problem is a rattling noise.
A total of 13,919 vehicles are affected in the United States. Of those, 8,420 are from the model year 2012. Another 5,499 are from the model year 2013. Nissan says it discovered the problem during a routine driving evaluation of the Altima. At this time, no accidents are known to have occurred as a result of the problem.
Back to the shop
Nissan says it will contact owners on or around October 29. At that point, affected owners can take their Altima to a dealer, such as Magic Nissan in Everett, Washington, to inspect the bolts, and tighten them if necessary. All at no charge to the owner, of course.
Affected owners can contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline is 1-888-327-4236. The ID number for the current campaign is 12V494000.
A best-seller
The Altima is a best-seller for Nissan. Through September of this year, it made up 27 percent of Nissan’s sales in the United States.
Previous Altima recalls
Last year, Nissan recalled 20,000 2011-2012 Altima sedans for a similar torque specification issue. The 2012 Nissan Altima has previously been recalled twice for air bag problems. Fifty-four of the sedans were recalled last year for an air bag control unit that was improperly installed. Earlier this year, another 1,000 2012 Altimas and Versas were sent back to the shop to fix side curtain air bag issues.